How do authors get us hooked on their books?
Book Hooks
Author: janiceintexas
A Tangle of Knots: Are You Up to the Challenge?
A Tangle of Knots
by Lisa Graff
Get ready for some high adventure!
This is a great Read Aloud for middle school.
Take some time and pay attention to details . . .
or you might not be able
to untangle all the knots
in this book!
***If you’re a teacher and would like the complete study guide, please email me at sendtotutor@gmail.com
Click the arrow on the far right for a sample of STUDY GUIDE ACTIVITIES.
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Open in new tab It’s Time For Some Cake!
Think of a cake (or cupcake) with lots of frosting . . .
and you’ll be ready for this writing lesson!
Just click on the link below:
5-Paragraph Essay on Cake
Fun With Writing
Change a Fairy Tale into a Tall Tale
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Find a copy of your favorite children’s fairy tale.
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Make a list of all the verbs in it and change them into more exciting, vibrant verbs. Use your vibrant verb list.
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Use hyperbole (exaggeration) to describe the actions of the villains and heroes in your story.
For example, the wolf in The Three Little Pigs could be a SUPER WOLF —
When he huffs and puffs he causes a TORNADO that destroys the whole town where the three pigs live!
Would you like to be a SUPERHERO?
Not all of us get the chance to be a Superhero, but we can all IMAGINE what it would be like to be one!
Here is a trailer for a story one of my students is writing about a whole team of superheroes.
Enjoy!
Super Fluffy Team Mystery #1
When you get done watching, write your own Superhero Story!
Writing Fiction
Dear Student Authors:
This post for YOU!
As you write your adventure stories about super heroes, click on the link below to review what we have been talking about in our lessons.
Planning My Story About Super Heroes
Happy Writing! 
Homework: Fun with Hyperboles
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”
Have you ever heard or read this phrase? Of course, we hope that no one would really ever want to eat a horse. The speaker or writer is just trying to emphasize the fact that they are VERY HUNGRY.
Writers use hyperboles like this to emphasize important points and to make their stories more interesting. If someone reads this phrase or a phrase like it in a story, they will automatically “see” a picture in their mind that is humorous and very memorable. They will want to continue reading the story!
For Your Homework: 
Create a Tall Tale Hero of your own in ChatterPix. Make a list of his/her special abilities. Next, create some dialogue for your hero or heroine in which they describe one of those powers in one sentence which uses hyperbole.
For example, “I’m so strong that I can move mountains with my little toe!
***The character you create will be the hero in an original Tall Tale which you’ll write in the future.
Homework: Find out about a Texas Hero!
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill is a fictional character brought to life in some folktales about Texas and the Old West. He is another American folk hero just like Paul Bunyan. The people who told stories about Pecos Bill really liked to exaggerate, too. They made up some very exciting stories!
Click below to watch some movies about him:
The Adventures of Pecos Bill
More Adventures of Pecos Bill
For Homework, pick your favorite part of the movie and retell it in a paragraph or two. Remember to use vibrant verbs!!!
Why do you think people made up stories like these? Why were these stories called “tall tales”? Write your ideas in the Comment section for this post.
Homework for June 12-19
June 28th is Paul Bunyan Day!
Paul Bunyan is an American folktale hero. There are many stories about this legendary lumberjack and his blue ox, Babe. The stories about Paul are filled with exaggerations about how big and strong he was and what he did.
Watch the Walt Disney movie about Paul Bunyan by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoG94ieN828
For your homework:
Write about the part you liked best. Use some vibrant verbs to retell your favorite part of the movie.
Writing Homework for June 4-10
Check out the word of the week (June 4-10) to read about the definition of this word.
Next, write a paragraph about your aspirations for this summer.
