Personification: A Day in the Life of an Object

 This is one of my favorite assignments, and is where I usually get to see my students' personalities shine through! I tell them they are to become an object for one day, and use personification techniques to take the reader through their day and what they do, see, hear, and feel.  We brainstorm first, then story map the beginning, middle, and end of our days while focusing on how the object would perceive the things happening to them.  These are always entertaining pieces.  Enjoy these samples across the grades!

A Day in the Life of a Piano, by Ella (1st grade)

        I got picked up for the store and I was very excited.  I got to the car and some kid's parents carried me early in the morning.

        In about five minutes, we arrived at their house.  The kid's parents set me up.

        Everyone began playing me.  I felt so ticklish!  I felt so happy.  I was so amazed with what they were able to play.  They were good at playing very loudly and very quietly.

        I stayed still when they were playing so they did not mess up.  I was trying to be kind.

        Later, they were very busy doing homework.  

        Soon, they played for the last time today!  Then they went to bed.

        My day was so much fun!

A Day in the Life of an Egg, by Wesley (2nd grade)

        I was in an egg carton with my brother and sister eggs, but then our egg carton house got picked up.  It felt like I was floating!

        Finally, we were set down.  "I'm really cold!" I said to myself. 

        "Hi Really Cold!  We are in a fridge!" I heard an apple say.  "Welcome, egg!  My name is Patrick the apple."

        The next morning, a human grabbed me.  She lifted me up in the air, and hit my head on the side of the pain!  It really hurt!

        Then I got cooked!  It felt like I had 1,000 sunburns.  And all of the other eggs were laughing at me.

A Day in the Life of a Stuffy, by Evy (3rd grade)

I wake up on a beautiful day, waiting for someone to take me. I just feel horrible, will no one want me?

 Suddenly, I see a wonderful, beautiful girl with brown curly hair, and she comes to take me. "Yay!" I think in my head.

When I get to this cool place, I get put on a goofy, white pillow. Thirty minutes later, I get hugged and my owner sleeps soundlessly.

After she naps, she leaves me behind. "Oh no! Does she not like me?"

"No, she loves you," says another stuffy.

Finally she comes back, flips off the lights, and lies down. Aahhhhhh! It's so dark and creepy, so I decide to poke her. Then she turns on her night light. Oh, much better!

I love being a stuffy!

A Day in the Life of a Stanley, by Momo (5th grade)

“SIGH, when will I get out of this giant room and get to see the world?” I think as I look at $10 blankets. I feel my buddy’s hand brushing against my back. Every single day, I always hear desperate-for-me-voices say “Mom, can I please, please get this Stanley?? All the other girls have one at school.” Then the mom says, “No, Honey, we already have enough water bottles at home.”Water bottles. Ha! As if there is any comparison. I am unique. I am special. I am enormous! I am….

A STANLEY!

Finally, a 12 year old girl with her mom come into the room. They make their way over to my social circle. I hear the girl say, “Mom, since it's my birthday, can I get this Stanley please?” 

Then, the mom says “You know what? Sure! It will match with my new tumbler too!” 

The girl places me into the basket along with a *cough* knockoff Stanley. 

They take me home and place me onto the counter to sleep until the next day. The girl twists my hat off and puts ice, water, and a lemon slice into my body and twists my hat back on. Then on my feather, she puts a cute pizza cap onto it. After that, she takes me into the car next to the *cough* knockoff Stanley and we have an argument about what fruit is better in water, lemon or cucumber. Obviously lemon is way better! 

The mom drives into this long lane and the girl grabs me and jumps out of the car. She walks into the school and I see so many things! Lockers, desks, so many doors, and a million backpacks! The girl takes me to her classes and I learn so many new things. Did you no that you don’t spell no like no but like know? So cool!

The mom drives up again into the long lane and my awesome self and the girl hop into the car. The girl places me into the throne and I continue my argument with the *cough* knockoff Stanley.

When we get home, the girl takes off my hat and takes out my water and lemon. She dumps them down the sink. Then she takes this soft white sponge that feels like a cloud, lathers it with soap, and puts it into me. “That feels so good! It’s like a spa! Ahhhhhhhh…. Keep on scrubbing there!” After that she places me upside down onto a towel. Nice!

I can’t wait until tomorrow for the spa again!

A Sad Day in the Life of a Cloud, by Lena (5th grade)

I am floating about the atmosphere, minding my own business and letting the day fly by like a gust of wind. But at the moment, I feel like a thunderstorm. I feel fogged up, gloomy, and cloudy. How could this day get any worse? 

The sun comes out and says good morning! She always makes my day brighter. I start to feel better, and I wish I could feel her kind sunrays on me forever. Sometimes they tickle, and they sure tickle today. I laugh so hard, vapor keeps bursting out of me! It sure feels nice to be the sun’s only friend, and I am such an introvert. The sunrise is especially vibrant today, with vivid neon pinks and oranges, yellows and blues. 

