n 2010 e • 2nd editio in az ag m e in nl O
2011 • # 5
e Online magazin
• 2nd edition
# 2010 - 2011 •
5
WRITING: A CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
W
riting has played an important role in the lives of our children in elementary classrooms. The writing practice and contact with different genres through this school year have provided them with valuable opportunities to participate in the community, to know themselves and others, to occupy free time, and to demonstrate higher academic competence. Each written piece contains the voice of a unique author with the eagerness to express and share his / her opinions, suggestions, thoughts, and information. Each text is the result of an initial drafting, a careful organization, a thorough choice of words, many delighted class moments dedicated to the development of ideas, and the excitement of editing the text in conferences with peers or teachers.
A
mong those wonderful experiences, a few representative samples were collected and once again this school year, our elementary kids invite you to read and enjoy their texts. These master pieces will enchant you with their original style, their spontaneity, and their particular creativity.
Luz Elena Barragán English Department Coordinator Special thanks to: Allison Crabb, María Fernanda Rojas, Luz M. Rodriguez, Catalina Rodríguez, Kavita Singh, Hanna Bishop, Nubia Diaz, Connie de Rodriguez, Martha Cristina La Rota, Luz Elena Barragán, Catalina Montenegro, Jessica Hernandez and Mónica López. Cover by Juanita Santofimio
DEPARTAMENTO DE PUBLICACIONES Colegio Los Nogales
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By Laura Arango
Bill the Astronaut
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tank”, so he took the fish out and he poured out the water.
“But where is my hat?” Bill said “No, I forgot my hat”. Now, how can I breathe in the moon? Well, I brought my fish
With the fish tank, he made a new hat. “Yes”, he said. “I’m super Bill”. He went out the rocket and explored the moon. Before leaving, he placed the flag in the moon. Then, he thought “I like this place; it is dark but I like it. I don’t want to leave this place”. So, he made a house on a pretty star and stayed there. Bill lived very happy in the moon.
ne day an astronaut named Bill woke up and looked at the clock. I’m late! He was in a very big hurry. He ran very fast as he could. Then he came to the rocket station, and he said “Please, let me go in the rocket. I’m Bill the astronaut!” The man let him go in the rocket. Then for five days, Bill was in the moon.
1 GRADE ST
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the dolphin and the
By Santiago Henao
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ne day in an ocean a Dolphin went trying to swim. He almost drowned. Next day, a bird saw the dolphin was sad and asked “why are you sad?”. The dolphin cried and explained he didn’t know how to swim. “I will teach you” replied the bird. The bird started giving instructions to the dolphin.
bird
First, you take a fin and splash the water. Then you splash the water with the other fin. Go ahead, try! The dolphin followed the instructions. It was hard. Suddenly, he was swimming. “Oh thanks!” exclaimed the dolphin. The bird was with the dolphin the rest of the day and they became very good friends. They lived happily ever after.
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One afternoon with my friend´s dog
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ne afternoon, one of my friend’s dog came to my apartment. I was excited. My friend’s dog´s name was Lucas. Lucas was a golden retriever. My nany, my sister, my mother and I gave Lucas a complete carrot. Then my sister and I went to find a stuff animal to throw at him so he could fetch it. Then we began playing with Lucas. Lucas had to jump on top of my nany’s legs to fetch the stuff animal. We played with Lucas during 20 minutes. Lucas and all of us were very happy. We had a lot of fun and we took Lucas back to his house. It was a very nice afternoon with Lucas !!!!
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My Cousins and I
cause it had delicious apples in it. I said that the cake was so delicious. Then we went to play soccer during one more hour. This time I was the goalkeeper and I stopped goals. Finally, my cousins were asked to go home and they said that we could play one more rs. hou two ing dur We played minute. We played very, very we t tha said m mo my Then fast during that last minute. hbirt py hap sing to go to had When the minute went by, day, so we went to sing happy my cousins said good bye and birthday. went away. I was asked to go to bed. I went to sleep. I felt We ate a delicious apple cake. so happy !!! I liked that cake so much be-
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ne day on February 2nd my cousins and I went to my house to celebrate Ines´ and my cousin´s birthday. Next we began to play soccer and I made a cool goal. My cousins said “ Goooooal by Juan!”
a
By Juan Rued
By Valentina Vargas By Santiago Chamie
How to Make Milk Shake Hey guys
follow these instructions and enjoy your milk shake. You need ice-cream, milk, one straw, a cup, and a blender. First, put in the blender some icecream and milk. Next, turn on the blender and wait until the ice-cream and the milk mix. Then turn off the blender and see if the ice-cream and the milk become into liquid. Last, serve the shake in a cup and place a straw in to enjoy it. Now that you know how to make milk shake, prepare it and cool yourself.
How to make Scramble Eggs If you make eggs, you can
have fun eating them. First, crack the eggs and put them in a bowl. Next, scramble the eggs in the bowl with a fork. Then, put a pan on the stove and turn on the stove to heat the pan. Then, put the eggs in the pan. Last, put the eggs in a dish and start eating them. Now that you know how to make eggs, go home and surprise everybody with these special eggs.
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How to make Chocolate Chip Cookies By Gabriela GutiĂŠrrez Have fun making chocolate chip cookies! First, add flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, salt, and chocolate chips in a bowl and mix the ingredients until they are totally combined. Next, place 2 eggs, milk, and oil in other bowl and mix them all. Then, add the wet dough and mix all together. After that, make many balls with the dough. Last, spoon the balls onto cookie trays and place them in the oven. Bake them for 15 or 20 minutes. Take the cookies out and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy eating chocolate chip cookies!
How to make Enroque in Chess By Emilio GutiĂŠrrez
Enroque in chess is safe for the king. First, look if the horse and bishop are out between the king and the tower. Next, observe the other chess pieces and see if they do not attack between the king and the tower. Then, check if the king is not in checkmate. Last, move the king 2 squares and the tower up the king to get the tower next to the king. Now rescue the king!
