What Does the Pledge of Allegiance Mean?

Did you know that Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge in 1892, but it has since been changed from its original version?  What DO all those huge words in the Pledge of Allegiance mean?  What are we really saying when we put our right hands over our hearts and recite this sentence?  My younger classes studied the Pledge of Allegiance and answered all of these questions by playing a game of Dictionary Races.  One at a time, they looked up all the difficult words from the Pledge, and the fastest teams would read what the word meant.  We then slowly created a "translation" of the Pledge of Allegiance, putting the words into a language more easily understood by 2nd and 3rd graders.  We even had a history lesson about the Civil War, and what it means to live in a "Republic."   Of course, sparkly star stickers and flag art were a must, too!  Here are a couple of samples for you to enjoy.  

(One class got a red background, and the other got white.  I'm not sure which one I like better.... comment below to tell me YOUR favorite!)

The Pledge of Allegiance means:

I promise to be loyal to the flag of the United States of America, and to the government for which it stands, one country under God, undividable, with freedom and fairness for all.

Here is Anjalia's (2nd grade) lovely work: 

 

 Here is Darian's (3rd grade) fabulous work:

Now you know what you are saying when you recite the Pledge of Allegiance!

Thomas Edison's Greatest Invention

Did you know Thomas Edison was born on February 11th, 1847?  Did you know that he invented the phonograph, and tested it out with a short recitation of "Mary Had a Little Lamb?"  Did you know he tried and failed at many combinations hundreds of time before he invented the light bulb?   And did you know he played a very important part in the creation of many other inventions, from the electric train to the electric generator, and improvements on the telegraph and telephone?

This led to a very important discussion in one of my Awesome Authors and Artists classes: What WAS Thomas Edison's most important invention?

We debated, joined sides, and debated some more.  The students did a fabulous job!  They learned how to write persuasively and thought about what life would be like had Edison not invented their object of choice.  Here is what Mira (4th grade) thought Edison's most important invention was.

     Thomas Edison’s most important invention is the phonograph. Without the phonograph, we wouldn’t have recorded music, songs you could listen to whenever you wanted, and much more!

      The phonograph was invented to record music and play it, dance the tango, ballet, and other dances while you listen to it, and was used to record music for the songs in movies. The importance of it today is that we wouldn’t have stereos or tape players without the phonograph. DVDs, CDs, and iPods wouldn’t even exist without the phonograph. The phonograph makes stream from iTunes Radio and radio stations possible.

      Life without the phonograph would mean… no more iTunes and no more recorded music. We wouldn’t be able to listen to music without going to an orchestra or a concert. We wouldn’t be able to listen to classical instruments on CD and we couldn’t listen to modern-day music in the car or on recording. There would never be recorded music for dance recitals, stores, during funerals and weddings, and no more recorded Christmas carols!

      Clearly, Thomas Edison’s most important invention is the phonograph. Without it, life would be still and sad. No joyful music would ring out into the world and you would never listen to beautiful lilts of music that would float pass you down the street. Without recorded music, life would never be the same.

The Snowman Draw Game!

     The Snowman Draw Game is always a favorite of my returning students.  They can't wait to improve upon their results from Monster Draw in the fall, or prove that they are the Adjective Champions once again!

     This game is an excellent lesson in the importance of using adjectives to paint that perfect picture I mentioned in the last blog entry.  If you include adjectives that tell size, shape, color, and number, then your partner should be able to draw your snowman's twin!  Here are the three steps to playing the game:

1. Draw a snowman.  

2. Write a detailed description of your snowman with size, shape, color, and number adjectives in every sentence.

3. Exchange descriptions with a partner, and attempt to draw each other's snowmen.

The class voted on the winners, so here they are!

Samantha's Snowman (2nd grade)

     My snowman's body is shaped like a usual snowman.  Her body is pink.  She has a purple lined tiara.  She has a small triangle on top, then a slightly taller, bigger one, and then a high one in the middle.  Then she has light purple hair which goes to her skirt.  She has pink lips, and the sides are outlined with coal.  She has beautiful coal eyes that have five eyelashes, and one coal nose.   Her middle has a nice light purple plaid sweater that opens in the middle with three buttons instead of coal.  (By the way, it goes on the arms.  Put it at least almost to the hands, but not quite.)  She has five fingers.  Her skirt goes like an umbrella with a pattern of pink and purple (that goes halfway.)  Finally, she has purple high heels. 

