Thankful Poetry- The Five Senses

 The concept of using sensory details in our writing has been a theme this year, and of course is also very applicable to poetry! After studying the style of Ivy O. Eastwick's "Thanksgiving," we attempted to write our own poetry focusing on things we are thankful for. We aimed for a nice mix of nature/harvest themes and modern conveniences. Rhyming was optional; I loved it when my students tried! Enjoy these samples from across the grades!

My Five Senses, by Emma (2nd grade)

Thank you for all my hands can hold,

Little bugs, small but bold.

Thank you for all my eyes can see,

Tiny birds, all so free.

Thank you for all my ears can hear,

Lovely songs so pretty, there are no tears!

Thank you for all my nose can smell,

Pumpkin pie always glows.

Thank you for all my tongue can taste,

Yummy pie, not a waste!

Thankful, by Jilly (5th grade)

Thank you for all my hands can hold

Soft puppies

and the fresh marigolds

Oh all the things I'm blessed to hold.

Thank you for all my eyes can see

the golden sunlight

Blinding me

I smile at it, it smiles at me.

Thank you for all my nose can smell

My mom's cooking that I know so well,

and the apple sauce

made from apples that just fell.

Thank you for all my ears can hear

The birds calling to me

Migrating to where the eye can't see,

but not me.

Thank you for all my tongue can taste

Food at my house never goes to waste.

Fresh mint tea,

A honey from a bee.

Thanksgiving, by Penn (5th grade)

Thank you for all my hands can touch.

My dog's fur that I love so much.

Soothes my hands, you can see.

You should try it, He He He!

Thank you for all my eyes can see.

Autumn leaves mean so much to me

Hear them crunching, see them there,

Gracefully drifting through the air.

Thank you for all my ears can hear.

Engines roar far and near.

Jet planes are just for me.

My obsession you can see.

Thank you for all my nose can smell

Christmas fern that I know so well.

The Christmas spirit in the air,

You can smell it everywhere.

Thank you for all my tongue can taste.

Chips and salsa never go to waste.

Unlike toothpaste, that's not that great.

Apple pie, I can not wait!

Thanksgiving, by Grayson (6th grade)

Thank you for all that I can hold

So many emotions

Shy and bold,

So many things that I can feel,

All of them I know are real.

Thank you for all my tongue can taste,

Pumpkin pie filled with orange paste,

Mac 'n' Cheese so delicious and smooth,

Every anger this stuff can soothe.

Thank you for all that I can see,

Brothers, Parents, and all family,

Autumn leaves fall off the tree,

There's no other place I'd rather be.

Thank you for all that I can hear,

People talking, far and near,

The oven sings its low-toned song,

One, I wish to sing along.

Thank you for all that I can smell,

A beautiful dinner, dessert baked well,

Ice cream, pies, cakes, and more.

That is what I'm thankful for.

Using the 5 Senses for Writing: Explain Candy to an Alien!

 After Halloween was over and the students had plenty of time to enjoy their candy, my older students did a fun assignment on the concept of "Show not Tell" and using the five senses to write sensory details about our favorite candy. I posed this question: If an alien came down from outer space and you were asked to describe your favorite candy to a being who has never seen or tasted it, could you do it? 

My students came up with a clever beginning in story-telling form, to explain how they encountered an alien in the first place. Then they went on to describe their candy of choice. Some students wrote about their favorites, while others wrote about the gummy Lifesavers I brought in to inspire them (there are LOTS of sensory details about gummy Lifesavers, by the way!)

Alien's Lifesaver, by Diba (5th grade)

        One day at my mansion, an alien named Al-ien said, "What are you eating, Human?"

        I said, "This is a strawberry Lifesaver, but it can't save my life. It can save yours though."

        Al-ien said, "Well, what is it?"

        I answered, "This strawberry Lifesaver has a wrapper. When you open it, it is loud and crunchy, and when you eat it, it sounds chewy."

        "It looks round like a donut. It is a neon reddish pink. It even has the words 'Lifesavers' on it."

        "It smells like a Red-40 medicine. I can't forget the fact that it is very, very artifically flavored. I can even smell it."

