One of Naomi's talents is soap carving. She really believes that the soap is waiting to tell the story and she is just revealing it. It is obvious that this is something that is very important to her and when Clive uses the soap we discover how important it is to her.
As we have been reading we also discovered that Naomi's talent seems to be a trait that her father has. (As well as others in her family)
Believe it or not soap carving is something that people actually do!! There are some amazing pieces of art that are created by artists.
The following is a link for a gallery of soap carvings...hard to believe this is ACTUALLY soap!!!
Soap carving gallery from the Carving Institute
The next link is a link to an artist's website for his own art work. It gives you a little background info on soap carving and you can check out his gallery of the carving that he does. This artist also does fruits and vegetables!
Soap Carving Art
The next link is a blog about how you can create your own soap carvings at home. Please remember if you use a knife or any sharp object to ask a parent for assistance, these are sharp objects we don't just use on our own.
How to do soap carvings
Make your own soap carving
One of the forgotten characters in the book is Dismay. He is the dog of the Snowberger family. We talked about in our Literature Circle that the word dismay means, "to lose courage, to feel concern or upset."
I think the author picked the dog's name on purpose to show emotion in the book. Plus the Snowberger's run a funeral home which I am sure it has lots of upset people.
I have done some research about different types of dogs and have included some information that follows.
There is actually such a thing as a funeral dog!! I found the following online at USA today. It is a great read.
Grief Dogs
Dogs sent to Newtown to help residents with grief
Dogs are also a big part of people's everyday lives....not just as pets. Other dogs are working dogs. In the link that follows information is included about what working dogs do.
Working dogs
Dogs are also companions for different types of people. The following link is more than just an article. Take time to dig into it and click on the links to see more information about it.
Canine Companions
In our reading we find out that Bree and her family will be taking over the campground that is currently run by Ally's family. We also find out that Bree will be in charge of maintaining the Unusuals.
The purpose of the Unusuals is to entertain the guests at the campground. They are "extras" that come with being at the campground.
One of the extras is the sundial.
Here is a brief history of the sundial:
History of the Sundial
You can also make your own sundial at home. Here are some directions for that:
Make your own sundial
How did people tell time in the dark? They used a Big Dipper Star Clock.
Here is information on that:
Big Dipper Star Clock
The link below will describe to you why the Star Clock works:
Why does the Star Clock work?
Another one of the Unusuals is the labryinth. This was hard to visualize for some of you. Here is a picture of that:
Here is some information about the labryinth:
History of the labryinth
You can also make your own labryinth. This could be done outside on the sidewalk where you draw it with chalk or just draw your own on a piece of paper. Directions are here:
Creating your own labryinth
Happy READING!!!!
Now that we have invested more time and thought into our books and chacters we can see their personalities develop and where the story will be leading us. I want you to think about and respond to these questions:
#1-Predict what you think will occur in the story using evidence from the book. What led you to this thinking and be specific in your answers.
#2-Pick a character from your book and fill in the blanks: If I were ______________________ I would _______________________ because __________________. This is really up to you where your thinking will lead you. Remember characters change and respond to the things in their environment. Be very thoughtful in your answer using text based evidence and specific in your answers.
I am excited to see where this leads our discussion. Happy Reading!!
Now that we have invested more time and thought into our books and chacters we can see their personalities develop and where the story will be leading us. I want you to think about and respond to these questions:
#1-Predict what you think will occur in the story using evidence from the book. What led you to this thinking and be specific in your answers.
#2-Pick a character from your book and fill in the blanks: If I were ______________________ I would _______________________ because __________________. This is really up to you where your thinking will lead you. Remember characters change and respond to the things in their environment. Be very thoughtful in your answer using text based evidence and specific in your answers.
I am excited to see where this leads our discussion. Happy Reading!!
Now that we have invested more time and thought into our books and chacters we can see their personalities develop and where the story will be leading us. I want you to think about and respond to these questions:
#1-Predict what you think will occur in the story using evidence from the book. What led you to this thinking and be specific in your answers.
#2-Pick a character from your book and fill in the blanks: If I were ______________________ I would _______________________ because __________________. This is really up to you where your thinking will lead you. Remember characters change and respond to the things in their environment. Be very thoughtful in your answer using text based evidence and specific in your answers.
I am excited to see where this leads our discussion. Happy Reading!!
Now that you have had a chance to get some background information on your author, learn a small amount about your characters and are getting the story started....what are your impressions of the book?What do you like, dislike, would change, etc.? Where do you see the plot of this story headed?
After you have posted your reponse on the blog you need to check back and reply (meaningful reply) to two people in your book club.
