A Wish List for Others

     I love this assignment!  It's a nice one to end the session with.  Here is the help sheet the students were given:

     This is a time of year when we tend to ask for gifts for ourselves.  Let’s dig deeper and think about what others who are in tougher situations than we are might need.

     Is there a family member, friend, neighbor, or any members of a community who are struggling right now, who could use a wish list?

      Here is a help sheet to help you get started:

1. I am going to write this assignment in the form of (circle one)

a letter a prayer an essay

2. I am going to write for ____________________________,

who needs ________________________________________.

3. Reasons details: ______________________________________

4. Conclusion: __________________________________________

Enjoy this one by Lucas (5th grade):

Dear Santa,

     We should definitely help homeless people for various reasons.  First, they need a house or a small shelter for the cold winter.  This is so they can feel warm and not get hypothermia.  Most importantly, they need water, as it is essential for life.  Last but not least, they need food to survive.  A human can only last about three weeks without food. 

     We must help them survive, because it will make you feel good that you helped someone in need.  Also, everybody deserves to feel loved and supported by others.  

     To sum it up, homeless people are humans too, except that they aren't as lucky as we are.  So, if there is anyone that can help, it's us.

                           -Lucas

Here is one by Yanbing (2nd grade):

Dear Santa,
     I am writing this letter for Mom, who needs medicine.  She needs this because her head is hurting.  If you give her this, she will feel better, comfortable, and happy.  Thank you so much, Santa.  I love you!
                     -Yanbing

The Day I Met My Backwards Animal

     After the "Awesome" class completed their paragraphs and research papers on their backwards animal, it was time to write a creative story.  The theme was "The Day I Met My Animal."  The students story mapped the beginning, middle, and end to their day.  They worked on setting, and a clear story line with a clear ending.  Would their animal become their pet?  Would it return to the wild where it came from?  Enjoy these samples across the grades.  And don't forget to quiz yourself on the name of the animal forwards!

A Mussop of a Day, by Aarav (5th grade) 

The darkness was closing in. 

            Squeezing me.

            Killing me.

            No escape.

            No power.

            Nobody.

            I closed my eyes and waited for death…

            I woke up with a start, clutching my throat and gasping for breath. Sweat dripped down my face like hot fire, like I’d just ran a marathon. There was no darkness, I told myself. It was all just a nightmare. I wiped my brow clean and looked out my window. A searing light blinded me, and I shielded my face to get close enough to shut the blinds.

            Now sitting upright, I blinked my mahogany brown eyes a few times to clear them, then straightened my jet-black hair.  With Mom and Dad out of the house for their little excursion, I’d be home for the whole twenty-four hours, manning the house, being responsible. Which started with having a good sleep. 

I already had it all planned out: First, I’d make a quick and simple breakfast. Then, an hour or so of reading. Then, I’d venture to the park and get in some exercise. Lunch and TV would follow. After an hour of story-writing, it would be time for dinner and sleep. It was time to execute that plan.

            I was stumped on Numero Uno (number one). Once I’d brushed my teeth, straightened out the tangles in my hair, and hopped down the stairs to the breakfast/ kitchen room, I soon realized that—even with the added help of a small back stool, I was too short to reach any sort of food. Most of it was kept in cupboards lining closer to the ceiling, right above a large marble counter of sorts. I could probably use the aforementioned stool to climb up onto the counter, but I could fall and hurt myself, and it would show that I couldn’t take care of myself. Even if Mom and Dad never found out because it went well, I still had my conscience to worry about. 

So that wasn’t an option. A pantry was located near the kitchen, and I probably could go there and find something to eat, but it certainly wouldn’t be enough to make a sustain me ‘till lunch, so that wasn’t an option. My stomach growled. I must be hungry, I thought absentmindedly. 

            Another growl.

            This one sounded inhuman, like it didn’t come from me. But…That was impossible. I was the only one in the house. The same thing growled again, making me jump. What the…

             I located the sound coming somewhere from the couch that lay just outside the perimeter of the room I was standing in, so I stumbled cautiously over, peeping over the side of it to see what was on it. 

The thing that lay on the couch was like no animal I’d ever seen. It had ruffled, brown-orange fur covering the whole of its plump body and face. On its head lay a mass of multicolored curls shaped into what seemed to be a disco ball. It had a snout that would make a lying Pinocchio look at his own nose and start spouting lies like crazy to make it longer than this one’s. Its hands and feet were webbed, and large, rhinestone-studded spikes were visible jutting out of them. Its tail had feathers sticking out of it, which looked quite similar to the ones on top of its eyes, serving the purpose of eyelashes, presumably. It had three angelic wings protruding from its back, two on its sides and one down the middle. The middle one seemed to be a little shorter than the others, which was surprising. 

But the fact that an unknown creature was on my couch didn’t worry me. What did worry me was: a), it was unconscious, and b), it had a huge gash running down its spine. It was definitely breathing well, since I could see its chest rising and falling at regular intervals, but it was in pain for sure. 

All thoughts of breakfast dissipated, I cuddled the creature into my hands. It felt warm and fluffy, like hugging cotton candy. The nearest vet was only a minute away by walk, so that was definitely efficient. But did I really want to mess up my schedule to save this creatures’ life? 

Yes.

The answer was yes.

I didn’t even know why I had to ask myself that. This thing needed my help. And I was going to give it. I bolted out the door, hastily putting on sneakers and a jacket and running down the street. I turned to the right and, without breaking stride, jogged to the other side of the road, where the vet stood, towering above me and the creature. 

