PEAC Paragraphs

 What is a PEAC paragraph? Those letters stand for:

P- Point (main idea)

E- Evidence (proof of what you just said)

A- Analysis (deeper thought, perhaps an example)

C- Conclusion- a great wrap-up!

My 3rd and 4th graders wrote PEAC paragraphs about a very inspirational topic: Their Moms! Just in time for Mother's Day, these are sure to bring a smile to Mom's face and maybe even a tear to her eye!

        My mom is the most amazing mom in the history of the world. She cooks me some of the best food I've ever tasted. She also encourages me when I get stuck on a problem. Once when I was struggling on a problem, my mom showed me another way to look at it and I finished the problem in no time. Clearly, my mom brightens the dark with her awesomeness!     

 By Max (3rd grade)

        My mom is the best mom in the world. She plays with me and helps me practice my English. My mom, dad, and my brother always play board games with me when my homework is finished. Clearly, my mom is the nicest and most fun mom ever.             

By Ava (3rd grade)

        My mom is the brightest mom in space. She lights up the room with joy and makes the boring things sparkle. My mom always walks into the room and we all crowd and hug her. Then the room lights up with warmth. Clearly, when the room blooms with light, you know my mom is near.        

By Rhys (4th grade)

My Garden Book Imitation

 We read the story My Garden by Kevin Henkes, and imitated his pages with our own ideas of what would make the most creative and fun garden imaginable! I was so impressed with how original my students were. (And I also got to learn what they did NOT like as far as vegetables and bugs go!!)

My Garden, by Kylie (4th grade)

        My mother has a garden. It's very nice. There are vegetables, fruits, and flowers. But if I had a garden...

        There would be no dying plants, no weeds, and no annoying visitors so I would not have to remove dead things and weeds. I could make annoying visitors (besides approved people) disappear or I could kick them out.

        In my garden, the flowers could grow tea leaves, or even catnip instead of petals, or have any kind of seed within them. And if you picked a flower, it would regrow without needing any sun or water.

        In my garden, the bugs would never creep me out because the plants could pollinate themselves, so the bugs wouldn't be there.

        If I planted money, I'd grow a money tree. If I planted doughnuts, I'd grow a great big doughnut bush.

        Sometimes in my garden, "anything trees" would pop out of nowhere, filled with anything I wanted, just by thinking about it.

        In my garden, there would be a lot of friendly cats helping to keep the rats in check.

        The potatoes would be as big as me, and the spinach would be invisible, because I don't like spinach!

        At night, the cats would throw a disco party to appease the plants!

        It is night now. Before bed, I take one penny and poke it in the ground. I cover it up with dirt and pat down the dirt with my foot. Who knows what might happen?

My Garden, by Mina (4th grade)

        I have a garden with lots of lavender bushes. But if I had a garden of my own....

    

        There would be no evil bunnies or squirrels eating all the plants, no weeds, and NO BUGS.

        In my garden, the flowers could generate dogs whenever I wanted. And if you picked a flower, it would turn into a "Calvin and Hobbes" comic.

        In my garden, there would be hamsters, bunnies, and a horse to ride through the garden.

        If I planted raspberry sorbet, I'd grow a raspberry sorbet tree. If I planted pasta, I'd grow a great big pasta bush.

    

        Sometimes in my garden, chocolate coins would pop up next to the flowers if I was good.

        In my garden, there would be tall money trees, chrysanthemums, and more!

        The cauliflowers would be as big as trees, and the onions would be invisible because I don't like onions.

    

        At night, the trees would grow faces so you could talk to them, and blueberry bushes would pop up.

        It's night now. Before bed, I take one Harry Potter book and poke it into the ground. I cover it up with dirt, and pat down the dirt with my foot. 

        Who knows what might happen?

My Garden, by Cora (4th grade)

        When I see people gardening, I feel bad because my garden would be way better.

        In my garden, there would be no weeds, because then I would have to spend time weeding, which is only for ordinary gardens, and mine would NOT be ordinary.

        In my garden, flowers would glow in the dark, and if I looked out my window before bed, the flowers would look like a hundred yellow stars in the sky. And if you dared to pick a flower, not only would a new one grow back, but the flower would either turn into a beautiful bouquet or disappear, depending on if you got my permission to pick one.