By Samuel Camacho
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More things for Lunch The food needs to change for everyone in all the school. It’s better to not repeat things. I think that many more people would eat the lunch of the school if we don’t repeat food. We will have more variety of food so the people of all countries feel they are at home. The people don’t want to eat the same food every year. You will teach people to eat good and healthily. We will have culture of the world. Remember, if you want more culture and more people eating school lunch, then change the food.
By Daniela Vlasak
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Friday Tropical Day It would be very cool if every Friday we could go to school with normal clothes because that day will become cooler and prettier. We can’t use uniforms our entire life. The students will be happier that day of the week because they will feel comfortable. Sometimes the school uniform is uncomfortable. The student will be able to use their favorite clothes more. Only one day of the week, the school will look colorful. Many students want this to happen and it will be very cool to do it. Someday all the students will be thankful for this.
2 GRADE ND
By Lorenzo Cuccaro
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Early Dismissal on Friday
I think the school wants to get out of school earlier. We’d have more fun getting out earlier because we do a lot of work in the week. We are tired of doing homework and hard work. Resting more will give us energy to do work. We may not sleep well at night. Teachers give us a lot of homework. During the weekends, we spend all day long doing homework. If we get out at the same time, we don’t have time to do other things. We might have many other important things to do. If we could go earlier, it should be good for the school. Your teacher can rest from teaching as well. So please, if we get out earlier, we are happy and ready to do work.
By JoaquĂn Valenzuela
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Exercising I think that the best way to stay healthy is to do exercise. Exercise helps you to do work fast, stay active, be able to run and the most important, obviously to stay healthy. But be careful of how much exercise you do because you could faint. I think you will enjoy and have fun doing exercise.
By Laura SofĂa Macias
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Sports I think the best thing to be healthy is doing sports. First, you do not get fat. Second you can move, play, jump, run, be strong, and be in good healthy condition too. An important thing is that if you do sports, you will stay in better shape. And the most important thing of all is that doing sports gives you energy for all day long. Doing sports help you responding to classes. You will be better and stronger, not fat, and so many things more.
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Being Healthy Being healthy is very important if you do not want to die. There are many ways, but I am only going to name four main ways and reasons. The first way is to go and take fresh air, so you have air free from gases. The second way is to do sports, so that your bones become stronger and stronger. The third way and is an important one is to eat well. This means to eat balanced food such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, grains, meat, fish. You will be stronger if you eat well. The most important way is to sleep well. After a long day, you have to recover energy and sleeping enough hours will help you. Pay attention to these ways and follow them. Results will be great!
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Going Home Early By Amalia L贸pez Siegert Going home early after school is a very good idea. I think you would like it after reading my reasons. Will you agree with me? First, you have more time to do homework. Second, you could have more time to play with your family. Third, you could study, and prepare yourself better when you have a test. Finally, you can attend extra-classes or have extra-activities after school or you can simply go to bed earlier. So and that麓s why the school should finish earlier.
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By SofĂa Galofre
Sitting Well, A Wise
Decision My classmates and I do not like to sit well, actually we sit badly. But, I think this is not a good decision, because it is not good for us. From sitting well, you get many benefits because of four good reasons. First we can have a healthy backbone. Second, if we sit well, we will understand better. Third, you are not going to have pain in your back or in your hip. And last and the most important one you will think better. So now that you know all my reasons, sit properly, make sure you do it to avoid problems with your health.
By Juan Camilo Santa
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Stop Polluting Many people pollute rivers, forests and even the air. I want to stop that. My reasons are these ones. The earth will be a better place if we care for nature. Plants will grow a lot, and we will survive because we will have more food. In Colombia it will stop raining and the every animal can live longer and in peace. Now you should start caring for nature and stop polluting the environment. Please do not throw bottles in rivers and forests. Make the corresponding check- ups to the car.
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Sleeping Well By Cayetana Montoya You have to sleep well because it is healthy and you will be happier. First, you will have more energy. Second, you will be ready for everything. Third you will pay more attention in class, and the most important you will have better academic results. That´s why you have to sleep well.
Eating Fruit By Antonio Gnecco You should eat fruit 3 times a day. Eating fruit is good for you body. It helps you grow healthy. It helps you think and gives you energy for the activities during the day such as playing, jumping rope, doing sports, and studying. So, let’s eat fruit three times a day.
An Overnight with Your Friends By Mariana Tamayo
What
do you do when you want to be with your friends? What I do is to meet with them at my house. There we have a wonderful time with interesting activities such as watching TV, going to the park, or telling stories. An overnight is an extra time with your friends to enjoy and think what you are going to do with them. In an overnight, friends can be together. The best of the overnight is to stay awaken until late. You are together in school but you only pay attention to hard work. In an overnight you pay attention only to your friends. At school, you don´t work a little but a lot
so you don´t have time to be with your friends or enjoy a long time with them. In addition, you are free and you can do what you want. You are always going to have many activities to do and share. Nighttime can be a perfect time to play, tell stories, have fun, be sometimes in suspense or be worried, watch a movie or sleep in mattresses. But what I like the most is to watch a movie and sleep in mattresses. If you are like me, you will think that an overnight is great and creative. I will give you an advice and is to have an overnight when you can, but best of all enjoy and have an amazing time in it.