I observe the beach, the whales sticking their tails out of the water. The shark fins peeking out. I watch the bustling people going to work, school, or just doing whatever they feel like. I hear the church bells. “RINGGG!” I feel so much more refreshed. 

I hear a deep stormy laugh. “Rumble… Rumble……”  I start to wonder what I’m hearing, so I check who it is. There is another cloud! I notice that when he came around, everything turned grey and sad. What happened to my sunny day?  I see the sun go away, the sky turn murky and gloomy, the happy people go inside.

 I feel miserable. I have no choice but to cry. My big melancholic tears fill rivers and flood the city below, creating puddles to splash in tomorrow. the tops of buildings, umbrellas, and houses. 

 The sun leaves me, and I am stuck with this annoying cloud as she abandons me for her shift on the other side of the earth.

The Day My Boring Life Ended   

by Maya (6th grade)      

I woke up in darkness as usual. The other paints and brushes rustled around me in their neat, jam-packed rows. What time is it? I wondered. A sleepy voice came from above me.”Alexa-ugh-what time is it?” “The time is 10:26 AM”, came the robotic response. 10:26?? She should be up by now. I’m talking about the Girl Who Lives Upstairs. She sometimes gets down and walks past our paint house to visit her neighbors, a whiny little girl, a woman who yells often, and a guy who always leaves the neighborhood around 8:00 and returns at the same time at night. 

I was wondering why the girl didn’t rush back and forth from her house and the others’, like she often does (their houses are connected by only a door). But I realized, it must be one of those break days, where everyone stays at home and relaxes. “Hey, do you think we’ll be used today?” I whisper to Navy Blue, who is one spot across and one spot up from me. 

“We’ll never be used! Ever! We’ll be left to rot in this dark, crowded house forever!” wailed Navy. He started sobbing loudly, causing the other paints to wake up.

 “ARGHHHHH!” screamed Deep Red. “WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!” 

“Guys… let’s all calm down,” said White serenely. She sighed and started snoring gently.

 I settled back into my cramped space in our house under the bed while the other things under the bed began to wake up. “Hello!” said Barbie, waving her scratched, dirty hand. The Barbie horses neighed in response. Meanwhile I went back to sleep.

I was awakened by our house being pulled out into bright lights. The Girl Who Lives Upstairs was standing next to our house, looking down on all of us. She reached down her enormous hand and moved it over our neat rows, as if searching. The other colors went mad with excitement.

 “YESSSSS!” squealed Warm Yellow. “SHE’S FINALLY GONNA CHOOSE ME!” 

“Not me,” I grumbled. She almost never uses black.

Her hand finally stopped. Right over me!

 The next part was kind of a blur. I remember flying through the air, gripped by The Girl’s hand, screaming to the other paints, and a room with cardboard pieces littered on the floor. Then, The Girl TWISTED OFF MY HEAD. Once I recovered from the shock of LITERALLY BEING BEHEADED, I saw her squeezing black paint out of my corpse. Strangely, once The Girl was done, I felt hollow, but I guess that makes sense, since I was probably missing half of my insides. I also saw what looked like all of my important organs on a shiny white plate-like thing that was stained many colors, some suspiciously red. 

Then The Girl dipped a stick with smooth bristles on the end into the black paint, and spread it over the cardboard. This went on for some time until all the paint was gone.

 Then, the most unthinkable, shocking, horrifying thing ever happened. The Girl picked up my squeezed-out, shriveled, dead body and my head. She walked over and pulled out this HUGE container. She opened it, and I saw a bottomless pit of darkness so toxic it made my non-existent eyes water. 

She dropped me inside and the lid slammed shut. 

Personification: A Day in the Life of .....

     Personification is a wonderful tool!  It means "giving non-human things human traits."  The students had a great time becoming objects for a day, and giving themselves their own unique voice and experiences.  I met so many great objects, from food, to school supplies, to sports equipment.  Enjoy these samples!

A Day in the Life of Elmer's Glue, by Avery, 2nd grade

     For one day, I am going to imagine that I am a bottle of Elmer’s glue. 

     Yawn! As I wake up in my craft drawer, I wonder if I will stick to something today. I’m ready to get out and play. I’ve been stuck in this drawer forever. 

     Then I hear footsteps coming near me and a little girl in fluffy pink pajamas comes and takes me out. She walks around her house and grabs a bottle of contact solution, pink food coloring, and a jar of rainbow glitter. She goes to her Slime Lab in the garage and gets to work. 

