EduBlog Insights

Thursday I asked my fifth graders to blog about something they felt

passionate about. I have to share Patrick’s post.

is passing fifth grade. The only reasons are because my brother said

I’m going to fail all the grades. I plan to get smarter. So now I am

planning to pass every grade. I

already started to make good grades so I’m confident that I’m going to

pass. The main topics I’m felling is Spelling, and Reading. If I could

pass those and pass fifth grade I could prove to my brother that I’m

not stupid. If you have an

older brother or sister tell  you this one time or if he or she treated

you bad or good, you just got to get over it and do the best you can in

school that is what I am going to do.

You really expressed yourself well in your blog. You know that you can

do anything that you are willing to put forth a little more effort than

maybe what most kids seem to. I know from experience myself. I had 3

sisters and 1 brother and I was not as good in school as them. I have

learned though as time goes on that everyone can achieve and reach

their goal but maybe not at the same pace as another and there is

nothing wrong with that. I think that makes a person even more

admirable that puts forth the effort. Thank you for sharing your

thoughts and I know that you will reach your goal! Keep up the hard

Your goal is within your reach ~ it is all in your hands. I think that

your brother has told you. Prove him wrong! Pass the 5th grade and

don’t stop there! Keep going and one day you could be a college

graduate. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Above all else, keep your word

and do your best. I’ll be cheering for you and I bet that all of your

I know that I am guilty  from time to time of asking you to post

on the student blogs but wouldn’t it be more than awesome if Patrick

got LOTS of reinforcement to do his best so if you have a minute make a

The kids in The Write Weblog group are going to be so excited. Pat Street, author of There’s a Frog in My Throat, is planning to make a comment on each of the students’ weblogs. She started off with Ashley with this comment:

Hi Ashley!

I loved your post about spilling the beans! You gave good examples, and told how people react when someone gives away a secret. I collect idioms, so I like to read anything about idioms. I found out that another way to say the same thing is “letting the cat out of the bag.” In the olden days, people would buy baby pigs at the fair. Pigs were expensive, but cats were cheap, so sometimes dishonest farmers would take the buyer’s money and then give them a bag with a cat in it, instead of a baby pig! If someone opened the bag, the cat would jump out and the buyer would know he or she had been cheated.

I like to learn where idioms like this come from. I’m not sure where “spilling the beans” originated though.

I read on the blog that you were hurt in an accident recently, but that you are coming back to school already. Yay! I hope you are completely recovered soon.

Best wishes,

Pat Street

Isn’t that great? Elementary students communicating with an author of a book they have used and loved. This all started with my last year’s group, Thinking &

Writing Wrinkles. See this post. Weblogs can lead you to wonderful people and places.

I have a great book on idioms that I use all the time. I’ve got a copy at home, at work and at the schools where I work. It’s Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms by Marvin Terban.

(I see he has lots of other books that look great, too!) This book explains the meanings and origins behind more than 600 idioms.

Also, Pat Street is working on another book. I can’t wait until it comes out.

I checked it and if you interested in the origin of “Spill the Beans” check out the post I’ve written for my group and Pat Street to enjoy reading. I collect idioms too and it is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

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