        In my garden, squirrels and rabbits would feast on strawberries and I wouldn't worry because new ones would grow back, of course! The bees would only come when I'm gone, and they would make delicious honey just for me!

        If I was craving ice cream, I could go outside and there would be a huge tree full of cold, fresh ice cream cones waiting for me. If I planted pretzels, I'd grow a big, green pretzel bush. Already salted!

        In my garden, any strawberry I planted would grow into a perfectly ripe, red strawberry twice the size of a common one.

        Sometimes, there would be a lot of sprinkles falling from the trees, especially in the spring time.

        The oranges would be extra sweet, and the arugula wouldn't exist because I think arugula tastes like soap.

        At night, the long sparkling river I forgot to mention before would glow and trickle along to put me to sleep.

        It's night now, and I'm fast asleep. I dream of delicious ice cream. Who knows what might happen?

My Garden, by Aubrey (6th grade)

        My grandpa has a garden. There are vegetables and flowers. I plant. I cut. And I make sure the dirt is in the pot. It's colorful and dazzling. But if I had a garden...

        There would be no moles digging roots out. No flies that buzz around my head while I work. And no dirt or mess that would ever be out of place.

        In my garden, the flowers could grow into a beanstalk, and then I would climb up its leaves and doze in the soft center for hours. And if you picked a flower, it would change into rhinestone decorations, or anything wished for.

        In my garden, the moles wouldn't dig up the roots but instead would run around underground, sprinkling vitamins where I can't reach.

        If I planted money, I'd grow a money tree. If I planted candies, I'd grow a great big colorful sugar bush.

        Sometimes in my garden, the clouds in the sky would drift down and water my beautiful flowers with a gentle sprinkle.

        In my garden, there would be thousands of books stacked one on top of the other, telling intriguing stories of history and myths.

        The red chilis would be as big as a canoe, and the eggplants would be invisible, because I don't like purple vegetables.

        At night, the sky would be heavy with fluffy snow falling in the garden, so I could make snow cones in the morning.

        It's night now. Before bed, I take one drawing of something I want this time-- some jewelry for my mom-- and poke it into the ground. I cover it up with dirt, and pat down the dirt with my foot. Who knows what might happen?

        

       

St. Patrick's Day Luck

 My older students were given a few different prompts right around St. Patrick's Day. 

If you had all the luck in the world, what would you do? You can't get hurt, you can't get in trouble, and you can't lose. What would your day look like?

or

Tell a story about a leprechaun's day on March 17th. Have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and describe what happens vividly!

or

Write a St. Patrick's Day story from the perspective of a leprechaun!

Enjoy these stories from across the grades.

My Very Lucky Day, by Pauline (4th grade)

One Sunday on St. Patrick’s day, I woke up and found a four leaf clover on the edge of my shelf. I picked it up, and wondered, “Is this a fake one?” But then something happened that never would have happened on any ordinary day. I put down the clover on my drawer and went down to breakfast, and instead of seeing healthy Cheerios, there were Froot Loops on the table. 

I wondered if this was some sort of trick, but then I remembered the four leaf clover that was lying on my drawer. I picked it up and thought that it was really real after all. My mom called me down for breakfast, and I got to eat the delicious Froot Loops that I had only had once in my life. 

Then, my mom said that she would drive me to my friend Ellie’s house. Then another friend of mine named Lola came! I had never felt so lucky.

 Things just got better soon! After we played hide and seek, catch-the-sheep, tag, find-the-duck, and ate snacks, her parents  bought us tickets to Great America. While we were there, we got to go on all the rides that we love, and we even got to eat dippin’ dots! It was a really yummy type of ice cream. 

After we got exhausted and went home, I got to play Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Nintendo Switch with my dad. After about 30 minutes of playing, I ate pizza, salad, and coke! I played board games with my parents and won every time, and then in the middle of the 5th game, my dad’s phone rang. He went out of the room to answer it. When he came back, he was beaming. He told us that he got a promotion at work and that we now had a few billion dollars! As a celebration, he let me invite Ela over for a sleepover and let us stay up late playing with each other.

