Kids’ Chronicle
Volume 2, Issue 2 Semester 2, 2016
Amazing Authors in Lower School
3-Year-Old Preschool
After reading the story, "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear" the students in Ms. Bridget’s class talked about where they would hide their strawberry so the "Big Hungry Bear" wouldn't get it. Here are some of their clever ideas: "I would hide it the bathroom and lock the door" Bryce; "I would hide it with my dinosaurs" Colin; "I would hide it on a plane” Jacob. We also noticed that the mouse felt many emotions while trying to hide his strawberry. The children picked out their favorite emotion and showed me their impression of how the little mouse was feeling:
“Scared that the bear was coming!”- Brayden ”Sad that he couldn’t find a place to hide his strawberry.”Raymond ”Frustrated that the strawberry was sticking out of the ground when he put dirt on it”- Cormac
Summer Challenge Just as spring flowers are blooming, the students are blossoming as writers. We are so proud of their awesome growth in writing. Over the summer, be sure to have your children continue to write. Students may keep a journal of their summer activities, use writing prompts sent home by some teachers, or find daily writing prompts online. Many enjoy creating books and creative book reports. Remember how they love to illustrate their stories, so be sure to include this option.
Everyone in the class was very happy that the little mouse was able to eat his red ripe strawberry AND even shared half!
4-Year-Old Preschoolers . . . Students in Ms. Betsey’s class are working hard on their "Blue Dot Book." These books are based on the story "Black Dot Book" by Donald Cruz. On each page, a blue dot represents part of the illustration. The students begin with one blue dot, and will eventually decide what 10 blue dots will represent. Each book demonstrates the creativity and hard work of each student. One blue dot can make a necklace. By Riley Four blue dots can make eyes on people. By London Six blue dots can make me going on a trip with my brother.
By Joshua
… Preschool Blue Dot Book (cont’d) Two blue dots can make a magic rainbow.
By Kendall Five blue dots can make polka dots on an umbrella.
By Nessa
Six blue dots can make decorations for my birthday party. By Vincent Four blue dots can make wheels on a car. By Zion
Five blue dots can make a blanket for a baby. By Aneesah
Kindergartners’ Nature Walk The kindergartners took a Spring Nature Walk around our beautiful campus! The students partnered up and, while on their walk, took photos of signs of nature with their iPads. Using the app, Book Creator, the children worked with their partners to
create a book. They chose photos from their camera roll and added text by typing on the iPad keyboard or writing on the screen with their fingers. They did an awesome job collaborating with others and were very proud of their creations.
By Willow and Ryan
By Remy and Alina Volume 2, Issue 2
Page 2
Kindergartners’ Nature Walk (cont’d.)
By Connor
By Ivan and Teddy
By Edison and Jacob
By Savannah and Kennedy Volume 2, Issue 2
Page 3
Kindergartners’ Recycled City
As Earth Day approached, Ms. Davis’ Kindergarten class learned about the importance of recycling to help our earth. Students brought in recyclable items from home and we discussed ways to reuse them. We decided to make a small city. Each student contributed ideas for buildings, vehicles, signs, and landscapes. We split up the jobs and got to work! The product was wonderful and the process was a ton of fun!
Volume 2, Issue 2
Page 4
First Grade Lost Tooth Club Mrs. Gray’s first grade class read, The Tooth Fairy by Audrey Wood. It is the story of a boy named Matthew who lost a tooth and was visited by the tooth fairy. His sister Jessica decided to make the tooth fairy’s visit “doubly” worthwhile. Jessica soon discovered that the tooth fairy was not easily fooled by a fake tooth. Our first graders enjoyed this story so much that they wanted to share their own experience of losing a tooth. Enjoy! Losing a tooth is like a dream come true. I was so excited when I lost my tooth. Once I was at my dad’s home and I was watching a show. I had an apple to eat. I bit my apple and my tooth came out. I told my dad and he said to put it under my pillow. The next morning I looked under my pillow and it was enough money to buy a Mario Kart 8. By Madeleine Losing a tooth is cool because I get money. When I lost my tooth my dad pulled it out in the bathroom. After
he was done the space where my tooth was was bleeding. My dad gave me some tissue to put there. When it stopped bleeding I put my tooth under my pillow and the tooth fairy gave me money. I think she took my tooth and put it in a tooth machine. By Nigel Losing a tooth is hurtful. One day I was in my mom’s bathroom brushing my teeth and my tooth was getting looser and looser. Then it came out. My mom said great. I put it in a Ziploc bag and then I put it under my pillow. When I woke up I had fifteen dollars. I think the tooth fairy takes the teeth and turns them into money. By Bryson Losing a tooth is scary because it hurts. One day in the cafeteria I was eating lunch and I crunched on an apple. My tooth got really loose. When I got to ABC it got even looser. When I got home I was brushing my teeth so I could go to bed. When I was done brushing it came out. I told my dad and I put my tooth under my pillow and in the morning I got a 5 dollar bill. I
think the tooth fairy took my tooth and it is in a machine that makes teeth shine like glitter!
