Tag Archives: kid activities

Mar26

Day 6: The Lost Secret of Fairies Free Online Novel Study & Distance Learning Support

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Day 6 of the Lost Secret of Fairies Free Online Novel Study

Welcome to Day 6 of my online novel study for my first book in my children’s fantasy series, The Lost Secret of Fairies. Today, I’ll be including a blog post activity to go along with the next set of study questions.

Here is a link to a blog post written by me on legends and myths in children’s literature. It is part of the standards to study myth and legends in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. Novel studies and using real nonfiction blog posts is part of the standards approach to reading. To note, fifth grade does study Tale Tales and US folktales for its fairy/folktales. It is called: “Using Legends and Fairy Tales in Books”. I originally wrote this post to be used in this novel study and to support other teachers to have online nonfiction reading material.

Here are the activity directions. It can be used in conjunction with the novel study or as a separate children’s reading activity.

  1. Read the blog post “Using Legends and Fairy Tales in Books” by Tiffany Turner
  2. Print out the blog post if possible. Circle or highlight evidence or details you think are important.
  3. Now, answer the question about the blog post below. Write as many details as you can to support your answer using examples from the blog post.
  • How does an author use legends and fairy tales in their book?
  • Use evidence and examples from the blog post to support your answer.

For ELD and/or Special Learning Needs, I would often write out a framed language fill in answer sheet. Below is a handout that can be used for the above question to help create a full paragraph answer using supporting details from the nonfiction article. But this paragraph response sheet below will help all children in language structure and for building academic language.

Once your child or student as filled in their answers, they can recopy the paragraph in their best writing to learn the structure for academic language.

Paragraph Response to Using Fairy Tales

summer1Chapter 9-10: Study Guide Questions for The Lost Secret of Fairies

  1. What was decided at the Crystal Council?
  2. Who is Balkazaar? Why do you think he is behind the Queen’s disappearance?
  3. What are germites?
  4. What would you do if you were in Wanda’s place?

Bonus: Predict how you think Wanda will save the Queen.

Tomorrow, will be more study guide questions and more activities to go along with the novel study. Please comment below to let me know how you and your child, class or other distance learning students are enjoying the novel study and activities.

Until then, keep reading and learning!

Mrs. Turner

(Tiffany Turner)

 

Mar19

Interview with Steph Alexis

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Steph Alexis is the author of the book “The Burping Pumpkin” pictured here with his son.

In response to the corona virus lockdowns going on throughout the U.S. and the world, I’m continuing to feature author interviews and their books as a support for parents homeschooling during this crisis. I’ve found a great book that should bring a little humor and cheer into your lives at this time. The Burping Pumpkin is a humorous picture book written by Steph Alexis.

Mr. Alexis grew up in Grenada, and found himself making up stories to pass the time with the other village children. He used this skill to create fantasies with a touch of laughter; just the perfect thing to read to your children during these unnerving times. I had the chance to talk to Mr. Alexis about his childhood memories, what advice he has about writing, and what future projects he has in store for us.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Steph Alexis: My favorite memory from reading as a child was when my parents took me to the public library in the town and the excitement of seeing so many books. I wanted to take them all home! Reading was my most exciting class at school. We went outdoors and read under the shade of a huge Tamarind tree.
2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Steph Alexis: My favorite author was C. S. Lewis. His fantasy classic “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was a very fascinating and intriguing adventure, which ignited my love for reading. This book and the others in process all have that element of intrigue and adventure.
3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Steph Alexis: I enjoy writing early in the mornings, that is when my creative juices are most abundant. I also make allowances for writing down and fresh ideas that pop into my head throughout the day. I have made a commitment to write for at least 30 minutes every day.

4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Steph Alexis: I have two books in the works, “The Magic Basketball” and “The Adventures of Zachery the Zebra”, which I plan to publish later this year. Both books will have embedded themes on, leadership, teamwork, and honesty with some adventure.

5) What is writing to you in one sentence?

Steph Alexis: Writing is the ability to express all of one’s imaginative and creative juices in a coherent manner for the benefit of others.

6) What was the inspiration to write this story?

Steph Alexis: I have always been interested in becoming a writer but never took the time to fully explore the possibility. When my son was in 6th grade, I gave him some assistance in writing a fictional story for his homework assignment. This exercise re-ignited my interest and I made a commitment to start writing. Of course, the story of the burping pumpkin was the first that popped into my head. This is my first publication.


7) How do you think humor enriches literature for children?

Steph Alexis: Humor is a very important ingredient in the social development of children. For children, as well as adults, humor is the best stress reliever. In today’s environment children are under greater amount of stress from the information overload that exists, as well as a push from adults for them to develop and learn at a faster pace. For this reason, humor is even more important to assist their young minds in maintaining some balance.
8) Why a “burping pumpkin”? Where did this idea come from?