The next morning, I woke up and went downstairs, expecting Froot Loops again. But then I realized that the four leaf clover was gone. And there was my bowl of Cheerios!

Saint Patrick’s Day, by Ela (4th grade)

This was my luckiest day ever! You probably want to know how this happened…. 

On a hot summer day, On Saint Patrick’s Day, in a patch of shade, and in the morning, I was picking clovers to make a garland. Suddenly, I saw a FOUR LEAF clover! In great excitement, I rushed home, and placed my clover safely in the middle of my desk. I just realized I was really hungry, so I went for breakfast. I was surprised to see pancakes and a banana smoothie instead of my usual oatmeal. 

I was suspicious and very surprised at why this had happened, but I suddenly remembered that I found a four - leaf clover. Extremely hungry, I ate the delicious breakfast rapidly. It was the best breakfast ever!

Next, my mom drove me over to my best friend Pauline’s home. I played with her for 2 hours! We played on her Nintendo Switch, hide - and - seek, tag, and lots of other fantastic, fun games! We also ate snacks and drinks. Halfway through us playing, my other friend, Elizabeth, came over! I was having the best time. 

Then, my dad told me he had created a new and useful device named a Time - a - Tron! Everyone was amazed by his genius, and his boss promoted him to the highest level, and gave him 3 million dollars! We were rich!

This was just the start! After my play date, I was wishing I could see my cousin, and suddenly, free tickets to go on a plane to Arizona flew in the window of our car, and Arizona is where my cousin lives! I LOVE visiting my cousin, he’s very fun to play with and be around, and he’s kind. We had an AWESOME time there! We teased his little sister, had parties, went to arcades, and ate lots of ice cream and sweets! 

Next, very tired, we flew back, and I got to watch 3 hours of TV!! I watched my favorite show, which is anime. Then, I had a nice, cozy dinner with my parents, and we had some of my favorite foods, which were sushi, salmon with teriyaki sauce and sticky rice, pizza, boba, and to top it all off, dessert! For dessert we had some Indian desserts and sweets, cake, flan, warm, soft, sugary churros, and many more! 

Finally, tired out, I cuddled up in my warm, cozy bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, I woke up full of excitement, remembering yesterday. But, to my sadness and shock, I went to breakfast to find my usual, bland, boring oatmeal waiting for me. Suddenly, I remembered that all this had happened because of the four leaf clover. I rushed to my room to see if my four leaf clover was okay. The four leaf clover was GONE! I was stunned! 

By then, I realized my luck lasted for only one day. I was extremely sad. But, oh well, it was nice when it lasted. Though, I wish it would happen again.

 Do you think it will?

Bad Luck by Chloe (5th grade)

Everyone knows that leprechauns love pranking people, especially on St. Patrick’s Day. But this year, the leprechaun company recruited a new worker, Bob. This year a poor little girl will have to deal with Bob’s-annoying tricks and pranks. 

Anya is peacefully sleeping on March 16, but at midnight the cute little new leprechaun, Bob starts his pranking off with a big bang. When Anya wakes up she slowly makes her way to the restroom, and when she looks in the mirror she screams, “AHHH, I’m GREEN!” Anya quickly turns on the faucet and tries to rinse it off, but even with all the soap and scrubbing, it doesn't come off!

 After she puts on tons of scarves and ski masks, she starts to walk down the stairs. But the stairs had mouse traps on each step! 

When she finally gets to the kitchen, she opens the cereal and sees snakes! She screams, but quickly realizes that they are just fake and rubber. 

As Anya is walking to school, she sees a pretty little butter-yellow colored bird flying in the sky. Just a few moments later, that same pretty little bird poops and it lands on her hair! 

At school, Anya quickly runs into the locker room and tries to get the bird poop off her hair, but no matter what she did it wouldn't come off! 

It’s English class, and Anya is getting bored out of her mind! Before she falls asleep, she asks the teacher if she can use the restroom. The teacher, mrs. L, approves and as she stands up, and stands up, and stands up………. SHE IS STUCK TO THE CHAIR! The entire class stares as she tries and tries, again and again to get up. But she just couldn’t pull herself away from the chair. Eventually, Mrs. L calls the janitor, and he doesn't seem incredibly happy to pull a little girl off her chair.