By Adebisi Losing a tooth is like taking a band aid off from the doctor. The day I lost my tooth I was at home. It was nighttime. My mom came in the bathroom with me and she tried to pull my tooth out. One of it’ sides came out so now she pulled harder. Then the whole tooth came out. Then I put it under my pillow and in the morning I saw a dollar. I think the tooth fairy took my tooth to the tooth palace.
By Jelani
Losing a tooth is very awesome because my tooth is growing. When I put my tooth under my pillow I get a dollar. If I lose two teeth I get two dollars. When the tooth fairy comes she puts my tooth with all the other clean teeth. By Tiara
First Grade Family Matters After reading “The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo”, the first graders discussed the advantages and disadvantages of being the oldest, youngest, middle, or only child in a family. Here are their thoughts about it:
they get to go to college. They get to go away from home. I wish I was the middle kid because it’s fun. I learned that I’m special too! I’m good at jump-roping, hula -hooping, sketching, games, and climbing. My parents say that I’m great at gymnastics!
Freddy didn’t like being the middle child. I’m the youngest but my baby cousin thinks I’m the oldest. She copies everything I do. I don’t like it when people boss me around. My brothers and sisters don’t live with me. I don’t like it. I have to go to first grade and
By Brooke
Volume 2, Issue 2
I like being the youngest because it is fun! April Fools! I really wish I was the oldest because I could ride on big rollercoasters with my cousin. In my family, I’m the youngest. I learned that I’m special too! I can fix stuff. I can jump higher than my cousin, too! My parents say that I’m great at basketball and electronics!
In the book, you learned that you should be yourself. In my family, I’m the youngest. I learned that I’m special too! I’m good at hula-hooping on my arm and jump-roping. I can draw, too! My parents say that I’m great at gymnastics. My favorite part in your book was when your little sister was screaming, “Green Kangaroo! Green Kangaroo!”
By Kye
By Nayia Page 5
Green Kangaroo (cont’d) In the book, you were scared on stage but it doesn’t matter. Just be yourself. In my family, I’m the youngest. I learned that I’m special, too! I’m good at reading and hula-hooping with my left arm. I can dance, too! My parents say that I’m great at reading. I really like being the youngest child because I can do my homework easily. I really like being myself. I wouldn’t want to
change a thing!
By Juanita Freddy was the middle child and he should feel good about being himself! I like being the only child because you don’t have to share your toys. I don’t like being the only child because you have nobody to play with. You have to do all of the chores instead of another person doing it. I get to pick the movie because I’m the only child. I learned that I’m special, too! I’m good at drawing and cart-wheels. I can jump
too! My parents say that I’m great at golf. I really like being the only child. I wouldn’t want to change a thing!
By Jaidyn
Thankful Second Graders & the Art of Letter Writing Mrs. Arnold’s second graders learned
Dear Mrs. Ferguson,
Dear Mrs. Fitch,
about writing friendly letters and prac-
Thank you for teaching us about the Czech Republic. I learned about all the castles. We also liked the art project. I liked the Little Mole cartoon. I never knew Little Mole was from the Czech Republic. You are very nice,
Thank you for calling the storyteller and being the organizer for Global Week! It was also fun to be with you on the soccer team. Thank you for making me a good soccer player.
ticed by composing and sending letters to people about our Global Week experiences. There were so many people they wanted to thank that many wrote more than the required two letters!
From, Maya Dear Mrs. Arnold, Thank you for the food. I especially liked the quesadillas and the bananas and the tamales. I also liked the tortilla chips. Also, thanks for planning for Grandma Lolly to come. Sincerely, Aidyn
Dear Mrs. Shi,
Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for teaching me Mandarin! I have learned “I’m sorry” “Hello” and “What’s your name?” Every time I learn Mandarin, I tell my mom what I’ve learned in Mandarin. I like how you look up videos for Mandarin class.
Global Week was fun. We had Guatemalan food. We also had Irish butter. It was good with Mrs. Raser. I loved her crackers with cheese. I love cheese. I made a tapir in art class.
Your student, Max W.
Volume 2, Issue 2
From, Trinton
Dear Mrs. Raser, Thanks for being a great teacher and thanks for letting us taste the cheese. My favorite part was doing the Delft pottery. I liked learning about the Netherlands, and I learned how to speak some Dutch. From, Varun
Love, Jayda
Page 6
Lucky Second Graders! After listening to The Leprechaun’s Gold, Mrs. Raser’s second graders wrote stories from differing points of view. They chose to either be a clever leprechaun who is searching for fabulous hiding spots for his pot of gold, or pretended to be a lad or lass trying to catch the leprechaun using cunning trickery. Enjoy their creative works.
If I were a clever leprechaun, here are three amazing hiding places I might hide my pot of gold. First, I will camouflage my pot of gold to look like the trees. I will paint the pot to look like the leaves on a tree and put it in the branches. Next, I will hide my gold in the zoo with the ferocious lions. I will feed the lions a zillion steaks. In return, they will guard my gold. Finally, I will hide my gold in the cave of a huge
bear. I will bring the bear fish and he will guard my gold for me. These are great hiding places where no one will ever look. By Justin If I were a clever leprechaun, here are three great hiding places I might hide my pot of gold. First, I will make a secret tunnel in the walls that lead to a tree. I’ll put the gold in my friend’s bird’s nest. I will promise to give her worms if she hides it.
