5th Grade Great Depression Blog

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What The Moon Said

What The Moon Said



When Depression-era hard times send Esther’s family from their Chicago home to try their luck on a small Wisconsin farm, the 10-year-old learns that there are many ways people show love. Esther’s mother never hugs or kisses her. Does she even love her? Over the course of their year in the country, Esther tries desperately to be a good daughter, but the practical realities of their near-pioneer life (no electricity or running water) leave her mother little time to notice. And while the bookish child admires her fearful mother’s ability to read signs, she can’t bring herself to give up her new friend Bethany, even if her mother says the girl was marked by angry fairies. Eventually, Esther finds much to enjoy in her new farm life. Debut author Rosengren weaves plenty of Old World superstitions into her heartwarming story, contrasting those who fear the future with those who embrace it. Esther’s positive attitude offers a fine model for readers of this engaging historical fiction

49 comments:

  1. After reading the short description of the book and looking at the cover, comment below about your thoughts before reading the book. What have you learned about the Great Depression so far that you see is similar with this book?

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    1. When I read the short description I think the story will change in the middle. Kinda get a kick of why her mom doesn't hug her or kiss her. Her mother might get sad in the book because they might not have money. The Great Depression and this book is that they are having a hard time with their life because her mother doesn't give her a hug or a kiss. The Great Depression was a very hard time for the people who went through it.

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    2. i learned that the the great depression was a hard time and in the 6 pages that we read it say that children do not think they are worth staying at there house or family.because one reason i know is because they think they are a burden to then.so the family is going through hard stuff and they are stressing out and getting worried and that is what i have learned so far.

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  2. i have learned many things about the great depression when we are studding it. But i have learned some new thing about the great depression in the 6 pages we have read. One of the things that i learned is children think they are not worth staying with there family because they think they are a burden to them. Also i did not know that children went to the soup kitchen i thought that only adults when't there. personally i think this is gonna be a sad story but that is just my opinion.

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  3. well what i think might happen is something is gonna happen to the moon, and it might change Esther's moms feelings for Esther.

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  4. Before i read the book my thoughts were that something bad was going to happen. Also since its the great depression there could be people with no jobs, and something similar i saw was that there was soup kitchens and that people are waiting to get food and poor people.

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  5. The book I think is going to be about action and adventure because of how the great depression is going on and people are looking for jobs, people might change there feelings about some one, or work for what they disiere. I belive that this family will be amazing.

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  6. Some challenges were they needed to walk outside for the bathroom. Another problem is that they moved and they need to get used to the farm. Also they need to get used to the crowded space and not complain. Another problem They've faced is the dad has lost his family and they depend on him to get a new job. They use the bath tub as a dish washer. And that is the problems they have faced so far.

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  7. Esther and his family moved to a farm and might face hard things. One might be Indians, our run out of food or water, crops being destroyed or water pipe freezing up. OR the family will get a disease or illness and cannot get help in time.

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    1. Spell words right like or, but you said our. Don't capitalize both letters in or.

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  8. they have faced going and moving into a new home and they have to use there bathtub to wash dishes and have a outhouse.and ester is not used to all to this stuff.and it was way different because it was not like her old house at all.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. make sentence make sense. HAVE CAPITAL LETTERS. Have a space after a period. add punctuation.

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    3. What is an outhouse?

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    4. A outhouse is when the bathroom is outside.

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  9. they have faced going and moving into a new home and they have to use there bathtub to wash dishes and have a outhouse.and ester is not used to all to this stuff.and it was way different because it was not like her old house at all.

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  10. This family is going trough hard times but I believe that this family is going to make it through the great depression they changed there emotions because of how they are going through hard times they are sad and mad.

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    1. there is no punctuation until the end make sentences have more informational names dont just sat they or the family say ester ok. no one sentence reply to the questions

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    2. You need to explain more about your answer

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  11. The challenges are that when she moves to her new house she doesn't want to move so she is having a hard time with it. When she moves she gets to see her new house and she has to go to the bathroom outside and she does not like that. I think she will get use to this move through the book and if she doesn't do it she will go somewhere else or her family will force her to do it.

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  12. The reason the author used the new setting is he wanted to show an example of what happens to family's that loose their job. The reason its important is because their comparing the city to the farm and how its so sad. And the setting is the farm.

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  13. The setting is they were living in the city and they were having the best time ever in their house in the city so when they moved Esther got sad and mad because when they moved she lost her friends and she had to make new ones and she lost other stuff in her family when she moved. This is important because if their were no setting there would no setting because the setting is most important to the story.

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    1. I like it but at the beginning you said the setting is that they were living in the city and having the best time ever.

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    2. There is no punctuation it is kinda of a run on. Remember that you need to put punctuation in your sentence so the readers can take a breath once and a wile. And the setting part of the paragraph that you typed does not make scene to me because of how you said it, I see what your trying to say but it think it could be better.

