Backwards Land Paragraphs and Postcards

 Our second and third assignments blended beautifully together.  Assignment #2 was Paragraph Writing.  The students spelled various places forward and backwards to create a new imaginative land.  They then constructed five unique sentences, to give their paragraphs a nice flow and to avoid sounding "boring" by using the same formats.

Assignemtn #3 took the students on an adventure to their backwards land.  They wrote a 1st person story with a clear beginning, middle, and end about their journey to their imaginative place.  I have included both the paragraphs and the postcards, so you can see how nicely the students used what they had written in Assignment #2 to make Assignment #3 beautifully connect.

Can you read backwards and figure out what these places were originally?  And would you like to vacation here yourself?  Enjoy!

Aidni, by Vivia (4th grade)

Rendrag, by Leo (5th grade)

Postcards from Backwards Land

 In the previous post, you saw some of the creative places the students came up with when they spelled real places backwards.  Our next assignment was to then pretend we went there on vacation, and wrote a postcard during our trip.  Some of these places are lovely to visit, and others are not!

It was fun for me, as a teacher, to teach the art of postcards and how to address a letter in this era of text and social media posts!!  Enjoy these creative stories!

Momo, 3rd grade

by Lydia (4th grade)

By Adeline (5th grade)

Powerful Paragraphs!

 After exploring sentence writing, we moved on to paragraphs.  The "Budding Authors and Artists" (grades 1-3) spelled the names of animals backwards, and the "Awesome Authors and Artists" (grades 3-6) spelled the names of places backwards.  Both groups were taught the importance of varying sentence styles and starters, with the "Awesome" students following a precise recipe for 5 distinctly different and interesting sentences.  Enjoy these samples from across the grades, and see if you can figure out what the original animals and places were spelled forward!!

The Drazil, by Rhys (1st grade)

The Arbez, by Vivia (2nd grade)

The Krots, by Liam (3rd grade)

Assure, by Liam (4th grade)

        Assure is a very prestigious land.  It has a variety of cultures, foods, and people.  Because it's very fancy, the people enjoy classical music with books and seperc (editor's note: "crepes" backwards!), which is Aissurian native food.  In the mornings, doves who are owned by Sruatnec (editor's note: "Centaurs" backwards!), a tribe of the outer regions, wake the people up with their beautiful cooing.  As you can see, if you want to have a peaceful vacation, Aissur is the place for you and your family.

The Land oF Emor, by Emily (5th grade)

        Emor is a land of fantasy.  It has magic everywhere, and gnomes, phoenixes, and hippogriffs populat the vast greenlands.  Whenever the people of Emor go outside, they will see phoenixes flying in the brilliant blue sky, the ends of rainbows with pots of gold, and wizards creating fireworks with their wands.  In the morning, phoenixes wake the people of Emor up with their beautiful, clear voices.  Emor is definitely a magical land for relaxation and great adventures.

Using Voice: Letters from Backwards Land

 This project was a favorite of my groups.  First, they spelled a vacation destination spot backwards.  (Mrs. Huff went to Adirolf, which is the opposite of its sunny, beach-filled destination and instead is a cold, festive land where it snows every night.). Then, they were to write a story map about an adventure they had in that land based on what their place was like.  Finally, and this is where the challenge came in, they drew moods/tones out of a bag.  The challenge was to write a story with that voice, even if it didn't match the story!

For example, Lucas (rising 6th grader) brainstormed a pretty negative story where he got hurt and had to go to the hospital.  He also got severely bitten by ants.  This would've been an easy story to write if he had drawn the mood "angry" or "grumpy."

But no!  Lucas drew:

JUBILANT.

I hope you enjoy his story, and the others you see here!

Dear Tyler,

    Of course, this letter will go to someone whom I've known for about a week.  I will tell you about this glorious trip to Ylati!

    First, I got off of the beautiful submarine, only to faint from the heat.  It was really great, because I've never fainted before, so it was a new experience.  I did have to spend four hours in the hospital, but the bed was comfy, and it was cool to see all the tools!  

    After I got out of the hospital, I got to gloriously walk to my hotel.  After a bit of relaxing, I got up to go to the hotel's famous restaurant, Taedelle.  I sat down and ordered tacos.  The tacos were really good, considering this is a breakfast-making country.  