 

 Great job, Samantha!

Sienna (2nd grade) did a marvelous job of careful reading and came up with this!

Charlotte's Snowman (3rd grade)  

(Notice how Charlotte broke her description down into paragraphs.  That was part of the lesson, but many children forgot when it came time to write because of the timed element of the game.  Hooray for Charlotte, who did it very well!)

     The whole snowman is outlined in black except for the arms.  My snowman has one BIG round bottom ball.  The middle ball is medium with a natural green vest.  His arms are brown and go a little bit down halfway, and then a little bit up the other half.  His brown hands look like lego hands that are twigs along with the arms.  The head ball is white along with all the others, but it has detail.  It has five little pieces of coal that form a straight line at the bottom.  The eyes are closed and look like capital U's.

     My snowman has two medium black boots.  He ISN'T wearing them.  There are eight big light blue snowflakes that form a rainbow over his head.

     There is a white snowy hill in the back of him.  There is a big yellow sun that shows only a quarter because it's in YOUR right top corner.  The sky is light blue with no clouds in it that takes up all the extra space.

 

The class got a good giggle at this pair.  Tyler (3rd grade) read so very carefully, and he noticed that Charlotte did not mention a nose in her description.  So, he didn't draw one.  That is the ONLY difference in their two pictures, so the class voted for these two as the winners!

Emma's Snowman (5th grade)

     My snowman is medium sized.  It has a large bottom, a medium sized middle part, and a small head.  The head has two black coals for eyes, and seven black coals for a smile.  The hair is fourteen light brown twigs that are sticking up around the head.  It has a blue scarf around the neck, with two ends of the scarf on your left with small strings on the ends of the scarf.  The middle part has two coals in a straight line going up and down.  The middle part has two arms, one on each side, going up ways.  On each light brown arm are three fingers.  On your right, the three fingers are holding a black top hat.  On the bottom is one piece of coal.  The snowman is sitting on a white hill.  On your right of the hill is a light brown bunny with a black collar, black eyes, and a mauve smile.  The background is light blue.

Emma wrote with such great detail that Kiefer (4th grade) came up with this twin!

Ashley's Snowman (3rd grade)
 (Notice how Ashley also split her description up into paragraphs.  This made it so much easier for her partner to read and follow!)

     My snowman has a large silver bottom, a medium silver middle, and a small silver top.

     His face has two circles with dots on them for eyes and a short orange horizontal nose.  He has six coal for a smile, and a black top hat.

     The neck has a medium red scarf, and the middle has three black buttons that are filled in.  He has gold arms and three gold fingers.

     The bottom is plain.

     In the background to his right there is a medium brown cottage with a rectangular door with a gold circle for a knob and a red window to the right of it.  The roof has some snow on it, and the chimney has snow on it too, with smoke coming out of it.  A teal sky is surrounding the snowman and cottage, and in the sky there are thirty-five small star-shaped snowflakes.

     I'm so proud of Ashley and Julia (4th grade).  Ashley played "Monster Draw" in October, and learned a lot on how to improve her descriptive writing skills to come back and win it this time around!  Julia, a first-time student, read carefully and drew this twin.  The class liked Julia's interpretation of "star-shaped snowflakes," and voted for them to win!

Congratulations to our winners!

Super Snowflake Sentences!

We are back in action with a new session across three different schools and four different age groups, and I am thrilled with the work my students have produced so far!

We started off with the basics: Super Sentence Writing.  Our club philosophy is: Paint the perfect picture in the mind of your reader.  Let them see exactly what you intended for them to see when you wrote those words.  And what better way to do that than to focus on making just one sentence the most detailed and vivid as possible?  I love this assignment because I can do it across the grade levels (This term I have grades 2-6), and just add levels of complexity as my students are ready.

We started off with the base sentence: The snowflake falls.  This is a grammatically correct sentence, as it has the necessary components.  However, it is BORING!  We added:

~adjectives
~adverbs
~where phrases and clauses
~when phrases and clauses
~My advanced classes learned how to effectively start a sentence with "Because," and also experimented with the placement of the phrases and clauses in their sentence.