It was a bright silver and gold, the color contrast allowing the sun to make it even brighter. Windows were placed around the building in seemingly random places, though one never knew the architects’ thinking when making something like this. A sign was hanging from the top of it, proudly boasting the words, “Our Vets Will Help Your Pets!” A catchy slogan, if I do say so myself. The doors on the front opened and closed automatically, allowing for easy access if the pet needed immediate attention. 

Like mine right know. I rushed through the doors in a flurry and placed it on the counter. Behind said counter was a young woman in her mid-twenties with azure eyes and blond hair. She looked up from her work and said, smiling, “How can I help you?” 

Rapidly, I told her my situation. “This animal, it just showed up on my couch. It has this huge wound on its side, and I’d hoped that you guys could help.” 

Calling the being my pet felt right, but not as right as when the lady said, “Your pet will be okay, sir. Leave it to us.” She took it in her arms and pushed through doors behind her marked, “Vets only.” 

I couldn’t hold my excitement.  It was going to be alright! I’d saved its life! I was definitely keeping it as a pet once it came back out.

My Day With a Yeknom, by Natalie (4th grade)

"Dad Dad Dad Dad Dad Dad!  Can we go bungee jumping for my birthday?  Please?"

"OK," my dad said.

"Yes!  What are we waiting for?!  Let's go!"

It wasn't that long until we were at the bungee jumping location.  Then, I got strapped up and.... Ahhhhhhh!

The next thing I knew, I was flying in the air.  I saw a cloud and a.....

YEKNOM!  It was so colorful.  How did I know it was a Yeknom?  Back in 4th grade, I wrote a research paper on the Yeknom.  It was soooo cute.  And fluffy!  

As soon as I was in the clouds, I said, "Hi" to the Yeknom and she invited me to dinner.  Dinner with a Yeknom!  So cool!  I loved it.  We had cloud soup and cloud bread for dinner.  Next, she pushed the blankets flat on a cloud bed and said, "This is where you're going to stay tonight!"

"Do you like it?" she asked.

I quickly said, "Yes, it's perfect!"

I loved the fact that I was staying in a Yeknom house!  I was so excited.  After the night at the Yeknom's house, I had breakfast.  She made cloud pancakes.  After breakfast, I realized my dad was still waiting for me!  Then I told the Yeknom the news, and she took a rope, tied it to her house, hooked me up, and said good-bye.

And next I was on the ground.  My dad was down there, looking so worried.  He grabbed me into his arms and hugged me tight.  He said, "Let's go home now."  

On the way home, I told him about my adventure.  He was so amazed and interested.  I loved my Yeknom adventure.

I adored spending time with the Yeknom.  I almost adapted to its habitat!  It was so cool!

Fabulous Fairy Tales... from the "other" perspective!

     The "Awesome" students had a challenging assignment: Re-write a fairy tale from the point of a view of one of the characters.  They were taught how to use voice and perspective to make their story entertaining (and believable!)  It was so fun for me to read the opinions and recollections of famous characters like The Wolf, Cinderella's step-sisters, All Three Pigs, The Bears, and more!  Enjoy these entertaining stories!

The Three Little Pigs

By: Shijun (4th grade)

     Well, you’ve probably heard about The Three Little Pigs. Everyone thinks brother James is the

smart one. Well, nobody knows he’s the real nut head. Brother Jones and I heard was James’s version. Now, this is my version.

     Well, Mom or us. But then, she lost her job. We ate less. It was hard for me, for I was fond of food. Then, one day, there wasn’t enough food to last a month! So, dear Mama packed us knapsacks filled with corn cake, bread, one bottle of milk, and a small box of bacon with eggs and fruit.

     After a few days, she kicked us out. So, we bid our goodbyes, and parted our different ways.

I walked for days, dependent on my knapsack and caves that I had discovered for shelter. Then, I decided to make a house. So I searched for supplies.

     Then, one back breaking Friday, I saw chunks of stone. I looked closer. They were bricks! There seemed to be enough for a small apartment at least, and apartment in the woods. So I sprinted towards the bricks. 

     Then, James suddenly came out loudly through a bush. He oinked, “Thanks for the bricks!”He then snatched the bricks and ran away.

     “Hey! Come back!” I yelled desperately. But there was nothing but my own oink echoing back. I cried. 

     Then, upset, I walked to a nearby creek and washed. I drank the last of my milk, and the last bit of corn cake. After eating my dinner of the cold and hard corn cake, I lay down to sleep. That’s when I noticed tall grass sticking up at the side of the creek. I leaned closer to look. It was straw! I pulled great amounts of it, creating a bed for my fat and tired body. I lay down gratefully, and drifted to another place.

     The next morning. I was already hard at work. I fashioned myself a hut of straw. I opened the soft deerskin door flap and looked inside.”Perfect,” I oinked. So, I ate a quick snack of bread and fruit. Then I went in the soft and snug hut to take a well earned rest. I sank into the soft straw bed and closed my eyes.

     I woke up suddenly, feeling hungry. So, I ate some bacon and went back to my snug bed. Then, I heard a howl, piercing through the dark night sky. My blood froze as I heard the sharp sound of a wolf. I ran around frantically. I packed up my sack with food I picked and planted with wahat was left of my Mama’s cooking. I packed my hat and my bed. Then, Whoosh! MY beloved straw hut suddenly came crashing down on me.

     As the smoke cleared, I saw the hut destroyed. My eyes filled with tears. A wolf sat on my precious bed, eating from my knapsack “Good food,” he said as he munched on eggs and my newly harvested apples.”Your house was easy to blow down. You must be mighty tasty.”