3 GRADE RD
Narrative Workshop - 21
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A Dog can be your Best Frieond By Mariana Hena
. With a at never leaves you alone t is great to have a dog th gs. always knows your feelin He k. tal d an y pla n ca u dog yo d be his that you can trust him an is g do a of rt pa st be e Th life because he always is my in nt rta po im is g do A best friend. s me alone. with me and never leave only
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do not gs are my favorite. I I love animals, but do big ones and crazy dogs, I mean y inn sk tle lit e os th to anmean but my mother gave it er ev tri Re n lde Go a d too. I ha at I am going it was very big. Now th other person because dog. going to have another am I e us ho of ge an ch to mom bought he plays with me. My I love my dog because es the toys nes or balls. Sometim bo e lik ys to ny ma him exciting. the game noisier and ke ma is th d an ds un make so with him. This way I always play nd I love s badly, but I don´t mi ve ha be g do my es Sometim BEST FRIEND! him very much. IT IS MY
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The Most Fabulous SistaeLreguizamo By Sar
u ask me I g sister? Well if yo bi ur yo t ou ab k e in hat do you th cause she makes m be us lo bu fa is er st will say you: “My si . ts me in everything or pp su s ay w al e sh laugh and t company ust and she is a grea tr n ca u yo ch hi lp w mes when I need he Sofia is a person in eti m so d an d, sa when I’m hen I am when I’m alone or when I’m bored. W d an e m ith w s ay pl r day or advenin something. She lks to me about he ta d an e, m ith w eating, she sits t get bored. tures so that I don’ vent many e can be able to in sh e us ca be n fu all with me. We laugh My sister Sofia is so d an . ys to ith w g, my do gry but I creative games with she can be very an es m eti m So ! ng pi op e it is today. day long without st y life wouldn’t be lik m r he t ou ith w e don’t care becaus ay l, most big sisters m el W e! m to is e sh special nificent, Now you see how e is marvelous, mag Sh h! O e! in m t l, Bu s. of how she is. Wel be mean or jealou ds or w e or m y sa y. I cannot se! and she is so funn in the entire univer er st si g bi tic as nt fa ost in fact she is the m
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The Magic Carpet
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By Juan Felipe Cassés
One d
ay, a boy named Juan Felipe was jumping and he saw a floating thing in his room. He closed the door and observed that object above his head. It was a magic carpet that had a note that said: “Dear Juan Felipe, you have to say a name of a place and I will take you there” Juan Felipe thought for a minute and said… Italy! He visited the Pisa Tower and saw it was falling on him, but some men pulled the ropes that were holding it and they saved him. When he was there, he said: “Rome” and the carpet took it to The Vatican. Immediately, he was in the first row and the Pope gave him the hand. He was very happy because it made his day much better. After that, he went to “Milan” and went to see a soccer game: Juventus-Milan. Next day he remembered that his cousin lived there and he wanted to visit him, so they could play in the snow at least for 8 hours. After all those activities, he was obviously hungry, so he decided to go to a restaurant that his uncle recommended him and he had a delicious dish of pasta. Then, he said to himself: “I have always wanted to be in the roman coliseum”, so the carpet flew directly there. He took pictures of everything in that place. When he got
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bored, he said: “My other uncle’s house” and he was there in less than a minute. Of course he needed to tell them the story he just experienced and then he went to bed. In the middle of the night he heard a noise in the garage, so he stood up and went there. He could see a light, so he got closer … and… it was a… a… a… lantern. Italy was nice, but now he wanted to go to France. When he woke up he said “Paris” and the carpet took it there. The magic carpet was so tired that it needed to stop at the Eiffel Tower. Juan Felipe remembered that he had always wanted to climb it, so he did it. When he was climbing he really got tired and suddenly came to his mind the word “Bogotá”, so he said it aloud… and then he heard the following words: “Love, you are going to get late to school” “Oh mom, I have had the beast dream in my life”, and his mom asked him: “What was it about? – It is too long to explain, mom! I said.
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If I could change places with
Rafael Nadal for a day!
By Simón López
I would
have a lot of fun, if I were Rafael Nadal for a day. I would do everything in one single day. But one day I did it and I enjoyed it very much. That day I did all the things you could imagine. It was fantastic and not only fun, but very fun. I played vs. other professionals like Roger Federer and I won all the games. I went to Wimbledon and Roland Garros and I won a trophy. When I was playing, I was on TV. I signed tennis balls, rackets and many other things with my autograph. After that, I went to my very big house and I played tennis all day long. I would really love being Rafael Nadal, so I’d ask him if I could have another day on his place. I think he would say “yes, but only one day more.” I don’t know when it could happen, but I´m thinking about it. Now, I don’t know if I would do it because I don’t know what grade I’m going to get on this test. Anyway, I think I’ll get an A”
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One day as the escort of
Juan Pablo II By Isabella Ochoa
Today
we are going to have a great adventure in Europe, exactly in the Vatican in the year 2003 because we are going to become the escort of Juan Pablo II. Now let’s count from 3… 1, 2, 3, puff! When I opened my eyes I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw Juan Pablo II explaining the most beautiful text of all my life. There were a lot of people standing up, and then I noticed I had become the escort of Juan Pablo II. Then, I asked him if I could take him five pictures and he nodded his head telling me that I could do it. He was wearing a white cassock, and his hair and eyes were black. When he finished the mass, I helped him to get off the stage and we got into the pope’s car. Then, we went to the park. There he gave me a big hug and thanked me. Juan Pablo II asked me to leave him alone in the park. So e while he was there, I visited the city. I took pictures of the city. Suddenly my phone rang. The pope’s people called me and said that I could go and pick him up at the park. I picked him and we went back to the Vatican. There I had the opportunity to interview him. There was 12:00 pm., so I heard a “punt” and a “bataplum” and on that moment I ran and hugged my parents. Now that I was Isabella Ochoa again, I could show them the pictures I took when I was Juan Pablo II’s escort. I told my parents everything I did and added that I loved to be the escort of Juan Pablo II because I learned how special he was with other people.