     She squeezes me into a bowl. Wheee, I feel so free! Then she pours my friend Contact Solution in and mixes us up. I really missed my friend, so I’m happy to be with her again. Then she adds a few drops of pink food coloring, and dumps a bunch of rainbow glitter in with us.

     All of a sudden, I’m a big, sticky glob of sparkly pink slime! I think I look pretty fancy.

     All day long, she plays with us. We’ve been stretched, rolled, poked, and even turned into different shapes. It sounds exhausting, but it’s really fun. At the end of the day, she puts me in a clear jar and puts us in her slime collection. I can’t wait to be played with again tomorrow.  

A Day in the Life of a Chapter Book, by Seoyoon (2nd grade)

     For one day, I am going to imagine that I am a chapter book.  My day would start on the library shelf.  I just love the library!  Other chapter books are getting checked out.  I wonder who will check me out.

     No one has checked me out, even though it is 2:30.  But, a little girl is coming by!  She looks through the chapter book section.  That's where I am right now.  Then, she spots me.  "Mom, I think I might like this book!" The little girl flipped through my pages.

     I am now at the check-out.  The girl is so excited to read me.  She holds me tightly, and walks home.

     At her house, she turns on the light and opens me.  She flips to the first page and reads, "One day, Emily was baking cookies.  Hey, she has the same name as me, Mom!"  I'm glad I learned her name.  

     When she returns me, it will start all over again.

 The Life Of An Orange, by James (4th grade)

I woke up early one morning and looked over at my other fruit friends including Apple, Banana, Avocado, Mango, Lemon, Lime, and the other oranges who were still sleeping,  all except for Banana.

  Banana farts a lot, so when he says, “Guess what time it is!?” I think, Oh no, Oh no,OH NO!!!!! 

“It’s fart time!!!” BBBBLLLLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!! The fart is so loud and so stinky that everybody wakes up coughing and gagging, including me.

After we all got cleaned up in the bathtub with a shower, we started playing leapfrog. Banana was the hardest to jump over.  When it was my turn to jump, I had to jump over Avacado. Since he had just taken a bath, he was super wet because we had no more towels left!  So I went sliding off the side of a cliff! 

Smash!! I hit the ground really hard.  “Owww,” I moaned, but everybody on the counter was silent, and for some reason, paler.  I looked around to see what they were looking at. As I turned my head,I let out a gasp. Staring right back at me was a human! 

He looked down at me and said, ”What are you doing here on the floor?”  He picked me up and put me on the counter. ”Maybe I’ll eat one of your friends, because you’re bruised.”  He picked up one of the oranges named Arnold. Arnold was a nice guy, but he could sometimes be a bit annoying.  The human pulled out a little board and a sharp object. Everyone around me started gasping, squealing, and murmuring “It’s the torture device!” I didn’t know what that meant, so I watched.  He put the sharp object on Arnold, who was screeching at the top of his lungs, and suddenly it stopped as the guy pushed down on the sharp object…. killing Arnold instantly. 

After that horrific moment, they started picking us off one by one.  It was an endless hour of screaming and crying until Banana and I were the only ones left.  Of all the people I had to be stuck with, it had to be Banana. I was getting very scared, and I started shivering uncontrollably.  After what felt like days, Banana was finally picked to die. He let out horrible screeches that were so loud that I felt like my eardrums would burst.  He was picked up and his head was peeled into multiple pieces. I watched with horror as every part of him was peeled….I knew I was next.

After a few minutes, somebody came and I knew what was about to happen..The human took me out to the arena as I was screaming for help. They took out the pale arena and the killing device. I was set down on the arena, and they took out some strange new torture device.   This device had a handle at the top, and weird razor-like grating things covering its sides. They put this new horrible contraption down on the arena.

     They picked me up in their soft and warm hands, and put me on the side of the strange torture device, strongly pulling and pushing me up and down. was the most painful thing I had ever felt in my life! It started shredding my skin into tons of tiny pieces! It was extremely painful    

     After what felt like hours it was finally done.The torture had finally stopped, but then they pulled out the sharp torture device put it over me until… SLICE!!!

A Day in the Life of a Pencil Pouch

by Aarav (5th grade)

A Day in the Life of a Pencil Pouch

It is an exceptionally hot day in the city of Penciltown. The heat is quite unbearable for humans, but for me, Aarav the pencil pouch, it is as regular as breathing. My blue, shiny cover and sleek, elegant, silver zipper couldn’t care less. Especially since my contents (which included my best friend, Polly the pencil) and I are currently seated at the desk of our owner, Amelia, in a school where the AC blasts 24/7. This school, called Pencilton School for the Smart, is an industrial-type brick building housing over five hundred kids, and every single one of them are gifted. Amelia, an emote girl with black and blue hair with streaks of red, a peach complexion, and soft brown eyes, is an amazing mathematician, and the great owner of

...Drumroll please….