     “What are you going to do with me?” I oinked in obvious panic. 

     “Simple, I’ll boil you for dinner.” said the wolf wickedly. As the horrifying words sank in, I fainted and that was that.

     Well, the next thing I knew, I awoke. I was lying in a bed in a brick house. Turns out James saved Jones and me. I’m grateful all right. But, this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t stolen the bricks.

     We still have issues. But we’re okay. So, now you know the truth about Three Little Piggies.

THE END!!!

Little Red Riding Hood, by The Wolf

by Jennifer (6th grade)

     Hello.  And before you ask, yes, I am the wolf.  And I'm supposed to be all evil and scary and blah blah blah.  At least that's what everyone thinks.  Has anyone ever bothered to ask for my side of the story?  Well, you are gonna hear it now.

     Let's start with how I really, REALLY hate meat.  Ewwww!  Meat doesn't even have salt on it.  Still gross.  I am, in fact, a vegetarian.  I especially like baked goods.  But unfortunately, you don't find a cupcake in the middle of the woods.  Life.

     Anyway, I was basically kicked out of my own pack because I am a vegetarian.  My sister, Tina, is the meanest, biggest, baddest wolf ever.  Not me.  Okay.  Are we clear?  Then we will go to the real story.

     I was chasing a rabbit one day, when I tripped and twisted my ankle.  I dragged myself over to my den, barely making it.  I spent days there, so hungry and thirsty.  I thought I might die, but then, I spotted a flash of red in the forest.  A fresh, yummy smell drifted over to my nose.  So hungry.

     I slowly walked after the red, trying not to hurt my ankle more, and I finally found a little girl holding a basket of treats.  I begged her to give me some, but she turned away, and said something about a cottage with a yellow door.

     She seemed really upset that I disturbed her.  I felt sorry, so I pointed out a place where she could get the loveliest of flowers.  She was so excited, that she dropped a muffin while skipping away.  The muffin started rolling down the hill.

      Well, I was starving by then, so I chased after it, forgetting about my twisted ankle.  So, I tripped, again.  I landed at the bottom of the hill, wincing in pain.  In front of me was a cozy little cottage with a yellow front door.

     The muffin had disappeared into one of the thorn bushes.  But the house, well, it had a muffin smell inside, too.  I assumed the house was the little red girl's house, and that she wouldn't mind if I went in to rest my ankle a bit.  I knocked on the door to see if anyone was in there, and a plump, old lady was standing in the doorway.

     You know when you are so extremely hungry that anything looks good?  That's how I felt.  I gobbled her down, and looked into a closet and found a warm nightgown and night cap.  I climbed onto the bed and fell asleep immediately.

      When I opened my eyes, the little red girl was standing there.  I was still so hungry, so, I ate her up too.

     You know the story after that.  The huntsman came and killed me and all that happily ever after stuff.

     But I didn't really die.  I got remade in a fairy tale called "The Three Little Pigs."  But that is a story for another time.

     

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I love this simple, fill-in-the blank writing prompt about Thanksgiving!  Enjoy this sample by Audrey (3rd grade).

Noun Poems

They "Budding" class had a fun lesson in Nouns (Proper and Common) when they surprised themselves filling in the blank for these fun noun poems!  First, they came up with nouns without knowing the context of their answers.  Then, we filled them in in the order they were given.  Enjoy these two fun samples!

by Leah (1st grade)

by Matthew (2nd grade)

Pumpkin Guessing Game

     The "Budding" class got to design jack-o-lanterns, and then learn how to use descriptive words (adjectives!) to describe size, shape, color, and number.  All art work was hung on the board, and after reading descriptions, the students got to guess which pumpkin was which.  If their pumpkin was guessed first, it meant that they were an excellent writer and describer!  Enjoy this one by Isabella (2nd grade):

If I Were An Animal....

     The "Budding Authors and Artists" class got to imagine what it would be like to be an animal of their choice for the day.  They brainstormed by answering many questions about what they would eat, where they would live, who would be their friends, and more!  Enjoy this piece by Seoyoon (2nd grade).

Monster Draw!

Adjectives, adjectives, adjectives!  They tell size, shape, color, and number.  And if you don't include them, your reader will get an incomplete picture in their mind of what you are trying to describe!  That was the theme of our On Demand Writing Game, "Monster Draw."  Here is how you play:

Step 1: Draw a monster, complete with background if you have time.

Step 2: Describe every aspect of your monster and background.  Don't leave out a single detail!  Because....

Step 3: Trade descriptions with a partner.  Now you will draw each other's ONLY by reading what they have written.  No talking or asking questions allowed!

As you can see, this game gives students instant feedback about their ability to use detail in their writing.  We all had some good laughs as pictures were compared near Halloween Day.  The winners were voted on by the class.  Enjoy!

Kevin's Monster (5th grade)

     My monster's head is a triangular slice of pizza.  The slice is pointed down.  The crust is brown.  The pizza is cheese flavored, so it is yellow cheese.  There are three pieces of pepperoni.  The pepperoni is red.  There is one in the upper left corner (not on the crust), one on the upper right corner (not on the crust), and one on the point of the pizza.  It also has two, blue, triangular ears on top of the crust.  Its head hovers a little over the body.

     Its body is a pumpkin with the top cut off.  The pumpkin is orange.  It also has a green BOO cut out in the center of the pumpkin.  It has two stick arms, one on each side of the pumpkin.  The arms are pink.  It has three fingers on both stick arms.  Its feet are black springs.  It has two feet below the pumpkin.

     It is standing on green grass.  The grass is cut, so there are thirteen triangles sticking up on flat grass.