Next, I’ll ask my friend the Easter Bunny to hide my pot of gold in his basket. When everybody is asleep, I will grab it and hop in the top of the rainbow with my gold. Finally, March is over and no one has found my gold. I’m safe until next year. Next year I will have new hiding spots and keep moving the gold, but you will never find it. Today was fun, but it is time to travel to Ireland. See you later.
By Jasmine
If I were a leprechaun, here are three clever spots I might hide my overflowing pot of gold. First, I’ll camouflage my gold and put it in the bushes. Everyone will think the pot is just a bush because I covered it with leaves.
Next, I will hide the gold in a rainbow. My gold will be in the yellow part. Then I will hide in the green part to keep an eye on the gold. Finally, I’ll hide my pot of gold in the rushing river. A dotted fish will help me hide it by the coral reef. I will whistle for the fish when I need some gold coins and the fish will come. With these awesome hiding spots, I won’t have to share my great pot of gold with people or other leprechauns because nobody will ever find it. By Stephen
Time to Fly! In another project, Mrs. Raser’s students wrote a sequel to Jack Kent’s book, Round Robin. In the original, Round Robin becomes too
fat to fly and must hop, slide, and trudge his way through snow to meet his fellow robins down in Florida. It is a great winter reunion – full of fun and food. But as spring nears, Round Robin is again too round to fly. Following a discussion of story elements such as problem and solution, the students imagined clever ways for
Volume 2, Issue 2
Round Robin to return home for spring. Hippety, hoppety, boppety, BUMP! As spring begins, I am too round to fly, so I start hopping back north. First, I started flipping and flopping. I look up and I see an airplane. It looks like it is heading to Chicago’s Midway Airport! Wait, but how am I going to get up there in time? Hmm? Gasp! “Hi, Mr. Hawk. Um, can you fly me up on that plane right there???” Next, Mr. Hawk answered, “If you want a ride, you have to pay me 10 blueberries.” I tell Mr. Hawk I will give them to him only if he flies me to the plane. “OK, I will fly you to the plane. Yeah, get on,” he says.
Wait, I see my friend, Mark flipping and flopping behind. “Can you take two, Mr. Hawk?” “Sure, he can come, too. I’ll go get him,” answered Mr. Hawk. Finally we all made it to the plane, then back to Chicago. Mark, my robin friend, and I go to the mall. I got a chance to exercise with my new buddy, Fat Mark. Then my bird buddies had the best spring and summer ever! But, I got very hungry again…
By Alexis
Page 7
Time for to Fly! (cont’d) Hippety, hoppety, boppety, BUMP! As spring begins, round Round Robin begins his trip back north. First, he sees food and he gets some for his trip. He carries it on his back so he can eat little by little by little. Next, Round Robin sees another robin who says that he’s going the same way. He says his name is Red. They work together to go home. They walk three miles for a week.
Now Round Robin is skinny and both of them can fly north. Finally, they just have to walk a little further through the forest. Now they are home! It only took an extra month to get there. Round Robin and Red are home and happy to be back with their robin friends. By Lilith Hippety, hoppety, boppety, BUMP! As spring begins, Round Robin begins his trip back north. First, Round Robin gets on a plane for fat birds. They fly up and down, twisty, turny. They go crazy. They are so dizzy that they get
off the plane. Next, Round Robin jumps on a hawk because he was dizzy. Round Robin taps on the hawk’s wing to let him know when he is close to home. Finally, Round Robin parachutes off the hawk. He lands safely with his friends. After all that, Round Robin is home and he is skinny again. He learned not to eat so much anymore and now he can fly anywhere! By Ella
Third Grade Letters to Ruby Bridges During Black History Month in February, we learned about Ruby Bridges, the first black child to integrate into an all-white school in New Orleans. Afterward, the students wrote letters to Ms. Bridges.
Dear Ms. Bridges, My name is Heaven and I am in third grade at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. We watched a movie about you. I learned that when you went to school you were brave even when white people threatened you. I admire when you went to the school when they were mean to you, but you were nice to them. Are they your friends now? How old were you? If it weren’t for you, I might not be at my school because I have brown skin. From, Heaven
Volume 2, Issue 2
Dear Ms. Bridges, My name is Madison and I am in third grade at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. We watched a movie about you. I have also read an amazing book about you. I admire you because you were brave enough to go to an all-white school at six years old and that took courage. Are you still friends with your childhood friends? What is your friend’s name? Where did you go to college? Do you have a people were mean to you. job? If so, what is it? I just want to From, thank you for being an awesome perWill son. Dear Ms. Bridges, Sincerely, My name is Sophia and I am in third Madison grade at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. We saw a movie about you. I Dear Ms. Bridges, admire you because you walked into an My name is Will and I’m in third all-white school. It must have been grade at Morgan Park Academy in scary for you because you were only 6 Chicago. We watched a movie about years old. I also admire you because you. I learned that you can be any you changed the world for everybody. color to go to school. When you were Where do you live now? What is your in that classroom, you were very favorite color? smart. Why didn’t you eat your From, lunch? Were you sad? You were Sophia brave because you prayed when the
Page 8
Letters to Ruby Bridges (cont’d) Dear Ms. Bridges, My name is Mustafa and I am in third grade at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. We watched a movie about you. I admire you because you went to school with all white people and you were the only black girl there. I also admire you because you were so brave. I learned that I should not be mean, and you shouldn’t say mean words. I also learned that you should love instead of being bad. You were a really nice girl in your new school. Instead of being mean you said a prayer. When did you go to your new
school? Did you like your new school? Who did you like the most? Your friend, Mustafa Dear Ms. Bridges, My name is Dion and I am in 3rd grade at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. We watched a movie about you. I admire that you were brave enough to go to a school where they didn’t want you to go and you believed in God. I also admire that you had courage to go to a new school.
