There are several pros to using a Home Reading blog rather than a Home Reading worksheet. One advantage of using a home reading blog is that you have more time to complete it (Monday through Sunday, rather than Monday through Friday for a home reading sheet). Another advantage is that you get to communicate with other people in your class about your reading. Also, you get to practice your typing. These are all the pros that I can think of.

There are also several cons to using a Home Reading blog rather than a Home Reading worksheet. One disadvantage is that it only takes about ten minutes to fill out the home reading worksheet, but it takes me an hour or more to complete my work on the blog. Another disadvantage is that it takes an extra long time if you have slow (dial-up) internet, which is all that is available in our area. Also, the blog requires that you have a computer handy, while the home reading worksheets can be done anywhere (even in the car!). Finally, the blog drives my mom nuts because it puts me in a bad mood and she has to proof read my work, while I can be more independent on the home reading worksheets. These are my thoughts on blogging.

I am reading The Witches by Roald Dahl. In my last reading, the little boy and his Grandmama moved from their house in Norway to the little boy's old house in England. The little boy and his new friend built a tree house together. Later that day, he met a suspicious lady with a green snake. He thought she was a witch. One of the questions that I had was, will the boy meet any more witches? I wouldn't want to meet a witch. One of the other questions that I had was, will the boy get to go back to Norway? I don't think he will. I wonder if the kids' grandmother will tell him more about witches. My prediction for this week's reading is that the boy's grandmama would plan something fun for them to do. I think that because his grandmama realized that the kid didn't want to leave Norway, so she planned something fun for both of them so he would be happy.

When I read, I found out that the boy's Grandmama did plan something fun, but it was canceled because she got pneumonia. I also found out that they didn't move back to Norway and the little boy did not meet any more witches (yet). Instead of going back to Norway for the summer, the boy and his Grandmama went to a fancy hotel in England, and the Grandmama gave her grandson two white mice to play with. That made the hotel manager very unhappy with them. As I was reading, I had trouble with the word corridor. I read around it and looked at the picture and thought it meant hallway. Mom said I was right.

I am reading The Witches by Roald Dahl. In my last reading the narrators' grandmama was telling him how to identify a witch and how dangerous they can be. One of the questions that I hope to answer in my next reading is, will the little boy ever meet a witch? I would not want to meet a witch! What would a witch try to do to him if he met one? I wonder why his grandmama knows so much about witches. Maybe it has to do with her missing thumb. I think that my next reading will be about the kid meeting a witch. I think this because his grandmama told him that he might meet a witch like she did.

When I read I found out that grandmama did not tell her grandson about her missing thumb, but she did tell him about the grand high witch and how she controls every witch. The grandmama and her grandson moved to England, where he had lived before his parents died. I also found out that the little boy did meet a witch that had a snake. He got away from her fast. One of the words I had trouble with was pheasant. I looked at the picture and decided that a pheasant is a type of bird people eat. I asked my mom and she said that I was right.

I am reading The Witches by Roald Dahl. In my last reading the narrator's grandma was telling him how dangerous witches are. She said that witches squelch kids and make them disappear. I wonder what his grandmama will tell him next about witches. Will she tell him about witches she has seen? How do you even know if someone is a witch? I think that in the next chapter the kid's grandmother will continue her story about witches. The reason I think this is because she tells him about witches every night before bed.
When I read, I found out that the grandmama told her grandson all the ways to recognize a witch. First, witches wear gloves because they do not have fingernails. Second, because witches are bald they must wear a wig. Third, witches have big nostrils for smelling kids. Fourth, witches' pupils change colors. Fifth, witches' shoes don't fit well because they don't have toes and their feet are square. Lastly, their spit is blue and they can write with it. I still think his grandmama is making it all up. One of the words I had trouble with was conceal. I read around the word and found out that it meant to hide. I asked my mom and she said that I was right.

I am reading The Witches by Roald Dahl. In my last reading the narrator's Grandmama was telling him how dangerous witches were. One question I had was will the boy stay in Norway? I predict that he will because he is living with his Grandmama now and her house is in Norway. Another question I had was how do witches make children disappear? I wonder if the witches eat them like in the B.F.G.

In my reading this week, I discovered how witches make children vanish. Grandmama and the boy (who are still in Norway) talked about five children that Grandmama saw disappear over the years. The first child went away with a tall lady with white gloves on. She was never heard from again. The second child ate an apple from a strange lady. The next day she disappeared and was found feeding the ducks in an oil painting. The third child started growing feathers and turned into a chicken. The fourth child turned to stone, and the last child turned into a porpoise. I would be freaked out if any of those things happened to me. Being a porpoise might be sort of cool though. As I was reading I wondered what the word fjord meant. I read around the word and looked at the picture, which made me decide that it must be some kind of body of water. I looked it up in the dictionary and found out that it meant "a narrow inlet of sea between cliffs and steep slopes". I wonder if the boy will meet any witches in my next reading...

