Lewman's+Page

=Discussion Director for April 1:=

What grade is Jess in when the story begins? It's summer between 4th and 5th grade.

Why do you think that Jess runs all the time? Are there any other reasons?

How many siblings does Jess have? How does he feel about them?

When Jess first sees Leslie Burke, what is his initial confusion?

QUOTE: let's talk about this "Jess drew the way some people drank whiskey. The peace would start at the top of his muddled brain and seep down through his tired and tensed-up body. Lord, he loved to draw. Animals, mostly. Not regular animals like Miss Bessie and the chickens, but crazy animals with problems—for some reason he liked to put his beasts into impossible fixes. He would like to show his drawings to his dad, but he didn't dare. When he was in first grade, he told his father than he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. He'd thought he would be pleased. He wasn't. 'What are they teaching in that damn school?' he had asked. 'Bunch of old ladies turning my son into some kind of a—' He had stopped on the word, but Jess had gotten the message. It was one you didn't forget, even after four years."

=Vocab for April 1=



to stand with your knees awkwardly together. To be awkward and clumsy.
 * Knock-kneed**

Spoiled milk, but not yummy like yogurt, but GROSS and tastes like SPOILED MILK. yuk.
 * clabber**



Onomatopeia words that sound like Jess's dad's truck starting.
 * //baripity, baripity, baripity//**

=APRIL 3:= =**Character Captain:**= This student is responsible for revealing specific personality traits of the character(s) within the novel. This means he/she will find examples in the assigned reading of behaviors/actions that help group members to know the character(s).

There were 4 main characters for today's reading:

Jess--
Jess forgave Leslie for winning all the races. He did that AFTER he saw Miss Edmunds. He was in a good mood (because I think he *LOVES* her) and decided right then and there that he would be nice to Leslie! In this scene, we see that Jess likes to make up his own mind and not just go with what everyone else thinks! ;-)

Leslie
Leslie is tough, but she is hurt when the other girls are teasing her. She goes and cries in the girls' bathroom. That was before Jess befriended her. She also comes from a very rich family who's decided that they are going to "think about what's important in life." She also doesn't have a TV. We INFER that's because her parents don't believe in it. She has a very different home life which others make fun of her for. But she's STRONG about it.

Janice Avery
Janice is a bully who is also fat! She is mean to girls, taking their lunch money. She also will beat people up, so when Jess and Leslie decide to get her back for stealing MayBelle's Twinkies, they know they have to do it secretly. They fake-write a note from a boy to her, where he "declares his love for her." They fool her into missing the bus and walking home! Not only that, but now it looks like she lied about the note. She's angry. But I'm betting she's also hurt, thinking that no one will ever love a fat girl. So she's mean to others so she doesn't have to try to make friends and get hurt.

MayBelle
She's very dependent on Jess for protection. He tries to warn her about talking so loud about her Twinkies, but she's young. And naive. So Janice hears MayBelle and steals them from her. MayBelle goes to Jess, asking him to beat her up. But he's willing to listen. Something in me thinks that she's going to let it slip later that Jess and Leslie wrote the letter. UH OH!

=Artful Artist for April 8=

Here's my picture depicting the church scene where Jess and his family were not so interested, but that Leslie really enjoyed. She said she liked the story of Jesus, but said she didn't accept the Bible as truth. MayBelle said that she was going to be damned to hell if she didn't. Leslie didn't seem to understand.



= = =April 10=

Discussion Director:
How did Jess feel about crossing the creek? Would YOU have crossed the creek?

Who went to Washington? Why didn't he ask Leslie to go with him?

How did Jess tell his mom that he was going to Washington? Was this a good idea to tell her then? Why or why not?

Where and what was the foreshadowing that gave us the hint that Leslie was going to die?

Vocabulary:

 * Foreshadowing**--when you get the feeling in a story that something specific is going to happen in the future. There are hints in the story.

...windshield wipers **//slicked//** a merry rhythm... What does __slicked__ mean? moving along smoothly

...he instantly repented his unkingly behavior...
 * repented**-- feel bad and made up for his behavior.

(Judy's eyes were kinda fuzzled when she spoke)
 * fuzzled**-- kinda fuzzy and not clear

(he spoke solemnly on this occasion)
 * solemnly**-- calmly, quietly, and "straight"


 * vanquished-**- destroy!

=April 15--Last day for reading!=


 * adventurous || awesome || artistic || athletic || active ||
 * beautiful || brave || bold || bossy || cheerful ||
 * curious || creative || courageous || considerate || daring ||
 * impulsive || dainty || dangerous || exciting || entertaining ||
 * energetic || funny || a fighter || friendly || fun-loving ||
 * gentle || generous || happy || humble || hostile ||
 * honest || intelligent || independent || inventive || a leader ||
 * lazy || messy || mischievous || mean || neat ||
 * nasty || nice || nosy || open || poor ||
 * proud || pretty || quiet || rich || respectful ||
 * rad || sad || sloppy || serious || successful ||
 * shy || short || smart || studious || selfish ||
 * simple || tall || trustworthy || thoughtful || unselfish ||
 * warm || witty || wild || wonderful || silly ||
 * melancholy || mellow || aimless || loud || prudent ||
 * iconoclastic || penurious || belligerent || loyal || visionary ||

Character captain:

 * Jess**--throughout the book, Jess has gone from timid, shy, quiet to more of a self-confident leader. He has definitely grown into a young man, due to the lessons he learn from Leslie and also from learning from his own strength. He was able to befriend her on his own, without anyone's approval.


 * Bill-**-we see him more as a person in this last bit of the book. He seems more vulnerable, where he shows how he feels more. He's crying about Leslie, and he even silently pleads to Jess, almost asking permission, to keep PT at the end.


 * Dad**--we see dad as more of a stronger, and gentler figure in this part of the book. He's not mean, and he's very comforting for Jess. His dad goes after him when he first realizes that Leslie is gone. His dad sounds like he wishes that Jess hadn't thrown the paints into the creek, when earlier in the book, his dad pretty much called him a girl for painting and drawing earlier.


 * MayBelle**-- She continues to really look up to Jess and doesn't seem to fully understand the pain he's going through. But as a good sister, she wants to be with him. I'm not sure she knows why, but she can't leave him alone. At the end, she seems very excited to learn about all the mysteries of Terrabithia!


 * Leslie**--she continues to be "larger than life" and Jess talks to her. She will continue to be a force in Jess's life for years to come!


 * Mrs. Meyers**--She has finally softened and shown a human side to Jess. He'd never thought of her as loving someone before, or even having lost someone (her husband). He was and will likely always be grateful to her for acknowledging or mentioning his pain. yay!