Enjoy these samples across the grade levels!  Notice the variety of sentence styles and starters.  They are excellent!

 The cold, soft snowflake quickly and swiftly falls in the snowy oak tree when Santa's sleigh goes by.

-Colin, 2nd grade

Softly, as if it were dancing, the glistening and sparkling snowflake falls into the snow-covered sledding grounds after school while I'm doing my homework.

-Charlotte, 3rd grade

Because it is Christmas, the small snowflake slowly falls happily by the penguins.

- Hannah, 4th grade

At dawn, the majestic snowflake falls through the bitter air on to the snow white ground mysteriously.

-Emma, 5th grade

Fairy Tales.... Another Perspective!

My oldest Authors and Artists were given a challenge at the end of our session.  In an experiment with voice and perspective, they were to write a fairy tale from the perspective of a character in the story.  This 1st person narration could include sentence fragments, sassy attitudes, new perspectives, and anything the author thought could enlighten the reader about another way to view the story.  They turned out fabulous and fun.  Here is one of my favorites for your entertainment! 

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     Little Red Riding Hood, by Laine and Anika (4th grade)

     I may be an old “grumpy bird” but there’s nothing worse than running out of candy on Halloween! By the way I’m Grandma from your favorite story “Little Red Riding Hood”, and I have a different version to tell.

         On Halloween Day I realized I had no candy. The only thing I could do was text my granddaughter Little Red and tell her to bring some.

         I heard the doorbell ring, and I answered the door. There was a mysterious trick-or-treater outside my door. The mysterious trick-or-treater looked real, and since I have bad fur allergies, I started to sneeze.

     “Trick-or-treat,” he growled.

         Oh-no! It was a wolf! I’m not sure if I’ve told you this, but I’m terrified of wolves. I got so scared my teeth fell out!

         Suddenly I saw a girl in a red hood with a basket of candy. It turned out to be Little Red!

         “Little Red! ” I called.  “Can you please scare this wolf away?

         “Of course Grandma!” Little Red replied, and she ran straight to the wolf. She screamed as loudly as she could while smacking him with my cane.

         After he left, Little Red and I happily sat outside and gave out candy to the trick-or-treaters while we enjoyed a wolf-free night sipping on hot apple cider and snacking on some caramel apples.

Thankful Poems

ALLITERATION!  That was the theme of our poetry lesson when we wrote about Thanksgiving.  Alliteration is when two or more words close together start with the same sound.  Alliteration makes poetry sound super!  Rhyming was optional, but the students had to think of words and phrases that were meaningful about Thanksgiving, and also include some examples of alliteration.  Enjoy these fabulous poems!

T is for turkey and taking walks,
   And Thanksgiving treats and thankful talks.

H is for happiness and heart,
    And hosting parties, now let's start!

A is for autumn and love all around,
   Eating apple pie, and leaves on the ground.

N is for nuts and new things,
    And nice turkey that people bring.

K is for kitchens and leaves that go crunch,
   And cranberries and cookies that I love to munch.

S is for my special school,
   And spectacular cider that's sweet and cool.

~Sienna, 2nd grade


T is for trying your best and for terrific times.

H is for helpfulness and happiness.

A is for aunts and uncles and apple pie.

N is for nice things and for yummy nuts.

K is for kindness and Kendal and Cassie kisses and caring for others.

S is for sisters and brothers and for super times.

~ Sophia, 3rd grade


T is for terrific turkey and treats
   to eat when the family meets.

H is for holiday happiness by the hearth
    And giving thanks for the earth.

A is for absolutely amazing apple pie that I adore.

N is for November nights
    when people are taking many bites.

K is for caring and curious cousins that are very creative.

S is for cider, stuffing, and soup for a spectacular supper.

~ Adeline, 3rd grade


HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!  I am thankful for my wonderful students!

"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.

Happy Halloween! Monster Draw Game

ADJECTIVES, ADJECTIVES, ADJECTIVES!  They have been a big theme for my classes this year.  Without adjectives, the reader is left with an incomplete picture.  With adjectives, we see exactly what the author wants us to see and comprehend!  Size, shape, color, and number adjectives tell it all!