I am reading Witches by Roald Dahl. Before I began reading I predicted that this book would be about a bunch of bad witches who went around casting mean spells on people. Will this book be similar to the other Roald Dahl books I've read? Will it take place in England like some of his other books? I hope to find these things out as I read.

When I read I found out that the witches only cast spells on kids. I also discovered that the book mostly takes place in Norway. The narrator of the story is a little boy. His parents are killed in a car accident, so he goes to live with his grandmother in Norway. She tells him stories about how witches carry children away. The little boy thinks his grandmother is making these stories up, and I did too. While I was reading I had trouble with the word barghest. I read around it and decided that a barghest is a bad, magical person. My mom and I looked for the word barghest in the dictionary, but it was not there. We looked it up on the internet, and it said that a barghest is "a monstrous dog with huge teeth and claws from the area around Yorkshire, northern England. It only appears at night."
(from www.pantheon.org/articles/b/barghest.html). Now I know what a barghest is. I'm looking forward to reading more of this book.

I've been reading To Walk The Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In my last reading, Tiger and Mush Jim went to their old island to find a new spot to build a chickee for Abraham and Sihoki. They found out that hunters had established a camp on the old island already. Abraham was so upset that he sat outside of the chickee all day and all night without eating. How will the family make him feel better? Will the family find a better island for Abraham and Sihoki to settle on? I wonder what Abraham is thinking about. I predict that in my next reading, the family will find a new island for Abraham and Sihoki to settle on.

This week, I read the rest of the book. I found out that the family did not find a new island, but that Abraham died. The whole family was sad. I can relate to this because my family and I were sad when my grandfather died last fall. The men and boys in the family carried Abraham's body in a canoe to a faraway island in the Everglades to bury him. He was buried with his favorite things but they had to be broken first to release their spirits to travel with him. Billie thought about Abraham still being alive in spirit because of the stories he had told and the memories he left. A word that I needed clarified was limpkin. I read around it and figured out that it must be some kind of animal. My mom told me that it was a bird. We looked it up in the bird book together.

I am reading To Walk The Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In my last reading Sahoki saw an owl on the top of her cookhouse. She said that it was bad luck. I wonder if anything bad will happen to Sahoki or anyone else in Billie's family. Will Billie get hurt? Another question that I had was, will Billie keep trying to teach Charlie how to read? I think the next chapter will be about Billie going back to school, returning the flash cards, and telling Mrs. Kelly how it went. I think this because the last chapter was about Billie's family, and the author alternates back and forth between Billie's family and school.
When I read I found out that nothing bad happened to Billie, but Sahoki did break her arm. Billie had not returned the flash cards yet, but I think that he will because he's had them for about a month. If I were Billie, I would have returned them by now because a month is a long time to keep something that doesn't belong to you. I had trouble with the word wretchedly. I asked my Mom and she said that it meant miserably.

I am reading To Walk The Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In my last reading Charlie,Billie and Jeff went frogging and Jeff fell into the swamp. The "Big one" (a large gator) started to attack Jeff. They barely got away. I wonder if Jeff will want to come back out to Billie's camp. I would want to come back to the camp but I wouldn't want to go frogging. Will Tiger and Mush Jim find the big one when they go out to look for her? Will Billie and Charlie going to go to Miami with Jeff?

When I did my reading this week, I found out that Jeff didn't come back soon. Instead, this chapter was about Billie's relationships with his family. He tried to borrow two library books to read with Charlie, but he was only supposed to check out one so he got in trouble. Mrs. Kelly gave Billie flash cards because the books he tried to check out were above Charlie's reading level. When Billie got home, he went over the flash cards with Charlie. A word I needed clarified was "intently". Mom says it means "firmly" or "seriously".

I am reading To Walk The Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In my last reading Mush Jim went alligator wrestling and took Billie with him. Billie saw Jeff at the same place Mush Jim was wrestling alligators and Jeff asked Billie if he could go home with him. I wonder if Jeff will try to come over to Billie's or just walk home. I think Jeff will come over to Billie's chickee because he wants to see what it's like and because he wants to play with Billie. How will Sahoki react if Jeff comes to their camp? Will she yell at Billie for bringing Jeff if he does come? If there was someone in my house that I didn't know I would probably be mad just like Sahoki would be. I predict that Sahoki will not be too upset but will be disappointed with Billie.
When I read, I found out that Jeff did come over to Billie's camp and that Sahoki was mad but not for long. When I was reading I had trouble with the word warily. I asked my mom and she said that it meant cautiously.

I am reading To Walk the Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In my last reading, tourists had come and watched Billie's family when they were bathing and washing their clothes. Will Billie's family do anything to keep the tourists away? If I was part of Billie's family, I would! I wonder what will happen when Billie goes back to school. What will the teacher say? I think the teacher will be disappointed in Billie because he missed a lot of school.

When I read, I found out that Mush Jim put up a sign at the camp that made tourists want to stay away. The sign said "Cholera. Quarantine. Department of Public Health." Billie asked Mr. Bernard what the sign meant. Mr. Bernard said it meant that there is a dangerous disease in the camp and no one was allowed in until the sign is taken down. Billie liked Mr. Bernard but he didn't like Mrs. Kelly. I wouldn't like Mrs. Kelly either. She was mad that he had missed weeks of school but did not care about what had happened to him and his family. Mr. Bernard seems to care about Billie. A word that I needed clarified was cholera. I read further and discovered that it is a dangerous disease. My mom says it give you really bad diarrhea.

