Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month.  In light of this, and because I'm learning about the American Revolution this year, my Mom had me read these two books.  I liked them both.  I cannot pick a favorite.

For my assignment, I had to pick 5 of the women featured in the books and do poster reports on them, highlighting 5 facts about each woman.  Here are my posters:

The Nancy Hart State Park in Georgia is only a little over an hour away from our house, so we are going to have a field trip soon.  At the park is a replica of the cabin where she shot the British soldiers.

I hope I can be brave and courageous in my life, like these women were in their lives.  The saying goes,  "Well behaved women never make history."  I'll try to make good choices in my life, but not necessarily do what others think I should do . . . because being ladylike stinks.  (Direct quote.)

Signing Off,
Evalynn and Mom

The Old West Visual Dictionary

Yesterday I read this really cool book about the Old West.  I really, really, really liked it.  It had a lot of information and pictures.  My Mom gave me the awesome assignment to make my own Old West visual dictionary.  Here you go:

Native Americans

Native americans used buffalo hides to make their home, blankets, and clothing.

Cattle Ranch

Wild horses were brought to the corral to be broken or to be tamed.

Chuck Wagon

A chuck wagon was like a traveling kitchen which the cowboys used.

Covered Wagon

The pioneers traveled in covered wagons.

Wagon Trail

The treacherous trails the pioneers had to go on.

Prospectors vs. Miners

At first prospectors looked in rivers for gold, but soon many prospectors became miners.

Boomtowns

A boomtown is a community that grows very quickly.

Railroad

Railroads saved a lot of time and lives.  The trains carried goods and people, and there was a first class car, a second class car, and a third class car.

Steam Locomotive

The locomotive pulled the other rail cars. It was at the front of the train.  

Signing Off,

Evalynn and Mom

Library Clubs

I've spent the last two days at the library with my favorite librarian, Ms. Natalie.  I went to Ick Club, Book Club, and Jewelry Club.

These are the gorgeous earrings I made in Jewelry Club.  Next month we are going to learn how to weave beads into a bracelet.  I love making me some sparkle.  My Momma says I need to make her some.

This is the delicious spider I made in Ick Club.  It looks like he has a mustache.  I also made an Oreo ladybug.  Not so icky . . . more like delicious!

This is the book I read for Book Club.  I was the only one who showed up!  So Ms. Natalie and I just sat, ate cookies, drank apple juice, and chatted about the book.  I kept putting more cookie in my mouth so I didn't have to talk!

I think this book was OK - it won the Newbery Medal - but I prefer the Dear Dumb Diary books I'm reading right now.  FUNNNNNNNYYYYYY!

Let me know if you'd like me to make you some earrings.  They are $5 a pair.

Signing Off,
Evalynn and Mom

Read . . . Read . . . Read . . . Read!  Owwww - my head hurts because there is too much knowledge in it.

I spent the last couple of weeks reading these books.  I will list them in order of my most favorite to my least favorite.  But you should know that I liked them all:

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan.  The author began writing this book when she was 10 years old!  Amazing.  If you like action, you will like this story.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell.  If you like fun and magic, you will like this story!

Runt by Marion Dane Bauer.  If you like miracles and rising above adversity, you will like this story!

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.  If you like historical fiction and drama - or if you want to know more about the Black Panthers or the Civil Rights Movement - you will like this story!

My Mom took me out to lunch and let me give verbal reports on these books, instead of writing, writing, writing, writing.  She says that learning how to talk about books is just as important as learning how to write about books.  I only got a C on my verbal reports, because I was more interested in my cheeseburger and milkshake than talking with my Mom about the books.  My Mom says we are going to have to work on this.

I am busy reading many more books, trying to stuff my head with more knowledge.

Signing Off,
Evalynn and Mom

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I read this book for my independent reading assignment.  We went to this Harry Potter party at the library, and my favorite librarian, Ms. Natalie, suggested that I read this book.  It is amazing!  You must read it!  

My Mom gave me the assignment to create 3 fact posters about 3 of the magical beasts from the book.  Drum roll please . . .

• The female is generally larger and more aggressive than the male.
• A dragon hide, blood, heart, liver, and horns all have highly magical properties, but dragon eggs are defined as class A non-tradeable goods.
• Dragons are probably the most famous of all magical beasts.  

• The Billywig lives in Australia.
• It is half an inch long. 
• If you get stung by a Billywig one of the side effects is hovering uncontrollably.

• A fairy is a small and decorative beast of little intelligence.
• Fairies have large insect like wings which may be transparent or multi-colored, according to type.
• Despite its humanlike appearance a fairy cannot speak, but makes a high-pitched buzzing noise.

Read the book!  

Signing Off,

Evalynn and Mom

Christmas Mathematickles

This book is so creative!  It tickles your mind and teases your brain.  Mathematickles mixes together math and language in all sorts of math problems - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more.  After reading this book, I had the assignment to write 10 Mathematickle problems and solutions using the theme of Christmas.  Drum roll please . . .