When the Janitor finally pulls her off the chair with a screwdriver, Anya starts walking back home. On the way home she was SUPER paranoid. But nothing happens. At dinner, Anya is scared out of her mind! But nothing happens..

But right as she starts to make herself comfortable in bed, she hears a small noise from the floor. “Helloooooo! Down here!!” Anya looks down and sees a little green leprechaun. She is about to start screaming at the little green leprechaun, but once she sees the HUGE pot of gold behind him she becomes quiet. “Hi Anya. I am here to congratulate you for being such a good sport with a pot of gold,” says the leprechaun. Anya replies. “Thank you so much.” But the leprechaun was gone, and when Anya gets a closer look at her new fortune, she realizes it’s FAKE! 

A Day in the Life of a Leprechaun, by Sara (6th grade)

        I wake up to buttery sunlight spilling through my window, covering my small room in a feeling that seems to melt across my sheets. My alarm clock buzzes and jumps as it repeats over and over.

        "Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!" in a voice of my annoying little sister Saoirse.

        I rub my eyes as they adjust to the blinding light. Suddenly, my younger brother Cillian comes sprinting into my room and leaps onto my shamrock decorated blankets.

        "Rowan! Get out of bed! Don't you know what day it is? It's Saint Patrick's Day!"

        My mind immediately wakes up from its sleep as I remember today is the day I have been preparing for for the past eight years! Today is the day that will make history as my first day of being a leprechaun on Saint Patrick's Day.

        "Thanks for reminding me, buddy," I say to Cillian as I scoop him off of my bed and on to the ground.

        Sorry. I may have been going too fast. First things first: I am a leprechaun. Well, almost. Each year, ten 12-year olds get chosen to be a leprechaun on this special day. Thankfully, I got chosen! Since I was four, I have been training for this day. Today I will be going through traps, pinching people, utting coins at the end of the rainbow, eating some delicious food in Ireland for dinner, and then coming home. 

        I start off my day by skipping to the kitchen, reaching into the cabinet, and pulling out... Honey Nut Cheerios! Everyone says we like Lucky Charms, but all leprechauns agree they taste like cardboard. I walk over to the fridge and grab the orange juice to put on my cereal. I know it sounds gross, but it is actually amazing.

        After finishing my breakfast, I go back to my room and put on my traditional leprechaun outfit. As I reach to get my hat, I see a piece of paper with a checklist. The first point on the list is going through traps. From my years of school, I know that the traps people make are as easy as pie.

        As I get ready to leave, I sprinkle some Lucky Charm dust on myself (even though it is gross), so I can fly. When I reach the first house, I go inside to see a tiny little cardboard box with a slide. How pathetic! After I jig through that trap, I reach my second house, which is basically teh same situation. Through the rest of the morming, I go through traps. Then, on my last one, I see a whole room filled with advanced technology. Must have been some engineer who made that one.

        Finally after practically walking through traps, I pull out my piece of paper to check off the first task. My eyes scroll down the list to see the second task: Pinch people.

        Using the dust, I fly all the way to New York City, where there are surely people not wearing green. As soon as I arrive in the huge city, I glide through the air, pinching everyone I see NOT wearing green.

        After hours of pinching people, I take out my list to check off the second task. When I look down, I see that the next job is to put gold at the end of the rainbow. From my lessons at school, I know that the best place to get gold is in New York City, so I make a quick stop at a couple places to collect some gold. Along the way, water starts drizzling from the clouds, soaking me and everyone else. Just as I'm about to go to another place to find a rainbow, the sun starts peeking through the clouds, forming a large semi-circle of colors.

        "Yaaaayy!" I exclaim, excited that the rainbow is so close.

        With my gold, I leap onto the rainbow and slide down until I fly off at the end. With my gold, I reach the bottom and gently place the sparkly, precious metal at the tip.

        "Third task done!" I say out loud, checking off the third box.

        As I look at the sky, hues of orange, pink, red, yellow, and purple come together, forming a perfect sunset.

        Next on my list reads: Eat a delicious dinner in Ireland.

        "OK!" I announce, and fly to my favorite restaurant, called "Chapter One." After gobbling down my apple tart, my stomach is full and I pull out mu list to check off task number four. Last on the list says to go back home.