        "It tastes sweet with a gummy texture. It tastes like a strawberry flavored piece of plastic."

        Al-ien respoded, "I don't want it anymore. Good bye!"

        I can't say I blame him.

.... So I Sold an Alien a Lifesaver, by Adrian (6th grade)

        Ahhhh... November 1st. I mean, Halloween is great and all, hanging out with friends, getting candy and all that. But November 1st, that's when it pays off. I have so much candy it'll all go stale by the time I get halfway through. What a waste, is it not? Why wait around with so much loot just for it to expire in a month? Why not sell it?

        So here I am on quite a plentiful November 1st, outside the school selling yesterday's sweets to hungry students. I see a figure moving towards me. Must be a customer, I think. But as this consumer gets closer, I see an oddness in his skin; it almost looks green.

        "Greetings, Scrawny Earthling," says the weird man with a voice that almost sounds like musical notes. "I, Zaphod Beeblox from Beetleguese 4 would like to make a purchase." He scans my selection with his red eyes. "One of those things please." One of his 24 fingers points towards a pack of Lifesaver gummies, one of the less valued items due to the fact that NO ONE LIKES THEM.

        "You sure?" I ask in a bit of disgust. "One of those?"

        "Of course, foolish carbon-based life form!" The alien chuckles grimly. "Now, give me ten of those things and I may spare you from your planet's inevitable vaporization."

        "What?"

        "Now, what are these 'Lifesavers?'"

        "Ummm...." I say, dumbfounded. "Well..."

        "Earthling, Earthling," the alien scolds, "with those giant ears you have, can't you tell me how they sound?"

        "I mean... the werapper sounds kinda crinkly, and when you open the bag it sounds like a 'rippp.'"

        "Hmmm... very good Earthling," the alien purrs. "Now how do these Lifesavers look?"

        "Is this some sort of trick question?"

        "No."

        "Oh, okay," I mumble. "They're multi-colored and I guess they almost look like little donuts."

        "Donuts?" questions the alien.

        "Not important," I respond. "They're also transluscent."

        "How do these things feel?"

        "They're squishy," I respond, "and sticky, and bumpy, and gummy, and soft, and dry."

        The alien purrs again.

        "You happy now?" I ask.

        "Just tell me how they smell!" insists the alien.

        "They just smell like a bunch of sugar."

        "I can tell you don't like the smell, how about the taste?"

        "All they taste like is some dusty plastic, artificially flavored with like ten gallons of Red-40--" I get cut off by sirens in the distance.

        "Oh no!" yelps the alien. "It is NASA! I need to go!"

        As the alien hops on a UFO to escape, I start to rethink my life choices...

MORE TO COME!

Pumpkin Personification and Show Not Tell Writing

 This is always a favorite of my students. Mine too! The goal is to personify a pumpkin, and then reflect on an aspect of pumpkin life. From pollination, to admiring one's garden, to the sting of getting plucked from the vine, and of course the agony of carving and baking, there is so much to write about a pumpkin's life this time of year! The goal in this assignment is to appeal to the reader's five senses and truly SHOW not TELL what it looks like, sounds like, feels like, smells like, and perhaps even tastes like to be a pumpkin at Halloween time! We guarantee, you'll never view pumpking growing, carving, or baking the same!!

A Pumpkin Story, by Benny (3rd grade)

        I'm going to tell you about a grumpy old pumpkin who got carved.... and it was me!

        First, they cut off my head and stabbed me! I felt excruciating pain that wouldn't stop! They used a spoon to scrape out my seeds, and then they threw them away! Noooo, why?! Next they used a black thing to draw on my skin. After that, I looked so creepy with my big smile, I almost fainted. Then they used a scary knife and carved my face out. Owwwww, it felt terrible!

        Finally, I was free and it was time to relax. Wait... no, they put fire in me! Hot hot hot!!

        I am still burning hot, but all the kids seem to like me. I guess I look silly, but I make people happy!

The Life of a Baby Pumpkin

By Dora (4th grade)

You have no idea how terrible being a baby pumpkin is. My name is Dora, and I am a green baby pumpkin. I live in an old garden. My great great great great grandmother once lived here. Well, that's what my mother said. It is the first day of July. 