Me. 

Today, she’s using me quite a bit, for she is taking a hard test and keeps breaking her pencils or running them dull. Thus, she opens me up, the calming sensation of that zipppp as she unzips my stomach soothing me, and pulls out a new #2 Ticonderoga pencil. People walk by now and then but, due to our “island” desks, we remain in solitude for 80% of the time. 

Then a few boys walk over to our desk, and I feel myself falling off the table as one of them pushes me off. My contents spill out of me, and we all cry out in terror as we hit the ground. Thankfully, none of us are hurt. Amelia seems to sense that the boys had done it intentionally, so she ignores their fake apologies and hurries to pick us up. 

Once done, she returns to her work. We are relieved to be safe, and are now quite scared of those boys, who had purposely tried to hurt us. I knew humans were sometimes bad, but I didn’t think they'd be this bad! Luckily, nothing else bothers us throughout the rest of the duration of the test. Amelia finishes her test early, so she stands up from her desk, walks up to the teacher’s desk, a small wooden bureau, and sets her test into a rectangular metal basket. Her teacher, a small man with a bald scalp, round bifocals, a two-piece suit, and bright, green eyes, looks up from the papers strewn across his side of the desk and nods, then turns back to his work. 

Amelia walks back to her desk, which is much smaller than that of the teacher’s, and plops down into her chair. She then takes out The Lord of the Rings, removes her bookmark, and begins to read. I sit back and watch intently --as I have nothing better to do in my life-- as her eyes dart across the lines, quickly taking in each page, then turning to the next.

The bell rings, and I am flung back into the real world. Amelia gathers her things and heads out of the room, and I feel my friends inside of me being jostled around. The test was during the last class of the day, so now we are heading home.

My owner always takes a route through the woods on her way home. She loves being in nature, and after today’s tests and excitement, the woods will calm her down. Now, she quickly heaves her backpack from her locker and hauls it over her right shoulder. We are located in her right pocket, but the bag doesn’t touch us, for it is on her back, not near us in the front. 

She walks with ease, despite the heavy backpack filled with all sorts of things, towards the front door located at the end of the long line of blue lockers with home-brought locks. Her sneakers are barely making a sound on the polished marble floor of the hallway, though the soles of them, which have been partially ripped off, make a flapping noise as she walks. She exits the building into the carline area, a long strip of road where cars bustle by to pick up their kids. Pencilton School for the Smart educates students from first to eighth grade, and the carline is open for students first to fifth grade. Middle schoolers either walk home, or have their parents pick them up in a private parking lot. There are five such lots around the school, though I do not remember a time where my Amelia has ever used them. She always walks home, and enjoys the peace and quiet she gets as she does so. 

The “scenic route” she now takes leads us past the carline, left through Smart Street, then finally right to enter the looming woods ahead. The woods, named the “Dark Woods” due to the fact that the towering branches and canopies of leaves atop each tree block out any sunlight that might hope to shine through, was quite the daunting place, so dark that you could barely see, and yet an amazing destination in the eyes of Amelia. And the truth was that if one just looked a little past the scariness that was imposed upon the heart at first glance, one would find the beauty of the vegetation and cute animals that lived there. Yet, I suppose that only our fearless owner could really do that, as there was seldom another human soul that dared to venture through the shrubbery. As such, it was always silent, save for the chirping of the birds that had made their stick nests on the various boughs, or the sounds of the rustling leaves in the wind. 

Amelia enters the woods, then delves into the contents of her backpack to pull out a red flashlight. She turns its top to the right once to illuminate the space in front of her, then continues into the woods. From our viewpoint, we cannot see much. The only things within our peripheral vision are trees, trees, and more trees. 

The woods is a vast expanse, but luckily we don’t have to traverse the entire distance, because our house is located right outside a clearing coming up ahead. We could cut through a copse of oaks to reach our fence, where an opening provided us just enough room to squeeze through and get to the backyard.

Suddenly, Amelia trips on a hidden root and stumbles, then falls face first onto the muddy ground! I tumble out of her open pocket and hit the floor as well, hard. I can feel abrasions forming on my smooth pouch cover, and my zipper is broken off. My owner seems to sustain no injuries from the fall, though, so I can fight through the pain to feel relieved. Amelia stands up, dusts off her clothes and backpack, then picks us up in one, fluid motion. She frowns at my scars, then notices a nearby trash can. She dumps out my contents, even Polly the pencil, who cries out in pain, and stuffs them into her backpack. She then takes me, walks over to the trash can, and throws me in.

It is a long fall down, and I hit the bottom with a loud thud. I am located next to a wad of bubble gum and a rotten banana peel. Disgusting. My insides (though I suppose I don’t have any anymore) all twist up into a feeling of betrayal. I couldn’t believe that just because I was hurt a little bit, she threw me into the trash! Now I shall die alone here, surrounded by garbage. Oh, woe is me. I shall have my life ended soon. 