Kevin must've been in a hungry Halloween mood this day!  He described his creative monster so carefully, that Lia (6th grade) was able to draw this:

AnaRose's Monster (5th grade)

     My monster is a cat.  It has four ears in a row on the top of its head.  The outside of the ears are yellow, and the inside is aqua green.  The eyes are aqua green, and are thin slits.  The nose is at the bottom of the face and is also aqua green.  A tongue is sticking out, and is yellow.  In the middle of the tongue, there is a small black line going down.  In a dark black, it seems to be smiling.  The rest of the face is black.  The mouth is darker than the face.  The face is facing you, and the cat is sitting.

     Right underneath the head is a collar.  It is aqua green, and the tag is a pyramid.  It has six lines across, including the end of the pyramid.  On the top, it has two blocks, and in the second row, there are three.  You add one block for each row.  On the body, you can only see the front leg and the back leg.  On the front paw, you can see two aqua green claws, one high and the other low.  On the back paw, you can only see one aqua green claw.  It is low on the paw.  The rest of the body is white.

     The tail is cured near the end of it.  It is thin, but grows bigger as it goes.  On the curve part, there is a section that is yellow with aqua green wavy lines.  There are five in total.  The rest of the tail is black.

     The cat is sitting on a pillar that goes to the end of the page, which shouldn't be a lot.  The cat is sitting on a platform that is black.  Its width is only as big as the paw, and a little more.  In the middle of the pillar part, there is a pyramid just like the tag, except bigger.  On the left high side, there are wavy aqua green lines that go diagonally to the bottom right side.  There are twelve lines in total.  The wavy lines don't go over the pyramid.

     In the background, there are six stars.  There are three on the left side of the cat, and three on the right side of the cat.  The first star on the left is about one inch taller than the first star on the right.  All stars are yellow.  The second star is bigger than the first, and is a little bit away from where the side of the face is.  It is even with the start of the eye, but the top half is higher than the eye.  The third star is a little bit higher than the front paw, and it is small, and about a little bit over an inch away from the leg.

     The first star on the right side of the cat is lower than the first star on the left.  It is about the same size though.  It is about an inch away from the head, and the top of the star ends about an inch away from the tip of the ear, but it is not right over it.  The second star is in between the space of the body and the tail.  It is the same size as the first star, and the middle of it is even with the end of the tail that is not black.  The third star is even with the pyramid on the pillar.  It is about an inch and a half away from the pillar.  The bottom of the star is where the tip of the pyramid is.  The star is medium-sized.

     Can you draw it?

Wow!  I've never seen such a detailed description of a background before!  Tyler (5th grade) really took his time, read carefully, and came up with this!  The class decided that, even though the art styles are different, they turned out super close!

Theo's Monster (Grade 4)

     My monster's head starts from the middle of the page.  The head is medium sized, orange, and shaped like a Pac-Man.  It has a small triangle eye which is yellow with a green pupil.  It has two green oval ears.  The mouth of the Pac-Man face has two long yellow teeth.  The Pac-Man is facing to the right side.

     The body is a rectangle, with the corner cut off, and it is orange.  It has a big blue question mark in the middle of the body.  The two arms are long, yellow, robot arms.  The arms have yellow pinchers at the tips.

     The legs have no feet.  They are stubby and green.  They are long ovals.  They have spikes on each side of the legs.  There are two legs.

     There is a bush on the left side, which is green.  On the right side, there is a big gray rock with a little brown squirrel on top of it.  The sky is purplish-blue.

Careful reading by partner James (4th grade) led to this twin monster!

Congratulations to our winners!!

Backwards Animal Research Papers

For our third assignment, we took the concept of paragraph writing, and then applied that skill to writing a Research Paper on our Backwards Animal.  Research papers can be very daunting to students, but teaching them to have the fundamental outlining skills required for organization is key.  They learned a research paper is simply:

1. Introduction

2. Body Paragraphs 1-3

3. Conclusion

Their body paragraphs were to include the same themes from assignment #2: habitat, diet, appearance, or personality.  And the research came straight from their imaginations!

Enjoy learning about animals you never knew were possible!  And make sure you quiz yourself and figure out what these animals' names are forward!

The Nihplod, by Natalie (4th grade)

     The nihplod is a unique animal.  It has a beautiful appearance, but strange diet.  It has a huge habitat.  It is very fun to study its lifestyle.

     The nihplod is cute and fluffy.  Its fur is pink, purple, and light blue.  The nihplod has big strong wings to soar.  When it sees someone, it flies away, because it gets scared by noise.The nihplod is adorably small and soft.  

     The nihplod eats a lot of berries.  It picks fruit with its cute mouth.  The nihplod loves mangoes, and they are easy to eat for the nihplod.  It likes apples, but apples are too hard.  So, people need to cut up small slices of apples for the nihplod.

     The nihplod has a huge habitat.  It is hidden in the clouds, so it is hard to find.  Inside the cloud, there is a pink sky with beautiful colorful rainbows above the pool.  The pool can turn warm and cool depending on how the nihplod is feeling.  The rainbow illuminates lots of colors, which makes its habitat look pretty.

     The nihplod is a really fascinating animal.  It has a pretty appearance and strange diet.  The big habitat is very interesting.  One day, I want to see a nihplod.

The Natugnaro, by Drew (5th grade)

     The natugnaro is fierce.  It looks like a plant, but acts nothing like it.  If you encounter a natugnaro, your best chance to survive is to run, or stay very still.  However, a natugnaro is very patient, so you'll probably be there for over a day.  Because the natugnaro is fast and aggressive, it doesn't have that many friends.  This animal is so ridiculously strong and fierce that you don't want to mess with it.