My day started out with me wishing for adulthood. Every morning these stupid, annoying bees come. The huge bees roar over me, looking like black and white striped helicopters with stingers. Whenever the bees touch me, it feels like a snake is poking and biting me. The sound of the buzzing gives me goosebumps.  I try to cover my ears, but I realize I don’t have arms. Mother always says, “When bees come they give you pollination, and then you will grow.”  I would always listen because I want to be an adult! 

Ethan, my best pumpkin buddy, and I were talking happily in on this breezy day, but then the bees came. I thought it was for me, but they went to Ethan. Ethan exclaimed, “I like to get pollinated, it feels really good!” I nearly exploded into pieces as my vines tingled! I started to sweat. I literally fainted!

When I came to, Ethan was there staring at me. Then he started to weep. I said really softly, “Ethan I am fine.”  Ethan whimpered, “That’s good. I was worried about you!”

I hate being a baby pumpkin, but hopefully after this pollination is done, I will soon be an adult pumpkin!

Pumpkin Bread, by Juney (4th grade)

Hello. Are you a human? Ugh. I have learned the hard way that I can NOT trust you. I was a pretty, orange pumpkin before I was turned into some sort of bread (I think) by your type. Anyways, let me tell you about that now.

First, the little girl who plucked me from my patch of friends, said some gibberish to her mother, and soon I was sitting on a wooden kitchen counter. They went looking for some stuff in cupboards, and I took my chance to escape. But the girl caught me and the mother put sugar and flour and seeds beside me. Those ingredients are very useless compared to me. So of ourselves, I ignored everything sugar asked me.

After that horrible experience, the humans did ANOTHER terrible thing. They scooped out my guts! Don't they know how weird that felt? I was taken apart but still alive!

Then, the annoying girl put MY insides into a metal tin with the other foods. And we went into a really hot room! I could've caught on fire and died!

 Finally, they pulled me out of the sauna and ate half of me! How coudl they just throw out my earlier beauty? Although, I do admit, I taste pretty good. But I'm still mad here, Human!

Okay, I don't like how I look, yet I'm very yummy. And I know to stay away from you, even though I'll always LOVE how you put me on display.

The Carving, by Aletheia (5th grade)

I am a pumpkin, sitting on the kitchen table, just taken home by my new people. I watch my surroundings, excited for Halloween to come and for me to be put out with my other friends, content and happy, on the porch of somebody’s house. I can see everything: the knife slices in the cutting board, the sunlight bleeding through the crack in the curtains, and somebody calling somebody else over, looking directly at me.

I watch as the two people come over, and as the smaller person glances behind her shoulder, towards the taller one, she asks them something. I long to hear, to hear the birds chirp, to hear the rivers flow, to hear the words and questions they say. The smaller person nods, replies, and picks up a sharpie. They start to draw on me, black ink spilling onto my smooth, round skin. I strain to see what they’re drawing on me, but I can just watch, as I am too heavy to move myself unless somebody else moves me for me.

The other person high-fives and smiles at the shorter one as they lift the dark pen from my flesh. I start to worry as they grab a shiny, sharp object from a block made out of wood. I realize that the shiny, sharp object is a knife, and suddenly, I’m back at the pumpkin ranch, an already-carved pumpkin describing how they got carved. It went exactly like what was happening to me now: getting traced, getting stabbed, and then getting put out on a cold, hard surface, for all other pumpkins to see.

I start to see red as the knife blade, dripping with pumpkin guts, shines in the fluorescent, artificial kitchen lights. It punctures my flesh, and I want to cry out, I want to tell them to stop, but nothing can come out of my mouth. They cut out the top of my head, each stab more piercing and painful than the last. Opening the top, they start to scoop out my guts, the only thing inside of me, the only thing keeping me alive. I feel as though I’ve died, even though I can still see. Everything hurts, especially as they start to carve out my eyes, nose, and mouth, even though with those now, I still cannot speak, scream, or do anything to make them stop this excruciating pain.

