A Day In the Life of Personified Objects

I love this assignment!  In the fall we became pumpkins and detailed our entire life, from our seed birth to our Autumn Death.  This term, we took the same Personification Theme and explored one day in the life of an object chosen by the students.  We had everything from school supplies to clothing, from sporting equipment to household supplies… and more!  The older students were encouraged to explore "voice" and give their objects some fun personalities.  Enjoy these samples!

My Life as an Ice Cream Cone, by Alyssa (1st grade)

     This is how my day began.
     For one day, I am going to imagine that I am a rainbow ice cream that tastes like a yummy dessert.  I get scooped up, and I feel good and cold.  I'm very nice and everybody likes me, and they always get more of me.

     Then, what happened?
     I like the kids that come to get me.  They like me.  Most of me gets eaten in a cup, and only a little bit of me is left over.

     The End
     The sun is going down, and I'm getting sleepy.  I watch the sun set, and it is so beautiful.  I am a melted blob, but I feel happy. 

My Life as a Pencil Sharpener, by Ridley (2nd grade)

     This is how my day began.
     I am a pencil sharpener in a classroom.  I'm not broken right now, so I feel happy.  I hear the kids come in.  I am nervous because they always want to use me.  They don't know how to use me properly!

     Then, what happened?
     A kid puts a colored pencil in me.  I get broken!  Someone tries to fix me.  The teacher sticks scissors inside the hole for the pencil.  It hurts a lot!

     The End
     I get fixed when the broken piece of pencil lead finally falls out.  The teacher puts me on the shelf for a rest and won't let the kids use me anymore today.  I'm happy! 

My Life as a Book, by Sienna (3rd grade)

     Today I'm in the same old bookstore.  My title is Smile.  I'm next to Sisters and Drama, both written by Raina Telegmier.  Well!  A girl comes by, and she's going to look at me!  She picks me up, and turns me around.  I feel sick and dizzy!  Why does the information have to be on the back?!  Well, after she goes to the checkout, I feel nice and clean.  I see a little boy buy Where the Wild Things Are.  Another person purchases Charlotte's Web.  After my girl buys me, we go home.

     Now we are at a place called Home.  The girl, Hailey, brings me into her room.  It has a very nice bookshelf, a light blue carpet, and a small stuffed animal by her lavender bed.  While she sits down on her magenta beanbag, she reads me.  I feel so peaceful!

     Right now it's dinner time.  I'm on her desk, and the book mark is on page 60.  I'm hungry and tired.  

     Hailey brings in a jelly donut.  She eats it right in front of me!  Please, don't spill, Hailey!  Let there be a happy ending!  Then she does it!  She spills jelly on me.  Yuck!  Well, at least she cleans me off.

     As Hailey starts reading my pages, she drifts off to sleep.  Well, I guess it was a happy ending after all.


A Teapot, by Adeline (4th grade)

     Ugh, I'm so bored.  But I'm also afraid.  I'm nervous about that horrible event: Boiling!  What if it will be the day, TODAY, that my feet will be burned again!!??!  Uh-oh!  I see a person approaching!

     Why am I kept on the stove?  Everybody can see me, so then everybody will use me!  And that means BURNING!!!  I am always ready to have hot water inside me!  I hate, hate HATE to be boiling.  It is always too hot!

     Now I'm getting filled with water.  My head feels sloshy.  NOOOO!!!  Now the person is turning on the stove to boil the water!

     Hot, hot hot!!!  Ow, ow, ow!  Oh!  I'm so hot and tired.  Ugh.  Why do I feel so squeaky?  I am hissing like a snake, and I sound awful!

     Ugh, why do I have to be picked up NOW?  Wait.  I have never noticed THIS before.  You know, the stuff when I get poured.  Is it like my insides or something?  What is it?

     Oh.  I just heard someone says, "That is some HOT water!"  So I guess it was just hot water in me.  After all, I do always feel something hot and watery inside my head on boiling days.

     Whew.  Now I'm cooling down.  I'm getting put back on the stove.  What a day.  I just hope that a day like this doesn't happen again any time soon!


                                              The Day I Lost my Ink, by Aditi (4th grade)

     It is early morning at home.  I am a red pen in a pencil pouch which is owned by a student.  I am feeling tired and happy.  I am feeling tired because yesterday I was at the bottom of the pencil box and I had to hold a heavy highlighter, scissors, and crayon box.

     My owner has finally put me into her backpack, which is pink and has flowers all over it.  Finally, after thirty minutes of waiting for my owner to finish her breakfast, I get into the car.  It is a long, bumpy ride to school.  

     Now I am at school, and I am getting used for many activities such as correcting a math test, drawing a picture, tracing, and long paragraphs.  I also get used by my student to make a Valentine's Card.  In the middle of writing my "L," I lose ink and start feeling dizzy.  I faint right in the middle of an important project!

     Aaaaahh!  The teacher is holding up an ink bottle.  I am so scared!  What will she do?  Will she smash me into pieces?

     Now the teacher has picked me up and is opening my bottom.  She puts a long string of ink in me.  Now I am better!

     At the end of the day, I am so tired from all the work I have done.  I sleep in the car on the ride back home.

     

A Day As A Volleyball, by Ella (5th grade)

Yawn!  I blink quickly, adjusting my eyes to the bright gym.  I say a quick good-bye to my friends in different carts as I am dragged away.  

“Are you excited to be used?  I have never been on this court.” I say to one of my friends, Mia.  It is bright blue and the out of bounds is gray.

