Hokey Pokey - Tres Salient

1) Jack breaks the code of the Hokey Pokey world by exposing the falseness of the children's imagination. The Destroyer walks around carelessly aiming his "clicker," an old remote, at children throughout Hokey Pokey. His empowered stride lays children to waste after three clicks. One-two-three means KABOOM and your body has now been blown to smithereens in everyone's imagination. The girl, I believe, he admires has a little brother that was an innocent victim to the Destroyers clicky rampage. Jack changes from being the macho older kid that doesn't have time for anyone else but his amigos (and rescuing his bike) to being this little boy's hero. Jack finds the boy screaming in terror from his body "exploding." Jack breaks him out of this notion by showing him that its all fake...its just everything's emotion.
The care, patience, and authority Jack brings to the situation is such a salient moment because I read a more serene, empathetic character that spent the majority of the text in egocentricity. It was wonderful reading his character change. He takes the clicker from the Destroyer's hand and starts to rapidly click away in his face. Nothing happens! Imaginary world tested.

2) When Jack rips the yellow ribbon from the girl's hair, I couldn't stop laughing. I thought that was the most absurd and unexpected response in the situation. She was yelling at him and making fun of him and instead of retaliating with force, he just took a piece of her. Also, the yellow ribbon is symbolic of their subconscious love for each other and connectedness.

3) The end of the story repeats the introduction but when read at the end, it made sense. Hokey Pokey is a real, but imaginary world where anything can happen. Its a huge party with different characters finding peace and joy in being together. I started to hate this read when I first opened the book, I grew to appreciate the story and its meaning. Its a book that I would share with 5th, 6th, 7th graders. It talks about the gradual release of childhood.

Loser

I know… (Literal) ·      The main character of the story is Zinkoff. ·      He is in 1st grade with a social personality and a kind, loving heart. ·      He enjoys school. ·      His personality exemplifies that he is a good student that likes to participate ·      His opinions are important to him and he wants to make sure that they are heard ·      He has two loving parents and a baby sister ·	I hear… (Key words, phrases) ·      Jerry Spinelli uses specific dialogue to mimic the way his characters are speaking, such as “you da man!” on page 45 when Zinkoff is talking to one of his teammates.	I believe… (Inferential) ·      A conflict will arise in this chapter ·      His hyper behavior will be reprimanded ·      He will make friends
I wonder… (Questioning) ·      Why is the chapter titled, Champions? ·      Why is the first sentence about baseball? ·      Will Zinkoff join a baseball league or a different sports team? ·      Does Zinkoff have hyperactive disorder?		I feel… (Emotive) ·      Zinkoff seems out of control ·      He is blissful and ignorant to life’s problems and issues ·      His temper tantrums may become a problem in chapters o come

I see/envision… (Imagery) ·      Happy go lucky little  boy with a bright personality. ·      The main character, Zinkoff is blissful, playful and joyful. ·      He wears a giraffe hat that is taller tan him and drags on the ground

Crash Chapter 18 -- Components of Comprehension

Crash by Jerry Spinelli
Chapter 18

I know… (Literal) I know John Coogan (Crash) is the main character I know Crash plays football for his school. I know Crash’s parents said they would come to the football game and did not come. I know Penn’s parents came to the football game. I know Crash scored six touch downs in the game. I know Penn and Jane are now cheerleaders.	I feel… (Emotive) I feel bad for Crash. It is sad that his parents did not show up to his football game. As I was reading I felt his pain and that he was deeply upset that they did not show up. I feel anger towards Crash’s parents. They are not involved in their children’s lives and do not seem to care too much about their accomplishments. I feel proud of Penn for being brave enough to try out for cheerleading and becoming the first male cheerleader at his school.   I also feel proud of Crash for scoring six touchdowns. I was however turned off by how cocky and overly confident he was.	I believe… (Inferential) I believe Jane secretly likes Crash back. I believe Crash is jealous of Penn and the relationship he has with his parents. He is jealous of the fact that they support him and actually spend time with him. I believe the person in the kitchen cooking is scooter Crash’s grandfather.
I wonder… (Questioning) I wonder why Crash’s parents did not show up to the football game even though they told Crash they would come. I wonder why Penn decided to become a cheerleader. I wonder how the other students as well as Penn’s parents felt about him being the first and only male cheerleader. I wonder why Jane was standing with her hands on her hips and did not cheer for Crash along with everyone else.   I wonder who the person standing in the kitchen cooking is.	I see/envision… (Imagery) I see a football stadium I see a green field with white lines and numbers drawn on it. I see a giant score board with numbers in orange. I see children in two different football uniforms. (Crash's school uniform is blue and white and the other school is red and white) I see adults and children in the crowd with their hands up in the air and some clapping.	I hear… (Key words, phrases) I hear children and adults in the stand cheering Crash’s name. I hear people clapping and cheering.  I hear whistles blowing I hear young boys yelling and grunting.