     A natugnaro's diet is unlike any other animal's diet.  Its most adored food is pizza.  It loves to have mushrooms, sausage, and ham on its pizza.  However, you can only find pizza in a building, so that's when it uses its amazing speed to flash inside the building, and then flash out.  All in all, the natugnaro has a truly unique diet, and will probably not change any time soon.

     A natugnaro is as strong as a tree stump, so if you try to knock it over, you'll probably end up being knocked over instead.  Not even an elephant tries to stomp on it.  It can lift about two tons.  Its main competitor is the adnap.  The natugnaro has a green body and an orange head.  It's pretty short-- about two feet tall to be exact.

     The natugnaro lives in the Amazon Rainforests.  Its favorite spot in the forest is by the Amazon River.  It practically owns the place, wherever it goes, because nothing wants to stand up to it.

     The natugnaro is truly an amazing animal.  It is one that I hope everyone will love.

Paragraph Writing: Backwards Animals!

After learning what makes a great sentence, we moved on to paragraph writing.  The theme was variation of sentence patterns, to keep the reader interested.  Our topic?  Spell real animal names backwards!  Then write a paragraph on their habitat, diet, appearance, or personality.  There were five steps the students were to follow:

1. Write an interesting introduction, which includes your animal as the subject, and an expressive adjective in the predicate.

2. Replace your subject with a pronoun, and give a reason to support your first sentence.

3. Continuing to support your topic sentence, make sure this sentence has a super strong verb.

4. Start this sentence with a "where," "when," "while," "because," etc. to vary the sentence patterns.

5. End with a super conclusion that connects to the first sentence!

Kelly Anne (5th grade) spelled "Phoenix" backwards, and imagined this creature in her mind:

       The xineohp is quite magestic.  It has colorful and shiny scales, which appear to be very reflective.  It always tends to its scales very carefully, and polishes the wicked, curved spikes at the bottom of its tail.  When the scales become dirty, the xineohp always remembers to wash them, because for the xineohp, fashion is always first.  Clearly, the xineohp is a unique creature.

     My "Budding Authors and Artists" also came up with some very creative animals!  Being the younger class, they were given sentence starters to use to vary their sentence patterns.  The use of adjectives was emphasized, as you will soon see.  Here are two 3rd graders, Charlize and Kyler.  Their animals are VERY different!

Fabulous Sentence Writing

Our first assignment was a fantastic lesson in grammar and sentence structure.  We learned that a sentence only needs five things to be complete:

1. A Noun (Subject)

2. A Verb (Predicate)

3. A Capital Letter

4. A mark of punctuation at the end

5. A complete thought.

But these things alone can lead to very boring sentences, such as this one:

The ocean waves crash.

So, my classes learned to add adjectives, adverbs, "when" phrases and clauses, and "where" phrases and clauses.   The final masterpieces, shown here complete with creative artwork, display how a boring sentence can be turned into an exciting one if you know the tools to use!

"The calm and shining ocean waves crash smoothly against the soft, gleaming beach when it's summer break."

By Emma (4th grade)

 "On the bright sunny day, the small shiny ocean waves crash quietly against the pale sand bank."

by Clara (5th grade)

"At sunset, as the birds fly through the clouds, the smooth, glistening ocean waves crash gently onto the soft pale sand."

By Lia (6th grade)

"Spring Is" poetry

My "Budding" class learned a fancy new word: ONOMATOPOEIA!  This big word is simple to understand: when words sound like their meaning.  We had fun exploring the sounds of spring in this Fill-in-the-blank poem.

"Spring is When," by Matthew (1st grade)

"Spring is When," by Charlize (2nd grade)

"Spring is When," by Seoyoon (2nd grade)

Pledge of Allegiance Translation

The Pledge of Allegiance is a recitation that many children say without truly understanding what they are saying.  These are some big, crucial words!  What DO they mean?  My "Budding" class had a fun time learning dictionary skills (YES, they are still important!) and looking up those hard words.  We then wrote a "translation" of the Pledge of Allegiance, reciting words we could understand so we could comprehend the true meaning and learn some awesome vocabulary.  We then got to make our own flags out of construction paper and stickers.  Here is Beatrice's (3rd grade) project!

Squiggle Stories!

One of my favorite assignments is simply called "Squiggle Story." The students get to choose a simple, computer-generated squiggle line, and create an artistic picture from it. From there, they story map the five W's and one H:

~Who is in their picture

~ What is happening in their picture

~ Where their story is taking place

~ When their story is taking place

~ Why (this is the story line)

~ How the story ends

Doing this gets the students' thoughts organized, so that they may not only create a wonderful work of art, but also start thinking about the story line behind it. Doing a Story Map first always leads to more organized work. Enjoy these fantastic stories and their matching artwork!

Plaid the Platypus
by Carissa (2nd grade)

   

     I stared at the wall.  I was very lonely.  There were other animals, but they teased me about my pointy long nose.  Suddenly, I heard a noise.  It was Mrs. Gallagher, and she said that Kalea was taking me home!  Finally, I got to meet a person who could be my friend.

     Kalea took me home and fed me, and told stories to me.  I enjoyed this; she even let me sleep in her bed!  

     The next day, I woke up super early.  In fact, I couldn't sleep at all, probably because I'm nocturnal and didn't sleep a wink the night before.  Anyway, Kalea went to school at 8:00, and I got to stay home.  I like being sneaky, so I went into the very messy kitchen and found all of the junk food that I could fit in my tiny slippery flippers.  Good thing that Mrs. Emily was fast asleep on the couch, watching that ridiculous show called Fashion Runway!  Super annoying!