1.  (Evergreen Tree + Ornaments) Lights = Christmas Tree

2.  (Rain - Warmth) + Freezing = Snow!

3.  Long white beard + Round belly + Red suit + Presents = Santa

4.  Joy + Screaming + Presents under the tree = Christmas morning

5.  3 spheres + Carrot + Coal + Twigs = Snowman

6.  Reindeer - Black nose + Red nose = Rudolph

7.  Wrapped presents / Children = Glee

8.  Chocolate x Hot water x Marshmallows = Happy Tummies

9.  Warm car + (Homes x Lights) = Family tradition

10.  25 days / (1 Activity/Day) = Advent countdown

From doing this assignment, I learned that math is fun!  And it's all around us.  Math is just another language we can use to communicate.  

Leave me some comments with your own Christmas mathematickles.  Please!

Signing Off, 

Evalynn and Mom

Sarah Bishop Timeline and Character Analysis

My Mom and I read this book together.  It is about a young girl, named Sarah Bishop, who lives in New England during the American Revolution.  It is a great book and I highly recommend it.  Sarah has a crazy life, filled with tragedy and adventure.  To capture this, my Mom gave me the assignment to create a timeline of the main events in the story.  Then I was suppose to identify three traits in Sarah that I admire and support them with details from the story.  Here is my assignment:

Sarah Bishop's Timeline

• Her brother Chad became a patriot soldier.
• Her father was killed by the Sons of Liberty because he was a loyalist.
• She was accused of starting a fire that she do not start.
• Her brother Chad died on a war ship.
• She escaped from the Redcoats and became a wanted woman.
• She escaped from Sam Goshen, a man who wanted to do her harm.
• She moved into a cave on Long Pond.
• She fought off an Indian that wanted her out of Long Pond.
• She was accused of witchcraft by witch hunters.
• She went to trial and was found not guilty of witchcraft.

I think Sarah Bishop is brave because... She was accused of starting a fire she did not start, then she away ran from the Redcoats to live in a cave by herself. She was bitten by a copperhead and survived the bite. She was accused of witchcraft and actually went to to defend herself at the trial.

I think Sarah Bishop is intelligent because... She made a cave into a decent home. She survived on her own in the wilderness. She made almost everything she had in her cave by herself.

I think Sarah Bishop is strong because... She is not afraid to use her musket if someone would cause her harm. She fought off an Indian from her home. She found a way to live in peace even knowing that everyone in her family is dead.  

Signing Off,

*Evalynn* and Mom

Mini Book Review: Astronomy - Out of This World

My friends, The Arnolds, gave me this book.  I finished reading it today and I think it is A-Mazing!  Here are five things I liked about this book:
1.  The detailed and descriptive pictures.  The pictures turn the planets and other space objects into cartoon people.
2.  The descriptive and interesting facts.  The author told me a lot of information in a short format.  I didn't have to read a whole lot of things I wasn't interested in to get to the good parts.
3.  That the text is written in first-person.  Each of the space objects tell about themselves.
4.  The pull-out poster included in the back of the book.  I like that the poster shows me exactly where all of the space objects are located in our Solar System.
5.  The future predictions about our Solar System and The Universe.  I'm especially interested in learning more about space travel.

I totally recommend this book!

Signing Off
*Evalynn* and Mom

Halloween Fact Posters

I was interested in learning more about how Halloween got started.  From the library I checked out, Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts, by Edna Barth.  It was filled with information about how wicked things got into and out of wicked Halloween.  It made me feel happy that we have science and reason today, and not just superstitions.  Especially after I read the story about a rooster going to court because he was thought to be a witch's familiar.  The rooster was actually put on trial.

My Mom gave me the assignment to create 3 Halloween fact posters from information I learned in the book.  Here they are:

• All witches had familiars, an animal that the devil gave to them.
• The witch would keep the familiar in a box or an earthen pot and feed it bread and milk with drops of blood.
• Whatever happened to a witch's familiar also happened to the witch.

• People used to leave food for fairies.
• Any food still there went in the trash just in case the fairies had poisoned it.
• The people used to think a horseshoe would scare the fairies away because they hated metal.

• Irish people declared that a charm made of the bone of a black cat would make one invisible.
• People thought that if a cat rubbed against you, it would bring good luck.  

Signing Off,

Evalynn and Mom

George Vs. George

My Mom and I read George vs. George, by Rosalyn Schanzer.  This book is amazing.  It shows both sides of the American Revolution.  Before I read this book, I had not even thought about how the British might have felt about the war.  The writing and the pictures are informative and interesting.  I highly recommend this book to kids interested in the American Revolution.

