Tom Angleberger Strikes Back…The Photos

Hello Readers,

Yesterday was a huge day here at SMS.  Not only were we pleased to welcome back author Tom Angleberger, but he was willing to stay after school and participate in our After School Extravaganza!

The Tom Angleberger Strikes Back After School Extravaganza ended up being wildly popular.  I don’t have a full count yet, but we estimate over 100 students stayed for the fun.

We had cartooning, bookmark making, Paper Wars, Fake Mustache and of course origami stations for all to enjoy.  We even had some fund-raiser popcorn(in cheesey metal tins) for everyone to enjoy.

Mr. Angleberger stuck around and signed and folded and just talked with kids for our hour long extravaganza, he really is a great guy.

In the end we lined up all our Fake Mustaches and choose two winners.

So here are some choice photos from our Extravaganza.  Special thanks to all that helped and to Mr. Angleberger for making our day truly memorable.

Read on,

Mr. H

Tom Angleberger Stikes Back

Hello Readers,

Last year around this time we were happy to welcome author Tom Angleberger to our school.  He had just published the now wildly popular book, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and was starting to visit schools.

He was fantastic as a speaker and presenter.  Last year we decided to have an After School Origami Yoda Extravaganza before Mr. Angleberger arrived.  It was awesome and he said he would have really liked to have been there.

So this year we welcome Tom Angleberger back to SMS.  This year he comes with Darth Paper Strikes Back and Horton Halfpott to his writing credit, as well as a few new books on the horizon.

To give him his wish we will be having another after school extravaganza, this time with Mr. Angleberger in attendance.

We are calling it….Tom Angleberger Strikes Back!

In the comments of this post you can write about your experiences at our after school extravaganza.  What did you enjoy?  What did you wish you might have seen?  What questions do you have for Mr. Angleberger that might not have been answered?

Hit that comment button and tell us what you are thinking.

Read on,

Mr. H

PS…Remember you don’t need an email or website to post.  Just put bob@bob.com in for the email and leave the website blank.  As always never leave your last name on the internet.

Intercontinental Ballistic Reading Group – Response to the Response

Hello Readers,

The IBRG is off to a fantastic start.  We created a video dealing with Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger and then the guys are TMC Guys Read responded in kind.

Now, inspired by our first attempts and the great works from our west coast partners, SMS Guys Read presents the responses to the response…

TMC Guys Read had a few questions for us.

First our Guys Read books…

Then where did the Intercontinental Ballistic Reading Group name come from?

and then do we do any Guys Read field trips?

From the questions we moved to a little target practice inspired by Miss Neversly’s relationship with our hero Horton.

as you can see it was a little out of control.

and finally we reopened the idea of Luggertuck Theater with our version of the “meet/cute”  in movies you always have the love interests meet in a cute way.

This week was a great week for the IBRG.  We had a blast and look forward to seeing the TMC Guys Read response to the response to the response to the response.

Read on,

Mr. H

Intercontinental Ballistic Reading Group Video

Hello Readers,

So earlier this week I announced a partnership with the lads over at TMC Guys Read.  In this digital partnership we plan to create videos that connect our two groups, even though we live on opposite sides of the nation.  SMS Guys Read will make and video and then TMC will make a response and we will go back and forth discussing a book.  For our first book, we chose Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger.

Yesterday we had our first SMS Guys Read meeting of the new  year.  We spent that time preparing for this video.  We did a short reading (we read to page 10), conducted a quick poll, did a gruesome art project and polished a script I had been working on.

Today, we gathers a few of choice GR members during our lunch break and filmed the video.  The following is our second attempt.  We might have been able to make it even better, but lunch was ending and students were starting to come in to collect their backpacks.  You can see me holding them toward the end of the video.

We had great fun making the video and fully plan to get better as we complete the reading of Horton Halfpott and start to better understand how to make a good video blog.  So look to the future as we bring these two great reading groups closer together….digitally at least.

Enjoy….

and a few outtakes…because they are funny.

Read on,

Mr. H

On to you TMC Guys Read….Have fun!