     When I got all of the junk food on Kalea's bed, I started gobbling down everything, but when Kalea came home, she wasn't happy.  Then she stared at me with a wrinkly, angry face, but it faded into a smile.  She said I was too cute to stay made at.

     So we had the whole two more days together.  It was a blast!  But one day, she took me back to school.  I thought in my head, was this the end?

     All I had to do was relax while the teacher talked about boring stuff.  Turns out, I had to go home with someone else.  Looks like a new adventure.  Got to pack.  Bye!

The Three Humped Camel

by Nathan (3rd grade)

One day, an unusual camel was walking in the desert. What was unusual about the big camel was that he had three big humps. He said in a loud voice, "I'm so very thirsty!" He was going to find an oasis with fresh, cold water.

He began his journey. He walked and walked and walked, and found a lizard. The camel caught him. The camel was about to eat him, but the lizard said, "I beg you, please don't eat me!"

Then the camel said, "Okay." He let him go.

The lizard said, "Thank you.... are you thirsty?"

The camel replied, "Yes!"

Then the lizard said, "I'll help you find an oasis. Oh, and by the way, my name is Liz."

Then the camel said, "My name is Camelot."

"Oh!" said Liz.

So Liz hopped on one of Camelot's humps. "Let's go!" said Liz.

Along the way, a big sand storm hit them. It was hard to walk. "Ow!" said Camelot.

"Are you okay?" asked Liz. The sand storm was getting stronger! "Ugg!" said Liz. The storm got stronger and stronger. Liz almost fell off, but managed to stay on. The storm was long and painful.

Finally, the storm was over. Then they found a bunch of spiky cactus. Liz said, "Just keep on going. Now I'm getting thirsty."

"I'm going as fast as I can," replied Camelot. Camelot and Liz got poked by a cactus. Liz pulled out the thorns that were on them. Each time he pulled one out, they said, "Ouch!" The last thorn was on the rear end. Liz pulled it out fast. "OUCHHHH!!!!" Camelot shrieked in pain.

"Sorry," said Liz.

Once they passed all the cacti, they saw a big camel. It was bigger than Camelot! The camel rammed into Camelot. Camelot rammed him back. The camel knocked Camelot out!

Liz jumped out of nowhere and surprised the big camel and scared him away. "That was easy," said Liz proudly. "Wake up!"

Camelot woke up. "The oasis is right in front of us," said Liz.

"Really?" asked Camelot.

"Yes!" shouted Liz in excitement. Liz hopped on Camelot, and began walking to the oasis. They drank the very fresh, cold water in the oasis. They have lived there ever since.

Petite

by Kalea (4th grade)

Clack! Snap! Crack! The delicate white shell burst open and what appears to be a little golden yellow ball of fluff lay sound asleep. "Isn't she beautiful?" Mother Chicken whispered to Father Chicken.

"Yes," replied Father Chicken, "but doesn't she look a little petite?"

"Yes, we should call her Petite," Mother Chicken exclaimed.

----------------------Five Years Later--------------------------

"Happy Birthday to you!" Mother and Father Chicken hollered excitedly. As Petite blew out the small hay candles, the sun rose in the saturated sky, and it was time for Easter. When Petite walked out in the sunshine, everything seemed peaceful.

Until the Chick Gang arrived.

The Chick Gang included five different disobedient chicks who had bullied Petite since the day she was born. The two ambassador chicks, Target and Arrow, accompanied the three others. The two dukes, Derek and Dole, also were there. Finally the king, Sparrow the Barbaric Wacky Chick with the crazy ideas, showed up. He was the one who bullied Petite the most.

The Chick Gang approached her like a lion stalking its pretty. Praying she wasn't the target, she clamped her wings together and closed her eyes, hoping they would disappear into thin air, even though she knew they wouldn't. Her quaking legs would never run from the group, because they were paralyzed by the scary look on their faces. Finally, they clamored up to her.

"What are you looking at, you little peep?!" Sparrow snickered nastily as if he were staring at a new leaf on a bare tree. "I was wondering how old you are, baby."

"I'm--"

"Oh, I forgot. You're celebrating your 2nd birthday Tiny!" exclaimed Sparrow, as the chick gang laughed hysterically.

As tears formed in her eyes, she decided to end this once and for all. She sprinted around the group and felt more free than ever! Then it happened: Sparrow fell to the ground, dazed from spinning in circles, watching Petite.

Suddenly, Petite felt ashamed and sinful. She dropped down at lightning speed to help them cure Sparrow. She didn't know what happened to him after that. But in that moment, she saw her true talent: Racing.

Ever since then, Petite has become older and older, but at least she believed in herself to make her dream come true.

Squiggle Story
By Amelia (5th grade)

Prologue

Crack. Crack. “Oh, they’re hatching!” exclaimed a beautiful young swan delightedly. Immediately, another swan was by her side. He puffed out his chest and boasted, “They will be the finest cygnets of all cygnets ever born!”

       His wife merely smiled and said, “I’m sure they will.” She turned her head affectionately toward her eggs and yawned. She had been awake all night trying to keep all seven of her eggs warm and comfortable, and was looking forward to a good nap.

Suddenly, a tiny cygnet poked its head out of its shell. It was followed by two others on the opposite side of the nest.

“Oh…” their mother breathed. It was the only thing she could manage. However, her husband was bursting with proud words.  “They are the most handsome swans in all of Canada!”