You are a Christian and prayed instead of being mean. I have some questions for you. What is your favorite baseball team? Where do you live now? What was the name of your old school?
Love, Dion
Third Grade Global Explorers During Global Explorers’ Week, Mrs. Schmidt’s class studied Thailand. At the end of the week, the students reflected on their favorite experiences. We learned about Thailand and other countries this week. I liked P.E. class because we played games that they play in Thailand. I liked making the umbrellas because I like drawing and coloring. We went to Feed My Starving Children and we got to send food to kids who do not have enough to eat, and I felt very happy to do that. I liked making hieroglyphics with Ms. Smoler. We got to sing and dance in Music class, and I love singing and dancing. Finally, I liked talking to Kirsten, Mrs. Schmidt’s daughter, while she was in Thailand because she is nice.
We learned about Thailand and other countries this week. My favorite was going to Ms. Smoler’s class because I was allowed to make my own hieroglyphics, and I learned the Nile River is in Egypt. Another thing I had a lot of fun doing is when we went to Feed My Starving Children because the food went to the Philippines where there are a lot of poor children. Last, I liked talking to Kirsten because I learned a lot about Thailand because that’s where she was. I am glad our class studied Thailand. Third grade at MPA is awesome!!
lives. They may do stuff differently,
By: Ethan
storyteller because it was like she
This week we did lots of cool,
fun, and knowledgeable things. One
but it’s cool. They like to eat kabobs and also have floating markets. There are so many things to do in Thailand like the overnight train and hikes. Thailand is an outstanding country,
even though it can be dangerous when they have tsunamis. Secondly, I liked when we went to Feed My Starving Children. It was a great experience. We got to help children who were eating clay! It is a great feeling to help someone less fortunate. I will never forget that day. I also enjoyed the was doing a play. This was an awesome week.
By: Caitlin
of my favorite things was learning about Thailand’s culture and people. I think that Thailand is a beautiful country and people should really get to know it. There are amazing things as simple as their everyday
By: Anna Volume 2, Issue 2
Page 9
Fourth Grade Rocks! Ms. Barnicle’s fourth grade students wrote about a favorite musician or band. Their objective was to combine opinions with facts to persuade readers into liking the musician or band they chose.
When you are done listening to his music you will feel great and maybe even inspired to help others and maybe even to be a musician! Finally, Matthew McCoy is the best guitar player in the whole world.
Let me tell you about Michael Joseph Jackson and why he was the greatest musician ever. He was born on August 29, 1958 and died on June 25, 2009. Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. His nickname was the King of Pop. He inspired other dancers to be better and practice so they could be good. He won many awards and Grammys because of his musical talent. His most popular music video was Thriller because it was so entertaining to the viewers who watched it. In conclusion, Michael Jackson is one of the best music artists that roamed the earth.
Let me introduce to you The S’mores. The S’mores became a band near the beginning of 2015. The S’mores began performing at Performance Friday in music class. They still only perform in music class. The members are Jeanell (Chocolate), Leona (Graham Cracker), Sofia (Fire), Samara (Marshmallow), and Alexa (Chocolate Syrup). They are all good friends so they can teach people about friendship. They sing songs a lot people know. At one Performance Friday they performed Stitches, by Shawn Mendes. Their songs do not play on the radio but they always perform live for their classmates. The S’mores are good role models, they sing songs people know, and they even have a pledge, The S’mores Pledge of Allegiance. That's an amazing band for five girls who are nine and ten.
By Quentin
By: Neko
By Samara
Matthew McCoy is the best guitar player in the world and plays the guitar for MD Colbat Blue! Matthew McCoy’s band plays in Nashville and they have been #1 for 4 years in a row and are one of the best in their region. Matthew McCoy is also a great singer and can sing like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder combined!
David Bowie is my favorite musician. I like his rock music and his creativity. I also like his songs that have story lines in them. David Bowie won 18 awards for his outstanding music. He has made many great songs. He has also worked with many other musicians such as Rolling Stones, Lou
Volume 2, Issue 2
Reed, and John Lennon. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The musician expanded his world of music and created the character Ziggy Stardust. The musician, Moby, said, “Without David Bowie, popular music as we know it pretty much wouldn’t exist.” For all these reasons and more I like David Bowie.
