Synonyms & Antonyms

We are reviewing synonyms and antonyms in class.  Below are the songs (or raps) that we used today to refresh our memories!  Also, be sure to check out all of the synonym and antonym activities in the Megamind Skills Blast portion of our sidebar!

Antonym Song

To the Tune of "Do you know the Muffin Man?"

Oh do you know the antonyms?
The antonyms, the antonyms.
Oh do you know the antonyms?
The meanings are opposites.

When I say, "Yes"
You say, "No"
When I say, "Stop"
You say, "Go"
When I say, "Hot"
You say, "Cold"
The meanings are opposites.

Synonym Song

Tune: "Hush Little Baby"

Synonyms almost the same,
Synonyms almost the same,
Come, let's play a matching game.
Sing two words that mean the same.

When I'm happy, I am glad.
When I'm naughty, I am bad.
If it's large, it's also big.
A hog is also called a pig.

See me hurry, See me rush.
To be quiet means to hush.
If I want, I also wish.
A plastic bowl is still a dish.

Spidey's Word Web Update

If you were in attendance last Thursday night at Open House, you got a chance to see that Spidey has slung some webs around some new vocabulary words from our Text Talk series. (They are the bold words in the summary that follows.) Our first story told the tale of a dog named Montezuma who is in MISERY about being left home alone, so he plots to get REVENGE to teach his family a lesson. He utilizes the help of a mangy old dog named Wild Bill, whose crazy appearance completely MESMERIZES him. Wild Bill isn't the best house guest and when the family returns, they are FRUSTRATED to see what has happened. They attempt to COAX Montezuma out of his favorite hiding spot, only to find Wild Bill has taken up residence in their home. They immediately REGRET not taking Montezuma with them on vacation and vow to make things different.

We brought our words to life by brainstorming scenarios that matched each word, before illustrating some of our favorites in partner pairs. Some of the following pictures were held up in front of the class and students had to guess the corresponding word. Take a look at some of our illustrations and see if you can guess which word fits each situation.

Situation One: A girl goes in her backyard and finds a cake so large it has a ladder so you can cut a slice from the top. In fact, it's bigger than her house!

The girl is MESMERIZED by the size of the cake in her yard.

Situation Two: A boy is gently calling out to his dog and is even offering him a little chew toy.

The boy is COAXING the dog.

Situation Three: A boy is building an Eiffel Tower replica out of crayons, when a careless classmate slams the door shut. The tower falls apart.

The boy is FRUSTRATED that his classmate slammed the door and ruined his tower.

Situation Four: A boy has just finished a race that he was sure he would win. He has earned a medal for third place. He wishes he had trained harder so he could have won.

The boy REGRETS taking a few days off during his training for the race.

Situation Five: A girl's cousin scares her. The girl is mad and tells her cousin she will get back at her.

The girl wants to get REVENGE on her cousin.

Situation Six: A girl has been up all night and hasn't gotten any sleep because the a.c. is broken in her room.

The girl is in misery because she is so sweaty and tired.

Book Reviews for You!

We know that, as readers, we have an amazing ability to inspire others to read.  One way to do this is to share our opinions of books.  Whether it be positive or negative, we have an opinion of every book we read.  Recently we have been studying book reviews, noticing common vocabulary and frequent features.  Our findings can be found on the charts below.

Take a look at the sample book reviews we constructed in class!

Sample Book Review on The Seven Silly Eaters

By Hoffmann/Zollinger Homeroom

Brief (short, quick) summary but don’t give away the end-

Are you a picky eater?  In this book, a mom struggles with her seven children and their picky eating habits.  In the beginning, she is amused, but as the story goes she begins to feel stressed out and frustrated with their demands.  Finally, she’s had enough.  She heads to bed on the eve of her birthday, angry but hopeful that her special day will be remembered by her children. 

Cliffhanger questions (help us hint at ending without giving it away)-

Will the children remember their mother’s birthday?  Can they work together?  Will they learn to show their appreciation for their mother?

Quotes from famous writers or other readers-

“I really enjoyed this book.  It was hilarious.” –Carson

“The details in the illustrations are so vivid, they make the family come to life.” –Mrs. Z

Sample Book Review on

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

by Montisano/Symons

Brief Summary…don’t be like Miss Hoffmann and give away the end:  In this book, Philippe Petit had a dream to walk on a wire between two buildings.  Many obstacles stood in his path, like the law!  Many people thought this was a crazy and dangerous feat.  Philippe believed in his dream and didn’t want to give up. 