Steph Alexis: The idea for this book came from an old folk tale that we recited as children on nights when there was a full moon. I started telling my son this story at bedtime and it became a nightly ritual. He would laugh hysterically and ask me to repeat the story, sometimes six times in one night! With all the what, how, why, and when questions I got from him every night, the story evolved to become “The Burping Pumpkin”.

9) What messages to you like to put into your stories?

Steph Alexis: I like to embed subtle themes and life lessons in my stories, such as obedience, teamwork, honesty and leadership. I strongly believe that these themes should be introduced to children at an early age when they are most impressionable.
10) Are you planning to write about growing up in the Grenada?

Steph Alexis: Yes! I plan to write a book called “The adventures of the Island Boy”. I have quite a bit of fascinating stories to tell about my boyhood days growing up on a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea.

The Burping PumpkinThe Burping Pumpkin is a witty and hilarious story that will have your children laughing as you read aloud. Zach and Zoe live in a tiny village. The mountains that surround their home are filled with giants. On an errand to pick berries, they venture further than they should and encounter a mountain giant. Who comes to the rescue? A Burping Pumpkin! This book is a great way to bring humor and literature into your child’s life. It’s great for elementary children as a reading activity during this corona virus lockdown or for traditional homeschooling.

The Burping Pumpkin is available at these Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

For more information on Steph Alexis, please visit his website at: https://outskirtspress.com/theburpingpumpkin.

 

 

Mar19

Day 4: Online Novel Study, Blog Article Activity & Study Questions

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Look for other story projects on my blog in the coming days. Please follow to not miss them!

Welcome to Day 4 of The Lost Secret of Fairies novel study. Today, I continue with study questions for the next few chapters, and am featuring a blog article activity that goes along with the novel study. I have three auxiliary activities that go along with reading The Lost Secret of Fairies. They relate to science, author craft, and literature, specifically fairy tales and legends. So, let’s begin with the first activity followed by the study questions for chapters 4-6.

This is a link to a blog post written by me in how I get my ideas as an author. It is called: “How Do Writer’s Get Their Ideas?”

Here are the activity directions. It can be used in conjunction with the novel study or as a separate children’s reading activity.

  1. Read the blog post “How Do Writer’s Get Their Ideas?” by Tiffany Turner
  2. Print out the blog post if possible. Circle or highlight evidence or details you thing are important in regards to writers getting ideas.
  3. Now, answer the questions about the blog post below.
  • What are some examples that Mrs. Turner uses to explain how she got her ideas?
  • How do you get your ideas for your stories?
  • Bonus: Think about writing your favorite author about how they get their ideas. What would you ask them?

summer1Chapter 4 – 6: Study Guide Questions for The Lost Secret of Fairies

  1. What are character traits of Brewford that make him unusual?
  2. How does Wanda over come the obstacles she faces getting the spring water?
  3. What would you do if you had to face off those bullies?
  4. What would you say to Brewford if he was your cat?

Bonus: Have you ever been creek walking?

Tomorrow, I have a fabulous author and picture book to introduce you to, with more study guide questions and advice on how to keep a school at home routine.

Until then, keep reading and learning!

-Tiffany Turner

(Mrs. Turner)

Mar18

Day 3: Online Novel Study, The Lost Secret of Fairies: Study Questions Chapters 1 – 3

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Today, study questions for chapters 1 – 3 for the novel study.

Welcome to day 3 of the FREE online novel study for my book, The Lost Secret of Fairies. As I’m writing this, the governor of my state, California, is speaking about the possible closure of schools in California. So, I’m hoping that posting these resources are going to help parents find resources to continue the learning for their children. Plus, I am available for questions if you post in the comments section.

The learning can continue in the powerful medium of the internet. I am a fully credentialed teacher with 20 years experience to help with this teaching emergency/crisis. I’ve kept all my materials at a low, self sustaining price. I have some free lessons to go along with low priced materials I’ve put on sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Today, I’m listing the promised study questions for the first several chapters of the book, The Lost Secret of Fairies. These questions can be answered in the journal you created on a separate piece of paper, or in a notebook you may have on hand. I originally used many of these comprehension questions for journal questions for my students in the classroom during the time I taught the unit in the classroom.

summer1Chapter 1- 3 Questions:

  1. How would you feel if you were Wanda being led into a mysterious, fairy world?
  2. Describe what you think the underground fairy world looks like. Look in the book for phrases and examples and list them in your answer.
  3. Why do you think Wanda’s wish to open the trunk door worked?
  4. What is your favorite scene in the story so far?
  5. What is the problem in the book The Lost Secret of Fairies?

Bonus: How do you think Wanda is going to try to solve the problem?

Next week, I will post study questions for chapters 4 – 6. Plus, I am gathering information of materials and lesson plans from other authors. I’ll be posting additional resources from authors daily through this Corona Virus Lockdown Break. There are also additional activities having to do with nonfiction reading blog posts I’ve written for this blog that relate to the book. There will be the post to read and questions in regards to the post.

I hope you are enjoying the story, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have as you read. Just post in the comments below.

Until tomorrow,

-Tiffany Turner

(Mrs. Turner)