By Leo Panozzo
My favorite musician is Meghan Trainor. Meghan Trainor’s music is very cool! I enjoy her music so much that I even have her music on my ITunes. She started to sing when she was 13 years old. Meghan Trainor is an American singer and songwriter. She performed, and produced 3 independently released albums when she was 15-17 years old. Isn't that impressive? Meghan has won 1 Grammy award because she had a good album that a lot of people purchased. Her amazing songs are always on the radio. Every time my parents take me on a drive somewhere I always hear her amazing songs. A lot of girls and teenagers like her wonderful music! Finally, I promise you if you listen to her album you will find great music that will make you dance, and have a good time! So go ahead buy her album before it sells out!
By: Alexa
Page 10
Fourth Grade Rocks! (cont’d.) Drake has won over 52 music awards. He has received 280 nominations. Some of his music awards are Rookie of the year award from BET, Best Album from BET and a Grammy. He’s also constantly being played on the radio. Here are some good radio stations that play Drake's songs 107.5, 103.5 and 93.5, but there's also a radio station that only plays Drake. That radio station is 92.7. Drake has accomplished a lot, but one of his biggest accomplishments is being one of the world's only black Jewish rapper. These are good reasons to listen to Drake the rapper. He’s pretty awesome. I bet you’ll love it. If you want to listen to good music listen to Drake.
By Charles
Ed Sheeran is so good his thinking out loud song was number one for a week
on the billboards. He also won a Grammy for Thinking Out Loud. He then won another Grammy for best pop solo artist. In total he won 50 awards so really stop what you’re doing and check out Ed Sheeran. I suggest the song Thinking Out Loud or Photograph. Ed Sheeran is such a good song writer he won 3 Grammys for best voice, best song of 2014, and best songwriter. He’s a person who donates to cancer research and his net worth is 236.6 million so that’s why he’s a good person and singer. He is so good in fact that besides winning a Grammy, Sheeran won an MTV Award and Teens Choice Awards for best voice. Ed Sheeran is a good singer and person with musical talents so go check him out, he’s awesome.
By Charlie
The best musician in America is Taylor Swift. She is the best musician because her music can be inspiring. Taylor Swift’s first song is Tim McGraw. Her first song was released in 2006. Taylor Swift performed her first song at Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Taylor Swift is 26 years old.
Taylor Swift was born in Pennsylvania. Taylor Swift started writing songs at age 5, and at age 16, she released her debut album. Taylor Swift has won 250 awards. I feel that Taylor Swift’s song Mean is the most inspiring song.
By Sofia
My favorite band is 21 Pilots. I like 21 Pilots because I like the lyrics, the instruments, and the music. The song that I like from 21 Pilots is called “Stressed Out.”21 Pilots’ songs are something I can relate to.21 Pilots’ songs inspire me. If you listen to 21 Pilots, you will enjoy their music. 21 Pilots’ songs are very calming. The beat calms you down. 21 Pilots’ songs inspire me. They inspire people to form a good band. If you listen to 21 Pilots you will like it. 21 Pilots have recorded and sold a lot of songs. This is why I like 21 Pilots.
By Rehman
Fourth Grade Earth Day Poems Mrs. Smoler’s grade students applied their poetry writing skills by using acrostic poems to express their thoughts about the Earth. Environment Amazing earth Reduce harmful materials Teach people to be kind to the earth Help the ozone
By Zoe Volume 2, Issue 2
Enter act with the Earth Act kind to the Earth Read about the Earth Teach people to be kind to the Earth Help stop polluting
Everyone can recycle
By Erick
Appreciate the world Reduce, reuse, recycle The Earth is humongous Help protect the environment
By Madison
Page 11
Fourth Grade Poetry (cont’d.) Everyone loves an
Eat healthy food instead of animals
Everyone should be nice to mother
Awesome, special,
Appreciate nature always
Respectful, fair
Are you helping the world by watching TV?
Terrific, type of a
Read instead of using energy for TV
Take care of the Earth
Happy planet called Earth
By Joshua
Turn the light off
Hurt no insect
Happiness is the key to life
By Miya
By Jaden
Eat less gluten and bad stuff And plant more trees Respect nature and animals
Environment needs to be saved A healthy planet can happen
The Earth needs no pollution
Rethink before you litter
Have no more global warming
Think about our planet
By Angela
Help the ozone
Air protection
Earth Day!
Random animal body protection
Awesome Earth!
There should be only solar powered cars
Recycle! Too much Garbage!
Harmful animals contained
Huge planet!
By David
By Demon
Everyone should respect the Earth Amazing Earth Day Reuse, reduce, recycle Take care of the Earth
Hurt no animals
By Sasha
By Kelsey
Environmental protection
Recycle and reuse
Fifth Grade Free Verse Poems While reading Brown Girl Dreaming, 5th graders learned the art of free verse. Students wrote poems about a significant event in their own lives. My Grandpa We just went fishing, and shopping and cancer was up. 2 years later I see my mom at my school door, asking me for me to pack my stuff. I thought since I got good grades, I would have a half a day but no. Went to the hospital and I started to cry leaving me With no grandpa. Memories will still find me as I sit in front at the funeral. Wet sprinklers,
Volume 2, Issue 2
Drip And Drop. Viewing the body as we stand by the pew. Limos line up as God’s man rose up GRANDPA'S MEMORIES WILL STILL BE WITH US. The High Dive
By R’mani
I was scared. I decided to face my fears. I climbed up step by step. Each step I was getting more and more scared. I finally reached the top. By this time my family was cheering for me.