“I once played here on a--

All at once the pounding of shoes drowned out the rest of her words and the power volleyball team thundered in.  All eleven girls were there. Ria, Kanani, Charli, Allison, Carrington, Ava, Kaitlyn, Kailie, Ashly, Arielle, and Ella.  Ava picks me up and toses me over the net to Ella.  They go back and forth, setting and bumping until the coach calls them in.  Now Charli takes me and starts serving across the court. I am tossed high up and hit with such force that I bounce back to her from the other side of the wall.  

“Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I hear Mia screaming. She is hit by Ria and collides with the net.  “Sooooooooo close” I hear her mourn.  Everyone else is doing the same thing Mia is. The team seems oblivious to the noise, and to the coach telling them to practice hitting.  Eventually I just zone out and wait for the drill to end when a ball collides with me and I bounce onto another court.  The day goes on and on, it feels like forever. It was actually only a few minutes until Ella picked me up and brought me back.  All around me I hear different small talk from the ball to the server

“OMG!! OMG!! You were like almost there. A little harder next time please.”

“WOW!! That was so far it was out of bounds.”

“Almost there. Try to hit it with your palm.”

“That was worse than a two year old!!!”  I immediately know who it is.  The meanest volleyball around, Via Volleyball.  She makes fun of even the best servers.  I hit the line of the court, and know I am in.

“WE ARE PLAYING A GAME” the coach shrieks loudly, and they immediately split in to teams, one team with five players. Ella picks me up and serves a perfect on-the-line serve. 

“OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT!” they all scream.  

“I am in, so it is their point” I argue, but no one hears me.

Practice is over and everyone heads out. My day continues in one long serving clinique, and, of course, everyone wants to serve with Via.  Her best friend, Aspen, also gets attention, but not as much.  

That night, we enjoy a hearty dinner of air to pump us up, and then we go back into the storage room.  We all gather around each other and tell about our spectacular adventures.

"My Life as a Leaf"

The changing of the seasons is fabulous for inspiring Authors and Artists!  As we watched the leaves around us change, we brainstormed and story mapped what it would be like to be a bud on a tree in spring, then a healthy, green leaf in the summer, and finally a crinkly, colorful leaf in autumn.  What would it feel like to be a tiny bud waking up in the spring?  Would it be scary to fall from the tree?  What would we see and do as the seasons change?  Where would we find ourselves after tumbling from the tree?  The students were to write three chapters: Spring, Summer, and Autumn.  Here are some top favorites of mine.  Enjoy!

Joseph (2nd grade) imagines how he'd feel season to season!  I really like how he describes Autumn.

     I was born in the Spring….
    I started as a tiny bud.  I saw the ground, and it was black.  I felt bad because I was small.  With my friends, I heard dogs barking.

     Summertime Fun!
     In summer, I became a leaf.  I felt good because I had grown.  I saw kids eating ice cream.  I drank rain water with my mouth.  I was looking at the kids.  I heard a lot of birds.  My friend and I were growing toward the sun!

     Autumn…. The End!
     In the fall, I started to turn yellow and red!  I saw other leaves falling on the ground.  I felt scared to see them fall, but at the same time, I kind of felt happy because I was big.  I saw swinging on the branch when all of a sudden, CRACK!  The branch fell, and I fell off.  This was the end of my life.

Alana (3rd grade) did a great job telling all that she could hear, see, and do as a leaf!

     I was born in Spring….
     I am a bud, so I am a baby.  I see a baby bird up in the sky learning how to fly.  I also see other buds talking.  I live in a backyard.  I hear kids talking.  I feel butterflies land on me and I hear birds chirping.  Since wind is blowing, it feels like I am dancing to the wind.  I feel excited because I am alive!

     Summertime Fun!
     I see squirrels eating nuts and flowers getting sprinkled with water.  I feel caterpillars crawling on me.  I am dancing to the wind and I am happy and joyful because I've grown.  I am happy to be alive!

     Autumn…. The End!
     I see leaves turning orange and red.  I hear kids having a really fun birthday.  I feel squirrels with their tails on me.  I am half orange, half green.  I've grown!  I suddenly fall to the ground.  A child picks me up and thinks I am pretty!


Morgan (3rd grade) did a fabulous job personifying herself as a leaf.  I love how she brings human things (like relaxing in the summer and swinging on a hammock) into her leaf life!  Enjoy!

     I was born in the Spring....
     I am a beautiful, eager bud.  In the spring, I see farm animals.  Sometimes, I hear the farm animals making noises.  When I'm itchy, and lucky, an insect crawls over my back.  It tickles me!  When I'm bored, I swing on my mother's branch.  Soon it becomes a game, and all my brothers and sisters join me.  When we are all resting, I feel relaxed with all of my brothers and sisters.

     Summertime Fun!
     In the summer, I see fruit on the trees and the farm animals growing.  When I hear the children playing, I wonder if I could ever play like them.  When it's almost sunset, I feel the summer heat.  Since it's the summer, I relax and do whatever I want.  I swing on my mother's branch a lot because it feels like I'm on a hammock.  At sunset, I feel relaxed from all the summer heat.

     Autumn..... The End!
     Autumn is finally here!  Around my mother's tree, I see golden, brown, orange, and red fruit trees.  When it's morning, I hear the children scurrying to school, trying to be on time.  I feel the wind tickling more than usual.  It's time for us to let go!