      The female swan sighed and said softly, “Whatever you say.” She had long gotten used to the conceited remarks of her husband.

              By this time, all of the eggs had hatched except for one, and the sky began to lighten. A single birdsong could be heard, echoing across the lake. Then, as the first drop of sunlight hit the surface of the lake, one last head pushed its way out of smooth, white, shell. A second later, the youngest cygnet leaped out, over its siblings, and promptly landed in the water with a splash. When it resurfaced, its previously proud father rose up into the air with a gasp.

“No,” he whispered, looking down at his wife in horror. “Vi-Viola, its neck is deformed. What happened?”  The new mother, Viola, slipped into the water and calmly scooped up the last cygnet with her soft, silky wings.

“I think you’re just being silly,” she replied. “It’s just a short neck, and I’m sure it’ll grow later. Sometimes the neck last to grow can be the tallest.” But she sounded worried, too. Swans were always extremely proud of their long necks, and she wasn’t at all sure that her cygnet’s neck would grow long. How could her last child ever fit in with the other swans with a short neck?

Bilbo woke up to a ray of sun dancing across his feathers. He got up with a groan and waddled to the lake where his mother was already feeding his siblings.

“Oh,” his sister Serena mocked. “The poor and deformed has come to join us.” At this, all of the cygnets giggled. Ever since they had overheard their father calling Bilbo’s neck deformed, the cygnets had started using the word to describe Bilbo himself.

“Don’t tease your brother, Serena,” scolded their mother.

“Yeah Serena, don’t tease our precious little brother,” said another cygnet sarcastically.

“And you too, Percy.” The cygnets’ mother frowned down at them.

“Both of you can be last in line for lunch today.” She raised her voice as Serena and Percy instantly started whining.  “And Bilbo dear, come get your breakfast.”

       Bilbo sighed. Another long day of being the butt of everyone’s jokes, he thought as his mother dropped a wriggling worm down his throat. He wondered if he would ever be treated as a normal swan. Sometimes Bilbo wished that he could join the ducks, who naturally had short necks. He knew that his siblings would certainly approve of that idea. At that moment, his father arrived in a flurry of white feathers.

“There are swans heading towards our home!” he cried, turning to his cygnets.  “This is your chance to begin the mating process!” he told them excitedly.

 Most of his brothers wrinkled their bills in disgust, and a few of his sisters giggled, but Bilbo’s heart sank. This would be the biggest failure of his life. No swan would ever like him with his neck being so short. But his family was already flying out to meet the newcomers, so, his heart weighted down with dread, he followed suit.

Bilbo was trying to hide behind his father when he saw her. The most gorgeous, beautiful young swan he had ever seen. She had perfectly shaped silver-white feathers, the longest neck Bilbo had ever seen, a slender bill that was the color of the rising sun, and dark turquoise eyes the shade of an ocean at dusk. Bilbo stared at her for a long while, transfixed. Then, completely forgetting his previous fears and worries, he swam forward.

“Hi, I’m Bilbo,” he said to the swan. “What’s your name?” There was a long pause. Instantly, all of Bilbo’s temporarily lifted fears came crashing down on him, even worse than before. He was glad that everybody had left to show the new swans their home on Crystal Lake. After what seemed like an eternity, the swan answered,

“I’m Anastasia. Nice to meet you.” She squinted at Bilbo.

“Are you a swan or a duck?” Her tone was friendly, but that one question tore Bilbo’s whole world apart. He turned and fled back to the lake, past his siblings, and onto his bed in the rushes. He lay there with all those terrible moments replaying in his head. Slowly, he fell into a troubled sleep full of taunts and jeers.

The next day, Bilbo woke with a jerk. Looking around, he found that it was already mid morning. As the events of yesterday came back to him, Bilbo thought to himself that he had never felt so lonely in his life. He heard the quiet splashing of water outside and instantly pretended to be asleep. Even if it was his mother and not one of his siblings coming to tease him, Bilbo still didn’t want to talk to anyone. A swan, probably his mother, slipped in, and after a while, left again. After he was sure he was alone, Bilbo climbed out of his bed and saw that his mother had left a note for him. It said:

Dear Bilbo, we are out exploring with the newcomers, so your siblings, your father, and I will not be here. If you would like to come, we are at the East Peaks. Love you, Mother.

“Ah,” thought Bilbo. So his family was away, and it would be a long time before he would have to suffer his siblings’ taunts. He stepped out of the rushes and into the lake. Swimming always helped take his mind off of things.
Feeling the pleasantly cool water swish around his webbed feet, Bilbo felt calm for the first time in the past two days. A flock of geese flew by overhead towards the distant peaks, and for once, Bilbo could not hear his siblings’ mocking voices in their loud honking. He lifted his head towards the sun, which was high in the sky. The wind ruffled his feathers and Bilbo felt as if it was blowing away all of his unpleasant memories, giving him a new start without any of his problems.

Bilbo was brought back to reality when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He raced to the bank and crouched down low in the tall grass, afraid that it was one of his siblings. But wasn’t everybody at the East Peaks? Suddenly, Bilbo’s heart stopped as Anastasia’s voice came, loud and clear, across the lake.

“So, why aren’t you going to the East Peaks with everybody else?”

Another familiar voice answered, “I wanted to stay with you, of course. Nothing is fun when you’re not with me. Why didn’t you go?”

Bilbo suppressed a gasp. That second voice belonged to his brother, Percy! His heart, which had been lightened after his pleasant  swim, plummeted down to the bottom of the lake. Bilbo had been hoping that Anastasia might actually take a liking to him, but now, with Percy, all of his hopes were crushed. Percy was perfect in every way, from the tip of his bill to the ends of his tail feathers. There was no way Anastasia would chose Bilbo over Percy. At that moment, while he was immersed in his thoughts, Bilbo lost his footing and fell into the lake.