So this is the end, and I shall never see daylight again.

Fun with Personification

What would it be like to live a day in the life of an object we use, see, or play with every day?  That was the goal of my amazing authors as one of our final assignments.  Enjoy these samples!

My Life as a Rainbow, by Sammie (5th grade)

Light. Wind. Life.  Those are the first things I saw, heard, and felt.  The light shined on me as if I were singing on stage with the spot light gleaming.  The wind bustled up against my colorful skin as if I were the streets of a busy city, and the wind was my people.   My life sprung through me, colors rushing briskly.  I looked around and smiled brightly myself.  A new day had begun.  A new day had begun to make people happy.

I couldn’t quite figure out why the people were bustling about, but the reason popped up right in front of my nose soon enough.  A large, mopey, sad, depressed, cloud drifted over, spraying everyone with her tears. “Hello!  Hello?  Hi!  Are you okay?”  I nearly shouted.  But, the cloud couldn’t hear me because of her ear-peircing howls.  I continued to shout at her to try to get her attention.  It didn’t work.  Finally, when the cloud took a break of weeping, I tried again. “Hi!  I’m Sammie the rainbow!  You are a- a depressing cloud, aren’t you.”

Surprisingly, she wept out again and said, “I already feel bad enough.  Just leave me alone!”  Well of course she felt bad already!  She was drenching the people in her tears!!  This cloud looked so sad, I needed to comfort her~ but the moment I got ready to touch her, all my color got drained from me, and all my happiness was gone.  I backed away warily.  Phew!  My happy, colorful, up-lifting self was back.  The cloud’s moans were back.

What should I do?  I followed the cloud down to the edge of town.  Underneath her, the people ducked under coverings and under umbrellas.  I felt so bad I couldn’t help, but only send them a cheesy smile.  People started actually clapping, as if I were the hero to stop the villain.  The good news of my arrival spread through the town as fast as a juice box spilling and spreading across the concrete.  

It was my time.  My time to stop this horrible cloud. I took a deep breath and asked, “Why are you showering the people in your tears?”  I was so scared at what the answer would be, that I closed my eyes and imagined I was on a fluffy white cloud made of cotton candy with unicorns dancing around me.  And that the sky was a beautiful pink, red, and orange and the sun setting.  

The cloud finally turned to look at me and moaned, “Oh, because I dropped my triple scoop, with sprinkles on top, and chocolate covered cone on the ground right on top of a person.  It was specially made for me!”  she cried.  “I was just having my first lick when a bird bumped into me.”  Oh!  So that was why she was crying.  

“I don’t blame you!”  I whispered. “I would cry too.  What type of ice cream was it?  I love mint chocolate chip.”  I clapped my hands like a little toddler.  Maybe I was being too curious.  I crossed the end of my rainbow hands; hoping that she wouldn’t start to cry again.  The people looked up curiously to see what was happening.  A lot of them looked thankful; and drenched.  The sun started to come up, and my colors shown vibrantly and beautifully.  Flowers started to open and puppies stated to come out to play.

“I like mint chocolate chip, too!  I got that one.”  She pointed down at a huge teal with chocolate chips blob on the ground.  A little girl was licking it up happily.  She was “inside” the ice cream, because it was so big.  Her mom was trying to tempt her to get out of it.  I smiled to myself.

The raging rain storm was over.  All was well.

Dragon Kite, by Charlotte (6th grade)

      The wind in my face.   The view of the grassy hills and oak trees.  All the I, the mighty dragon, am familiar with.  See, while I would love to explore and find out more places of this beautiful earth, it seems my wings have a mind of their own.  They aren't letting me go much further than a certain child allows.

      I'm so high that I am almost completely out os insolent kid's earshot.  I can barely hear him babbling about a kite.

      "Probably just one of the kites around me," I think to myself.  in a deep royal voice.  

      "Come in for lunch, kids!" I hear a tired mom who would clearly rather spend a day resting say.        

      See, kids have a very short attention spans.  They instantly forget what they were doing before, and rush in to receive their lunches.  The child who was previously "flying" me (he holds onto a string that was stopping me from being free) liberates by letting so at last!  I take to the skies and feel the increasing wind speed of winds against my face.

      I would love to fly away from these people, but, the winds are to sting.  Ugh, I feel so trapped in my own body.  Uh-Oh.  Huge clouds , thundering "booms" followed by flashes of light, and a light mist engulfs me, and takes my mind to freedom.  I've seen a storm clouds before and know they are not to be messed with.  I want to be free, to fly myself away form the inevitable death that lay before me.  My wings seem to have other plans, however.

