Mr. Nazareno's Weblog

Fables from my 3rd Grade Book Club

lanaz — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:40:25 +0000

My 3rd Grade Book Club worked on fables. We learned about characters, story events, and the moral of a fable. Following are their own fables!

The Rabbit and the Fox By Karla S.

A fluffy, nice, dainty Rabbit was playing with his friends. They were playing Frisbee. One of his friends threw it into a bush. Rabbit heard crying.

He looked inside. It was Fox. He looked big and scary. He had big, scary teeth, but he was crying because no one wanted to play with him. The Rabbit said, “You can play with me!”

They were having fun and everyone liked Fox because he was nice and he only liked pizza, soda, and hamburgers. He didn’t like to eat rabbits at all!

The message is “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover”.

The Snake and the Cheetah By Alex S.

There was a Snake and a Cheetah. The Cheetah bragged about how fast he was. Cheetah made a challenge to Snake to race.

The Snake said, “Let the race begin.” It began. Cheetah was fast, but Snake never gave up. Cheetah ran so fast, he got overconfident. He decided to go bowling.

The Cheetah slipped into a ball machine while his tail was stuck in the ball. Then he turned into a ball. Snake won the race. Cheetah and Snake are best friends now. Snake taught Cheetah to be nice and never give up and don’t get overconfident.

The moral of the story is: “Never give up.”

The Mouse and the Kitten by Austin P.

The Mouse is a kind and nervous person. He just moved into a new house, but he didn’t know the Cat lived there. Mouse said, “I love my new hou…”

Suddenly he heard a loud “HISSSSS!!!!!’’ He peeked through a hole and saw a CAT! He was soooo scared. He said, “Oh-no!!!!!”

He ran out of his door. The cat chased him around the house. The mouse thought the cat was going to hurt him.

The cat just wanted to be friends with the mouse. He said, “Stop! I just want to be friends.” So the mouse stopped running, but he was still worried. Then the cat showed his paws. There were no claws. Then the mouse and the cat became friends because the mouse found out that the cat was nice and helpful.

The moral of the story is: “Do not judge people of what they look like.”

From Fatuma H. Spring 2007

lanaz — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:31:48 +0000

Fatuma H. was in 5th grade and her younger brother, Yunis, was in 2nd grade last year (2006-2007). They were both so endearing and kindhearted. It really made me (and their teachers and those that knew them) quite sad when they moved suddenly in the middle of the school year.

Following is a poem from Fatuma which gives a great insight into her sweet personality:

Fatuma
LISTENS well, fun, pleasant
WISHES to become a teacher
DREAMS of playing with a dinosaur
WANTS to go to the beach
WONDERS why people are different colors
FEARS her brother getting lost at night time
LIKES horses, checkers, Candyland, puzzles, reading
and card games
BELIEVES everybody can draw
LOVES her brother, pizza, fish, and cats
PLANS to go to Oaks Park and OMSI again, buy a bunny, and go to college

Haikus from my Somali Students from Spring 2007

lanaz — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:59:32 +0000

Watermelon by Mohamed R.
It’s good for summer
Cut it inside there are seeds
Tastes like candy: sweet

Apples by Abdiwahab
Red green yellow
In the fall ready to eat
Not the ones with worms

Animals by Amina
Cat dog kangaroo
I like every animal
Lion bird cheetah

Watermelon by Amina
Juicy sweet crunchy
Big huge oval green outside
Red black seeds inside

Ants by Amina
March work pick up food
Queen makes babies, like, a lot!
Little tiny small

Bird by Amina
Two legs one beak sing
Beautiful colorful bright
Spread your wings fly high

Dad by Nafiso M.
My dad is the best
My dad is very funny
He loves me also

Teachers by Nafiso M.
Teachers are real fun
They help me with my homework
I love my teachers

Mom by Nafiso M.
My mom’s a sweetheart
My mom is so kind to us
My mom is the best

Books by Nafiso M.
I love reading books
Books take me around the world
I enjoy reading

Summer by Abdiqani S.
Swimming sand castle
Car wash vacation soccer
Summer is so fun

Winter by Abdiqani S.
Winter is so cold
I like to play in winter
Snowball fights are fun

Me! by Abdulkadir M.

