An ICA Book Club has become an exciting addition to the online class schedule for elementary students. This year, the club has already read The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventure #9: The US Capital Commotion by Jeff Brown and Macky Pamintuan. Students are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, a historical story of a little girl and her family growing up in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods in Wisconsin in the 1870s.
The online classes are led by Mrs. Blind, who has the students read through the first few chapters of each book together. She then assigns a few chapters for the students to read on their own during the next weeks. In the next classes, they talk about what has happened in the book, explore some comprehension questions, and complete some extension activities.
If you have questions about the upcoming Book Club meetings or have a suggestion for the next chapter book, please email Mrs. Blind.
Exceptional Student Work
The elementary department would also like to share a fantastic story written by one of our third graders, Eli Ellis. For this project, students were asked to create a story that relates to the picture below using their imagination and a focus on emotions, descriptive words, and a sequence of events. Eli mastered this beautifully in his writing.
The Circus on the Sea
by Eli Ellis
Once upon a time, there was a ship carrying the circus across the sea. There were animals, circus performers, and props. They were on their way to Italy to do their circus performance. The ship had been sailing for three hours, and everyone was excited about the circus performance. The lion master was practicing with the lions. The clowns were practicing juggling. The gymnastic girls were flipping all over the place.
There were two tightrope walkers named Jimmy and Bob. They wanted to practice too, but they couldn't find a rope. Bob had an idea! They could practice on the handrails of the ship. Jimmy didn't think that was a good idea. Jimmy was afraid that if they fell, they would get hurt or fall overboard. Bob told Jimmy that they were too good to fall. So Jimmy climbed up on the rail with Bob.
Suddenly, a dark cloud came over the ship. Jimmy and Bob didn't have time to get off the rail before it started to rain. When they tried to hop down, the rain had already started. The rails were as slippery as a banana peel. And then the worst thing happened! They fell off! Their bodies bounced off the deck and fell into the stormy seas.
The boys were very scared! They couldn't swim, and they started to drown. But when they bounced off the deck, some wooden planks broke off the ship's deck and fell into the sea. They grabbed hold of the wooden planks so they wouldn't drown. For thirty minutes, they held onto the planks. It seemed like four days! How would they be rescued?
Jimmy tells Bob they need to pray to be rescued. So they prayed and prayed. And then out of nowhere a ship appears. When Jimmy and Bob saw the ship, they started waving their arms and screaming for help! The captain saw Jimmy and Bob, and he rescued them. Finally, they felt safe again. The captain sailed the boys to Italy so they could make it to the circus on time. The end.