    After the food, I went to my room and plopped on my comfy bed.  At 5:00 am, Big Ben woke me up.  The loud dings were so nice to awaken to!  After that, I walked to the Aardvark Zoo.  I saw many animals, such as the Jacketdeer, Dippo, and many more.  When I went to the tree section, I got bitten by a fire ant.  It was so cool to see how such a small insect could cause that much pain!  

    After that, I went back to the submarine.  Some may say that this was a bad trip, but this trip was actually awesome!  I wish you were here to experience this place with me.

                                                            From, Lucas

Jeff (rising 6th grader) TOTALLY ROCKED this voice!:

CHILL/SURFER

'Sup Dad,

    I'm writing to you cuz my trip is totally tubular!  I'm chilling in Iuauk.  The plane ride here was awesome; I almost died!  Then I went to my hotel, and it has a 0.0001 star review!  The hotel is called Donkey Letoh, dude.  (I think it's French.)

    Anyway, I got there at like 2:00 am, and I'm like, "Dude, where is my room key?"  And they were like, "The hotel isn't open until 7:30 am."  And I'm like, "Okay, Bruh."

    Then I went snow boarding, which is just like surfing, but instead of water, it's snow.  Then I made the most radical snowman ever, dude.  Tomorrow I'm going to climb Mt. Uglushhicula, the tallest mountain in the world.  It'll be epic!

    I wish you could be here, dude.

                                                                Love, Jef 

(Jeff removed an "f" from his name, because he thought it was a cool dude thing to do.)

Vivienne (rising 6th grader) ALSO got:

CHILL/SURFER.  Her postcard is righteous, dude!

No matter what happens in Aivy's (rising 8th grader) story, she remains so positive!  Can you find her tone in this well-written postcard story?

Natalie (rising 7th grader) chose to do a travel journal in a wonderful mood!

Dear Travel Journal,

Today, I arrived in Napaj!  All of the people here are very nice and welcoming. So far, my time here in Napaj has been quite wonderful. 

Unfortunately, this trip did not start off on a good note. My flight was scheduled for 9pm, but it got delayed many times, so it didn’t take off until 12pm. By the time I arrived, it was early in the morning. However, as soon as I stepped off the plane, I was greeted with a gentle spring breeze and a bright sunrise. As I was taking a taxi to my hotel, I looked out the window and caught my first view of the city. All around me, I could see old, fairytale-like buildings. The town is so cute and quaint! 

Once I had arrived at my hotel and seen the beautiful lands surrounding it, I immediately decided to have a picnic for breakfast. While I was eating, I could hear birds singing all around me. Then I noticed the sound of running water. I packed up and went to investigate. A little behind the hotel, I found a brook with a bridge built over it. I would have drawn a picture of it, but at that moment, it started to rain!  I rushed back to my cozy hotel room and watched the rain fall from my window. It was pouring cats and dogs! Fortunately, I had brought a book with me, so I read for the rest of the day.

Luckily for me, the rain has stopped today. Eager to go sightseeing, I visited an old castle this morning. The air was crisp and clean. Above me, there was a lovely rainbow. The castle itself was quite majestic. There were many towers and the bridge that led to it was huge. It was surrounded by curious red trees that have big white flowers all over them. They smelled strangely of honey and vanilla! 

Next, I took a quick ferry ride to get to a festival I wanted to go to. I enjoyed the spray of water and wind that I felt while holding tightly to the railing. When I got to the market, my breath was taken away. All around me I could see bright colors. There were flowers, food, and more in every imaginable shade. Also, I could hear singing, talking, and joyful shouting everywhere I went. I was so engrossed in exploring the markets that I lost track of time. By the time I was back in my room, it was well into the night!

Tomorrow, I plan on exploring the city some more and trying a popular desert known as ihsagaw. I love Napaj and am already thinking about my next trip here!

Love,

Natalie ♡

    

Backwards Land Paragraphs!

Writing a good paragraph goes beyond just writing a certain number of sentences on the same topic.  Every sentence should have a different pattern or style to keep the reader interested and engaged.  To practice this concept, the "Awesome Authors and Artists" classes had fun brainstorming the names of real places backwards, and writing about what the new crazy-named places would be like.  Enjoy these samples, and see if you can figure out what the names originally were!   

Eropagnis, by Vivian (4th grade)

     Eropagnis is a beautiful environmentally-healthy island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its wildlife is a natural wonder, with lush forests growing plentifully. While visitors enjoy the beauty, they can also sip wonderful juices made of delicious fruits. During the busiest visitor hours, friendly locals love to help tourists find their way. For all travelers who love wildlife, lush greens, healthy snacks, and zero pests, this would be the dream location.