I am so much fun
You like my curly hair? What
about my big eyes?

Sisters by Ali S.
Sisters are crazy
Sisters get you in trouble
Gets me blamed for things

Watermelon by Ali
Watermelon… yum!
You can eat watermelon
in the summer… slurp!

Bears by Ali
Big, brown, scary ball
of fur. Salmon and berry
eating monsters… grrowwl!

Water by Fatuma R.
Water in the soup
You need water to make rice
and make lemonade

Teacher by Fatuma R.
My teacher is great
She is Mrs. Polito
My teacher loves me

Spring by Fatuma R.
Clouds flowers leaves birds
I like to play when it’s spring
Spring’s my favorite

Water by Zahara
Swimming in the pool
Brushing your teeth in the sink
Taking a shower

Bananas by Zahara
Healthy bananas
Bananas are delicious
And so nutritious

Ballet by Zahara
I like ballet girls
Drawing ballet is so fun
They wear pink tutus

What Amina and Abdiwahab would do if there was no TV

lanaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:35:33 +0000

1)
When I heard the teacher say, “No TV next week!”, I thought about what could I do instead.

I could play with my sisters, Hillary and Nimo.
I could play soccer with my brother.
I could play basketball.
I could play football.
I could play baseball.
I could play kickball.
I could go to Winco.
I could go to Dollar Tree where my sister got some flower seeds.
I could help my sister plant the flower seeds.
I could go to the park to play with my sisters and my brothers.
I could go splash in the library water fountain.
I could go to the library and use my library card.
I could cook pasta, rice, and beans.
I could eat ice cream.

by Amina

When I heard the teacher say no tv next week, I thought, “What can I do?” I thought I can do a lot of fun things.

I can play soccer.
I can ride my bike.
I can go to my soccer team.
I can go to the store.
I can read.
I can write.
I can sleep.
I can clean the floor.
I can help my mom cook.
I can play with my brother.
I can go to Safeway.
I can go to Winco.
I can go to the dollar store.
I can go to the park.
I can go to Luis’s house.
I can go to Tony’s house.
I can play with Tony outside.
I can swim at Beaverton High School.

THE END

by Abdiwahab

Happiness Poems

lanaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:28:15 +0000

Happiness by Zahara
Looks like a butterfly
Sounds like a meowing cat
Smells like a hot, cheese pizza
Tastes like a lollipop
Feels like a teddy bear

Happiness by Fatuma R.
Looks like a happy face
Sounds like a bird singing
Smells like a pumpkin pie
Tastes like ice cream
Feels like a soft cat

Happiness by Mohamed A.
Looks like a baby
Sounds like the ocean
Smells like flowers
Tastes like a spicy chicken
Feels like tickling

Happiness by Fatuma H.
Looks like Chuck E. Cheese
Sounds like a surprise birthday party
Smells like roses
Tastes like a chocolate chip cookie
Feels like a cat

Happiness by Ali
Looks like Disneyland
Sounds like a monkey yelling
Smells like a muffin baking
Tastes like cheese pizza
Feels like a homerun in kickball

Some Early Diamante Self-describing Poems by our Somali Students

lanaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:25:42 +0000

These were done the first year I taught Somali Support. They are supposed to be diamante (shaped like a diamond) poems, but I don’t know how to format things yet on this blog!