It was 10:50.
I started to bounce.
Ten minutes until swimming class is over.
I jumped.
The lesson was finished and we had free time.
I landed and it wasn’t so bad.
My family wanted me to jump off the tall diving board.
By Braxton
Page 12
Free Verse Poetry (cont’d.) Freedom I feel free when there is no violence in the world, no shooting in Chicago. I feel free when I shoot threes on the court. I feel free playing my Xbox 360 and 2k16. I feel free when I hit the ball in the outfield. I feel free when I throw the football to the touchdown. I feel free when I’m away from my brother. I feel free when there are no hurricanes or tornados. I feel free when there is no terrorism.
By Eric
Fly like a bird There I was on a plane. I was happy to go to Disney World, but was scared to fly. As I looked more and more at the plane, it looked like a bird. It was ready to take off in the sky. I imagined the plane flapping its wings like a bird. We went far up in the sky and my ears began to pop like popcorn. I was no longer scared. I chewed gum until I could hear and there was no more popping in my ear. After all, the ride was smooth as butter and there was no more flutter in my heart. By Ta’mia
Happiness with a Disease It was so fun Six Flags roller coaster with my uncle riding the Goliath, the laughing the screaming My uncle smiling. A rare sight, he has diabetes. He barely does it. It was so joyful and loud, me screaming, him screaming, me laughing, him laughing. Get ready, I hear him say, the roller coaster starts, it goes down quickly I’m hugging him. At the end, exhilaration, excitement. It was a happy, happy adventure.
By Riya
The First Time I Saw Her I walked into the hospital and they said I could not see her.
I was so sad I started to cry. The nurse said he is 12 right, I said no, she said you are 12, ok I am 12. Time to meet my baby sister. 8 hours old, little baby Vada. When I held her in the chair she looked up at me, she smiled.
By Jackson
My First Disney Cruise I got to ride in a limo to the airport. I got to go on the airplane and got off safely. I met my cousins at the airport and we went straight to the hotel to stay in for 2 days. Then we got to go on the bus, go to
Volume 2, Issue 2
the other airport and check in and we got on the cruise. I had so much fun and my aunt paid for my brother and me to have our own key cards for the two separate rooms. My brother went straight to the basketball court and I went straight to the arcade and I met a new friend his name was Austin we hung out everyday on the cruise but sadly he didn't live in Chicago so we couldn't hang out and he didn't have a phone but I did so part of the trip was sad but I got to go every night to different fancy expensive places and the last day I got everything packed and I spent the rest of my day hanging out with Austin at the arcade then I had to get off of the cruise and go back home and when I got off I told my mom can we come back next year and she said yes.
By Mikhai Happy, excited, sad. That is how I felt on my first cruise. I had to cross 30 states, taking up to 4 hours. But it was worth it because I got to go to the Bahamas! I was asleep the whole time and I was so happy when I got to Miami. But it was all worth it because I got to go to Key West, Florida, Miami, the Bahamas, all in just two weeks!!!! This was my story about my first cruise.
By Taylor Page 13
Fifth Grade Free Verse (cont’d.) Like all wars. good and evil. red and blue. black and white.
Dolphin Day
Black and white. On a Road Trip to Atlanta
Going through 4 states, taking up 11 hours.
The water blue looking cold as ice.
good and evil.
against one.
My feet shaking beneath me
There is always.
my fear surrounding me.
In every form.
Falling asleep 4 times, exhausted once we get to the hotel. Eating waffles at the Waffle House, drinking Coke at the Coke Headquarters, watching fish at the Georgia Aquarium, seeing monuments at MLK’s house, Finally riding on a Ferris Wheel for the first time.
By Christian #4 Chess Chessboard. Pieces. Battlefield. As each moves. tell a story. strategy. And each move defines a piece, a player, a game.
Volume 2, Issue 2
Once I saw the dolphin
A victor.
By Sean
I lost my fear.
My First Tennis Tournament
Alma was its name,
Sweat dripping down my face
I got in the water and Alma swam up close, gray fins and a white nose.
I’m scared to walk in
At this point I knew Alma wasn’t so bad,
A bunch of older kids surround me
after I met Alma the fun began.
Will I fail, or will I win
Alma pushed me by my feet, Walking inside the tennis court I’m trembling in fear
then I held on to her fins and she pulled me ashore. Alma was very nice to me
Meeting my opponents Wanna run away now that I’m here
I would love to swim with her again.
By Maya
Returning each serve Dying of thirst Finally the tournament’s over I place in first!
By: Aria
Page 14
Fifth Grade Dragons After reading, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and learning about the importance of dragons in the Chinese culture, students developed their own unique dragon.