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A New York Vacation on a Magic Carpet By María Camila García Fernández
If
I had a magic carpet I will have the opportunity to go anywhere but I’ll mostly like to go to New York. New York is a very beautiful city with many touristic places. One of the places I would visit is the Statue of Liberty which is a very important monument in all United States. I will go there by boat because it is surrounded by water. There I will take pictures of me and the great Statue of Liberty. Then I will go back to the city by boat and go to other important places. Another important place I would visit will be Broadway and Times Square streets. In Times Square I will visit M & M’s factory and eat many M & M’s of different flavors. Then I will go to Toys ‘R Us store and buy many toys with my own money such as robots, plastics toys and stuffed animals. Then I will go to Broadway Street. There I would visit the Broadway Theater and see a big play with lots of music and dancing. Another important place I will visit would be Central Park and Central Park Zoo. In Central Park I will go to see the animals that live there in nature such as squirrels and turtle. I’ll go there to play in some of all the individual parks it has in it. There, in the parks, I would play a lot in the swings and slides until I cannot play more. I would go to the zoo and see seals play and do tricks with humans in the water. I will also see penguins, lions and other animals with awesome talents such as seals. A New York vacation on a magic carpet would be amazing as it is written. I would like that someday this New York vacation on a magic carpet could really happen.
30 - persuasive writing / realistic fiction story / fantasy
4TH GRADE LOOKS… BECAUSE By Manuela Vargas
Fourth
grade looks really interesting. I think we are going to make really fun projects but we are going to work a lot too. Meanwhile it is not difficult but I guess you will have to make a lot of effort to make the class fun and interesting. Homework is a lot, and class work is really good. In third grade we didn´t have too much stuff but since the first day in fourth grade, I liked everything teachers assigned us to do. I like every teachers and every subject. Teachers are really kind and lovely. I’m going to enjoy FOURTH GRADE a lot!!!
Now that the year is over, in fourth grade I have things that I like and some I didn´t. This year I made more friends, and boys and girls were more closer. Although teachers and friends were good, the exams, work, and homework weren´t good. There were good and bad times, fun and boring activities, but in general fourth grade was GREAT!!! We had good times like the PROM and others that were bad such as the week of exams. School would be easier without work, but that’s what school is about and we can´t change it. That is what we need to experience with joy to become a mature person.
4 GRADE TH
persuasive writing / realistic fiction story / fantasy
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Cuba
By María Camila Restrepo, Juan Diego Sánchez, Lorenzo Córdoba Cuba is an interesting country because its history and culture are different from other countries in Central America. Cuba is the largest island on the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the famous city of Habana which it is a great place to visit. Cuba is located in the Caribbean Sea. It is surrounded by Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas and is 90 miles from Key West (Florida). About one fourth of the country has mountains and the rest is mostly flat. Besides, Cuba has hundreds of rivers and most of them are shallow. Cuba has a tropical climate that provokes hot and humid conditions throughout the year. Between November and April the weather is hot and dry, and between May and October there is a high rainfall. The threat of the hurricanes is present in Cuba annually. Cuban flora and fauna are rich. There are about 7000 species of plants and 50% are native to the
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island. Cuba’s flora is represented by different types of flowers. There are some trees like the national tree called Royal Palm. The national flower is the “jasmine”. This plant is an orchid with white petals. Other varieties of plants are cactus, coconut palm, dinner palm, mango, avocado, and banana. The fauna is well represented by wildlife. There are no large mammals and the most popular is the bat. In addition, there are a lot of species of reptiles such as crocodiles, chameleons, and iguanas. There are native Cuban birds such as the woodpecker, the Emerald Hummingbird , and the Blackbird. The national bird is the Tocororo. Cuba´s original inhabitants were the Ciboney and Guanahatabey people. Later people from Venezuela called the Taino took over this island. When the Spaniards invaded the island, they forced Tainos into slaves. Most of these new slave community disappeared because of overwork and diseases brought by Europeans.
Cuba just got the independence in 1902 although by that time U.S.A had already gotten a strong influence over the island. Many years passed until Fidel Castro, communist Cuban revolutionary leader, took total control of the island in1959. Since that time, he became the president of the country. He broke economic and social relations between Cuba and capitalist countries such as the United States. Other important trait of Cuba is tourism. Cuba attracts over 2 million people a year and is one of the main sources of revenue for the island. With its favorable climate, beaches, colonial architecture, and history, Cuba has long been an attractive destination for tourists. In the 20th century Cuba benefits from big investments, creation of industries, and immigration. By the beginning of the 20th century, Cuba’s close relations with the U.S.A helped Cuba´s market economy including tourism prosper quickly. However, since 1960 relations between Cuba and the United States
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deteriorated after Castro´s abrupt expropriations of private property. As a result, the island became out off from its traditional tourism market and a travel fine was imposed on U.S citizen visiting Cuba. This caused an economic crisis. But in the middle of the economic crisis, Cuba’s government guided a program to restore old hotels and several Havana streets but under the policy that Cubans were not allowed to enter in tourist stores. Nowadays, visitors come primarily from Canada and western Europe. The most visited areas by tourists are Varadero, Cayo Coco, the beaches areas of north Holguin , and Havana. Cuba also attracts people from around the world with its wonderful food. Cuban food is a fusion of Spanish and Caribbean dishes. They influence Cuban recipes in spice and flavor. Traditionally, the typical Cuban meal is served at the same time ( instead of serving the drinks first, then the entry, and then the main dish). The typical
dish usually consists of plantains, black beans, and rice, beef, Cuban bread, pork with onions and tropical fruits, and a well known dish “ropa vieja”. Another dish is made up of black beans and rice and is called “ Moros y Cristianos”. Many meat dishes are cooked slowly and with light sauces. Cuban music is very rich and is a well known expression of culture. The key form of this music is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles such as salsa, mambo, and “cha-cha-cha”. Rumba is another type of music originated in early Afro-Cuban culture. Regarding musical instruments, the Tres became popular in Cuba, plus other traditional Cuban instruments coming from Africans, Tainos, or both. Among them, maracas, guiro, marimba and various wooden drums including the mayohuacan are distinguished. Popular Cuban music of all styles has been enjoyed and praised widely across the world. Classical Cuban music, which includes music with strong African
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and European influences, and features of symphonic works as well as music of soloists, has received international acclaim thanks to composers like Ernesto Lecuona. Besides, Havana became the heart of the rap scene in Cuba when it began in 1990. Since that time reggae ton has grown in popularity. Dance in Cuba has taken a major boost over the 1990 s too. Cuba has excelled in sports in national and international competitions and tournaments. Cuba excels in sports such as baseball, boxing, judo, athletics and volleyball. In addition, Cuba is very good in the javelin, having a 5th position in the Olympic games in China 2008. Yohandri Hernandez could lift 215 kg and won as a weight lifter. Not long ago, Cuba got the second place in the first Classic Baseball World Cup. Many more can be added to this report but we would rather prefer that you visit Cuba, enjoy the island, and meet its people.