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  14. The setting was in Chicago in a city, but then Esther's family moved, and the family got sad, This is important because if there is no setting the story wouldn't make sense, and it isn't a complete story without the setting.

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  15. scene= Esther in the with the teacher.
    What it would look like is the teacher and Esther talking and then when Ms. Larson asked Esther to teach. I would put in Esther being exited. The Emotion would be Esther being happy that Ms. Larson trusted Esther to teach.

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  16. i think there new house on the farm would look a little messy and not a cool sight bewcause they what out side bathrooms.i think ester felling are like feeling creeped out and stuff and be comfortable at the same time because they are used to it.

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  17. i think there new house on the farm would look a little messy and not a cool sight bewcause they what out side bathrooms.i think ester felling are like feeling creeped out and stuff and be comfortable at the same time because they are used to it.

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  18. I imagine the farm. The wide open plains with a farm house in the middle. The farm right beside the house. With birds chirping. A peaceful scene.
    The family is really annoyed, sad, and mad. Because of how there acting and treating each other.

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  19. The setting was when they go to the farm to check out the house. When Esther sees it she doesn't like the house they are going to live on. When she has to do work on the farm she does not like that idea because she never has work before. I would give Esther a mad emotion and sad because she does not know how to work somewhere and she is sad because she does not want to do the work she sign to do. My painting would look like a girl named Esther would be sad because she had to move to this old farm and there is a big land. When she sees the house she thinks of a ran down and she saw the inside and she hate it when she just walk in. When she sees her bedroom she kind of likes but not as much of her other house.

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  20. I am doing the part where Ma sprained her ankle. I would draw a picture of the room she is in, and her landing on her ankle after she fell off her chair.

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  21. part: the part when Esther comes home and has a blue ribbon and her parents don't care about the blue ribbon.

    Esther comes home and tell her parents that she has a ribbon and her parents didn't care and Esther felt very sad and was kind of mad.

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    1. Why wouldn't her parents care? She is their daughter.

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  22. ma would have a red ankle and the family would be gathered around her.
    Also ma would be vary silent in pain and everyone would be scared for her.

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  23. Esther,Violet,and Walter woke up early because that day was a special day to them. today was Christmas and everyone was happy on that day. the family thought that day was so special. They didn't have that so good of food but on Christmas they had great food. They had fun and got along really well. They were all thankful

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  24. Yesterday I read about Esther was writing letters to her friend and she was sad because they were having Christmas and they heard something bad. Her friend was supposed to come to the Christmas thing but it was still bad outside. When her mom heard about that they weren't coming she was very sad to hear. They got to ride in this sleigh form the way home from school. Esther was going to let her mom have something for her and her mom told her no and she doesn't want it.

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  25. Esther and Violet and Walter got up because it was Christmas! They got down quickly and found presents. Ma was actually happy. Pa was singing. So each of them got a present but Esther got two instead of one. Esther present to Ma was a gingerbread man and Ma shared the gingerbread man with everyone and Esther got the body and the head because she wasn't selfish and shared. After that Esther and Violet went to school and Bethany is trying to show who got in the play and Esther is the princess.

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  26. yesterday we read about the scene when Esther is at the Christmas and Esther is loving she presents and does not want the day to end

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  27. Esther, Violet, and Walter are excited because it is Christmas. Violet, and Walter are excited about the presents they got, but Ester was the most grateful about her present she loved it and felt glad.

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  28. yesterday I read about ester writing letters because she was sad and they had Christmas and they were bored. Ma also had a red ankle and she was very silent just laying in bed in a lot of pain. But violet and Walter and excited about presents and Christmas

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  29. Esther was looking at her friend then tried to eat she got to much turkey and choked.Then 30 min later she got up.

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  30. I would change the part where ma sprained her ankle. I would change it because It made the next few parts a bit worse. So I would change that part to make the book a bit better.

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  31. I would change the part of the story when Esther had to move. Because it hurt me when i moved. She could have stayed so she could be happy but work more but yes it would change the coarse of the book because she wouldn't have meet Bethany. So i would go ether way with the story. I liked the original before i requested that they should have stayed in the city.

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  32. I think it should be the part were Esther choked and it should have gone like this. Suddenly I could breath the sound went black and suddenly the world went blank.

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  33. i chose if they do not move and stay in Chicago because then know one would be mad or sad because ester would not leave any of her friends behind and it would change the whole story.

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  34. If i needed to change anything in the book I would change, Pa not losing his job. The affect on the whole book would be them not moving and not needing to struggle selling stuff. And that's the affect on the whole book.

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  35. I am doing the Christmas event: if I where to change one thing in the Christmas chapter I would change the scene when they are opening presents and she says she never wanted this day to end. I would change it to when they are opening presents I would have then open them not in the morning I would have them open them in the after noon this would effect the book because it would make the day of Christmas would be shorter.

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