That was the theme of the "Halloween Monster Draw Game."  The game went as follows:

Step 1: Draw an imaginative monster.
Step 2: Describe your creature in clear detail.  Each sentence should describe a feature with size, shape, color, and number adjectives.
Step 3: Trade descriptions with a partner.
Step 4: Draw a picture of that creature based on the description.  If the description is extremely vivid, clear, thorough, and complete, the monsters will end up to be twins!
Winners got some Trick-or-Treat candy as well as a spot on the blog.  Congratulations to our winners!

Kendal's Creature (3rd grade):

     This strange animal has no fur.  It is just pink skin.  He has four heads and three eyes, and on each head is an angry, scary face with teeth.  The last to the right head has a happy face and sunglasses on.  He usually has green overalls and a peach colored undershirt and a pair of orange yellow polka-dotted shoes and a candy cane cane.  He hunts for bunnies at  midnight when the stars come out.  He has no fingers, just oval shaped palms.

 Kendal ended up having a teacher as a partner!  The students voted this one as an easy top-pick winner.  Way to go, Kendal and Mrs. Aronen!  http://seabearskindergarten.blogspot.com/

Adeline's Monster (3rd grade):

     My monster is a small, pink circle with lots of small light and dark pink fur.  She has two big green eyes withs mallet, but still big, pupils.  She has no nose, although she has a little red smile.  Also, she has a big red bow on the top of her head and tilting to her left.  The bow is outlined with a light blue.

     Her arms are purple with three fingers: one on each side, and they're horizontal.  The legs are purple too, but have five toes and are in a flower form.  She only has two legs.

     

     You know how I said she had a pink body?  That was the OUTLINE.  The inside is purple.

     And that is my monster.

Wow!  Charlotte (3rd grade) read Adeline's vivid description perfectly, because look what she drew!

Ritik's Monster (5th grade)

     Put the paper vertically.  The body is ten mid-sized circles that stack on top of each other vertically. Start the first circle at the bottom of the paper.  the feet are penguin feet, and there are two of them.  The arms are VERY long.  They start from the top circle.  They curve down and they end at the bottom of the paper.  The bottom three circles are green.  The three on top of that are red.  The three on top of that are orange.  The very top circle has two black eyes and one red mouth, like a human's.  The top circle is colorless.  There is a mid-sized triangle on top of the top circle.  The feet are pink and arms are blue.  

     The background is pink and purple.  There is a black fence that goes up to the circle on the very bottom.  On the top right, there is a yellow sun.  There is one arrow on the left of the monster that is pointing to the left.  There is another arrow to the right of the monster, pointing to the right.

What a thorough description!  It was so great, that Catie (5th grade) was able to produce this:

Mira's Monster (4th grade)

     My monster is very short and plump.  He has two green eyes, that are medium-sized.  His face is arranged like a human's.  He has a little, round, gray nose.  He also has a huge smiling pink mouth.  He has no teeth.

     My monster wears a bow tie.  It is purple and red.  There are seventeen purple polka-dots on his bow tie.  His head also has two neon orange ears on each side of his head.  He has one blue diamond in each ear.  He is called the KING OF DIAMONDS.

     The King of Diamonds has a big circle for his head.  He has a medium-sized body, which is also round.  His head and body are neon orange.  He has five magenta wiggly arms like noodles on each side of his body.  He has ten stick legs.  His legs are brown and he has ten black shoes.

     The King of Diamonds sits on a huge yellow throne.  "King of Diamonds" is written on top of the throne.  A blue diamond is on top of the throne.  Ten blue diamonds are on the throne.  He has a purple crown with blue diamonds on top of the crown.  

 Wow!  Mira's description was so thorough that Samantha (2nd grade) could practically draw her twin monster!

Abby's Monster (3rd grade)

     My monster's body is a spiky circle with a big spike at the top.  She has no fur.  My monster is orange.  Her eyes are large with blue middles.  She has glasses that are circular and they are much bigger than her eyes.  She has two eyes.  The nose is triangular and it is yellow.  The mouth is smiling and it is dark red.  She has a medium sized bow that is pink at the top of the big spike.  Her two arms are blue and my monster is throwing them up above her head.  The hands are like human hands, but there are only three fingers.  The legs are shaped like stairs, and they are purple.  She has two legs.  My monster has medium brown freckles.  