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URU GUAY
By Raimundo Vélez and Silvia Ramirez
U
ruguay is one of the 13 countries in South America; it is also one of the 5 smallest countries in this region. Uruguay’s population is about 3,447.569 inhabitants. Because of the geographical location, the political conditions, its social development, and life quality, its world level position is 114. Uruguay’s official name is Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Uruguay, among other countries, is a member of the ONU. Regarding Uruguay’s history, the Spanish people arrived in Uruguayan territory in 1516, but the people’s fierce resistance to conquest, combined with the absence of gold and silver, limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay then
became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese. In 1811 Jose Gervasio Artigas who became a national hero, launched a successful revolution against the Spanish authorities, defeating them on May 18 in the Battle of Las Piedras. Later on, Brasil conquered Uruguay. Uruguay united with Argentina fought against Brazil. Uruguay and Argentina won it. August 25th is the day of the National Independence. Uruguay is in the Southeast of South America. Uruguay’s borders are: in the North and Northwest Brasil, in the Southeast the Atlantic Ocean, in the South La Plata River, and in the West Argentina. Uruguay has a political administrative division with 19 departments: Artigas, Salto, Paysandú, Rio Negro, Soriano, Colonia, San Jose, Flores, Durazno, Tacuarembó, Rivera, Cerro Largo, Treinta y Tres, Florida, Rocha, Canelones, Lavalleja, Maldonado and Montevideo. Their capitals got the same names of the states
except for Rio Negro that is Fray Bentos, Flores is Trinidad, Cerro Largo is Melo, and Lavalleja is Minas. Uruguayans access to clean water is from 91% to 100%. The access to sweet water is high too. Uruguay’s official language is Spanish. Concerning religion, Uruguay has many religions and some are Catholic 47%, Atheists and Agnostics 17%, 11% Protestants, Spiritual 3%, 2% Jewish and other beliefs 20%. With respect to food, two of the typical plates that the people from Uruguay like to eat are “Milanesa Napolitana” and “Escalopes Criollos”. The folk and popular music of Uruguay is similar to Argentina, is the Tango. Uruguay’s favorite musical instrument is the guitar. In Uruguay the official sport is soccer. Uruguay won the first FIFA WORLD CUP. It won it in 1930 by winning against Argentina 4-2 in Centenario, Montevideo (Uruguay). The second WORLD CUP Uruguay won was in 1950 in Maracaña, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Vs Brazil Uruguay. Uruguay’s flag has three colors: white, yellow, and blue. On the
flag’s left side, it has a sun that has a face painted on the center. The background behind the sun is white. The rest of the flag has white and blue stripes. On the other hand, Uruguay’s shield has six colors: yellow, blue, green, light brown, black, and white. The shield is oval shaped. The oval is divided into four parts: in one it has a blue background and a yellow balance. The second has a green island next to the blue sea. On the island there is a white house and a road that leads to the sea. The third one has a black horse with a white background. On the last one there is a yellow cow with a blue background. Regarding the Uruguay’s Anthem, its lyrics encourage people to fight when they want liberty or to die in a liberty war. Uruguay’s government is a democracy. The population chooses the president with the popular votes. This five year period president is called Jose Mujica. There is also a vice president and a 13 minister council. There are 30 members in the Senate. The House of Representatives has 99 members. The vice president is the president of the congress or the General Assembly.
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The Supreme Court has 5 members. Departmental officials are chosen by popular vote, too. In Uruguay there are 6,5% unemployed people. In Uruguay, soybean, rice, wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, and oranges are grown. Sheep and bovine are two types of cow used for livestock. Uruguayan exports to other countries are mainly meat, cereals, soybeans, oilseeds, software, rice, wool, dairy, wood, wine, leather and textiles. The exportations are sent to Brazil, China, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, and Russia. Uruguayans also possess industries of petroleum, machinery, chemicals, minerals, food and plastics. They export these products to Argentina, Brazil, China, USA, Paraguay, Nigeria, and others. Uruguay ‘s economy remains mostly dependent on agriculture and in the recent years there are some leading economic sectors that include meat processing, agribusiness, wool , leather production and apparel, textiles, and chemicals. Uruguay is wonderful!