     A lot of my brothers and sisters drift away, but I cling on to my branch like a sloth.  I feel sad and lonely without my brothers and sisters.  I look like a golden, crispy leaf ready to be crunched up.

     I finally let go when a truck accidentally backed into my mother's trunk.  I drift away, ready to start a new life, giving nutrients to the soil.

You won't believe me when I tell you that a 4th grader wrote the following story.  But it's true!  Mira (4th grade) has been with me for two years now, and I am so proud of her progress.  Enjoy this beautiful story and how Mira uses sentence fragments and voice so effectively.

          Stars. The stars and the moon were the first things I saw in my life. Wisps of clouds floated over the midnight sky. The big, round moon and the small, twinkling stars were very reassuring. Below me I saw the shadows of the garden, that had just been filled with new plants and flowers. I also saw the sleeping forms of animals in the stable. The fruit and leaves of other trees looked delicious. (I was in an apple tree). All around me I saw the other buds, my brothers and sisters, stretching and yawning I felt excited. My life was finally beginning.

                        I woke up to the sound of birds chirping the next morning. Rain was drizzling, and it felt refreshing on my leafy, green skin. The farm animals were beginning to wake up, too. I could hear pigs snorting, dogs barking, and cats meowing. I saw butterflies floating and bees buzzing. My brothers and sisters were talking quietly among themselves. One of my sisters said, “The orchard is so beautiful!” My brother replied, “Yeah. But the farmer is always plucking apples from our tree.” The rain had begun to clear up and faint sunshine filtered through the gray clouds. A slight breeze was blowing, and a beautiful rainbow appeared. I danced with the wind. A ladybug skittered on me. I impatiently brushed it away. I felt social and anxious to grow!

                        During my three months of spring I grew, ate, and slept. I talked with my brothers and sisters and danced with them. I felt confident as my spring went by.

△

                        Sunlight. I felt its glorious golden warmth as it beat on me. Robins and puffy, white clouds soared over me. The crops, flowers, and grass stood taller in the sunlight. The animals ambled over to the fresh grass and took a big chunk of meadow grass. The roses and violets had butterflies hovering over them. Caterpillars were starting to transform into other beautiful butterflies. Other trees

 had flowers and my distant bud cousins, and my brothers and sisters were laughing heartily together.

                        That night as I was getting ready for bed, I heard crickets and the other buds quietly snoring. Owls were flying above me, and mice and foxes crept quietly in the tall grass. I felt the creepy legs of a spider and the brisk, warm wind of a cool summer night. The soft wings of a moth brushed past me. I shivered, then drifted off into a long, deep sleep.

                        The next few days I grew, danced boldly in the wind, and provided shade for the farmer’s little kids. I slept and ate. I felt courageous, and also a little disappointed. Why was I not continuing to grow? But I was modest, because I knew that I was the biggest and strongest leaf, but I never bragged. My summer was the best ever!

△

                        Wind. I danced with it and swung under my branch. I could see the golden sun and clouds. The beautiful leaves and branches hung around me on other trees. I must admit, autumn is my favorite season. I saw the animals walking around taking big pieces of sweet-smelling pasture grass. The crops had already been harvested, and some of the flowers were losing their petals. All around me I saw my big brother and sister leaves, but instead of sounding excited, they sound scared! “I don’t want to die!” my sister squealed. I turned away also. I was a little bit sad, too. I couldn’t believe I would die only after eight months! I felt like crying, but as a butterfly fluttered past me , I cheered up. I saw squirrels and chipmunks that chitter-chattered and brushed past me with their furry tails. An inchworm wiggled past me as it was going home, and I felt the legs of a beetle. As I was getting ready for bed, I looked down at myself, and gasped, stupefied. I was a beautiful goldish-reddish color. I was an autumn leaf.

                        The last few days before my death were the best. I slept hourts, at a feast, and felt excited and anxious. The day of my death came. I said farewell to all my brothers and sisers. I was smooth, beautiful, straightened-out, and still the beautiful goldish-reddish color. I said good-bye for the last time, then a breeze picked me up and carried me away. I fell slowly and calmly. And I saw the thing that I had first seen in my life. Stars.

A Day in the Life of a.......

What would it feel like to be an inanimate object we use, see, or play with every day?  What would we see and do?  How would we feel?  What would we experience?  These are the questions we asked ourselves as we turned into pencils, mannequins, sporting equipment,  school buses, cars, paper, plants, clothing, food, and more!  All students were asked to story map how their day would begin and end, and of course, what would happen in the middle.   Each map had to show the objects' feelings with strong adjectives and verbs.  The story was to be written in a way that the reader could truly feel and understand every moment the object was experiencing.  Older students were encouraged to use Voice creatively, giving themselves, the object, a personality.  The results were fantastic!  Enjoy these....

My Life as an Ice Cube, by Florence (2nd grade)

     What's happening?  I am water in an ice maker!  It's freezing!  What am I going to turn into?  I feel different.  My dream is coming true.  I'm ice!  Plop!  I fall into a bucket with others in my family.

     A hand comes and grabs me.  I feel scared.  The hand looks boney, and its finger nails are two inches long!  The hand puts me in a glass of lemonade.  I feel hot, hot, hot!  I'm now in a throat.  Yuck!  Yuck!  I'm in the tummy.

     I feel like I was ice a long time ago.  I'm water now again in this squishy red place.
 