     The background is a school to the right of the monster.  The school is square, and it has doors that are square with a line through the middle, and four windows, two on the bottom, two on the top.  There are two circular doorknobs in the middle.  There are words above the doors that say in capital letters, "Welcome to Monster Elementary."  Above the words, there are two circular windows with pink on the bottom and red on the top, with yellow and orange next to pink.  The roof is triangular with a red cross on the top and a bunch of v's all over the brown roof.

For the 2nd and 3rd graders, this was their first time playing this descriptive game.  I was so impressed with how Abby wrote clearly enough to have Kristina (3rd grade) draw this!

GREAT WORK, and congratulations to our winners!

Summer Adventure Stories

When it came time to teaching creative story writing, the Budding Authors and Artists reflected on their summer vacations.  They learned the important skill of story mapping, and then gave a real summer experience a twist of adventure.  Can you tell where Charlotte's (3rd grade) story went from non-fiction to fantasy and creativity?  I hope you enjoy this tall tale as much as I did!

The Fishing Trip
By Charlotte (3rd grade)

     It was a crazy 4th of July last summer.  I went swimming at the White River with my Gramma and Grampa.

      I saw a huge rock, so I swam over to it  It was a long river, so it took me a while to get there.  But I did.  I climbed up the rock.  Then I slid down it.  It was a pretty bumpy ride, but at least it had wet moss on it.

     Suddenly, I saw a witch jump out of the bushes!  She waved her wand at me, and ran away.

     I started glowing in a goldish color.  When I stopped glowing, I was a dragon!  I had a ten foot wingspan.  I was all gold with two spiky horns in the middle of the back of my head, as well as the top of my head.  Then I realized I was a golden dragon!  (I mean like the type of dragon.)  I could breathe anything that's valuable, plus fire!

     My gramma and grampa saw the whole thing.  "Are you okay?" they asked.

     "I'm fine," I said.  "And just to let you know, we're rich.  I can breathe gold and anything valuable."

     My gramma and grampa rode home on me.  (I had to carry the car in my claws.)

     My family got rich because I just made 100,000 diamonds.  My family became famous for having a dragon.

Postcard Stories!

The "Awesome Authors and Artists" class got to use their Backwards Land paragraphs as creative inspiration for a tall tale told in the 1st person narration.  While their "travel brochure" paragraphs were written in the 3rd person, this next assignment was told from the point of view of the author who visited that land.  Some places were delightful and had students reporting wonderful adventures and fun times. Others were terrible and led to awful experiences!  Enjoy these two VERY different vacation reports!

Emma (5th grade) wrote about Yckutnek, a fun town where forgetful people stick to traditions and enjoy music and get-togethers.  It should be mentioned that the police department has some VERY strict rules...

Dear Grandpa,

     Yckutnek is great, but it wasn't too fantastic when I got here!

     First, I got here blindfolded in a wagon.  (They didn't want me to know the way.)  Then when we finally got the hotel, the manager forgot who I was.  The Yekcutnek people are very forgetful.  We were there for hours, and finally they remembered me.  The room was very nice.  I was so tired from the long check-in, I fell asleep on the floor.

     The next morning, I woke up in hail.  It turns out the police got mad at me for sleeping on the floor and not the bed.  Fortunately, the next hour, they let me out.  That morning, I had muffins for breakfast.  A bunch of people came up and met me.  They were very nice.

     After breakfast, I went to play jump rope in the town square.  (That was Monday's activity.)  That night, we danced to traditional Yckutnek music.  The people forget a lot of things here, but they didn't forget their dance moves!

     Things are still going great.  I bought a snow globe of the town for you.  I miss you, and wish you could come.  I don't want to go home!

      Much love,
     Emma

Ritik's (5th grade) Kroy Wen is the complete opposite of New York!  It has a tiny population and is not anything like the exciting city that never sleeps.  Read on, and visit only if you dare!

Dear Ryan,

     I am in the most horrible place in the world: Kroy Wen.

