A Cricket in Times Square: The End

So by now you have finished reading A Cricket in Times Square. Didn't the story have a satisfying ending? Wasn't it interesting how, even though the end was a little sad, really, it was all right for everyone, including us the reader? That's the mark of a Really Good Book!

The story begins to end when Chester feels a little "Septemberish." I don't think that's a real word, do you? But when I read it, I knew right away what "Septemberish" feels like - when the daytime air changes from hot to cool, when I have to wear shoes instead of bare feet, when the leaves in my yard start to get tinged with red and orange - those are all things I notice when I start to feel Septemberish. What about you - how do you feel "Septemberish"?

It was so thoughtful of Chester to play Papa Bellini's favorite musical piece for his final performance in the Times Square subway station. It's the most famous piece from the Italian opera Lucia di Lammermoor. This piece is a sextet, which is a song written for six singers. That's why Harry Cat said, "Too bad there aren't five more crickets like Chester!" You can listen to the sextet here - can you hear six different voices?

What did you think about Mario's reaction to Chester's leaving? Why wasn't he more sad? I mean, he lost his pet. Why was Mario so understanding? 

We say goodbye to Chester as he sets out traveling north on a train, headed back to his home in Connecticut. Doesn't it feel like there could be another story here or maybe a whole other book? I wonder if there is...?

Graphs & Charts

By polling their classmates, fourth grade students collected a small amount of data about a question of interest.  They entered the data in a simple spreadsheet, then used the application's Chart Wizard to generate different ways to visually represent it. Here's one student's data showing the least favorite video game of the kids in Mr. McCann's class.

Presidents' Day

In honor of Presidents' Day, here's a link to a short BrainPopJr. movie about George Washington, intended for primary grade students. Happy Presidents' Day!

Cyber Smart!

Guest Bloggers today are Mrs. Jackson's Second Graders! Here's what they have to say!

In ICT, we have been learning how to be "Cyber-Smart". Do you want to know how, too? Here's what we know:

Don't send pictures to anyone without checking with a parent or guardian.

When a website wants private information, ask an adult before you enter it in a form.

To keep your computer safe from viruses, don't download anything without permission.

If you hear from someone you don't know, tell a parent. Don't delete the message. A parent will know what to do.

Follow your family's computer and internet rules.

Lastly, keep private information private - like

    your first or last name

    your username,

    your password,

    your address,

    your school address,

    the name of your school

    where your parents work

    your phone number

    your email address  

Here's the rule we learned: Always ask your parent or teacher if its okay to give out private information. And if something happens online that makes you uncomfortable, get an adult to help.

Be Cyber-Smart!

Music!!

There sure was a lot of music happening in this week's chapters of A Cricket in Times Square! From time to time, I'd realize I was humming or whistling one of the songs the story mentioned!

Remember the song that Harry Cat heard on the radio and sang at the dinner party? It's a real song and it comes from an old movie. Click here for the short part where that song is sung! And as long as you're in a musical mood, here's the Blue Danube Waltz that Chester joined the radio in playing and played perfectly!



What a shame the party was ruined by the fire. As I read, I wished Chester had sounded the alarm (clock!) sooner. After the fire was out and the Bellinis came to investigate the damage, Mama Bellini said that Chester was a jinx. What is a jinx? Do you think Chester was one? Why or why not? Put your opinion in the comment space, below.

"He chirps opera?!" exclaimed Papa. Then the author describes Papa as being so surprised that his eyes looked as big and startled as two hard boiled eggs. And I got a great picture in my head of Mr. Bellini looking that way - and I laughed out loud!

Chester played lots of different piece of music! Mrs. Bird would have loved this cricket! Here's one last piece, the hymn he played that so surprised Mr. Smedley!

Keyboarding

This winter, third grade has begun the Type to Learn 4 program for keyboarding skills. Here's the post from last fall with online keyboard games and programs in case any of you want to practice at home. Just please remember to keep your fingers in place, thumbs on the space bar, and reach to tap keys! Train your brain!

image by Cy21.WP:CC-BY-SA

Heart Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, some students watched BrainPop or BrainpopJr movies about the heart. Did you know the heart is a muscle that needs exercising, just like your other muscles? The heart is about the size of your fist and takes only a minute to pump blood to all areas of your body. That's fast!

First graders used TuxPaint to illustrate and write about something they love. Here are a few examples!

Lots of Food!

There certainly was lots of eating going on in this week's chapters! Poor Chester! He dreamed he was eating a willow leaf but he woke up to find he had eaten something very different! And what sorts of problems did that cause for Chester's friends and for Mario and his family? Chester must have felt terrible!

In Chapter 7, you heard a little more about the cricket cage and how it looked like a pagoda. Click this link to see some pictures of real pagodas!

Sai Fong told Mario to feed Chester the leaves of a mulberry tree. Visit this site to see what one looks like. Look carefully at the leaves. Do you notice anything unusual about them?

When I read about the Chinese Dinner, I had a text-to-self connection. Remember after dinner how everyone sat around quietly and listened to Chester play his music? That reminded me of Thanksgiving at my house - when the meal is finished and the company is gone and the dishes are done, we sit quietly in the candle-lit living room and listen to music. After an important holiday and a big meal, it's so relaxing! It sounds like it was the same for Sai Fong and the old Chinese gentleman, doesn't it?

Did you find any connections? If so, post them in the comment box, below!

One More Adventure

A boy in New York City made a movie of his subway ride to Times Square. If you want to see it again, click here.

Times Square Adventures

In Chapter 4 of A Cricket in Times Square, Tucker and Harry take Chester up to the street to see Times Square. If you want to see what Chester saw, this link will take you to a live webcam located high on a building looking down on Times Square so you can see what's happening there right this moment! Can you imagine what it must have looked like to Chester looking up from the sidewalk? I'm surprised he could even see his Connecticut star with all those city lights!

A pet cricket and his container made of a gourd.
Watercolor by Qi Baishi(1864–1957).

You heard more about Mario keeping Chester as a pet. He even bought a cricket cage from Sai Fong! In ancient China, people really did keep crickets as pets. But they used ceramic jars or hollowed out gourds for cricket houses so the cricket's chirp would sound louder in the hollow space. Would a cardboard matchbox do the same thing? Why or why not?

Mr. Smedley certainly was impressed with Chester and his chirping. Do you think this is important to the story? Can you predict what might happen because Chester and Mr. Smedley met?

Have fun reading Chapters 7-9 for next Friday. Don't forget to do your trivia questions and bring them to school. And before you go...here, have a fortune cookie!