Components of Comprehension - Hokey Pokey

Chapter: Kiki

Title: Kiki Chapter in Hokey Pokey

I know (literal)

Wall is five spits long

Kiki bounces balls off of the wall

Kiki and Jack are friends

They are playing baseball or training or practicing

Jack is training the kid or is older

Weeds and scraggily bushes against the wall

Jack is inquisitive or wise about the game beyond the sport

Jack is thoughtful of the Kid’s feelings

Jack replaces the kid’s glove with his own

I wonder (questions)

Who is Jack?

What does Hokey Pokey mean?

How long is a spit?

Why is he listing things?

What is an evil hissing dust ripper?

What is frog-eyed terrified?

Why are they playing baseball or practicing?

What happened to the ball?

I hear (key)

Descriptive words of actions

The Kid

Minute by minute description of the scene and actions

S Alliteration

I believe (inference)

Something unexpected will happen

The kid will become a great player

I believe the kid is being pushed to be the best

Jack will make the kid cry

The “lesson” conversation between Jack and Kiki was more about Jack’s inner issues

I feel (emotions)

Lost

Dramatic

Pace

Anxiety for the kid

Antagonistic

In trouble

Younger

I see (imagery)

I see two kids playing in a large field with high grass and bushes. There is a nostalgic, tall, enormous wall along the field. I see a taller and older kid at a distance throwing a ball to a smaller, younger kid. The younger child has a brightness to their eyes and an eagerness to please in every step. The older child looks somewhat bored of the game.

Crash - Post#1 Initial thoughts

Hello everyone, I am reading Crash by Jerry Spinelli. So far, the book is about a boy named John Coogan, but everyone calls him Crash. The summer before Crash enters first grade, a boy called Penn Webb moved into his neighborhood. During their first interaction, Crash makes up his mind that he does not like Penn, and from then on bullies and torments him. Penn allows Crash to bully him and does not show any form of anger or aggression.

This is the first time that I have read a book from the perspective of a bully. I thought that reading from Crash’s point of view would allow me to understand where he is coming from and to be able to empathize with him, but that is not the case. Crash is not only a bully, but a spoiled obnoxious brat and I really dislike him. I was surprised by how malicious his thoughts were at just six years old. I teach kindergarten and my students are not like that. Crash seems to be deeply troubled. I initially thought that his home environment was the cause, but then there is his sister Abby who is very sweet and is the total opposite of Crash.

I wish this book was told from the perspective of Penn. I want to enter his brain and find out what he is thinking and why he allows Crash and Mike to do all these things to him and never speak up. I love Penn’s attitude and that it doesn't matter how much Crash tortures and humiliates him he doesn't let it get to him or bring him down.

Loser - My Initial Reaction

The title, Loser, is one that makes you wonder what the story is going to be about. The term loser often holds a negative connotation, typically referring to someone that is considered to be an outcast. I assumed that this story would correlate to the stereotypes of the term.
The book is laid out with short chapters and large font, perfect for its audience. The words on the page are often spread out and formatted in a way that will grasps the readers eye. The author does not use complex vocabulary that forces the reader to use academic resources to uncover the meaning of words within the text. However; this seems to be the case because the story is not meant for those purposes. Rather, the text is for entertainment purposes only.

Hokey Pokey - first thoughts

Immediately I am submerged in an unknown world that resembles childhood play in a careless summer, but the language of the story is poetic and hyperbolic. Every motion has an onomatopoeia that makes the sounds of childhood come to life. So far, I want to drink soda pop and eat candy while falling asleep in the grass and flowers with these characters. 

The characters are in a magical place where objects are personified and, even, have names. The problems are innocent but played out dramatically as if the world were coming to an end. There is a rivalry between boy and girl, fastest rider, normal kids vs unusual kids, and etc... So far, Hokey Pokey is a fun read that I have to decrypt its poetry in order to be engulfed its child-magic charm.