Suddenly, the tingling sensation of the knife slicing through disappears, but the pain is still there, just slightly, like a reminder of what had happened, only that it never went away. Not when they take me off the counter, not when they carry me across the house, not when they place me on the porch. Next to me sits small, untouched pumpkins, in an array of colors including white, yellow, orange, and even green. I’m jealous of them, sitting peacefully, unaware of the troubles of being a big pumpkin, perfect for carving for Halloween. 

Happy Halloween, and I hope you get some candy.

Marlo (5th grade) has a gift for poetry, and she wrote her story of a pumpkin's view of autumn as a lovely poem with AABB rhyme scheme.

Pumpkin Pie, by Elena (6th grade)

How could they? All I saw was a sparkly silver wall. But all I felt was confusion and anger.

Earlier that very day, the humans picked me up from my lovely counter spot, saying, “Sugar pie, orange, very good for pie”. Then they scooped me out into this silver place. For a week, I had lived on my counter, all comfy.  Now here I was, sitting all alone in a scary and monstrous silvery bowl. I thought my family loved me, but I guess not.

Soon enough, the stupid humans entered and started yapping loudly. Then a soft pattering filled my ears. Slowly,  white, brown, and light brown specks started falling on me. They danced and twirled until they settled on my orange body.  They were all a lot smaller than me and definitely more talkative. “Hi! I'm sugar,” chittered a white speck. The brown ones were called cinnamon, and the light browns were nutmegs. 

Just as we got to a comfortable talking place, a dark, spooky shadow was cast over us. Before we had time to escape or even move, the shadow turned red and stabbed us. It pushed us around, squashed and mushed us. 

I felt sick, but that wasn't even close to the worst. The red thing retreated, but a mere second more, and then something slimy and wet washed over us. It was disgusting; all the extra space in the silver thing was taken up, then the red thing came again.

This time was even worse than the first. The slimy stuff splished and splooshed. I thought I was going to be sick. Then the red thing retreated.

Pink hands grabbed the silver thing we were in. They carried us somewhere, then put us down. Sticky hands picked my friends and me up and plopped us into a swirly swirly container that was way too small for us. I felt as though my lungs were going to explode from the pressure. 

I loathed humans. Why are they doing this? 

Right before I could move, a blue spoon injected me, and stayed there. It was a very weird feeling, and I felt my lungs tighten more.  Suddenly, the blue bowl we were in started spinning.  Around and around we went, so many times I lost count. Soon I felt my head grow light, and everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes, I was out of the blue bowl and in something soft, brown, and not very tall. I was moving, hands holding the brown wall. Then, a small door opened, and I was shoved inside.

It turned out to be quite warm, and quite quiet too. Warm air blasted me as the door closed, leaving me in utter darkness. But I didn’t mind. I felt peaceful, and I never wanted this to end.  But after a long time, I felt the brown wall harden. Then, I felt myself harden too. What’s happening? I thought, as I had never felt this way before. 

Suddenly, a dazzling light filled my eyes as the door to the warm room I was in opened.  Faces stared at me, and I wished I could close my eyes or move away. But I couldn’t move. Grey hands stretched towards me, but I didn’t want to go, especially to the bright light and creepy faces. 

Nooooooo! I thought, trying to pull away. But my efforts were nothing. I was pulled forward, away from the comfort, and onto a table with a dead turkey, potatoes, and some apple pie. 

All the ugly faces at the table smiled at me, and then gazed at a specific human. That human had a knife in his hand. A large, silver, glinting knife. 

My mama used to tell me stories, back when I was still at the patch. She told me happy stories, sad stories, scary ones, but the one I remember most, the one she was the most afraid to tell, was THE KNIFE STORY. She said that humans cut you up and end your life when you're on a table, and in something brown, and you're not able to move. 

That’s where I was now. And I was about to get sliced up. 

I knew that this was the end of my life, and that cruel humans were about to devour me. I thought about all the pumpkins and friends I have had in my life. Mama, daddy, grandma, sister, brother, the sugars, the nutmegs, and the cinnamon. Even though I desperately wanted to be away from the humans, be a full pumpkin again, be in my shell once more, I knew that today was the last day of my life, and that these were the last minutes of my life. 