     "Hey, look at that dragon kite heading into the storm!" I hear form a bustling human-infested settlement below me.

     What!? "I am no dragon kite!" I want to scream as realization flows through me.  Realization and one other thing. "WATER!" I think to myself.  

     As I get heavier and heavier, I start to plummet to a strident city.  "I've been living a lie my whole life.  I am no dragon, not even a child's toy.  I am just a mere jumble of soaked felt and plastic."

A Day in the Life of a Pencil Sharpener, by Adeline (6th grade)

     Ugh.  The classroom teacher is opening the blinds.  Speaking of blinds, the bright light coming from the window is blinding.  But it's the same thing every day, the same horrible things.

     Here come the kids.  I'm surprised they're not animals, the way they come in here so loudly and unruly.  And I'm full too; the teacher forgot to empty me.  That means I'm going to be forced to eat more later.  I feel like I'm literally about to burst.

     Oh no!  Here come the kids.  It's like a flood of shouting is rushing into the classroom!  It's so loud in here.... my ears are going to explode!  Thank you, thank you, teacher, for quieting them down.  My ears are saved.  Ugh; the day has barely begun, and I already feel annoyed and exhausted.

     Uh oh.... someone's coming up to me to sharpen their pencil..... No!  Don't feed me anymore!  BLECK!  My insides are all over the round now!  "Ahhh!" I hear the kid yell, then see him start crying and shouting for the teacher, who is only a few feet away.  Wearily, the teacher walks over and cleans up my barf.  Ew, I think.  But I feel a lot better now with nothing inside me.

     It's early afternoon now, and the kids are working, but very loudly.  Some are even yelling across the room, and once again, the classroom is the opposite of quiet and serene.  The teacher quiets them again, but this time, there are still whispers, though not very quiet ones.  Now the teacher is reading a book to her students, and I listen.  This Robin Hood guy sounds really valiant.

     Other than the story, I'm really bored.  Nothing has really happened today.  I can't wait for the day to end, and for the kids to go home.  It's only then after everyone is gone, that it is quiet enough for me to sleep.  I'm so tired, and there are still about three more hours left in the school day before the kids and the teacher go home and leave me alone so I can sleep.  It's so annoying how humans are so noisy.  

     Ow!!  *CHOKE*  Gosh, don't be so harsh-- *CHOKE*  Why does this girl have to shove her pencil down my throat?  *CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE*  Why do I have to be so abused?  I'm just a poor classroom pencil sharpener!  You don't have to be so mean!

     Finally, finally, the kids are leaving for the day.  I hear the teacher sigh, and for a second, I feel a little bad for her.  It's so quiet now that the kids are gone.

     I silently thank the teacher while she empties me, and I feel really thankful for her, and that the kids are gone.  She closes the blinds of the classroom, and locks the door on her way out.  The room is empty, dark, and quiet once again.  Tomorrow, the room will, once again, be the opposite of what it is now.  I wonder if the ear-piercing noises of the rowdy classroom will appear in my dreams tonight-- or rather, my nightmares.

     Good night.

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.

A Day in the Life of a Personified Object

What would it be like to live a day in the life of an object we see or use every day?  For three weeks, I called on the students by their new personified object name.  Students became a variety of things, from school supplies to home accessories; from sporting equipment to clothing; from food to historical landmarks.  The students were very creative as they mapped out how their day would begin and end.  Some of them also got very creative with the use of voice.  It was hard to pick just a few samples, but here they are from across the grade levels.  Enjoy!

 

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

     I am a shiny red pencil, waiting to be used by Mrs. Huff's Afternoon Writing Class.  I am in a bag on a yellow table with other pencils.  One pencil is not nice to me.  He scratches my paint off!

     Then class begins, and a naughty boy steals me.  He isn't in Writing Class, and isn't allowed to use me!  My life is ruined.  His pencil box is a mess!  I am uncomfortable.  I do not like my life.  Why couldn't he pick someone else, like the mean pencil?!  The mean boy bites my eraser feet, and I cry.  Then he sharpens me so so much that I feel like my head is getting chopped off!  This hurts!  Because I am now so short, the teacher tells him to throw me away in the garbage can.

     But one of the good things that happens is that Sophia Pencil is in here too!  We can now get thrown away together at least! 

The Weird Life of a Pencil

By Sophia (2nd grade)

     I am a pink sparkly pencil.  I am always treated badly.  First of all, I am in a clear pencil box.  I see the lights coming on.  I see a line of kids coming in.  My owner, who is a naughty kid, opens the pencil box.  She puts me in the pencil hair cutting place (the pencil sharpener). 