A Day in the Gross Life of a Piece of Bubblegum, by Julia (3rd grade)

     Oh, wow.  Being in this cramped, pitch dark, old, and boring store wrapper makes my life so unpleasant.  As you must know, I am Julie the Bubblegum.  I have beautiful thick hair and I am very sticky.  I have only one wish right now: I hope somebody buys me today!  I would be the happiest bubble gum in the world if someone bought me.  

     Oh!  I hear someone picking my wrapper and me up, and boy do they have a tight grip!  I can hear this person's voice now, and it sounds girly.  So, I bet the person who is buying me is a girl.

.....10 Minutes later.....

     We're finally here!  My new home awaits me.  Click1  I am locked in somewhere, but I am not sure where.  But wherever I am, it sure feels empty.

..... 2 Hours later......

     Chatter, chatter, chatter.  I have been unpeeled from my wrapper..... and put into someone's mouth!!  EEWWWW!!!!!!  I'm being tortured!!  This person is mushing and crunching me.  I'm bumping into all of their teeth.  I'm covered with rotten teeth, germs, and cavities.  EEEKK!  I think I was just almost swallowed.  This is turning into a nightmare!  I hope it ends soon.

..... 15 seconds later.....

     Plop.  I have landed in the trash can.  That's right, I landed in it.  Can you believe it?  I thought this person was my friend.  Instead they have thrown me into the garbage can.  They are now the enemy.  Anyway, this trash can has only three things in it so far: an empty plastic bottle, a goldfish wrapper, and me.  Right now, I feel stuck and unfree.  BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.... That is a garbage truck!  I'm probably going to die.... but I had a great life.


A Day in the Life of a Baseball, by Ritik (4th grade)

     I'm having a wonderful day so far.  I have been thrown by the pitcher and have never been hit by the bat of the batter.  I like the wind that is pushing me.  I feel so relaxed.  I look at the scoreboard and see that it is the last inning.  The game is tied 0-0.

     I learn that after this inning, the other team has to bat.  Nobody has hit me, and after three strike-outs, the other team has to bat.  There are two strike-outs, and I think that the game will soon end as a tie.  I feel happy and relaxed.

     BAM!  I feel a hard bat crushing me with a lot of force!  The wind is flying past me, and then.... SPLASH!  I realize I have landed in McCovey Cove.  Now I am sinking, and telling myself.... Good bye!


A Day in the Life of an Airplane, by Aaron (5th grade)

     I woke up. It was Sunday morning and the tarmac was boiling. Then the pilot in my brain sent a signal to the control tower: five o’clock, pilot 253 ready for battle. I didn’t hear the message back.

       Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I am an airplane, an IL-2 to be exact. That’s a Russian ground attack aircraft.

        Ah, now we’ve started taxiing. The tarmac feels hard under my wheels. I feel nervous. Today we are going into battle with the Germans. I wonder if I’m going to survive.

        Owee! My pilot is pulling on the thrust. It feels like someone is literally dragging me along the smooth pavement. I’ m gaining speed. 100,200…300 kilometers an hour! In the blink of an eye, I’m off the runway and gaining altitude. I see the fields below me, the blue and white above me. Oh, the view is great up here! I can feel the wind rushing past my face at 500 KM/H. This is so exciting!

          Then everything turns to chaos. The Germans come too fast. Their airplanes are smirking; their pilots have jaws set with determination. I see an enemy coming at me. I will the pilot to turn, but he won’t. “Come on, come on,” are all my thoughts.

      Then everything goes red and time slows. I spiral out of control! My back is full of lead. Then, a split second later, BAAM! I slam into the ground at a speed exceeding 1000 KM/H. My pilot, the lucky guy, managed to eject. But now I’M a burning wreck. Gah! I’m so mad at my pilot. And I thought I was gonna have a fun day....

         A Day In the Life of a Roasted Chicken, by Crystal (5th grade)

     Ahhhh.... this rotisserie’s heat is like being inside a sauna! A chef wearing a ridiculous hat walks over to turn the skewer I am on. Oh, that feels so marvelous! Another chef with a curly waxed moustache comes to take me off the skewer. Darn it! I am whisked onto a neon-yellow plate, and set to cool on the counter. Just then, a round of dirty dishes is brought back to the kitchen. I can clearly hear the leftovers talking in hushed voices: “He nearly got me! I thought that I was about to die!” Upon hearing this, all of the newly cooked dishes, including me, chorused: “Please tell us a scary story about those monsters with two legs and lots of hair!” Carrie the cornbread, a gentle food who had nearly been chomped on, finally relented to our cheering encouragements.

            “I was on a plate with some other foods, being carried out to the dining room. I knew that I was soon going to die. It’s terrible knowing that you are going to die in 15 minutes and you can’t do anything, you know. At the table, I saw that my life would be ended by a little girl in a pink tutu, holding a sparkly fake wand. Suddenly, I couldn’t stand the fact that I was going to be murdered ruthlessly by a 5 year old girl. I spoke quietly to her. ‘Please don’t kill me! I’m too young to die!’ I whimpered. Surprisingly, she understood my shaking words! She left me on the edge of the plate and didn’t touch me for the whole meal. But, her dad nearly stabbed me with a sharp metal thingy. He just missed my arm. See, here’s a part that he cut off! Anyways, I now owe my life to that little girl.” Carrie finished. We all cheered softly as she blushed, as modest as always. I can’t imagine how anyone could ever eat sweet, kind, Carrie!   