Goodbye, I thought, as the gleaming knife stabbed into me, and I saw no more of the living world I once had loved. 

Monster Draw/Pumpkin Draw!

 This Halloween-time game is always a favorite of my returning students!  Here's how you play:

Step 1:Each student draws a monster. (My younger students draw pumpkins, with or without a face). They should include a background and many different colors to practice using adjectives in their writing.

Step 2: The students write a detailed desription on their monster/pumpkin.  Adjectives are crucial, for every single noun!  Size, shape, color, number.

Step 3: Students exchange written work and attempt to draw each other's monster/pumpkin with no talking or asking for clarification!

Winners are voted on by the class.  Congratulations to our winners below!

Momo's Monster (6th grade)

        My monster is basically a tomato trying to become a human. But first, I need to get some things straight. When I say to the left, I mean to YOUR LEFT. OK, hold up your left hand. That is YOUR left. Got it? So if I say place the arm on the left, I mean put the arm on your left side of the paper. OK, I should start. (By the way, I am using Mrs. Huff's colored pencils.)

        First, let's draw the body. Take a red-orange pencil, and draw a circle the size of your palm in the middle. DO NOT COLOR IT YET.

        Next, let's draw the eye. My monster only has one eye. So first look at the top of the circle you just drew. Then move one centimeter down and with an orange pencil, draw a circle one centimeter from the body's top. (I know I already said that). The circle should be the size of a cherry tomato. DO NOT COLOR IT YET. Now we will do the pupil. Take an aqua green or teal colored pencil and in the center of the orange circle, draw a circle the size of a little smaller than one button on your polo. COLOR THE TEAL CIRCLE IN. Okay, NOW you can color in the orange circle around the small teal circle. Now we need eyelashes. Take a purple colored pencil and draw 1/2 cm lines from the teal circle (like eyelashes, but not too long). Draw five eyelashes.

        After that, move on to the mouth. The smile is big compared to the eyes. Take the red orange pencil and draw a half circle smile. DO NOT COLOR IT IN. Now take a blue colored pencil and draw teeth on the top of the mouth; draw five spikes, or teeth. The teeth are triangles on the bottom of the mouth, the curved part. Also draw five teeth of the same size. Now, color the teeth blue, and in the white space inside color that space pink or blush rose.

        Now, I will move on to the arms. On both sides, right and left, draw a circle on the outside with the color magenta, and the size of a little bigger than the teal pupil. Color it in! Now draw two of them on each side. Basically duplicate what you just drew. Color both circles on each side. You should have four circles total, and two on each side, connecting.

        Move to the legs. 3/4 of a centimeter, draw a line down with tan. The size of the teal pupil, draw a red circle. Draw this on the bottom of the red orange body, and color it. Draw another tan line and draw a purple circle the size of the pupil, Then, no line and draw a green triangle under the circle. Color the leg circles in. Color in the body. Draw a sun on the top right and three U shaped birds in the top left. Draw a brown ground underneath and a top hat the same size of the eye on top of the monster.

Momo cracked me up on her first paragraph; I can't believe in this timed game situation she had the time to write all of this! She gives very explicit and clear directions, and 6th grader Chuyu only missed ONE thing! Can you spot it? 

(Who needs a hat anyway?!)

Aubrey's Monster (6th grade)

        My monster is a sphere with eyes, mouth, nose, ears, and hands. The body and head are morphed together into a ball, almost touching the edge of the paper. A big gigantic eyeball is placed towards the top with tiny nostrils like Voldemort's in the middle. Its mouth is open halfway into a smile, but a big wagging tongue droops out to its stomach. It has tiny blue hands on either sides, the same color as its pupil. The mouth is orange-red. The edges are lined with whiskers in a beautiful cyan. The hair on top is flat, but sticks out in the middle. To either side of his haircut are two wolf-like ears, white on the outside and blue fur on the inside. Its skin is light blue, along with its long, flat, and stubby feet. This creature lives on Planet Cheese where there are yellow holes in the ground. The sky is light green with even greener stars.