     I got here by a private helicopter because no pilot dares to come here.  The hotel is terrible.  There is mold EVERYWHERE.  The hotel food is so plain.  It was a little serving of rice and water.

     The next day, I decided to go exploring.  I saw a sign that said, "Population: 50."  I hated the people.  They would stand around for twenty minutes, then sit for twenty minutes.  There are weird rules here, like "NO talking allowed!" and "No standing closer than five yards next to someone."  The worst rule is that you CANNOT ever leave!  I learned that rice and water are the only foods.  The only activities are to sleep, stand, sit, run, walk, and eat, unfortunately.  You have to sleep on concrete.  Everyone is forbidden to talk.

     I cannot leave, so please come get me!

     Miserably,
     Ritik

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!

Paragraph Writing: Backwards Animals!

The "Budding Authors and Artists" class got to make up their own animals in their imaginations when it came time to learning how to write a paragraph.   We started off by having a fun brainstorming session, where we thought of animal names by spelling real animals forward, then backwards.  Mrs. Huff's flamingo turned into an "Ognimalf," a puffy bird with huge feet and a diet of ice cream cones!  The children were encouraged to create an animal very different from what the forward-spelling animal was like.  They were also given tips on how to vary their sentences to make their paragraph more interesting to read.  After our lesson in sentence writing, many students naturally used phrases that described where and when, and of course, lots of adjectives.  I think they did a fabulous job!  Have fun reading about these exotic creatures!

The Noil Krahs

by Adam (3rd grade)

     The Noil Krahs is an extremely ferocious creature.  It gobbles up juicy people who like to swim the deadliest oceans like the Pacific Ocean, where it lives.  It likes to jump extremely high to keep an eye on anybody who is going to swim.  The Noil Krahs has marvelous eyesight, so it can see very far away.  If anybody is coming close, it can sense them.  It is rare because it lives at the bottom of the sea.  It is a very strong and smart creature, so if you shoot it or play a trick on it, it wouldn't be your lucky day.  A Noil Krahs would be a terrible pet!

 The Retsmah

by Daniel (2nd grade)

     The Retsmah is very hungry.  It eats everything in trees and bushes.  It lives in the middle of the forest.  When it sees people, it conceals itself.  This creature is going to be an amazing pet because it can do anything!

The Tibbar

by Sammie (2nd grade)

     The Tibbar is blue and purple.  It is really sweet.  When it sees people, its hair goes into a braid.  It acts really funny.  The Tibbar gobbles cookies.  Its favorite cookie is rainbow with chocolate chips.  It looks like a puffball.  It flies a lot with its ears, and swims with its ears too.  The Tibbar lives in my desk at school, and has a happy life!

Starting Off With Super Sentences!

"Budding Authors and Artists" (grades 2-3) and "Awesome Authors and Artists" (grades 4-6) recently had lessons in how to write super sentences that create a vivid picture in the mind of the reader.  We started off with a  base sentence (otherwise known as a "boring sentence," containing just the bare minimum noun + verb) and added:
~ 2 adjectives
~ 1 adverb
~ a phrase telling "where"
~ a phrase telling "when"
~ Awesome Authors and Artists also learned how to start a sentence with "Because."  (YES, you can, if it's done right!!)

Once we added all of our details, we experimented with placement.  Many students found their sentences improved by moving their "When" or "Where" to the beginning of the sentence, for example.

Our boring, base sentence was: "The sun shines."  Check out how these students improved them, and made outstanding art projects too!

 The bright shiny sun shines fantastically on the beautiful garden while my mom waters the plants.

Anjalia, 2nd grade

 The yellow, orange, and hot sun shines brightly at noon at the sandy wavy beach.

Taryn, 3rd grade

 "Yesterday, on a terribly hot day, the bright, cheerful sun shone colorfully on a big puffy tree."

Abby, 3rd Grade

 "Because the firey, beautiful sun shines in the light blue sky of the misty morning, the village gets ready for the upcoming day."

Leila, 5th grade

"While dolphins swim happily in the crystal clear ocean, the scorching golden sun shines brightly."

Sofia, 5th grade 

Now that we have mastered sentence writing, we are ready for paragraphs!