I'm reading To Walk the Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Last time I read, Billie was thinking about leaving Jeff's house and going home to help his family rebuild. Will he will really go back to Mush Jim's shack or will Jeff will talk him into staying longer? If I were Billie I would go home because I would miss my family and I'd want to help them out. I predict Billie will go home. Another question I had was, how will Jeff feel if Billie leaves? Will it hurt his feelings? I think Jeff will be unhappy if Billie leaves.

When I read, I found out that Billie did go home. I also discovered that Jeff was not happy that Billie left. When Billie got to Mush Jim's shack, everyone was arguing about where to build the camp. The grandparents wanted to go back to the island. Mush Jim and Tiger wanted to stay near Mush Jim's shack. They decided to build their camp near Mush Jim's shack. Many people volunteered to help build the camp. Billie and Charlie helped with every step so they would know how to do it. Then tourists came while the family was bathing in the water and tried to take their pictures. If I had been Billie's family I would have been embarrassed and upset, just like they were. If I were a tourist, I would be more respectful of people's privacy. When I was reading I had trouble with the word squatter. After I read I asked my mom what it meant and she said it means a person who lives on land that they don't own or rent.

I am reading To Walk the Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In my last reading, the dog was acting strange and Tiger went out in the air boat to see what was happening. He saw sawgrass pollen hanging in the air. Before I read, I predicted that there would be a hurricane. I thought that there might be a bad storm when Tiger saw the saw grass pollen because Indians believe that when sawgrass pollen stays in the air there will be a bad storm. I wondered how the family would survive the storm. Would the hurricane tear their camp up? Where would they go to be safe because they live in a marshy area?

When I read, I found out that they stayed at Billie's school during the storm. I also found out that Billie's family's camp had been destroyed by the hurricane. All the chickees had been washed away and most of their livestock had died in the storm. While I was reading, I had trouble with the word endured. I think it means "go through". I asked my mom, and she said that I was right, or that I could say "tolerated".

At the end of my reading, I discovered that Billie went to Jeff's house for a few days. He thought it was a lot different than the Seminole chickees because they had windows and doors that stayed closed. They had different rooms in one building while the chickees didn't. They were just one big hut, with different huts for different activities.

I am reading To Walk the Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

Before reading, I predicted that Billie will be tired when he goes to school the next day. The reason I predict that is because he stayed up late playing Chinese checkers with Charlie. Questions that I had before reading the rest of the chapter were what Billie's school was like. I wondered this because they haven't said very much about Billie's school yet. I also wondered why Billie's family didn't want Jeffrey Miller to come home with him. I think it is because they don't want strangers in their camp. I wonder if they will say more about this in the rest of the chapter.

When I read the rest of the chapter, all they said about Jeffrey Miller coming home with Billie was that he didn't say anything about it again. I did find out something about Billie's school. They have a big blackboard that Billie had to clean on Thursdays. They are studying Florida history just like we are. Billie had a big talk with his teacher about the report he was writing on the Seminole war. Mrs. Kelly wondered why he didn't go to the library to research. Billie said that he did research in the library but that he didn't think it was told the Seminole way, so he told it the way Abraham told him. While I was reading, I had a question about what the word defying meant. I asked my mom, and she said it meant standing up against or rebelling against. The Seminoles were defying the white man to take them away.

I am reading a book called To Walk The Sky Path by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.It is about a Seminole family that lives in the everglades.In the last chapter the pilot and another man came over to Mush Jim's shack to pay him for the parts that he salvaged from the plane crash.Mush Jim didn't accept the money so he gave the money to Billie and Mush Jim said to give the money to Sahoki .This is one of the questions I had before I read on: what will Sahoki do with the money? I predict that the next chapter will mostly be about Billie giving the money to Sahoki and getting ready for bed.

After I read I still had not found the answer to my question but I did prove my prediction wrong.The section that I read was mainly about talking with Abraham and playing Chinese checkers with Charlie.I also came up with some more questions.The first question that I had was why did Billie go to Abraham to talk?maby because Aberham is very smart and knows the right thing to do .My second question was why couldn't Billie fall asleep?I woundered this becauce he stayed up all night. While I was reading I had trouble with the word incredulously. I asked my mom and found out that it means to be very surprised or unbelieving.

Why did the plane crash?

Will Mush Jim recover the plane parts?

These are the questions I had when reading To Walk the Sky Path this week.

I am reading to walk the sky path .So far a helicopter has landed in the water.I wounder how everyone will react. I also wonder what Billie's family will do about the crash.
After I read I found out that there was a crash.There were injuries . Mush Jim helped the man get to the hospital .I wonder why the the man in the crash did not want to be tacken to the hospital by a seminole.

My first reading post will be due on Friday.