Waterlandous Did you know that the Waterlandous can grow and shrink to any size? In this report you will learn what this dragon eats, lives, the color of it, and its abilities. Those are just some of the things you will learn! Have you ever wondered how much a Waterlandous weighs and what color it is? This dragon is 20 feet long, 10 feet tall and can weigh up to 100 pounds! The Waterlandous is a dark blue because it lives in the water. She has an orange mane to represent the fire it can breathe. She has a light blue tip on her tail because she can also breathe ice and snow. You might wonder where the Waterlandous lives. Well like it says in her name she lives on land or in Lake Michigan. My dragon lives in Lake Michigan or on land so she won’t be seen as much and make other people afraid of her. My dragon doesn't have a strict diet, but she eats veggies and anything I can feed. She only does this if she is on land. If she is in the water, my dragon will hunt fish, birds but mostly the fish. The Waterlandous’s parenting skills are very interesting. The Waterlandous takes fish to a place called the dragon gate and when there, the
Volume 2, Issue 2
fish turns into a young dragon. The young dragon is the same color as the mom and the mom will take care of it for 1 month. She will teach the baby everything he/she has to know. After this, the mother and her baby go separate ways but still remember each other. The unusual abilities this dragon has is its size, growing and shrinking. She uses this for protection and getting around without being seen. My dragon’s adaptations for her blue color help her stay warm or cold in the water. Now you know more about the Waterlandous and maybe now you can have your very own Waterlandous as your new pet.
By Cydnee
Blue Flamer Is your pet a dragon? Well, mine is and his name is Blue Flamer. He can breathe Blue Flames and kill you, so if you want to know more about this dragon so you can be prepared and not die… keep reading. My dragon will make you turn the other way with his red eyes. The calm waves of the ocean are the same soft color of my dragon’s body. The boys have dark blue claws while the girls have purple claws. Depending on age the sizes are different, but the average size is seven feet long, Two feet wide, and 415 pounds. The scales are fish scales because this dragon is part fish. My dragon lives near the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea by Barcelona, Spain. It lives in a fast flowing waterfall. Make sure you don't have any fruits or vegetables with you because those are the only things he eats and steals it from humans!
If you see any of my dragon’s eggs, watch out because if you touch them with your bare hands they’ll explode! The eggs are blue and come in pairs of six. Every two years the eggs are laid. The eggs are laid near a waterfall. The young dragon looks the exact same but smaller, and have the same abilities. The parents take care of the young, but let them go at age one. My dragon can disappear and reappear, so watch out because he’ll steal your fruits and vegetables. This breed can help other animals, so be calm and maybe it can help you. Lastly, my dragon can breed (but very rarely does) with other animals. I hope you’re prepared if you see this dragon!
By Oriella
Timber Afraid of dragons? Think Time Square is big? Wait until you meet Timber! My dragon is white and black, is 90 yards long, shaped like a snake, is 50 yards wide, weighs 700 pounds, and has spots of black and white depending on gender. The females are white with black spots and the males are black with white spots and the children have no spots until they grow up. Scales, claws, and flames, OH MY! The scales are regular diamonds and black diamonds because they are rich. It has no claws, but it does have webbed feet so it can get through the snow. The dragon also has no flames, but shoots snowballs that freeze the hit area. Welcome to his kingdom! It lives in tundra because it can only handle the cold. It lives in Canada, Iceland, Finland, and Greenland. It lives in underground ice caves.
Page 15
Dragon Papers (cont’d.) Think you have a huge appetite? Timber can eat a whole whale! My dragon eats all types of fish and catches it by shooting the fish with its snowballs and the fish goes down in the water. After the dragon goes down and eats the fish. Like all animals, you have to be a kid at one point. My dragon lays its eggs inside a deep hole where it sits until it is ready to hatch. The eggs start off white and turn darker and darker until it is black which means it’s ready to hatch. The dragon lays its eggs every 20 years. The young dragons look all white. The parents protect the dragons until they are 19 and then they can go off on their own.
If that isn’t weird enough wait until this part. The dragon cannot adapt in hot weather and if they get too hot, they will melt. The dragon only has two colors (white & black) since it can only adapt to the cold. These adaptations help them survive by making them know if they are too hot. It can also spit ice that freezes its hit target. That helped my dragon get food easier. Now for the interesting part! One, if my dragon inhales fire it will turn into a fire dragon. Two, to reproduce, my dragon has to fly through the Dragon Gate. Three, if my dragon eats a snowball it will be unable to shoot ice for one minute. Timber is fierce and dangerous. What's your dragon like?