            Then, the moment came- a waiter walked in to carry me out to my doom. I was put next to some rosemary garlic fries, and taken out to the room filled with nothing but horror and murder. On the serving tray, I looked at my surroundings for one last time, then closed my eyes. When I finally opened them, I was on a table, next to a girl. Maybe I could do what Carrie had done! But the girl was eating the rosemary garlic fries, and clearly enjoying them. I could hear the muffled screams as each fry was stuffed into her mouth. How could these monstrous creatures be so pitiless? Didn’t they see and hear us foods suffering? I thought in despair. Oh, well. No time for these thoughts. I was about to be eaten alive! The girl had finished the fries and reached for me. Just as I was about to pass her mouth, I screeched the simple word: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The word did the trick. She stopped, mid-bite, and stared wonderingly at me. I shrank back in fright. She kept staring, but slowly lowered me down, back to the plate. There was hope!! But then, in that moment of fate, she shook her head, stabbed me with a fork, shoved me in her mouth, and ended my life with a single crunch.

My Life as a Pumpkin

Writing from the point of view of a personified object is a wonderful exercise in creativity and voice.  My students had a great time becoming pumpkin seeds in my class one day.  We then talked about how their lives would turn out.  How would it feel to be be planted?  Under-watered?  Over-watered?  What would it be like to see the sun again as they sprouted?  Would it be fun to be a flower?  And of course, what would their pumpkin life be like?  (And END like?!)

I did this across my schools, from grades 1-6, modifying the assignment depending on the level of the class.  Enjoy these stories of pumpkin life!

Pumpkin: The Autobiography

By Kevin (4th grade)

     I started my life in a bag with my family. Wow, that was a bit squished.  One day I heard I was being “bought”. Was that bad or good? I had no idea. I decided to wait and find out.

     After a while in something called a “car,” someone opened our bag, and sunshine flooded my eyes. A little boy called Michael picked me up, and using his hands, dug a small hole, put me in, and covered me up with soil. Suddenly, the sunlight was gone but on the bright side, I was surrounded by soft, warm soil.

      Then I got watered for the first time! I drank and drank and drank some more! When I finally drank enough, I tried to strike up a conversation with my brother next to me in the dirt. He said he wanted to be a jack-o-lantern, whatever that was. Since there was nothing else to do, I settled down and went to sleep.

     When I woke up, I was in sunshine for some reason. I looked down, and suddenly realized that I was poking above the ground by just a tiny bit, and I had tiny little arms and legs! Later that day I got watered again and then fell asleep.

     After waking up again, I was a nice large vine as big as a small cat. I was so happy with how fast I was growing that I fell asleep without even noticing I was sleepy! When I awoke, I realized I was a flower! What was this? A trick? I was super annoyed. I’m no girl by the way, so you can imagine how mad I was. I fell asleep feeling very frustrated.

      After a couple of days and getting watered again I finally turned into a pumpkin, even though I was green. I decided to think about what I wanted to do with my life that day. I decided I wanted to be a pumpkin pie because I heard from my brother that everybody loved them and wanted to meet them or something. I also heard they were really sweet, but I didn’t know if that meant being eaten or fun to be with. I didn’t even know how he knew all of this.

     The next day I saw somebody mixing something called “fertilizer” with water, and they gave it to me! Were they trying to poison me? What was this? I cautiously took a tiny sip. It tasted really good! I tasted so good I slurped it all up in almost ten seconds. I drifted off to sleep contentedly.

     That night I had my first and last prediction dream. I dreamt that I had been carved, and my innards had been taken out so the other part of me could be made into pumpkin pie. Michael (the little boy who planted me) put me in an oven and did all of that stuff to make me into pie! It was weird to feel that the seed part of me was in a different place than the other part of me was. Then they put the pie part of me on their table and I thought I was meeting someone really famous because everybody was really excited.  However, when someone took out a knife and cut me (ow!) I suddenly realized they weren’t meeting me! They were eating me! Right then my dream ended.

     Was I the oracle? Was this true? I wanted to find out more! I guessed I would have to find out. Then I looked down, and realized I was orange! Yes!  So that “fertilizer” was good for me after all. That’s when I heard the screaming. At one moment, at least twenty different first-graders came running out of the house carrying knives! Were they going to kill my family and me? We had all just turned into pumpkins! Please no! They charged my family and me. This was an embarrassing way to die. Then I heard the yelling. At least a dozen parents ran out of the house yelling at the kids to drop their knives and get away from us this time. Our saviors!

     The parents then separated the children into small groups, with one parent in each group. Suddenly I was grabbed from behind and hoisted into the air to be inspected by a bunch of first-graders. I was shocked to find that I was staring into a knife. Okay, maybe first-graders weren’t that bad after all. After doing a staring contest (I lost) they cut me off my vine and carried me away into Michael’s house. I was gradually starting to feel my life slipping away from me bit by bit. Little did I know that the real torture was up next.

      First they took part of my head off and scooped my innards out. Then they put part of me in a burning hot oven to bake me. If I was being made into a pumpkin pie, it hurt! Afterwards, they scraped me out of myself (weird right?) and poured me in a thing called a “crust”. Then they put me in the oven again to harden me up. They were killing me! Well, at least I was going to be eaten instead of being wasted.

      The guests are here now. I feel sorry for that turkey. Well now it’s my turn. I’m being carried to their table right now. At least my dream is sort of coming true. Hey, they’re spraying whipped cream on me right now! Wait! Are those my seeds? Are they using my seeds for more pumpkins? At least my family will go on generation after generation. Wait! Oh no! Part of me is getting separated with a knife! I’m on a fork! They’re eating me... Goodbye..........