persuasive writing / realistic fiction story / fantasy
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of South Africa Republic
By María Cárdenas and Alejandro Rodríguez
Sawubona (Hello). In the bottom part of Africa there is an amazing country, it is South Africa. It has many interesting traits. For example, its flag is made up of 6 colors. Besides, its area is 471,445 square miles. Its borders are the Indic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Aren’t there many borders? South Africa’s climate and geography are particular. South Africa`s rivers cannot be navigated and they don’t have any natural harbors. As in the rest of the African continent, South Africa’s landscape is dominated by a high plateau in the interior and is surrounded by coastal lowlands. It has more than 2,500 km that go along the Atlantic Ocean and the Indic Ocean. The coastline is regular and has few natural harbors. Each of the land forms--the inland plateau, the mountain rang-
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es, and the lowlands—shows a wide range of variation in topography and in natural resources. The climate changes too. Languages are another important issue in South Africa. Eleven languages have been recognized in the country but the most important and spoken are Afrikaans, English, and 9 African languages. Among the last are Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Imagine speaking and learning so many languages. More than 70% of the South African whites are bilingual. Regarding religion, about 80% of the population follows the Christian religion. The second largest religion is the Roman Catholic. A smaller number of South Africans are Muslim or Hindu. Sports are a important for the people in this country. Rugby is the most popular sport in South Africa. Cricket is also a very popular sport in the country and the national team is named The Proteas. South Africa’s national soccer team
is nicknamed Bafana Bafana meaning the boys. South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Other popular sports are boxing, hockey, surfing, and running. South Africans have a variety of food that comes from different countries. They named their food “rainbow cuisine”. Seafood is a staple food in South African diets along the country’s Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines. Rock lobster, mussels, octopus, and cod are common seafood selections. Fish is accompanied by potatoes, cabbage, corn, sunflower, peppers, and green beans. The desserts are made with fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. Education in South Africa is for all the population. This doesn’t depend on its skin color. The school includes 6 years of primary and 3 years of junior secondary. Then students can go to a technical education for 2 years. In 2002 there were 89% of the population that go to school. Nowadays, there are about 21 universities.
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South African transportation is very modern. There are about 275,971 km of roads. Most of the roads are paved. Many important people are from this country; for example, Nelson Mandela who was 27 years in prison and then became the first black president. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. John Michael Coetzee is another important person, a novelist and literature translator. Basil Rathbone is a famous actor of movies and Volschenck is one of the first professional artists. This country has 3 capitals according to the government organization. The first capital is Pretoria, the center of the executive branch. Bloemfontein is the capital of the judicial branch and Cape Town is the center of the legislative branch. The three main branches of the government are the legislature branch composed of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, the executive branch that includes the president who is both Head of State and Head of Government and the Judiciary branch which has the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and the High Court. Come to South Africa and know a little bit more about it!
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A HARD LIFE By Laura Chamorro CHAPTER 1 / THE BAD NEWS Mary was very happy living in a cabin with her parents in the Rocky Mountains. She loved the nature and pure oxygen that surrounded her. She loved taking care of the goats and playing with her cat Maggie. One day she took the goats to a lake surrounded by lots of long green grass. She went closer to the lake to drink some water when she saw the reflection of her red dress and long, blond, curly hair. She felt relaxed and happy. Then, Mary felt very sleepy so she crawled up to a tree and fell asleep. An hour past and she didn´t even noticed. Suddenly, she woke up
and saw a lot of smoke coming from her house. Mary was worried so she went running as fast as she could. When she got to her house she saw it destroyed. Then she heard her father crying. She went to the back of the house and saw him. She asked, “Daddy, are you okay? Where is mommy?” He was crying even louder than he was before. And he replied, “Honey, your mother was sleeping in her bedroom and she didn´t remember she left the oven on. It suddenly got on fire but neither of us knew because I went out to grab some corn and when I came back I saw the whole house on fire. I called and looked all over for her but I didn´t find her. I put out the fire, I went in to find what was left, and saw her dead body”.
CHAPTER 2 / LIFE CHANGES The next week after the incident, all that Mary and her father did was cry. They were very sad and heartbroken. Since their house was completely destroyed they stayed at the house of Mary´s grandmother. One day, her father decided to go on a walk with Mary and talk
about things that would happen to her. Her father said, “ Mary I am very sad to say this, but for now I can´t keep you any more. Listen, things have been very complicated since your mother died and until I figured out what to do, you will go to Denver and live with aunt Susan“, said her father with tears in his eyes and feeling very guilty. “No Dad! I don´t want to go, I want to be with you!” “I am so sorry sweety, but there is not other option.”
CHAPTER 3 / THE SKI RESORT After a long trip in train, the poor little Mary finally got to Denver where she met aunt Susan and Biscuit her dog. Two weeks passed and Mary was awfully depressed. She didn´t play, talk or even eat much. She had no other kids to play with, neither her mom nor dad to pamper her. A month passed, winter came and Susan got a job as ski instructor in a ski resort close to Denver. She could take Mary to the classes where she would learn how to ski, socialize with
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other kids from around the world and maybe have some fun. When Mary heard this news, she was very excited and for the first time she felt a little happy. When the special day to go came, Mary and Susan packed their things and left. They took Biscuit, which also seemed to be happy. When they got to the room in the resort, they unpacked and since it was late that night, they went to sleep.
CHAPTER 4 / A TRUE FRIEND When Susan started to teach the ski classes to the group of kids, she had a lot of fun as well as Mary. The little girl found a special friend who came from Brazil. His name was Joao. They always laughed and had a great time together. He was very nice with her. She learned many things about the place where he came from, and even she learned some words in Portuguese. Mary felt that things were starting to get better in her life.
CHAPTER 5 / IN DANGER On a Saturday afternoon, Mary and Joao asked aunt Mary permission to go skiing for some time to have fun. She agreed because she thought the kids would have some time to practice what they have learnt. So the children skied through the mountains of snow. They stopped for a while because they felt tired and they wanted to drink hot chocolate. When they continued it started to snow very hard and they barely could see anything. As they tried to find their way through all that snow, it was starting to get dark. Suddenly Joao made a bad movement, felt down and hurt his arm. “Oh! Joao, are you ok?” Mary said as she tried to help him up. “Yes, I am fine but I think I broke my arm”, Joao said as he finally he stood up. “Come on lets make a type of shelter with this branches that are in the floor”. “Sure, and after that, lets light a fire so it can keep us warm” said Mary picking up some branches.
When they finally got that done, they sat under the shelter and beside the fire in silence. The two of them were really scared. Suddenly they heard something coming closer and closer and the Biscuit and Susan came out from the bushes. The kids were so happy to see them. The kids told Susan the story and she took out a bandage and wrapped it around Joao´s arm so it wouldn´t hurt that much. Then finally they went home.