Cliffhanger questions:

Will he survive?  Will he fall?  Will he plummet to his death?

Personal reactions and opinions: “Philippe is a determined dreamer and I admire his perseverance.” –Taylor

“This dream might be too dangerous.”  -Evan

“I think when he’s walking between the towers, he seems to be a very talented person.” –Caleb

Recommended reading age:  Third-Adult

We can't wait to read the book reviews of our fellow readers!  Remember, if you become a Chapter Book Champion, you will get the opportunity to write a review for the Critic's Corner!  

For more book reviews check out these sites:

Spaghetti Book Club

Kirkus Book Reviews Children's Page

Somebody Loves Captain Nobody

     Our current class read aloud is the book, Captain Nobody, by Dean Pitchford.  Chosen in honor of our superhero theme, we are pleasantly surprised to find this story is both heartwarming and humorous.  We can't wait to see what lies ahead for Captain Nobody!  What do you think will happen?  How does he end up on top of the water tower?  Can you relate to Newt?  Who is your inner other?

     Dean Pitchford is the author of another popular book, The Big One-Oh.  If you have been enjoying Captain Nobody in class, maybe you should read this one next!?!  Check out this site for more information about Dean Pitchford and his other book, The Big One-Oh!

Types of Sentences and Punctuation

This week we have been learning about the different types of sentences. View the slideshow from class here.

Review the slideshow so you can solve these punctuation riddles:

1. You raise your voice at the end of a sentence because of me. I expect an answer when I make a request. Who am I?

2. You usually stop when you see me. My nickname is "dot." I help you tell people information. Who am I?

3. You show emotion when you see me. I am tall and thin. Who am I?

WE HAVE ALSO BEEN LEARNING HOW HARD IT IS TO UNDERSTAND OUR WRITING WHEN WE FORGET TO USE PUNCTUATION REMEMBER HOW TRICKY IT WAS TO READ SOME OF OUR STORIES WHEN WE DIDN'T PUT IN ANY QUESTION MARKS, PERIODS, OR EXCLAMATION POINTS OH MY IT WAS SO HARD WAIT A MINUTE I THINK IT HAPPENED AGAIN I THINK THE PUNCTUATION TOOK A VACATION FROM OUR BLOG OH NO I BETTER GO FIGURE THIS OUT IN THE MEANTIME HAVE FUN WITH THOSE RIDDLES AND LEAVE A POST IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS OH GEEZ I GOTTA GO THIS IS GETTING FAR TOO CONFUSING I BETTER GO READ THAT BOOK FROM CLASS AGAIN TO SEE IF I CAN FIND SOME PUNCTUATION

Dictionary Skills

A dictionary is a great tool that readers and writers use to check the spelling and meaning of words in a language. With so many words in a language, dictionary makers needed to have a system to help them organize the words so people could find them. Just imagine if the words were in order of the dictionary author’s most to least favorite. My order would go like this: shopping, bike, ice cream…Anyway, it would be impossible for people to quickly find the word they were looking for. This is why words are put in alphabetical order; it helps people find the words they are looking for.


You all know the alphabet. You can sing that song all day long. So, I know you would go straight to the back if you needed to find a “z” word. What do you do once you find the section that applies to the first letter? You look for the guide words! They are located in the top outer corners and will help you narrow your search. The first guide word indicates the first word on the page, and the second guide word indicates the last word that will be found on that page. Look/think about your word and decide if it falls between the two guide words alphabetically. If it does, move down the page to locate the word. When you find your word, make sure to read all the definitions. Many words have more than one. Use the context clues in the sentence to help you decide which definition is appropriate.

Remember, you don’t only use a dictionary when you’re looking up a word you don’t know. You can also use it look for brand new vocabulary words to use in your speaking and writing. Try using one this weekend to help you write your own ABC order poem like the “Pirates” poem we read in class this week. Be sure to post it as a comment so we can all enjoy it! I worked on one last night about my nephew, Murphy. Check it out!


Murphy
Murphy, Murphy, Murphy
Cuddly, Curious, Cute Murphy
Divine, Docile, Drooling Murphy
Heartbreaker, Hiccupping, Huggable Murphy

P.S. If you have access to the Internet, you can use an online dictionary. This allows you to just type in the word you’re looking for and…Presto, there’s the definition. This is a great one for third graders.