     After she is done, she starts to CHEW on ME!  Then she is told to throw me in the garbage!  I see one of my friends in there with me too.  We start to talk.  After a few minutes, the sky starts to get dark.  Then, I think I look so small.  And my friend does, too.  My friend says, "Am I chewed on, or is it just me?"  Then I say, "You are chewed."  Then, we start to laugh, and then I fall asleep.

My Life as a Sock

By Adeline (3rd grade)

     Hi, I'm Adeline, a purple sock with white polka dots.  I spend a lot of time in a sock drawer that is in a girl's purple room.  Here is the beginning of a day in my life.  

     I hear the thumpety-thumps of my girl rushing into the room.  "Oh no.  Not again," I groan.  She opens the drawer, as usual, and yanks me out.  "Ow, ow, ow!" I wince.

      Next she puts me on her foot.  By now, I'm used to the weird feeling of something being in me.  But at first it felt so wrong and weird, that it tickled me!

  

     Then she runs into the living room-- "Ouch, ooh, ow!" and squishes me into a dark, oval space-- "Eek!"  Wait, what is this place?

     Now I'm going up-down-up-down-up-down.  Wait, why am I stopping?  It's been about ten minutes now.  Whoa!  It feels like I've been thrown off a cliff!  I hear a car door slam, and a muffled "Good-bye!"

     Here I go, going up-down-up-down-up-down again for about ten minutes.  When my owner stops, I hear a loud, muffled, "Riiiingg!" of a bell, and then I start going again.

     By now I am very bruised.  It hurts a lot when I go up-down-up-down.  My owner stops, and then starts tapping me for a looooong time.  It must've been an hour.  Then she starts walking again.

     P.E. class!!  Oh no, this is bad, bad bad!!  Super-duper disgusting and smelly liquid is starting to drip into me!  Yuck!!  Sweat!!

     After a long day, my owner finally takes me off.  Ahhhhhh.  That feels better.  I relax.

     "Washing day!" calls my girl's owner.  YES!!  Someone throws me into the washing machine.  "Round and round the sockey goes, do, do do, dooo!" I sing to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel."

     When the washing machine is done washing, the owner of my girl folds me and puts me back in my drawer.  What a fun and funny day!  And I bet it will all happen again tomorrow!

A Day in the Life of Venetian Lipstick

 By Mira (4th grade)

      This is scandalous. Tragic. Unbelievable. No place for a stylish, delicate, sassy lipstick like me. I cannot believe I am stuck here! My friends say I am overreacting. Dahlings, I am not overreacting. Not in the least. In fact, my friends are a little bit dull and dim-witted, nothing like my brilliant and creative brain.

      I am in an apartment in Venice, Italy. I must admit, Venice is beautiful! All those canals, parades, and romance. But, alas, I can see nothing of it, because most of the time I am…stuck in a bathroom.

      You see, dahlings, I am not meant to be in tiny, enclosed spaces. I am meant to be out in the world, being fashionable, wonderful, and ME! But I rarely get to be outside, only when my owner allows it.

      My owner, Madame Mathilde, is a rather unattractive, talkative, big-boned woman. For months and months, years and years, she has tried to get a date. But, alas, all the men turn her down. Maybe if she could use me better, then she might have a chance, instead of smearing me all over her red, pouty lips. I shudder just to think about it.

      At that moment, Madame Mathilde breezes in. She sets to work with my friends and me. My friends are a pearl-handled comb, some dove-colored face cream, rogue blush, and a deep azure eyeshadow. Though Madame Mathilde is not pretty, she is wealthy.

I watch in horror and grief as Madame Mathilde yanks the comb through her hair, smears face cream all over her nose and cheeks, powders blush up and down her face, and applies her eyeshadow so high that it reaches her eyebrows. She finally reaches down, plucks me up, and slathers me all over her mouth. Smacking her lips in front of an opal hand mirror, she declares herself perfect, and flounces off to a canal, dragging my friends and me as we cling to her tightly. I just hope this date will be short.

      Help me! The part of me that is on her lips is getting panicky on this huge mouth with rows and rows of teeth in it. I’m going to die in here!

      Madame Mathilde has set her date night at the Sicily, a famous restaurant, known for its delicious pasta, pizza, and Strangula Pretti (spinach wrapped in butter and melted cheese.) It also seems as if the Sicily floats on water! Oh, can things get any worse?!

      But, it does get worse! Dahlings, the servers are bringing very much alive and still screaming food to Madame Mathilde and the man across from her! Don’t they have any compassion? I shield my eyes, disgusted and horrified at the carnage my owner and her date are doing and even more worried about the food touching my fragile, pink skin.

Soon the couple finish their dinner and signal for the bill. It is brought by no other than Chef Ferdinand, a small, squat man with a gigantic chef’s hat and moustache. He slaps our bill on the table, his huge meat cleaver’s knife glinting dangerously in the light and his deep, tambour, Italian accent booming.