Ali
Funny Fast Cool
Son of a happy mother
Lover of Sports, Animals, and Pokemon
Who feels young, healthy, and behaves
Who fears Snakes, Lions, and Tigers
Who would like to see Chuck E Cheese, Disneyland, and South Carolina

Fatuma
great friendly tall
daughter of a loving mother
lover of cats, pasta, and teachers
who feels fantastic, lucky, and sharp
who fears snakes, tigers, and bears
who would like to see Disneyland, the zoo and OMSI

Aden
nice happy tall
son of a hard-working mother
lover of basketball, math, and science
who feels crazy, sad, and happy
who fears dogs, lions, and bears
who would like to see Oaks Park, Disneyland, and Texas

Abdiwahab
playful crazy funny
son of a kind mother
lover of cars, cake, and ice cream
who feels mad, happy, and proud
who fears dogs, gorillas, and alligators
who would like to see the beach, zoo, and California

Mohamed
nice good mad
son of a loving mother
lover of soccer, basketball, and kickball
who feels sad, happy, and friendly
who fears snakes, dogs, and lions
who would like to see Disneyland, the ocean, and a Blazer game

Zahara
crazy noisy loud
daughter of a beautiful mother
lover of pizza, apples, and ice cream
who feels mad, funny, and angry
who fears lions, tigers, and wolves
who would like to see the zoo, Disneyland, and California

Fatuma
good sad cute
daughter of a beautiful mother
lover of pie, ice cream, and jellybeans
who feels sleepy, happy, and friendly
who fears dogs, lions, and alligators
who would like to see movies, the beach, and the zoo

Early Work From My Somali Students

lanaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:08:06 +0000

My first year as Somali Support, I had a 4th/5th grade group work on a report on swamp animals. Considering my students were just getting used to life in America, going to school, and learning English, I thought what they accomplished was pretty fantastic! Following is an example from Ali:

Swamp Animals by Ali

Swamps are warm, wet places where water and land come together.
Swamps are full of animals and plants.
Swamps have a lot of water and trees.
Some reeds and grasses grow only in swamps.
Some animals live in the water like fish, crayfish, shrimp, and tadpoles.
Some animals live on top of the water like alligators and beavers.
Some animals live above the water like birds and insects.
Other animals live in the squishy places around the swamp like raccoons, deer, and earthworms.

Sensory Poems about our Families

lanaz — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:16:06 +0000

When I worked with a 3rd grade ESL group, we studied words about families and family trees. Following are some poems we wrote about our families. We thought about how all five different senses would help the reader imagine what our families are like!

1) Family by Howard

Family…
…looks like people cooking, watching TV, and playing with my cousins.
…sounds like my dog barking outside, people sleeping quietly, and my hamster waking me up when he walks around his cage.
…smells like pizza, popcorn, and barbeque chicken.
…tastes like the dog food my cousin eats.
…feels boring and constipated sometimes, but also sometimes cool!

2) Family by Gecell

Family…
…looks like watching t.v., playing, cooking, and doing homework.
…sounds like noisy toys and my brother screaming.
…smells like pasta and enchiladas.
…tastes like salad and rice.
…feels like a warm couch.

3) Family by Cathy

Family…
…looks like people working together.
…sounds like my sister growling at me.
…smells like a tasty pizza and rice.
…tastes like bacon with egg.
…feels like a warm place in my room.

4) Family by Nicole

Family…
…looks like people sleeping, writing, and making calls.
…sounds like something breaking, voices, and barking.
…smells like bacon, Lysol, and my sister’s boyfriend’s perfume.
…tastes like bacon, eggs, pizza, sandwiches, and pansit.
…feels fun, bored, and noisy.

5) Family by Alfredo Nazareno

Family…
…looks like Emma getting mud all over herself and Ellie throwing up
…sounds like Emma singing a song that doesn’t make any sense and Ellie crying at two in the morning
…smells like Emma after a bath (good!) and Ellie after a poop (bad!)
…tastes like Ellie’s sweet cheeks and my wife’s yummy cooking
…feels like Emma’s curly hair, Ellie’s soft skin, and my wife’s warm hugs.

Hello world!

lanaz — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:41:52 +0000

Welcome to Mr. Nazareno’s blog. This is my first post. I will start posting work from my students and perhaps pictures of my family. Thank you for visiting and I look forward to writing more posts!