CHAPTER 6 / I CAN´T BELIEVE IT When the vacations ended, it was time to say bye to Joao. Mary was a little sad but they promise each other they will keep in touch. After a lot of adventures in the ski resort, Mary, Susan and Biscuit went back home. The time she had lived there helped her to recover and feel happy. But she never stopped wanting to be with her parents again. Eight days later, Mary´s aunt got a call from her dad saying he had finally found a job in
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Denver and now he was able to live with Mary. When the little girl heard of this news, she said she couldn´t believe it. Two days later she met her father at the train station. “Daddy, I missed you so much, I can´t believe you are here! Don´t ever leave me again” she said with excitement. “Please forgive me for leaving you, I promise that it won´t never ever happen again. I am so sorry, I missed you so much” said her father. “It is ok daddy, you did it because you had no other choice. I understand that” said the girl. And she said to her aunt, “Aunt Susie thank you for everything you did for me. I will miss you a lot. I will come to visit a lot every time I can. I had a great time with you.” And so they hugged and said goodbye. As you see, this small family lived happily ever after once again.
THE END
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A STRANGE DREAM By Sara Buitrago CHAPTER 1 NATALIE Natalie Jones is a girl that has many characteristics for example she is very noisy, mean, moody and doesn´t like jokes. Would you want to know what happened to Natalie? One day Natalie was going to school as usual. When she was walking down the road she saw her neighbor walking his dog it was a golden retriever. When Joe the neighbor saw Natalie he said “Hi, Natalie nice to see you”. Natalie turned her head and she didn´t even look at him. She was jealous because there was a raffle in a party and Joe won the prize and she didn´t. So, she continued walking pretending she didn´t see him.
CHAPTER 2 THE PROBLEM Natalie was close to school. The school was the most famous institution in town named JPO School. The school was very big and all the children were able to study there. When she arrived to school she saw her friends talking. In that moment the bell rang and Natalie and her friends had to go to class. At recess time her friends didn´t talk to her when Natalie asked them what was wrong Sofia answered “Natalie, we are tired of your behavior with us”, and July continued “You are bossy and mean”. Lorraine said, “We always have to obey you and you make nasty comments about us and we can never give our opinion about anything”.
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CHAPTER 3 GOING HOME The day passed and she thought and thought about what had happened at recess time. When the final bell rang, she went home walking with a sad expression on her face. On her way home, she didn’t stop to buy a jelly doughnut at the corner of school. She neither stopped to bother her dumb neighbor Joe. When she arrived home she rang the bell and when her mom opened the door, she walked straight to her room and she didn’t listen to her mom saying “Hi dear, how was school today?”. She didn’t answer. She closed the door of her room and started thinking and thinking and reading and thinking and finally she fell asleep………..
CHAPTER 4 A DREAM Natalie got lost in the forest. She walked in circle and she saw a little red door. She decided to open the little door and get in. When she got in, she found a strange forest, not like the one she saw before. It was sunny but the tall trees didn’t let the sun come in. The trees had small yellow and orange fruits. She was very hungry and she thought the small things were mangoes or some other tropical fruit, she tried to catch one but it turned into a small fluffy animal. She turned to one side and saw 2 frogs pointing and laughing about her. She decided to ask them what was so funny. And one of the frogs answered, “Why did you touch the bumbles?” And the other said “they get very upset when somebody touches them” Natalie answered “THE BUMBLES?? I thought they were fruits”. They continued laughing.
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Natalie got angry and told them to stop laughing. One said “You are so dumb that you see what you want to see!” “O.K, O.K.”. Natalie asked them where the exit is. She wanted to go back home” THE EXIT?... Ohhh the exit!!!!! They looked at each other. “We would tell you how to get out, but first you have to do something for us”. “What??? Why do I have to do something nice to you?” “We thought you asked for the exit” The frogs replied “O.K. What do I have to do?” “You have to give 2 blueberries to the Bumble you woke up”. “That sounds very easy”, the girl thought so, she took the 2 blueberries to the Bumble. When she was going to give the blueberries to the Bumble, she saw its big teeth. She was scared the Bumble would bite her, but it didn´t. “now, where is the exit?...”
CHAPTER 5 THE NEXT VISIT The 2 frogs didn´t know where the exit was so she told them they were dumb and she started walking again and saw a white cat but she didn´t care so she didn´t ask him. Then Natalie saw a wise turtle and asked him “Hey, you little turtle where the exit is? I mean the exit of this world!” “Oh, the exit I know but help that little bird, that fell from the tree, put him in his nest again” “Ok, and then you would tell me where is the exit?” “yeah, of course , so go know!” Then Natalie had to cross the river but she didn´t want to get wet so she asked to a big duck if it can help her cross and the big, mean duck told her ”no, why should I?” Natalie stopped for a moment that she had heard that expression before, actually she said it to her friend Lorraine but Lorraine answered “Because you use to call my friend but Natalie couldn´t answer that because
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she never met that duck before. So, she said “Because… you are kind and people use to be helpers” “No, you are not kind with people and now you want that people treat you kindly?” So, Natalie turned around and crossed the river swimming and when she got to the tree, she picked the little blue bird and she started to feel something she had never felt before like…
CHAPTER 6 A STRONG FEELING …She started feeling she wants to help that cute blue bird it was like “LOVE” Natalie whispered to the bird “…I love you…” “ohh, silly me! How can I love this bird?” But inside she really loved the bird “I LOVE THIS BIRD, I LOVE IT” she shouted and started to cry because she remember her mom and her friends and she was tired of fighting with everyone. At the back there was the wise turtle and the cat looking at her and whispering “she had changed a little bit.” said the wise turtle. “But not enough, to
be answered what she is asking for”, said the white cat. Then, Natalie placed the little bird on the nest and returned to where the turtle was but when she got there, she saw the turtle flying through the air, waving good bye. “NO, WAIT WHAT IS THE ANSWER? Ohh no, and I don´t know what I am going to do now!”