My Mom gave me the assignment to write a test for her on the information we learned in the book.  Then she wrote a test for me too.  Do you want to see if you could pass our tests?  Here you go:

1.  How tall were both George Washington and King George III?
A.  5'7"
B.  Over 6'
C.  7'6"

2.  How many kids did King George have?
A.  20
B.  30
C.  15

3.  What was George Washington's wife named?
A.  Martha Custis
B.  Charlotte White
C.  Betty Mans

4.  What did Samuel Jackson say about the Americans?
A.  We should stop the taxes.
B.  How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of Negros.

5.  How many slaves did George Washington have by 1775?
A.  135
B.  600
C. 144

6.  What year did the Boston Tea Party happen?
A.  1774
B.  1775
C.  1773

7.  The Daughters of Liberty . . .
A.  did not exist.
B.  sang before battles.
C.  made their own tea and ball gowns instead of buying from the British.

8.  What is a Hessian soldier?
A.  A German soldier.
B.  An American soldier.
C.  A British soldier.

9.  Who had the biggest signature on the Declaration of Independence?
A.  John Hancock
B.  Ben Franklin
C.  Benjamin Harrison

10.  Where was the final battle of the war?
A.  Yorktown
B.  Bunker Hill
C.  Saratoga

11.  True or False: George Washington is known as the "Father of our Country" and King George III is  known as the "Father of the People."

12:  True or False: Great Britain made more money trading with an independent America than it did from owning and taxing the Colonies.

13.  True or False:  John Adams wanted to meet with King George III two years after the peace treaty, but King George refused him.

14.  True or False:  King George suffered from a hereditary condition that caused brief bouts of madness.

15.  True or False:  King Georg made the laws, not British Parliament.

16.  True or False:  King Louis XVI of France signed a treaty in 1978 recognizing the U.S. as a new nation and promising ships, soldiers, and money.

17.  True or False: A Quaker housewife living across from British headquarters in Philadelphia, spied on the Redcoats and sent the information sewn into shirts to George Washington.

18.  True or False:  General Cornwallis delivered a white flag of surrender to George Washington at Yorktown in 1781, signifying the unofficial end of the war.

19.  True or False: The First Continental Congress, with delegates from the 13 colonies, was the governing body of the new U.S. until 1789 when George Washington was elected president.

20.  True or False:  At Valley Forge, about 2,500 of George Washington's soldiers died from starvation, freezing, or sickness.


How do you think you did?  Here are the answers:

1.  B
2.  C
3.  A
4.  B
5.  A
6.  C
7.  C
8.  A
9.  A
10.  A
11.  T
12.  T
13.  F - King George actually accepted John Adams with open arms.
14.  T
15.  F - King George worked with Parliament to make laws.
16.  T
17.  F - She wrote the information on cloth buttons.
18.  F - Cornwallis sent his second-in-command to deliver the white flag.  George Washington would not accept it from the second-in-command, so he sent Cornwallis' messenger to his own second-in-command.
19.  T
20.  T

Signing Off,
Evalynn and Mom

Ghosthunters #3: The Totally Moldy Baroness

I have written my first five paragraph book report!  I had to do FIVE drafts.  Is that crazy or what?  Sometimes I was super frustrated, but I am happy I have finally finished it and it's out of my hair.  Here it is:

Book Report by Evalynn

The book I'm reviewing is called, The Totally Moldy Baroness, by Cornelia Funke.  It takes place in Gloomsburg Castle, where a ghost is haunting up a storm.  The time is not the Middle Ages, it is today's time.

The main characters are called The Ghosthunters. They are Hetty, she's the boss; Hugo, he's the ghost; and Tom, he's the brave one.  Hugo is playful and he likes to play jokes on people.  Tom is brave and serious.  Hetty is smart and in-charge.

The plot of the story is that the Ghosthunters have to stop a totally moldy Baroness, who is one of the top most dangerous ghosts. The Ghosthunters get a call saying that the Baroness is haunting up a storm at Gloomsburg Castle. When they get there they shut off her power supply and find out the time, month, place, and date she died. In the end they go to the drawbridge - that's where she died - and get her to touch an old dress she wore when she was alive. When she touches the dress she vaporizes into mist.

My favorite part of the book is when Tom had to put on the dress because he was the only one who fit in it. I think it's funny and so brave at the same time. I mean really, how could anyone guess that a boy would be brave enough to wear an old smelly dress.

I love this book more than any movie. The book is descriptive and always exciting. Anyone who has a brain would like this book.   

Signing Off,

Evalynn and Mom

Mini Book Review

My Mom and I read a hilarious book called, John, Paul, George, & Ben, by Lane Smith.  I think this book is funny and informative.  You probably need to know a little about the American Revolution in order to understand the jokes in the book.  My favorite thing I learned in this book was that Benjamin Franklin was known for his sayings.  My two favorites are:

1.  Fish and visitors stink after three days.

2.  Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.

These are real sayings that Ben Franklin actually said.

In closing, I would totally recommend this book to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

Signing Off,
Evalynn and Mom