                           The end

                              (of my happy/sad life)

My Pumpkin Life, by Jerry (3rd grade)

     I don't really remember anything of the beginning of my life except that I was born on a black thing called a road.  Cars came zipping by and once a car almost crashed into me, but instead it crashed into another car.  A black and white car with blue and red lights came.  I think it was called a polike or police  The road was also really spiky; it hurt.

     Well, that time of my life was frightening.  But then, a big wind carried me to a place called a pumpkin patch.  At first, I was scared and then I realized how much the farmers cared about us.  They put us in rich cool soil.  It was dark and I was a little scared, but I heard the farmer say to some little people that a pumpkin's life always begins in the dark cool soil.  Then the farmer poured water into the soil.  Yummy!

     After a day, I woke up still in the soil.  I thought I would never grow into a pumpkin!  After one hour, I got used to the dark, and I saw my brother.  I wanted to say hi, but I just couldn't seem to say anything.  

     Days passed, and I was growing a stem.  I guess I was wrong after all.  It just took a long time for me to grow up!

     Later, I became a flower, and I was confused.  I thought I was a pumpkin seed, not a giant flower seed!

     A few days later, I changed into an ugly watermelon with bumps.  I heard the farmer tell a new group of kids that my life cycle is seed-vine-flower-green pumpkin-yellow pumpkin-big orange pumpkin.  I was thrilled when I heard that!

     Later, I became a yellow pumpkin, and I was so excited.  It was so hard to wait.  One hour was like one century!

     After a long time, I became a round orange pumpkin!  I saw them pick out my brother and they did something really mean to him.  They turned him into pie with a really hot machine!

     I was scared when they picked me and they did something weird.  They drew a scary, cute face on me.  It tickled!  Then they did something that was painful.  They used a sharp thing to cute the face they had drawn on me! Boy, it hurt, but then they cut the top of my head!  Then, it felt warm and cozy and I lit up.  Maybe I'm a pumpkin with a face!

     Later that night, all kinds of monsters came and played, and some of them actually played with me!  It was fun, and I hope next year will be just like this year!

With my younger classes, I changed my approach slightly.  I broke down the four main parts of their story and had them write 3-5 sentences on each section of their life.  We focused on adjectives, and how we would feel in every stage.  The students also drew a picture of themselves at every stage.  (That's why you'll find hair on these pumpkin seeds!)  I think these two turned out great!

This first excellent story is by Joel, 2nd grade:

I was at the seed store.  I was tiny and alone.  One day, Mrs. Dorsey went to the seed store.  She bought a seed, which was me.  I was so excited!  She put me in the dirt.  I felt sad because it was dark.

When I started to grow, I started growing into a flower.  I looked big, smart, and cute.  I was a very long vine.

After I was a flower, I opened my eyes.  I never knew I was growing.  Then I felt round, big, and smart.  I was yellow!

After I became a pumpkin, I started to turn orange!  I felt so big that I thought I was bigger than the house.  Then Mrs. Dorsey carved me!  When she was carving me, I felt funny.

This final story is by one of my youngest students, 1st grader Sammie.  I was so impressed by the 1st graders in my class.  For many of them, this was the first story/book they had ever written.  This was a big project for them, and they did a fabulous job!

      I was a seed in a bag.  I wanted to get picked to be planted.  Samantha planted me!  I felt very scared but my Mommy was with me!

 

      I became a vine.  I felt bigger and stronger!  I saw the sky.  I felt happy.

 

I became a pumpkin.  I was green and big.  I wanted to be bigger and yellow!  Finally I was orange.

 

After Halloween I was baked into pumpkin pie.  I was so yummy!  But I didn't want to get eaten.

What would YOUR life be like if YOU were a pumpkin??

The REAL Story: Fairy Tales!

Our last big project for my Writers' Workshop students was to write a fairy tale.  The challenge was to show a different point of view from the traditional story.  The students could keep the characters mostly the same or completely change them.  They could write from a major or minor character's point of view.  They story mapped their ideas first, and included a tone and how they wanted the 1st person narrator to be viewed from now on.


Nice wolves!  Lazy pigs!  Sassy Grandmothers!  Sweet step-mothers!  For three weeks the classrooms were buzzing with excitement over these new points of view.  It was hard to pick which ones to put on the blog, but I chose Kelly's (6th grade) because her story should be shared with everybody; it is that good!  She and I brainstormed a bit (both of us being sports fans), but I can't take credit for her tale.  It is fantastic, funny and creative.  Enjoy "The Real Story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" as told by Snow herself.

     I know that you’ve heard I’m a beautiful, prissy princess. While being a beautiful princess isn’t a problem, I find that being called prissy is insulting, and Walt Disney’s portrayal of me even more so. So here I am to tell the real story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

    I used to live with my evil step-mom in a big, big castle. When I say “evil”, I literally mean evil, not just mean. Man, she was so creepy. My step-mom spent all day in her room, talking and talking to that freaky mirror she found years ago, She made me wear stupid dresses and didn’t respect my nickname, Snow. AND, she hated sports. So I hated her.

    One day I just became too fed up with step-mom to live in the same castle with her, so I packed up my jerseys and cleats, and headed into the forest.  I had always dreamed of creating some sports team with animals in the forest—like bear football, or unicorn baseball. I was just wandering around the forest with all my bags, looking for some exceptionally aggressive unicorns, when I came across a small, but modern little building. The name of the building, in very small letters, was “Seven Dwarves Sports Lounge.”

