Hello Book Bums families!
We hope you have been enjoying the beautiful fall weather. This week in the newsletter we share ideas and resources to honor Veterans Day and get ready for Thanksgiving. We've included two downloadable PDFs for your use. As always, we share book recommendations, writing tips, and fun word info as well. Enjoy!
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Word of the Week
hypothetical (hi-po-thet-i-cull) adjective/describing word - supposed but not necessarily real or true
I asked students to write about a hypothetical situation where they had one million dollars to solve a problem in the world.
Literary Calendar
• November 15 is I Love to Write Day.
• Author John Riddle created the day in 2002 to encourage people of all ages to spend some time writing.
• If you have a young fiction-writer you may be interested in this short story contest hosted by Midpointe Library.
From our Bookshelves
A pilgrim is a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons. Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen is a beautiful beginners’ chapter book that’s just right for kids ages 6-10 or so. The story reminds us to appreciate others, even those (and dare I say especially those) who are different from ourselves. In this book, Cohen reminds us that pilgrims continue to come to America.
I’m including a link for a short movie you can watch for free on Amazon Prime. It’s based on Cohen’s Molly’s Pilgrim. https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0848TKK5G/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
When Sarah Hale fought (with her pen) for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday, her aim was to bring Americans together. When Lincoln proclaimed that Thanksgiving would, indeed, become a national holiday, our nation was at war—with ourselves.
Lincoln’s proclamation is worth a read. We’re including it, here.
Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation PDF
Americans. As a nation, we’ve accomplished many, many wonderful things. As a nation, we’ve also made countless mistakes. So, how do we celebrate Thanksgiving, with all its associated atrocities? I’ve been thinking about that. Here’s where I’ve landed . . .
When my family and friends come together to celebrate my birthday, they choose to celebrate all the good in my life. They celebrate my life and acknowledge how I’ve enhanced their own. They choose to do that, year after year, without shining any light upon my failings.
This is how I choose to celebrate Thanksgiving. As Lincoln proclaimed, “. . . while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence.”
Tips for Families
Veterans Day
Today is Veterans Day. In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"
Veterans Day is a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Your family can take some time, today, to write and send thank-you letters to veterans and active military. Operation Gratitude and A Million Thanks make it easy for kids who don’t know someone who is deployed, a wounded warrior, or a veteran. With a simple thank-you letter, your kids can brighten the day of someone who could really use a kind word. Invite your kids to write a simple note. Younger kids can draw a picture. You could add a little something as well. Of course, Veterans Day will be over before your veteran receives the letter, so add a Thanksgiving or Christmas wish if you’d like. You could even tuck a photo of your family in the envelope!
We’re including a PDF that shows the standard friendly letter format. I like to have my students place a plain piece of paper over top of this paper so the lines show through providing guidelines. Those lines help students remember to include all the components of a friendly letter.
*Note that Veterans Day is not written with an apostrophe. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, “It’s not a day that belongs to veterans. It’s a day for honoring all veterans.”
Tips for Readers and Writers
Using Commas Correctly, Week 8 of 8
This week we are sharing three less-common ways commas are used. (1) Use commas between two coordinate adjectives (describing words whose order can be rearranged and the word and could be used between them). (2) Use commas to separate a statement from a question within the same sentence. (3) Use commas when using too, meaning also, within a sentence.
Example:
That’s one large, angry dog.
I’m heading to the gym, okay?
We, too, are learning about commas!
It’s time to finish up that box of macaroni noodles! You can teach your kids more about when to use commas in their writing. Grab those cute, curved noodles, print the attached PDF, and twist open that orange glue bottle lid once more. It’s time for our final round of fun-focused practice using commas. Share with your kids this week’s featured rules for using commas and have the kids try inserting the macaroni commas where they belong on the provided PDF. For beginning readers, you read the text for them. More advanced readers will be able do this work independently. After you’ve checked to be sure your kids’ work is correct, have them attach their macaroni commas to the PDF with their glue. When the glue dries, display this final Use Your Noodle activity sheet with the others the kids have made. Take time to review all the lessons they’ve learned and celebrate! The best part is that you, too, are equipped to help your kids with proper comma usage.
Wordolgy Workshop
• The Latin root honor means esteem.
• It is one example of a root that stands alone as a word in English.
• Honor is also part of words like honorarium and honorary.
Practical Grammar
How many of the songs, below, can you identify? Can you match the song with the artist?
Songs:
If I were king of the forest . . .
If I were a rich man . . .
If I were a carpenter, you were the lady . . .
If I were a boy . . .
Artists:
Beyonce’
Cowardly Lion
Tevye
Bobby Darin, The Four Tops, &Johnny Cash
These songs all begin with “If I were . . .” Did you know that “If I were” is used when the subject of the sentence if referring to a hypothetical or imaginary situation? “If I was” is used if something actually happened in the past.
Examples:
If I was mistaken, I’ll gladly make it right.
I would play basketball If I were taller.
I apologize if I was unclear.
If I were you, I’d take that bet.
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