Danger Along the Ohio: Final Thoughts

  What did you learn from the characters?  What can you infer about the historical time period and life in the Ohio Country?  We've been talking about theme in reading class.  What theme do you think Patricia Willis is communicating to her readers.  Please defend your response with evidence from the text.  Thank you for participating.

Amos and Red Moccasin

Write a paragraph that explains how Amos and Red Moccasin are similar and different.

Amos's Burden

Why do you think it was so important to Amos that they do everything possible to save the Native American boy?

Amos! What were you thinking?

Was is wise, or unwise of Amos to pull the Indian boy from the Ohio River?  Explain your thoughts clearly.

Concerning Simon...

If you were Simon's brother or sister, you would, of course, be devastated by the events that unfolded in the story.  Would you, however, accept the fact that Amos did not receive a consequence for his actions?

Do you believe that Amos did not have any consequences? Explain.

Clara

What characters from other books remind you of Clara's character?  Please use text evidence to defend your thoughts so our book club members can respond appropriately.

Amos

 What characters from other books reminds you of Amos?  Please use text evidence to defend your thoughts so other members can respond to your comments appropriately.

Leadership

Among the main characters, who appears to possess the qualities of leadership?  Use examples from the text  (text evidence) to defend your opinion?

Burden

Book Clubbers,

    As of this moment, we have 18 students participating in our December book, Danger Along the Ohio.  I hope to hear from each of you in the postings that will appear throughout the month.
    This first idea of discussion is about burdens.  What is a burden?  Can you think of any examples that exist in the story?  What burdens do typical fourth graders experience?



Link to the Merriam-Webster kid-friendly dictionary

**Danger Along the Ohio** 1st Post

Dear Book Clubbers,

    Use the prereading strategies that we've exercised in class with the front cover of our next book, Danger Along the Ohio.  In your reply post, use the title, illustration, and the actions/expressions of the characters to make predictions.

    As I noted in the newsletter, once you reply to this post, you will receive a copy of the book in school.

Informational video on the trumpeter swan

Airline Research - chapter 18: Please work with an adult

Louis requests help from Sam Beaver, and says that he will pay Sam's plane fare. (p 170)  Do some comparative shopping.  Find out how much the plane fare is from Billings, Montana to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  How long is the flight?  Is it a non-stop flight?  Is there more than one airline servicing that area?   What was the best deal you found?

You may also want to play around with traveling at different times of the year.  Does it cost more or less to fly during the week of Thanksgiving (November 19-25) compared to the end of October?

A Night at the Ritz - chapter 15

Do you know what a celebrity is?  On page 125, the author mentions the names of celebrities who might have been seen at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1970, the year in which this book was published.  What are the names of some celebrities that might be seen there today?  Who would you like to meet there? Why?
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common

Text to World - Text to Text

This is one text to world connection.  What do you think of this music?  Do you like it?  I think it's pretty cool.  I could listen to it all day.  Can you guys find any other text to text or text to world connections?

A Thieving Swan (chapter 9)

     "Make way!" shouted the owner.  He ran for the door, stepped outside, and fired another shot - bang! - at the disappearing bird.  His shot was too late.  The cob was safe in the sky, beyond the range of the gunfire.  He was headed home, toward the southwest, high above the roofs and spires of Billings.  In his beak was the trumpet.  In his heart was the pain of having committed a crime.
     "I have robbed a store," he said to himself.  "I have become a thief.  What a miserable fate for a bird of my excellent character and high ideals!  Why did I do this?  What led me to commit this awful crime?  My past life has been blameless - a model of good behavior and correct conduct.  I am by nature law-abiding.  Why, oh, why did I do this?"
      Then the answer came to him, as he flew steadily on through the evening sky.  "I did it to help my son.  I did it for love of my son Louis."


Discussion:  In real life is it acceptable to do what the cob did? To steal for the love of someone?  Please explain.

Handicapped

Think about the word handicapped.  What does it mean to you? What kind of connotation does the word  possess?  Positive, neutral, or negative?   Let's talk about this word and try to come to a consensus on its meaning.  Post your comments below.

Trumpet of the Swan: after reading chapter 5

Were you surprised by the cob's reaction to Louis?  Why or Why not?

Ultimate Animal Dads: Trumpeter Swans

Hey Readers, check out this link on Trumpeter Swans.  Do you think the cob in our story matches the description of the cobs in this video clip from Animal Planet?  What do they have in common?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnqkfglZI2Q

Trumpet of the Swan - After Reading Chapters 1-3

I can't help but think of a certain character when I hear this song.  Do you know who I'm thinking of?  And if you do, why is it a good match? And... if you listen to the second verse, why is it a bad match?

To answer the second part, you need to know about Trumpeter dads.  So you might want to click on this link...  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnqkfglZI2Q