              When Bilbo had shaken the water out of his eyes, he found that both Anastasia and Percy were staring at him. Despite his situation, Bilbo felt a twinge of satisfaction that Percy looked just a little bit embarrassed to be found with a female swan. Anastasia looked at him curiously.

“Why, aren’t you the swan who I talked to yesterday, the one with a short neck and a sensitive attitude?” Bilbo wanted to hide and never be seen again, but he stood his ground. He did not want Anastasia thinking he was sensitive. Anastasia narrowed her eyes.

“And what exactly  were you doing, hiding in the rushes?” she asked.

Percy, who was now glaring at Bilbo, growled, “Obviously he was spying on us.”

“I-I wasn’t spying on you,” Bilbo spluttered. Then, angered by the unfairness of his brother’s remark, he added, “I was just swimming in the lake. It is my lake as well as yours, you know.”

Percy opened his mouth to give an angry retort, but Anastasia interjected, “Actually, that’s true. Don’t come to conclusions so quickly, Percy.”

Percy shot Bilbo a look full of hatred, then swam off with Anastasia trailing behind him. Once they were out of sight, Bilbo fluttered up into the sky in happiness. Anastasia had actually stood up for him against Percy!

The sound of footsteps brought him back down to the lake. Bilbo frowned. No humans had ever come as far into the wilderness as Crystal Lake. He silently followed the crunching of leaves to the stream where Anastasia and Percy were swimming. Then, Bilbo heard a gruff voice say, “C’mon, we don’t want to kill the dwarf-necked one, we want the pretty one up ahead.”

Bilbo froze. That man had to be talking about Anastasia. She was about to be killed. Numbly, Bilbo swam after the voices. When he reached the entrance to a small clearing where Anastasia was, he saw a dark figure in the shadows crouch down and aim something towards Anastasia’s head. At that moment, Anastasia seemed to become aware of someone watching her. She turned her head, and Bilbo saw her eyes widen in fear and surprise as she saw the hunter crouching in the shadows.
In a split second decision, Bilbo leapt up, out of the water, shielding Anastasia from whatever danger the hunters were planning for her. There was a loud bang, and then a sharp piercing pain in Bilbo’s chest. He fell to the ground and saw two figures racing towards him.

Anastasia reached him first. In a whisper, she said, “I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. Thank you for saving me. I love you.”

That was all Bilbo needed to hear. He closed his eyes to the world and sank into an undisturbed, unending sleep.

Epilogue

A group of swans were clustered around a young swan who was lying on the ground. An elderly swan held his wife while she cried. Six smaller swans apologized for many years of teasing and mocking. Many other swans stood with their heads bowed. In the chaos, a beautiful young swan with dusky turquoise eyes slipped away and flew into the sunset. She was never seen again.

Squiggle Story by Kathleen (6th grade)

Today was another freezing winter day. It was especially cold in the mouse hole at the corner of Mr. Spencer’s house. Our whole family had starved the day before, which forced Feta and me to make another risky journey to the kitchen’s countertop.

We slowly crept out of our safe mouse hole and tiptoed to the kitchen. Making sure that Mr. Spencer, the mean old man living in this house, wasn’t near, we cautiously climbed up the kitchen counter. On top sat the biggest slice of cheese I had ever seen! I took the cheese off the plate and sniffed it lovingly, then handed it to Feta, who did the same.

Just then we heard footsteps in the hall. I looked frantically around the room for any possible hiding spot, then finding no other place, jumped into one of wooden cups resting on the rough table.  Feta hid in the one next to me, and we both hoped that Mr. Spencer didn’t need to drink from the cups at the moment.

Unfortunately, he was thirsty. He sat down at the table and picked up the cup I was hiding in. Just before he was going to pour tea on me, he saw me and shrieked. I scrambled out of the cup and ran. I looked back, and saw Feta right behind me with the cheese, followed by an angry Mr. Spencer.

“You little rascals! Stealing my cheese again and hiding in my cups! You’re not going to get away with this again!” Mr. Spencer growled as he made an attempt to crush Feta with his foot. In one quick move, Feta tossed the cheese to me and dodged the foot. Now the responsibility of protecting the cheese was mine.

I ran and ran and ran, but Mr. Spencer kept coming closer and closer. After a few turns, the mouse hole came into view ahead of me. Suddenly, I went flying in the air and landed with a plop on the ground. Ouch! I realized then that I had tripped over an electric wire. I looked up and saw Mr. Spencer’s gigantic body towering over me, ready to smash me any second.

“Run, Cheddar!” shouted Feta. Mustering up all my strength, I got up and sprinted as fast as my little legs could carry me while heavy footsteps pounded after me.

“I’m coming!” I squealed. I threw the precious cheese into Feta’s paws and slid just in time through the small mouse hole in the corner of the house. Panting, I listened as the stomping neared the hole, stopped, then heard the sound of the footsteps moving in the the other direction. A loud “Arghhh” sound filled the room, and then Mr. Spencer trudged off.

“That was a close one!” Feta exclaimed.

“Yeah,” I agreed, flopping down on the ground. “But it was definitely worth it. That big chunk of cheese will take a long time to eat, and we probably won’t be hungry for a while!”

“Yup!” Feta responded happily.

Both of us looked admiringly at the delectable cheese now resting on our tiny dining table, waiting to fill our family’s hungry stomachs. Yum!