    Perfect! If there were baseball-playing unicorns in the forest, they would be here! I walked inside, looking for silvery single-horned horses, but inside I found the place completely empty except for seven miniature people, watching seven big screens on the walls, featuring seven different games. At first I had thought that they were children, but then I realized that they were dwarves.  This came as a shock to me. If I had known there were dwarves in the forest, I would have already organized some dwarf sports team. Like I did with the ogres and griffins. But that’s another story.

    I walked up to a red-headed dwarf with glasses.

    “Um, hello?”

    “Hmmrrph?” said the dwarf, his eyes glued to the screen. When he turned and saw me, his eyes widened. “A customer! Finally! What is it you need, ma’am?”

    “Um, I was just, you know, wondering, if you or any of your, um, friends played sports?”

    The little dwarf stood up hastily. “Are you one of those traveling coaches, looking for new talent?”

    “Uh, sure,” I replied, wanting to know if he did play sports.

    “Well then, yes, we all play soccer. “

      “YES! Well, that’s just great. I happen to love coaching soccer,” I told him gleefully.

    “That’s great! I’m Doc, that’s Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Dopey.” Doc said, pointing to six other dwarves scattered all around the room. “When shall we get started?”

    The dwarves went upstairs to put on their soccer gear, and in no time at all we were out in the meadow, scrimmaging so I could see their skills. The dwarves were very fast and strong, and over the months I trained them, I soon had whipped them into even better shape. I signed us up for the Magical Creature Soccer League.

    Before I knew it, our first game had arrived.  We were playing the Mean Greens, the witches.

     “Okay everyone,” I said as I gave my pre-game pep talk to them, “We all know that the witches are mean, green, and they play dirty. We’re here to play a clean game, but if they shove you, just foul them back. Ok, on the count of three, one…two…three!”

    “MIGHTY MIDGETS!” The dwarves all shouted the team name we had voted on weeks ago. The dwarves ran onto the field.  

    The whole game I was yelling out instructions.

    “Bashful! If Happy passes you the ball, run as fast as you can down the field and shoot! And Dopey! Mark #37! No, the one to your left!”

    Wow, that game went fast! I was so busy yelling I didn’t even know what the final score was. But when the referee blew three long whistles, I could tell who won from the way the seven dwarves jumped up in glee.       

    I was so happy about us winning that I started everybody in a victory lap. Afterwards, we decided to have a pizza party at Bob’s Pizza.

    Here’s where the trouble started.

      I told the team I’d meet them there, because I wanted to grab my jacket from the sports lounge (I was living upstairs with the dwarves).  So I ran back there, and when I opened the door, I was extremely shocked to find an old hunch-backed woman sitting in a seat, watching the big screen.

    I mean, this place never gets any customers. Since this was our first one in months, (the last one had been me) I decided to be a little late for pizza and serve her.

    “Is there anything I can get you ma’am?”

    “Yes, please, dear. Could you be so kind to cut up this apple for me?” she said in a weak, tired voice, pulling an apple out of her pocket.

    I cut up the apple in the kitchen and returned the pieces on a plate to the old woman.

    “Thank you, dear. Here, have a slice,” she offered.

    “Oh, ok. Thank you. Sharing is caring,” I said, not knowing that that was the last word I would utter for a long time. I took a bite of the piece of apple, and the entire world went black.....           

    The dwarves filled me in on what happened while I was “sleeping”. Turns out that while I was unconscious, the dwarves were having a fun party at the pizza place with Bob. When they came home, they saw me lying on the floor and analyzed the apples by testing them out on a poor passing unicorn. They didn’t know who tried to kill me or why, but they built me this beautiful glass coffin that I was stuck in for months.

    Then one day, this guy came to the sports lounge. I never actually learned his name, but the dwarves showed him my coffin, and he (to the dwarves’ dismay) took the top of the coffin off, looked down into my lifeless body, and slapped me on the face.

    You may have heard that “true love’s kiss” or something woke me up, but it was that hard slap that got my heart and brain running. So I opened my eyes and was confused about why I was sitting in a glass coffin and why I felt like I had just been slapped in the face. And without another word, the strange guy left, and never returned.

    You probably believed that we got married and lived happily ever after, but whoever wrote about my life made some serious mistakes. I never saw that guy again, and though I searched the kingdom for him, I never found out who he was, how he knew to slap me, and why he did.

    I, meanwhile, continued to coach the Mighty Midgets, and, I must say, they are doing better than ever.

 And guess what?  We lived happily ever after.

The End

This next story is by Sophia (6th grade).  I love how she makes the wolf completely likable, and blaming the whole Eating-Grandma/Chasing Red problem on poor eye sight.  She is so creative!  

(A note on her footnote.... Arushi is the grandmother in HER version of Little Red Riding Hood!)

Little Red Riding Hood

by The Wolf

     Hello.   I am the wolf who met Little Red Riding Hood.  Wait!  Wait!  Don’t scream and run away!  I want to straighten out all the wrong things the stories have implied.  So please listen, because this is my side of "Little Red Riding Hood...."

      It was on a Saturday morning.  I was driving to the optometrist where I had an appointment.  My eyesight had been horrible lately.  I got there and to my surprise, disappointment, and anger it was closed.  What was up with that?!?!  I had already made an appointment so why-oh whatever. 