CHAPTER 7 THE ANSWER Natalie was walking and saw many creatures with their family and she felt bad because she didn’t have her mom, her dad and her annoying little brother. And then she saw a giraffe and asked her what she always asked but then she asked something she didn´t asked to the frogs neither to the turtle she asked if she has sons and she said “ Yes, I do I have 2 young daughters and 3 sons”, but Natalie left before knowing the answer but the giraffe said “Little girl, yes, I would tell you something” “Yes, you don´t know what you have until you lose it” Natalie started
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CHAPTER 8 A HUG thinking about that and started to cry and cry. Then she sat on the top of a steep hill and saw the white cat and she said “Get out of here, go, go!” “Why? The cat asked “Because… Because…” “Little girl, but look what you have done, you had helped many animals like that little bird or the Bumble” “Yes, you are right, helping people makes me feel good”. “Now, you have to change and you will wake up”. “Are you sure”, said Natalie. “Yes, so now wake up!”
Natalie woke up and saw her clock; it was 4:43 pm. Then she said “I am here!” “Mom I am here!” “Natalie! I know my dear, I saw you in your room, sleeping with the book of The Secret Garden in your hand for the last 3 minutes!” “I love you mom” “Me too Natalie, me too” “Oh, I have to go and call my friends or to see them on Grand´s street” “O.k., go!” When Natalie saw her friend, she told them that she was so sorry of her behavior and promised them, she was going to change and she did. And now after 2 years she is very kind and generous and every night she sees that white cat on her window, she remembers her about that strange dream that changed her life.
THE END!
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A World Without Balance By Margarita Salazar
CHAPTER # 1 MY BIRTHDAY Hailey was dancing in her room with her blond hair flying all over the place and her blue eyes shining. When she entered her parent’s room she grinned and hugged her dad while her mother was sleeping.”I’m turning 13 today!”, she said .Her dad smiled and said “Let’s go for an ice cream while your mom is sleeping”,”ok” she said Hailey. Her dad grabbed the keys and said “I bought this for my big girl” showing a golden locket with the word love on it. She hugged him and said “I love you too”. When they were returning home, a man with his car passed a red light and crashed Hailey’s car… she was unconscious.
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CHAPTER # 2 HORRIBLE NEWS She woke up in a white room; she saw everything in a blur. When she prepared her voice she let the words come out in a soft tone and asked her mom “Where’s dad?” She couldn’t hear anything but she read her lips…her dad was dead. Her mother was crying. Hailey looked out of the window in the hospital imagining her dad beside the dark blue car, with the sun shining on his face waiting for her to go get the ice cream.”It was a beautiful California day that turned into a nightmare” she thought. Holding her locket tightly to feel strong, she let one tear fall from her sad eyes. She was depressed.
CHAPTER # 3 TEARS She came home that day and saw her brother smiling. She responded with a horrible face. Her mom said to her brother “It’s late Mike, she’s
tired”. Her mom quickly wrote a note and then went to her room and cried all night. Hailey read the note that said: “Baby the doctor said the crash was hard and you would become deaf now or later, I’m sorry cupcake”. She took a deep breath and started praying. ”God, why do you do this to me why so much suffering? Help me I need your guidance”. She dropped some tears and she couldn’t fall asleep until later. She woke up the next day and asked her mom and gave her a piece of paper to answer. “Does Mike know?” Then her brother entered the kitchen and smiled. They quickly ate breakfast and no one talked. Her mother finally said “Tell Hailey’s teacher, Ms. Jones, Hailey is not going to school today”. Her brother got up without saying a word and left. Hailey asked her mom after he left, “Mom why doesn’t he talk?” Her mother wrote in a paper “He is sad inside”. “Everybody is sad”.
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CHAPTER # 4 MY FAULT She stood silent then banged the table, she got up and said “Everyone is sad because of my fault, I hate myself”. She ran to her room and banged the door shut. Her mother told her behind the door “you had a bad night, go to sleep”, knowing Hailey couldn’t hear. She had trouble falling asleep because of the crying but later she did. Later she woke up and ran outside and shouted “It’s my fault” and hit the floor. She started to cry and her mother ran outside and hugged her tightly.
CHAPTER # 5 CHANGING SCHOOL The next day they were eating breakfast and her mother wrote in a paper, “I’m going to school to talk with the
principal.” Hailey answered, “Talk about what?” “You’ll see” her mother said. They got to school and Hailey remembered horrible flashbacks of the accident. Her mother talked to the principal and Hailey looked confused. Her mother wrote on a paper that she was going to change of school. Hailey got furious and said in a tense voice “I’m a person; I can go to school because I’m not a freak.”Her mother got very mad and answered “You’re not a freak and you will never be one. Take your stuff”. She made a sign and they left. They got on the car and Hailey said “I want to go to school”. Her mother wrote on a piece of paper, you are going to a school where they will teach you skills”.”What skills!” said Hailey? Her mother didn’t answer. Hailey saw that they were entering to a strange school with kids playing with a strange thing in their ear.
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CHAPTER # 6 A NEW START A teacher welcomed them and by that time Hailey was sure it was a new start. Her mom and the teacher started speaking and Hailey didn’t understand until the teacher gave her a piece of paper that said “This is a world without balance”. Hailey read the paper and ripped it into pieces. The woman grinned and left. They showed Hailey her room and she knew this was her new home. She sometimes felt guilty because she remembered her dad but later she felt happy again. When she graduated at age 18 she left and she decided to become a photographer. She accomplished her dream. She had her dad in her heart and knew he was with her. She visited her mother and brother and had a happy life. As they have said, it is a world without balance after all.
s t u n l a W e • 2nd edition
in Online magaz
2010 - 2011 •
#5
Walnuts collects some of the best Elementary School Writing. 2010-2011