Winter Poem

Crisp Crunches

Crunch,Crunch

I really love that beautiful sound

Listen to the sounds of winter

Crunch

The frozen flakes of the sky

Crunch,Crunch

Falling from the heavens

White dots all over you

Crunch

The white shield on every lawn

Crunch

Perfectly fallen

Crunch

Fresh crystals 

Crunch, Crunch

Whitest of whites

Nature's freeze

Crunch

*Stomp stomp*

Getting the snow off your boots

Warmth

Rosy Cheeks

Creamy hot chocolate

Dazzling tree

Home for the holidays

Perfect

Brought home

by those crisp crunches.

Theme Essay

Thawed by compassion

          “Merry Christmas!” When this phrase is said, the normal response back is “Same to you!”. But if you’re a grumpy old man with a frozen heart, your response might be a cold “Buh Humbug!”. Ebenezer Scrooge is just this man, who basicly has no care for anyone.  But because of this, no one is really fond of him. But when 3 sprits haunt him, they show him that his lack of compassion affects his past, present, and future. The theme of the book A Christmas Carol  by Charles Dickens is the necessity for compassion.     

          Compassion is important because otherwise people know you as the a heart-less person that shouldn’t be messed with. An example is how the people in the town cast Scrooge aside because of his unkindness, as it says in the book "Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, "My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come see me?" No beggars implored him bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge."Because of his irritable ways, people would rather not be involved in any part of his life.

          When you have no compassion, people will see you like as a Scrooge, “…an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge.” is a good example from the book of Mrs. Cratchit talking about him. Scrooge is very stubborn, and if he were to change his ways, even just a little, others wouldn’t see him as this.

          A different text that shares the similar theme of necessity for compassion is Stargirl. In this book, Leo likes a strange girl, Stargirl, but when everyone in the school turns from her, he is the only one that shows kindness towards her. Even when his friends turn on him for being with her, Leo still stays with her because without him, she has nobody.

          Woods Runner  also has this theme. When Samuel is hit in the head with a tomahawk by in Indian, a small group of men take him with them and take care of him while he is passed out. They could have just left him to die, but they that realized that if it was the other way around, they would want his help. That group had compassion by saving his life and taking him with them.

          Compassion is a strong thing. The necessity for it is what really keeps us together. When Scrooge says “Humbug” to Christmas, he is haunted  by ghosts to teach him the very importance of this and why he should change.  Maybe on Christmas day, Scrooge’s heart will unfreeze from the cold and unkindness, warm up with some compassion, and finally say “Merry Christmas to all!”

Christmas Poem

The Joyful Season

Author's Note: In honor of the upcoming Christmas season, I decided to just right a nice little poem. :D

Lights twinkle on houses,

Bells' glorious cries fill the air.

Christmas music streams out of windows,

The holiday feeling everywhere.

Children play in the snow,

Stressed parents make cards.

Packages are sent,

They all end up under a tree.

A tree with different colors shining,

of precious ornaments from over time,

Gathered on that sacred pine.

Santa hats are worn,

Gloves and mittens too.

Now everything is finally ready,

people have waited for 364 days,

It's Christmas!

The great holiday in this Joyful Season.

Essay

Human & Tiger

       How are a human and tiger the same? They don’t seem like it, especially when one it a vicious, bloodthirsty beast while the other, a somewhat gentle kind, living in their man-made world. But when tragedy strikes, won’t they both try their best to survive? In the book, Life of Pi, Richard Packer and Pi Patel act similar when stranded in the middle of the sea on a lifeboat.

       When they are first on the lifeboat, they both sort of surrey for the supplies that they have to survive. In a way, both have an advantage; Richard Parker has the bodies of the dead animals while Pi has the locker full of supplies.

       Also, these two creatures start to rely on each other. After a while, Richard Parker realizes that he needs Pi to survive and to look after him, well mostly because a few rotting bodies and rainwater won’t last him long. Pi sort of needs Richard Parker too, as something to focus his mind. Caring for the tiger is what kept Pi mentally sane (well, somewhat) and alive. Day after day, month after month, both starve and weaken together and respect each other by not killing one another. Their journey on the lifeboat creates a strong bond between till they are both faithful companions.

       Besides them relying on one another, they also really start to take advantage of what they have. When food comes their way, they really saver it because they never know when the next time they’ll eat is. Same with water. It is never wasted because of how precious it is. When they find the island, Pi eats the algae while R.P. eats the meerkats. Anyway, they both eat as much as they can to finally fill their stomach.