Wow! Aubrey wrote so clearly that Jojo (6th grade) could produce this practical twin!

Sara's Monster (6th grade)

        (Note: Read the whole thing, then draw.)

        Shape: My monster is a medium-sized verticle cream-colored marshmallow that is placed directly in the center of the page.

        Eye: My monster has one eye that is medium-big, and about the size of a gumball. Inside of the eye there are two small circles. One is placed close to the top left of the eye. The other one, which is slightly smaller, is placed close to the bottom right of the eye. The eye is green, and the small circles are white.

        Mouth: My monster's mouth is shaped as an upwards curve and is the same width as the eye. It is just made from a pencil (but black works also.) My monster's mouth has five small upwards triangle shaped pencil-colored teeth connected to the bottom of the mouth.

        On top of my monster is a medium-shaped top hat that is directly in the middle of the top of the marshmallow. On the tall part of the top hat, written in the middle in pencil, is the word "Halloween" in small letters that are all lower case except for the H. On the short horizontal shaped part of the top hat, in the middle is a small cnady corn. The candy corn has three sections. The bottom one is yellow, then orange, then white. The rest of the top hat is purple.

        The cheeks on my monster are small, pink, and placed on either side of the face.

        My monster also has two medium arms that look like snowmans' on either side of the body. Each of the arms have three stick fingers and the arm is stick shaped and pencil-colored. Its legs are also sticks about the size of an inch and are pencil-colored. Connected to the bottom of the legs are small candy corns that have the same color pattern as the top hat candy corn. They are on both legs.

        The background has dark green grass under the feet and RIP tombstones on either side of the marshmallow. On your left side is a crescent yellow moon, and on the right side horizontally across is a light blue cloud. The tombstones are gray and the RIP letters are uppercased in pencil.

Sara is such a detailed writer! With his careful reading, Grayson (6th grade) could produce this practically perfect match!

Kaia's Monster (6th grade)

        First, in the middle of the page, draw a medium size basic pumpkin. There are five different vertical sections of the pumpkin. The pumpkin has triangle eyes that have tips pointed up, and are both two binder paper lines long and wide. The eyes are colored in black. Then it has an open mouth in the shape of a half circle that is two lines tall and six lines wide. The mouth is fully colored black. The pumpkin has two stub arms that are colored black and are one line wide and three lines long. The pumpkin has two stub legs that have curved feet. The legs are one line wide and three lines long. The legs are black, and dangle from the pumpkin's body.

        Under the pumpkin there is a light green hill that starts at one bottom corner and goes to the bottom of the pumpkin, and goes to the other bottom corner.

        In your left top corner, there is a gray moon with lots of craters. The moon is four lines long and four lines wide.

        Beside the moon in themiddle top of the paper, there are three curly gusts of wind. They are all five lines long.

        Around the corners of the wind there are four gold stars with five points that are two lines long and wide.

        On top of the pumpkin, Snoopy lies as if it was his dog house. He has one eye showing which is closed, and one black ear flopped down on the pumpkin.

Wow! Such a cute picture to try to copy! Aria (6th grade) did a super job with this!

Ryder's Monster (6th grade)

        My monster has a big circle head with a team beanie and blue party hat with a small Canadian flag on top. He has a yellow face with a small blue vertical rectangle for a nose and very small spiral eyes. He has a horizontal rectangle split into eight parts for a mouth. The beanie has scribbles.

        He has no neck and square shoulders with a Canadian flag on the upper left shoulder and one in the middle. He is all purple. There is a big gray mountain and a yellow moon with ten big craters. It is on the upper right of the paper.

The size of the flags are different, but still a super accurate attempt by Lincoln! (5th grade)

                                            

Xiya's Pumpkin (3rd grade)

        My pumpkin is a big yellow head with a cat mouth and eyes. It has three orange bumps like a tiger. It has cute ears with red inside, and the outside of the pumpkin's ears are green. It has a medium-size green like the ears' stem. The stem is vertical. The eyes have white outside and black inside. It also has a purple nose connecting with the mouth. I forgot to tell you, it has a green, small leaf on the right side!