Kroy Wen, by Carl (5th grade)

        Kroywen is a vast sunny country with lots of space for fun activities. Because of the warm weather, it is great for farming year-round. As the sun beats down upon Kroywen, you can hear children laughing in thedistance. It is a very pretty environment with beautiful things all around. So if anyone LOVES fruits and vegetables, pretty environments, and fun activities, they have found the perfect vacation destination. 

Eessennet, by Allison (4th grade)

Eessennet is a beautiful and sunny wonderland located on a seaside shore. It is full of luxurious hotels, bustling markets, and tourist-friendly attractions. Because of the ocean, there are many exhibits available to the public at a low price. During the early morning hours, visitors can climb to the rocky peak and watch the sunrise. Anyone looking for a cozy, welcoming vacation spot is recommended to visit Eessennet.

Paragraph Writing: Backwards Land!

     My older students had fun with paragraph writing by creating an imaginary place and writing about its landscape, people, climate, customs, animals, and more!  How did they come up with the name?  They spelled a real place backwards!  We had fun trying to pronounce the new name, and picturing the type of place that would match a fancy, silly, or adventurous kind of name.  Enjoy these paragraphs, and decide if you'd like to visit!

Eohat Ekal, by Jerry (5th grade)

     If you're a fan of hats, then Eohat Ekal is the place for you!  The people there are really nice, and there are many great sights to be seen.  But beware, if you don't have a hat, you'll get a hat superglued right on to your head when you set foot there!  You'll also probably want to wear t-shirts and shorts because it's really hot there.  There are many wacky animals called hat animals.  These are animals with unremovable hats on their heads.  If you're lucky, you'll encounter either a gorillaphant, giraffken, or a cird.  You'll also probably want to bring a camera, because you'll want to show your friends the wonderful sights!  So remember, if you plan on going to Eohat Ekal, be sure to wear a hat!

Do you know what Jerry's backwards land is forward?  And do you know why he focused so much on the hat theme?  Well done, Jerry!


Sarah (4th grade) couldn't stick to just one topic for Napaj.  So she wrote a mini essay on her Backwards Land.  And if you are wondering how to pronounce "Napaj," try saying it "Nuh-pahj."  It's much fancier than "Nap-ij!"

     Napaj is a very posh place with very posh people.  The women usually wear dresses and the men usually wear tuxedos.  They are never messy in town.  Only a few people farm, and the only thing they grow are carrots.  They get all the rest of their food from Japan.  All the people love ballet dancing.

     All around Napaj it is very beautiful.  Napaj has a very clear area all around.  For some reason, there is only one mountain in sight.  There are lots of small rose patches dotted around the clear, flat area with other flowers.  Napajians say that the sunsets there are gorgeous.  They also say that it looks magical when it snows in winter.  It looks really moist, even though it is really sunny.

     The rulers are very rich, and they live in a  palace.  The king's name is Norobo.  The Queen's name is Elizabeth the Fourth.  Finally, the princess' name is Laura.

     Napaj is the fanciest place in the world!

Paragraph Writing: Backwards Land

The "Awesome Authors and Artists" class practiced perfect paragraph writing by writing mini-travel brochures for an imaginary city, state, country, island..... whatever they could imagine!  They were taught how to vary sentence their patterns and focus on subjects like:

~ climate

~ day-to-day life

~ culture

~ type of land

~ animals

And more!

Mrs. Huff's "Florida" turned into "Adirolf...." a winter wonderland with fresh snow in the morning, sunshiny days, and the opportunity to participate in winter sports all year long.  Can you figure out how these students named their places??

Enjoy these paragraphs and book your tickets today!

Eropagnis

by Annika (5th grade)

     Eropagnis is a wonderful, fancy island that is relaxing and unique.  It is fun on the amazing beach side, but very fancy with the latest products all over the place.  Everyone drinks with their pinkies up, showers in the morning, and wakes up by 7:00 AM sharp.  The president is a royal panda, and everyone lives in a mansion.  Eropagnis always welcomes visitors.  It's located on the Equator and Prime Meridian.  Book your flight to Eropagnis today and enjoy and amazing vacation!

 Sirap

By Ashley (3rd grade)

     Sirap is a musical place with beautiful mountains.  Each night, the band will play fun tunes.  Every person in Sirap plays a musical instrument.  When tourists come, they love to dance to the music.  Book your tickets now and boogie with the Sirapians!