By Naomi
Volume 2, Issue 2
Watera Dragonia This rare species of dragon, Watera Dragonia has only 20 left in the world. It guards the rivers, rain, lakes, oceans, wells, ponds, and any other water you can think of. After you read this report, you will be fully educated on the species Watera Dragonia. I hope you enjoy my report on Watera Dragonia. This dragon is thin and is usually as long as the thing it lives in. For example, if it were in an ocean it would be huge, but if it were in a raindrop it would be very tiny. The Watera Dragonia is purple, blue, white, and turquoise. It has lined patterns and a pouch for its babies on its stomach and a paddle-like tail on the back of its body. The males have white horns and the females don’t have any horns. They also have long hairs coming out of its head. These are the kindest dragons on earth. This dragon has shiny blue scales. One odd thing about this dragon is that it doesn’t have a flame, it can’t toast people into crunchy, burnt, and cooked humans. These dragons have white claws with little webs in between their fingers. These dragons have no wings, and cannot fly, but they can swim up to 300 miles per hour. This dragon lives underwater in caves, behind waterfalls, and occasionally in beds of coral. These dragons live all over the world in any water you can think of even in your sink. Sometimes even with the bacte-
ria if it’s in a small place like a raindrop. It can adapt itself to a habitat to make it feel more comfortable for them. After it has guarded one place for a while it moves on to somewhere else like the faucet water to fight off that bacteria and after it is done a different kind of Watera Dragonia comes and makes sure the bacteria doesn’t come back. This dragon is a vegetarian. It likes all animals and devotes its life to make sure they are out of danger. They eat seaweed, kelp, plankton, and algae. It can track its food because all of its food has a certain smell. These dragons have an excellent sense of smell. They can smell humans very well so that they can stay safe. These dragons lay their eggs in beds of coral or in holes at the bottom of their caves. The eggs are lavender with blue spots. It lays 16 eggs per batch. Every year it lays one batch of eggs. That is one reason why they are endangered. The little dragons are just purple with white claws. The mother dragons stay with their young until they can swim which is about 8 months. Until then they stay in a pouch on their mother or father’s
Page 16
Fifth Dragon Papers (cont’d) stomachs. The parents love their young and want the best life for them. Watera Dragonia has something unique they can do which other dragons can’t, they have camouflage. They can turn all the way blue or green to blend in with the water. They do this because a lot of people like to hunt these dragons because they are a symbol of good fortune and joy. Another way they stay away from humans is that they can turn the water hot enough to get humans out but also just the right temperature to not disturb any wildlife. Watera Dragonia has many odd skills such as becoming invisible. It can become invisible in times of danger like if a human is nearby. It can only use this power in the most desperate of situations. They can also talk to animals to warn them about something or just be genuinely nice and have a fun time, too! It’s now time for some fun facts. These dragons are kind to anyone, they would not hurt a fly and no fly would ever hurt them meaning they have no predators. The first of these dragons was born from a painting. These dragons have such a special connection with sea animals. Any time a new one is born they must go and see them and swear to try and protect them, because of hunting these dragons are endangered, these dragons are the only ones who can disappear and transport. Thanks for listening. I hope you liked it and are now experts on the species Watera Dragonia!
By Rose Volume 2, Issue 2
The Nerual Dragon Dragons are quite amazing. There are many types of dragons. There are sky dragons, water dragons, fire dragons, and many more. By reading this you will become educated on this wonderful and interesting dragon, The Nerual Dragon. You will get to learn how this dragon came to be, what it looks like, where it lives and more. The first Nerual Dragon came from two other dragons that live in opposite levels of the world. It happened when a water dragon was leaping around in the water when he noticed a beautiful sky dragon flying in the clouds. To impress her, the water dragon did a very dangerous, but beautiful dance in the water. Then the sky dragon noticed the water dragon and did a beautiful dance in the sky. Soon the beautiful sky dragon was laying eggs. And that is how the Nerual Dragon was born. The main color of Nerual Dragons is either pink or white. The color of the spine fins can be either red or blue depending on what the dragon is best at. The Nerual Dragons are usually around 25 feet long and are anywhere from 800 to 900 pounds. The wings are about 8 ½ feet long. Their wings are able to go underwater and not get damaged. Its hands are weblike so that they can swim and its nails only come out when they want them to come out. Their teeth aren’t too sharp, but they’re not too dull. They usually don’t breath anything out of their mouth, but, every once in awhile, they can breath out rainbows. Nerual Dragons are very kind, wise, and very good fighters. They like to play around a lot unless there is danger. Dragons that have blue soft spikes on their back are the kindest. The ones with red soft spikes on their back are the best fighters. They are all equally smart. These dragons really like humans and make it a priority to protect hu-
mans. They also enjoy swimming. The Nerual Dragon lives in different places. Some live in the clouds, some live in the water, and some live on rainbows. They make either cloud nests, or seaweed nests. The Nerual Dragons enjoy fruit a lot. They like to eat orange fruits such as mangos, oranges, and tangerines. They enjoy grapes, and also red fruits. They also eat many leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, and kale. However, they do not like broccoli, or brussel sprouts. They like their food raw, unless it is grilled by dragon fire. To identify the gender of a Nerual Dragon, you must look under it. Once you look under, you will see a spot. If the spot is shaped like a circle, it is a male. If the spot is shaped like a heart, it is a female. When Nerual Dragons mate, they do a mating dance. The dance can last from two hours, to two days. When the female lays the eggs, they are blue and red.
Newborns are usually 2-3 feet long. Parents do take care of them, but only until they are 9 years old. Young Nerual Dragons are called draglets. Draglets are a little bit grayer or browner to keep them safe. They are considered draglets until the age of 12. Then they are a teenager until the age of 60.
Then they are a young adult until 80, and then they become a grown adult at 100 years old.
That is the end of the paper about the amazing Nerual Dragon. I hope that you enjoyed learning about this amazing dragon. Maybe now you might think or feel differently about dragons.
By Lauren
Page 17