Great writing, Xiya! And what a cute kitty cat pumpkin! Vianna (3rd grade) was able to draw this from Xiya's description!

Juney's Pumpkin (4th grade)

        My pumpkin is light purple. It has a dark pink outline, but not on the stem. The stem is light blue with a vine the same color coming from the bottom of the stem. On the vine, there is a maple leaf that is not colored in. The shape is basically three long ovals squished together. It is sort of a medium size. In the top right corner of the drawing, not the pumpkin there is a yellow and orange moon. The moon is one fourth of a circle, and it is facing your right. Then, in the upper left corner of the drawing, there is a gray, not-colored-in cloud, and another cloud in the lower right corner.

Such a sweet drawing, and so perfectly described! Kylie (4th grade) was able to draw this match!

Congratulations to our winners!

Stories with Backwards Animals

 Once we got to know our Backwards Animal, we got creative with story writing. I gave the students various prompts to choose from, helped them story map a clear beginning, middle, and end, and off they went on an adventure with their backwards animal! I love how these students incorporated what they created (diet, appearance, personality) into their stories!

"A Day With My Animal" Style

A Day With The Occeg, by Mina (4th grade)

        Have you ever heard of an occeg? I bet you haven't. I guess it was just luck that I met one.

        I was in the aquarium with my friend when I came across a medium-sized hole in the wall. I looked very closely and saw a tiny green face pop out.

        I s-l-o-w-l-y tiptoed forward, and picked him up. He purred hello, but growled to others who saw him. I walked out of the aquarium with him. It was still the morning, and the lizard-like creature seemed to absolutely LOATHE the sunlight. So I cupped my hands over him as he curled up inside.

        "C'mon! I'll take you to the ship dock and we can go fishing!" I said excitedly. I knew it was weird to talk to something that couldn't talk, but it felt nice for some reason. When we got there, it was absolutely perfect! No one was there, and there was only one fishing rod left! The breeze was blowing on my face playfully as though it wanted to play with me.

        "C'mon, you can come out now, it's sunset, and I think you'll really like it," I said to the creature.

        I thought that I should name it, so I thought and thought and thought. Then, the idea hit me like a BAM! The creature looked like a gecco with webbed hands and had gills. So I spelled out "gecco" backwards, which spells "occeg," and I made its full name: "The Legendary Occeg." Then, as though it could read my mind, he purred in delight! I guess he liked his name!

         I pulled out a fishing rod and attached some bait. As soon as I felt a great, hard tug, I pulled with all my might. And to my surprise, the occeg. helped too, and was incredibly strong! When the fish finally came out of the water, it was a gigantic salmon! Because I didn't want fish right then, I pushed the salmon toward the occeg, and it gobbled it up like it was nothing! 

        After hours and hours of fishing, I had a whole pile of fish for the Occeg. I also had a brand new friend.

Dear Diary/Journal Entry style

 The Sweet Adventure, by Anya (5th grade) 

Dear Diary,

Today has been a very interesting day. To understand why it was interesting, we have to go all the way back. 

At the start of the day, my sister started banging rudely at my door. She finally figured out how to open it. She jumped in like some sort of superhero, and then she told me we were going to the candy shop. I was so excited to go to the candy shop because I had been waiting to go for so long. Cotton candy was my favorite. I love the way it  melts in my mouth, and  the way my hands are always sticky after, and even the way I feel sad when I finish. 

When we reached the candy shop, I smelled the sweet candy scent. I ran to the cotton candy machine, while my sister ran to the chocolate river. Every time I come here it feels like I am in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The employee came to get me cotton candy. My mouth was watering! But the cotton candy machine started making these weird noises. Like Frr and grr and feh.

Poof! A creature popped out of the machine. I know I sound crazy, but he really was there. Promise. It had cotton candy fur, it was cat-like, and also it looked like a unicorn, but instead of a horn, it was an ice cream cone upside down, with ice cream melting on the top of his head.