        When I arrive home, the sun has already fallen asleep, and the moon has woken up.

        After getting in my shamrock pajamas on, I hope into bed thinking about the amazing day I had. After going through the events in my head, I realize I will lose my magic tonight and have to go back to school tomorrow. Awwww, man!!

        

Squiggle Stories!

 This is always a favorite project! I give the students a variety of computer-generated squiggle lines for them to envision a picture and a story. After turning the pages this way and that, a picture comes to mind, and a story follows soon after that! For this project, we learn the 5 W's and an H of good writing:

Who is in my picture

What is happening

Where the story takes place (setting)

When the story takes place (setting)

Why (more storyline)

How it ends

I love seeing the same squiggles get used year after year, but no two squiggles are ever the same! Enjoy these stories!

Snakey and the Mouse, by Bella (4th grade)

        In the busy streets of Tokyo, Snakey was in front of 7-11 looking for snake food. He went inside and took a peek of of what food was inside. He checked the aisles, but all he found was candy and snacks. No snake food. On the sides and in the front, there was hot, reheatable, and cold food, plus drinks. He couldn't see any snake food in sight!

        Then suddenly, something scurried under the aisles. It was gray and furry. Snakey wondered what it was.

        He thought, "Hmmmm, I wonder if it is a mouse. Maybe I will go check."

        He scurried around teh store in a circle. Snakey cried, "This mouse is too fast!" After a while of chasing, he gave up. Snakey sighed. "I guess I will eat some disgusting 7-11 food...."

Same squiggle line, totally different story by Meera (3rd grade)

        Hi! My name is Josephine and right now I am sulking in my bed, hoping a magician will come into my room and make me disappear. But first, let me tell you how it all started.

        I need to tell you the facts. Number 1: Moms are bad at hair cuts. Number 2: Bad luck is real! Number 3: I need to move to Florida. (Don't ask).

        It all started when Mom decided to give me a hair cut. She gave me a rat tail smack in the middle of the top of my head, but the worst part is tomorrow is picture day! So now you know what happened, and that's why I am sulking.

Squiggle Story by Marlo (5th grade)

        "I dare you to dive into the water," a young kingfisher cried.

        "No thanks," his brother responded.

        "I'll do it!" a bird with strange feathers named Blossom called from a nearby branch.

        "Prove it!" both brothers eagerly yelled.

        "OK," she responded calmly, and she hopped off the ledge.

        Blossom plummeted toward the water at rapid speed. The wind rushed against her feathers and she had to squint her eyes. She was heading for the water and fast! Closer and closer. The birds above squacked and screeched in fear; there was no way a little bird could survive such a large drop. 

        Then, with a big splash, Blossom hit the water. 10 seconds. 20 seconds. Blossom had still not resurfaced!

        Until.... with another splash, she came up for air.

        All the birds cheered, and Blossom settled back on her perch.

Leaf (The Lonely Snail) Under the Leaf

By Elena (6th grade)

Once upon a time, there was a cute but lonely snail. She lived in a beautiful forest where a lot of chunky but beautiful animals and plants lived. Except Leaf.  She was skinny, her body was vomit-colored, and her shell was blue and violet. Totally not normal. 

  Anyway, one day, Leaf was scavenging for miniature mushrooms, her favorite food. Then, suddenly she felt a big drop of water flop onto her head. Leaf continued to feel more and more drops. Soon, the air was full of falling water droplets. Since Leaf was smart, she knew that she had to hide. 

Quickly (well, quickly for a snail, but really slow like 0.1 mph for a human), Leaf started looking for a good leaf to hide under. But every leaf was already taken.  Groups of normal snails gathered under every leaf. Every single leaf. Every leaf. Each one. Leaf searched and searched for a spot.

Leaf felt hopeless!!!

But then, magically, right before the worst part of the storm started, Leaf found a spot. A cozy, small leaf, the perfect size for a skinny and weird snail. With a hugely smile of relief on her face, Leaf raced to the dry spot under the leaf. This feels amazing! thought Leaf. 

Leaf sat under her leaf for hours, listening to the rain. At last, Leaf fell asleep to the rhythmic drip drop of the rain.