Friday, February 11, 2011

Delicious Words

The students are working to include more vivid language in their writing. One of our favorite authors, Grace Lin, wrote beautifully about the food eaten by her Chinese American family in "Year of the Dog." We began to refer to the words she used as "delicious" words because of her extraordinary, mouth-watering descriptions of the family feasts.

Please pay close attention to authors' use of language and share with us any delicious words you come across, unless of course you eat them first.

Today I read "The Dreamer" by Pam Munoz Ryan. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "For a month, the clouds spilled." I loved the way the author used "the clouds spilled" instead of just saying "it rained a lot."

30 comments:

  1. Today I read "Criss Cross" by Lynne Rae Perkins. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "It could be a dark, bitter, ironic." I loved the way the author used "bitter" in place of "bad."
    sincerely,
    Little Animal

    ReplyDelete
  2. Today I read "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "The king spied him and he looked mad enough to spit ink." I loved the way the author used "spied" in place of "looked at."
    From,
    Tami Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    I read "Who Needs Third Grade" by Candice F. Ransom. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "With out realizing she was going to, Amber reached up and SNIPPED off one side of Delight's hair, just below the earlobe." I loved the way the author used "snipped" instead of
    "cut".

    Sincerely,
    PuppyDogs

    ReplyDelete
  4. Today I read Diary Of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. I found a delicious word in this sentence: He was chasing evry one with his outey it was pretty terrifying." I loved the way the author used terrifying.


    From,Pretty Princess

    ReplyDelete
  5. Today I read "The Westing Games" by Ellen Raskin. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "But these unbeleiveably elegant apartments wiil be shown by appointment only." I loved the way the author used "elegant" in place of "beautiful."
    Sincerely,
    Cycle Star

    ReplyDelete
  6. I read "Listening For Lions" by Gloria Whelan. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "when the Pritchard's house came into view, Kanoro stopped abruptly as if the house might cast an evil spell on him." I loved the way the author used "as if the house might cast an evil spell on him" in place of "he was scared to go in the house."

    Love,
    Shark Fin

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    Today I read "Walk To Moons" by Sharon Creech. I found a delicious word in this sentence: All you could hear was a crow calling somewhere up river and the distant sounds of cars along the highway.I like the way that the author said distant instead of far away.
    From,
    Jenny

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    I am reading a book called Diary of a wimpy kid [Dog Days] and the Author is Jeff Kinney. The delicious sentence: insed of water park they said slip and slide.
    from
    banana

    ReplyDelete
  9. Today I read "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "Miyax pushed back the hood of her sealskin parka and looked at the Arctic sun." I loved the way the author used "Parka"Instead of"Bag"

    ReplyDelete
  10. Today I read "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman . I found a delicious word in this sentence: "The lords clasped their bare heads as if they'd Been scalped." I loved the way the author used "clasped" in place of "held on to."

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Mr. Pahl,

    My family is reading the Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick. We found this delicious sentence,

    "Ella stared up at the sky - a blank canvas for the portrait of her thoughts."

    delicious part: " a blank canvas for the portrait of her thoughts"

    from,
    Bugman

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Class,

    Mr. Pahl read "The Dreamer" by Pam Munoz Ryan. I didn’t remember the whole sentence but here’s my best shot: "the workers flooded into their shelters." I loved the way the author used "flooded" instead of just saying "ran."

    Love,
    Shark Fin

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Mr.Pahl,
    Today I read "Rascal" by Sterling North. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "Its perfectly clean, I protested." I loved the way the author used "I protested" instead of just saying "I said really loud."
    Sincerely, Little Animal

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Mr. Pahl,

    Today I'm reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. I found a delicious word in this sentence: The lightning splinters on the peaks, and rocks shiver, and great crashes split the air and go rolling and tumbling into every cave and hollow; and the darkness with overwhelming noise and sudden light. I liked the way the auther used overwhelming noise instead of too much noise.
    From: Burgerpotpie

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    Today I read "Good Grief Third Grade" by Colleen Mckenna. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "His pencils were BOUND together With a fat red rubber band." The author used "Bound together" instead of just saying "put together."

    Sincerely,
    PuppyDogs

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dear Mr. Pahl,

    Today I read "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "." I loved the way the author used "Everything was white, clean, shining, and beautiful" instead of just saying” It was nice."

    Sincerely, Firewolf

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dear Mr. Pahl ,

    The book I read is Island Of The Blue Dolphins by Scott O’ Dell. My delicious word is: polished. I like how they said the hills are polished instead of the hills are sparkly.

    From, Lightning Bolt

    ReplyDelete
  19. Dear Mr. Pahl,

    Today I read The Book Report From The Black Lagoon. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "Suddenly there is a rumbling and the whole mountain shakes." I liked the way the author used suddenly instead of just saying "Just then there is rumbling.
    From: Burgerpotpie

    ReplyDelete
  20. Today I read "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman . I found a delicious word in this sentence: "The prince lowered his head so as to appear humbled and contrite." The author used "lowered" instead of just saying "he put down his head."
    From,
    Tami Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    Today I read "Whittington" by Alan Armstrong. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "The cat rumbled away." I loved the way the author used "Rumbled away " instead of just saying "The cat walked away.
    From,
    Rockstar

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    Today I read Lions by Jason Cooper. I liked how the author said “The lion devoured the wildebeest.” Instead of eat the wildebeest.
    Sincerely,
    Sillyband

    ReplyDelete
  23. Today I read "Blitz” by Hetty Burlingame Beatty. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "So Blitz education began while he was very small, and being intelligent, he quickly adjusted to the ways of horses and men." I loved the way the author used "he quickly adjusted" instead of just saying he quickly changed.”
    Sincerely, Star

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dear Class,

    Today I read "From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs.Basil E. FrankWeiler" by e.l. Konigsburg. I found a delicious word in this sentence: "She uncurled a large map on her bat's back and scrutinized it." I loved the way the author used "scrutinized" instead of just saying "looked at it."

    Sincerely,
    Cycle Star

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dear Cycle Star,
    "Elegant" is one of my favorite words. I adore the way it sounds AND what it means.
    From,
    Mr. Pahl

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dear Lightning Bolt,

    I hope you are enjoying Island of the Blue Dolphins. It is a wonderful story. Can you imagine being on an island all by yourself, alone for years? I also think it is so sad that the girl lost her family. But I agree, it is full of marvelously delicious words. Thanks for sharing that one with us.

    From,
    Mr. Pahl

    ReplyDelete
  27. Dear Mr.Pahl,
    Today I read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I found a delicious word in this sentence. You summoned him, my lord. My delicious word is summoned. I like the way the author used summoned instead of he brought him here.
    From,
    Dragonstar

    ReplyDelete
  28. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    Today I read the “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” by Elizabeth Speare. I found a delicious word in this sentence: “She didn’t want to admit how disappointing she found this first glimpse of America. I love the way the author used “ glimpse “instead of saying see.
    From,
    Lilly

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dear Mr. Pahl,
    I am reading The Journey by Kathryn Lasky. "It was to the sea of Hoolemere they flew, and in the middle of that sea was an island and on that island there was a tree called the great Ga’Hoole tree and in this tree there was an order of owls." My delicious word is: order. The author used order instead of a group.
    From: BullVole

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dear Mr.Pahl,
    I found a delicious in this book I read .It is called Diary Of A Wimpy Kid the word I found is trampled. And the sentence is They trampled into our house.

    From,
    Pretty Princess

    ReplyDelete

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