      Dear God, I pray. Please let this dreadful night be over. A fashionista like me needs beauty rest. At that point, I swoon into a faint. What can I say? I’m delicate.

      I’m totally and fully exhausted. It turns out that I went to all that trouble to be beautiful for nothing. The date did not go well. Not in the least. Madame Mathilde washes me off along with my friends. She is crying and moping about her “lost opportunity.” Madame Mathilde flops down on her bed and is asleep almost instantly. I make myself comfortable between my friends. I admit I can be a little bit self-absorbed and dramatic, but I am still a good lipstick inside. Believe me. You just need some time to get used to me.

         I sigh contentedly and drift off into a long, dreamless slumber. Good night, dahlings.

My Life as a Car Tire

By Catie (5th grade)

     Oh hi.  It's Crabby McCar Tire, here in the boring old shop.  The car I'm supposed to be on broke down, so I'm waiting to be re-purchased.  I hope I don't, because I HATE being on a car.  A screw in my back?!  I mean, just try to live like that.  And carrying all that weight?  I feel like I want to pop.  Which I have done.  Twice.  

     Wait.  Why is the clerk lifting me to the counter?  Oh no, I'm being bought!!

     Ohhhh.... I'm in agony!  I'm in the front of the car, the worst place to be placed.  You experience all the pain first, and harder.  Ohhhh.... the car is being loaded.  And everyone's piling in, with their cameras and maps.  Wait.  Cameras and maps?  My worst fear has come true: ROAD TRIP!!

     *Bump*  OWWW!  Ack, this is terrible!  "Fellow tires," I say, "Obey your new master!"  No reply.  "I said, obey me, and put on those brakes!"  Still no reply.

     Arrgghhh!  Those guys are so dumb.  Please excuse my attitude.  If you can imagine being surrounded by nothingness while spinning at the speed of light, try it.  Not pleasant.  Oh boy, now there's a light in my eyes.  Wait, light?  Light!  A gas station!  Maybe if I pop, I won't have to go on this trip!  Ooooh, I see a sharp rock.  If I can just time it right.....

     P O P !!!!

     Oh geeze, I forgot how unpleasant that is.  But, I get to stay in a remote place, free of buyers.  What's this?  They're unscrewing me, never to use me again!  And now I'm in the dump!  (Paradise for a tire)

     Good bye, it's time for me to live my life in style!  Like I said, it's a tire thing.

MY LIFE AS AN UMBRELLA

                   By Emma (6th grade)

How I adore rainy days! Various sizes of raindrops sliding down my head is what I live for. Outside the window, sidewalks slick with water and morning dew on the grass make everything look picturesque. Young Isabel, my owner, comes skipping down the hall and goes to grab an umbrella. Ohh! She picks the red one with the white daisies….that's me!  I will finally have a chance to experience the outdoors.

Isabel opens me and holds me above her head. I can sense fat, small, large, and minuscule raindrops sliding down my head. It feels like I am taking a cold shower right now. Frigidness overcomes me as well as excitement.  Yay! I am spinning and dancing in this beautiful rain shower.  Puddles looking like small ponds conceal the ground. I stare at the ominous clouds shrouding the sky.

I glance around, my vision slightly blurred from the incessant rainfall. I am able to make out crowds of people, lofty buildings, luminous head lights, and bare tree limbs.

I wish I could stay out here and enjoy the magnificent rain, but I know we are nearing the school. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind sweeps us up and carries us right to the front door.

Luckily, Isabel regains her balance and we are welcomed into the cozy classroom. I am disregarded in the umbrella bucket with others of my kind.

Tic-tock tic-tock goes the clock in the classroom. Isabel has math class right now. I hear the teacher droning on and on. 9+10=19, 20 <  30, and more writing on the wall that I can not understand.  Only five more minutes till recess, and I hope it is outdoors.  I do not enjoy being cooped up in the classroom all day.

Unfortunately, recess is indoors because of the increasingly heavy rainfall. I watch, still waiting as I see puzzles, dolls, art supplies, blocks, and books being taken out. Being small  makes the classroom look colossal.

School passes at the rate of a walking snail! Finally, class is dismissed, and Isabel shrugs on her raincoat.  Waving goodbye to the teacher, we bounce out of the classroom in a hurry to get back home.

The sky has cleared up a little and I can see the sun peeking out from behind the  clouds. Cool, crisp wind caresses me. We pass street lamps and the once deserted park that is now filled with happy children.  While I would love to be open, I am enjoying this view and our stroll  home.

Back home we are dry and warm. Although I love the rain, exhaustion overcomes me. What I need now is a very long nap. Isabel sips hot chocolate at the counter while doing homework. This has been the most magical and exciting day of my life! Who would have thought umbrellas have such an adventurous life?