     I angrily was walking back to my house when I saw what looked like my MORTAL ENEMY!  He had beaten me in the Wolfen Games at school so many times I couldn’t count, and he bragged about it! 

     Anyway, being the idiot and grouch-pot that I was on that Saturday, I started up an argument.  I was really mad over the optometrist incident and it was not good judgment. 

     Anyhoo, Red Riding Hood (which was who it actually was—I just couldn't see well) got so scared at this wolf speaking English and yelling at her that she hurried on toward her grandmother’s house.  Without her knowing, I followed her.  I didn’t know why my mortal enemy (Little Red Riding Hood in reality) would be walking into a hill.  Remember, I had horrible eyesight, so cottages could look like hills. 

     So I walked into the house after Red and totally freaked her and her grandmother out.  I, however, didn’t notice.  I was too busy focusing on that freshly cooked turkey laying on that rock.  Of course, it was Red’s grandmother lying on her bed, but I didn’t know that, because I couldn't see well.  I popped the “turkey” into my mouth, to grandmother's and granddaughter’s complete terror.  I once again wasn’t paying attention however, because I had horrible acid reflex.  Ouch! 

    I didn’t know why there would be water in a hill, but I started looking for it. 

     What did you say?  Of course eating grandmothers causes you acid reflex!  What did you think? 

     As I was half looking, half feeling around for water, I came across a wiry, glassy thing.

     Glasses!

     I put them on, saw Red Riding Hood, the bed (now vacated) and tasted (eeww) grandmother! 

     I was aghast until I smelled granny’s perfume on the glasses.  I HATE perfume.  I sneezed a massive sneeze and.....

GRANNY CAME FLYING OUT!!!!*

     Ouch! I was very, very sorry and was about to apologize when Red Riding Hood’s mother burst through the door, took in the scene and began charging at me!

     “No, no I am very very very sorry!” I said.

     “What makes you think I’ll believe that?” said Red’s mother.

     I spent the rest of the hour explaining my situation, and in the end everyone was still mad!  Granny of course was, but so were Red and her mother!  I got kicked out of the house, very mad that my day was getting worse and worse!  That is where all of my typical stories end, but there is more! 

     Later that day, Red Riding Hood, her mother, and her granny came to my house saying that they understood my situation completely and that they were sorry.  I also apologized again and 

then asked them if they would like to go to lunch!  They accepted, and I paid (of course).

     The next day, Red’s mother drove me to the optometrist and I got a pair of glasses.   

 

     Well, that’s the real story of "Little Red Riding Hood".  Oh wait, one more thing.  The wolf, me, is not a boy wolf.  I am a girl! All stories portray the wolf as a boy, but I am a girl.

     Thanks for listening to my side of the story.  It just goes to show you, one should always listen to the wolf.

*With apologies to Arushi!

                                             

The Autobiography of a Pumpkin

For two weeks in October, we turned ourselves into pumpkins.  We imagined what our lives would be like, from our seed-birth, to the dreaded (or much anticipated) Halloween carving, to our demise.  Some students personified themselves as happy, excited pumpkins, and others did not enjoy their life one bit!

I truly enjoyed Kevin's (3rd grade) story.  I love how he doesn't quite understand certain words!  I also LOVE his ending-- all about the cycle of life!

Pumpkin, The Autobiography  
By Kevin (3rd grade)


     This is a story about my life, even though I'm now plant compost.  My start is a little blurry in my mind.


     One day, I was in a bag with my family in something called a store.  Suddenly, someone bought us!  We went to a small farm.  When they took me out, I saw sunlight!  It sure was bright after being in that dark bag.


     Then, they planted me!  I didn't see the person though.  Then suddenly, the sunlight was gone.  I was in something called, "dirt."  It was dark, but warm and comfortable in there.  I couldn't talk to anyone in there, so I just went to sleep.


     When I woke up, I felt something tickling me.  It was water!  I sucked it all up thirstily.  They continued to water me throughout my life.


     One day I heard some voices saying to sell me.  I was very confused.  What did "sell" mean?  What would happen to me?  I didn't want to leave my family!


     At that point, since I hadn't been "selled" or whatever you say, I suddenly felt weird arms and legs growing out of my body.  I think they were called "roots."  The arms and legs grew bigger over time.


     Amazingly, my stem grew long enough, and I popped out of the dirt.  I saw sunlight again.


     But then as the voices said, I got sold.  The way I got sold was first I discovered I was in a big box!  They put me in something called a "truck."  Then they replanted me.


     The next day I got something called fertilizer.  It gave me a growth boost.


     Later, I turned into a yellow flower!  The next step of my life was completed!


     Over time, I grew bigger and bigger until I eventually grew into a pumpkin!  First I turned green, then yellow and then I turned orange.


     A few days later, the family chopped me off my vine.  Finally I would find out what would happen to me!

     I sat on their front porch for a couple of days at first.  After that, they cute the top of me off!  Then they started to scoop my innards out, but they saved the seeds.  Next they cut out a face!  Ouch!  That hurt!  Then they put a candle in me, and put me back.


     In the night, I started to see kids coming out all dressed up!  I was confused, but then I realized that today was a day called "Halloween," and kids dressed up and collected candy!


     Then a few days after Halloween, I was rotting in the trash can.  A kid bumped the can, and I fell out.  But then I saw my own seeds being planted!  Now at the end of my life, I am honored to start the next generation.