He jumped off the counter, grabbed cotton candy and ran down the street. I ran after it, trying to keep my pace steady. I needed to get my cotton candy back! As soon as I thought that he jumped over a fence, I picked up every bit of courage I had, and jumped as high as I could. I got lots of splinters, but I was too far in the chase to go back now. I reached the creature about to run into a wall. The creature stopped midway and took a breath. He dropped the cotton candy. I got my cotton candy back!

The creature said “Tac”. What did Tac mean? I assumed it was his name. And it turns out I was right, because he wrote something in the air. It said “I must leave now.” 

I looked at him and waved goodbye. He ran off giggling. I was confused but happy. I got my cotton candy back and I earned a friend.

Scientific Documentary Style

Drehpehs Namreg Documentary, by Aubrey (6th grade)

Very few know about the mythical being that guards the borders of the dream land and the waking world. The mythical being, otherwise known as the Drehpehs Namreg, is only seen by few people.

I am Aubrey, the animal scientist known around the world sent by Colossal Biosciences to find the Drehpehs Namreg on May 2nd, 2034. Why, might you ask? Well, the few people who HAVE glimpsed the Drehpehs Namreg almost always live next to rainforests. Every spotting has also occurred during the rainy months. So, the exploration is going to be in the Amazon Rainforest. 

Within five hours of landing in Brazil, Tula, my robot drone and I, set out for the dense trees. I should explain, the Drehpehs Namreg is nocturnal. So of course, we had to explore in the dark. On the first day we found nothing that would help us, other than a few carved stones from the first people living here.

For a whole week it was the same, not even a foot print of our goal. Then on the eighth day of exploring, we finally found something helpful. Some ripped up palmer mango (the Drehpes Namreg’s favorite) hidden in the tall bushy grass. This was a good sign, as we were getting closer and closer to our goal. On day 10, Tula did some exploring without me. She found a few bite marks on a Rosewood tree, which according to my 10 years of animal study, does not belong to any species we know of that live in the world.

A few more days of exploring the edges of the forest, it was finally time to go deeper. It would be much more dangerous as we continue our excursions. Animals such as the Black Caiman or the giant centipede, could be a major setback to the project. We were looking for the entrance to the dream world. Colossal Biosciences have provided a high-tech radar system for us, that way we were able to see any suspicious animal activities. We concluded that the center of the rainforest is where the Cave of Dreams is located.

It took three days and three nights to reach the surrounding area of the cavern. A ring of towering Mahogany trees guarded the sides. A stunning cave of amethyst crystal stretched as far as the eye could see ——— and there, standing in the middle, was the most majestic creature I’ve ever set my eyes on. Tall as a wolf, but with the posture of a leopard. Wings with feathers like silk, tucked in neatly against the spine. The tongue of a snake for a tail, swinging back and forth as if trying to hypnotize you. Its fur was glowing silver with occasional streaks of brown rust and dark indigo. For a moment those startling eyes looked into mine, one glowing blue and one foggy gray. In a blink of an eye, my whole life flashed in front of me. Many questions were answered for me in mere seconds. After that little vision, the Drehpehs Namreg stared me in the eye one last time, then disappeared, leaving me dumbfounded.

I was shaken back into reality when Tula beeped in alarm, “What’s wrong?” I asked her —— no response. I listened more carefully and heard a sound like a person was stomping on the forest floor, but much more — dense. As if there was a fast marching band of little animals. I scoured through the list in my head of all the animals that live in the Amazon. A type of snake? No, it wouldn’t explain the pattering sounds of feet. The armed spiders? Then why did it sound like a stampede?

Then it hit me, Eciton Burchellii. Otherwise known as the stamping ants. They hunt in “stampedes” and crush any tiny creatures living on the forest floor. As the drumming band came closer, I scrambled onto one of the Mahogany trees next to me. A wave of dark glistening insects swarmed the ground beneath me. Luckily, they didn’t notice me and there were no snakes in the tree. 

After the wave passed, I eased myself down the tree until my boots touched the ground. Tula’s “face” changed into a confetti cannon blowing up to celebrate our victory. I smiled, as we made our way back to camp. I kept thinking on how to write my documentary.

               Well, I guess I’ll have to start at the beginning.