       Human and tiger are the same in many ways when trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. They act similar in order to survive, or at least survive as long as possible. By the end of the book, when they reach Mexico and get off that lifeboat, human and tiger become of the same kind.

Predicting

 Author Note: I wrote this to example the piece below "Gang of Outcasts". In the book, Ten Miles past Normal, Janie is a farm girl trying to survive high school. She never eats in the cafeteria because it's full of jocks and popular girls,  so spends that time eating by her locker and the going to the Library, so her lunches are lonely. She wants to have someone to help her learns the tricks for high school. So this is how I predict the book will end...

I predict the end…..

       Janie will find other "outcasts" like her and they can work with each other to survive high school

Reasons….

• Its her dream for that to happen

        -She clearly says in the book "That's my dream, or course. That some regular, everyday people will show up and recognize me as someone who is basically normal, in spite of my Farm Girl mishaps, but whose soul is too sensitive to deal with the cafeteria alone. We will become friends and find other B lunch refugees, hiding out in the back of the school auditorium or hovering around the edge of the newspaper office, pretending to have a lead on a big story. When we have banded together enough troops, we'll take over a table in the cafeteria and never be lonely again"

• This has happened also when Cato and others joined together to survive the Hunger Games

         -Even though they didn't success, it was a good idea and helped them survive for a while

• She wants to change, she just needs someone to give her a push

          -She keeps saying to herself that she will eat in the cafeteria, but being alone was awkward and she was "feeling exposed and invisible at the same time"

Creative Predicting Piece

Gang of Outcasts

Author's Note: This is my creative version for the ending of the book Ten Miles past Normal. I also wrote this for Sentence Fluency.

Slowly, I looked around the library, desperate to find someone like me. I hated this, having to hide in the library for lunch while other people were sitting in the cafeteria, laughing with their group of friends at their own table. Yet again, I was disappointed. 

No one seems to be noticing me, I thought as a surveyed the space. I saw a few guys crowded around a computer, quietly shouted “YAH!” as one of them playing some war game. There was also was a popular girl from my science class, reading a physics book, looking very confused (she was probably try finish the science report last minute, of course. Good thing I finished mine already).

Then, I saw her. A girl in the reading corner of the library, her nose buried in one of my favorite novels, The Heart that Can’t be Broken. How was it possible, that I found the perfect person so quickly? How is it possible, that she is right there? How is it possible?; it has to be some sort of sign. Calmly, I take a deep breath, stand up, and slowly walk over to her.

Shaking, I say “He-hey I’m Janie”. Quickly, I try to think about what to say next as she looks up. Before a can say anything else, she says “Hi I’m Chloe”. Chloe gives me a weird look, almost if wondering why I’m talking to her. I panic.

“Um, well…” I say as I casually look around, looking for something to say. Why didn’t I think this through? “I was wondering…if you know where the fiction books are?” I asked, even though I could have found them blindfolded.

Chloe points toward them then returns to her book. I start to walk over there, but as I do I remind myself, The same person never comes to the Library two days in a row. You know that. It’s now or never! Just say something.

I turned and walked back her. She looked up from her book,  probably wondering why I came back. “Hey, I love that book!” I say, finding something to talk about.

“Oh yeah, it’s great isn’t it! I’m almost done too, so don’t ruin the ending.” Chloe said, smiling. This was my chance!

“I won’t, trust me. So, would you ever want to eat with me in the cafeteria?” I say a little more confidently.

Listening, Chloe soon looks confused why I would ask that and then says “Never. Well, I mean, it’s not you, it’s just that it’s a madhouse in there. I just started coming to this school a week ago and even I can see that.”

 I can’t hold it back; I have to tell her the truth. “Yeah, I know right! The cafeteria's crazy, especially when all your other friends are in A lunch and you have to sit alone. It's awful. Well, I just sort of want someone to sit with, I guess..”

At first, Chloe looks a little shocked. She replied “Well so do I. I have no friends here yet. Do you think you could sort of show me around, show me how this school works? Then maybe we could eat in there.”

“Of course” I say and sit in the chair next to her. Chatting, I realized I had finally found someone.

***

From then on, me and Chloe started going to the cafeteria.Smiling, I would enter it, finally feeling free. It felt nice not having to eat by my locker and spending the rest of lunch in the library. Eventually other “outcasts” like us started joining us. This was like the first step to not always feeling like such a farm girl. Our gang of outcasts is probably what would finally help me survive high school.

Predicting Practice

Chance: Dead or Alive
Author's Note: I wrote this to predict how the story "The Beast" would end and why I thought that

     -My prediction for the end of the story The Beast is that the dog, Chance, might be eaten by the cougar because he probably entered its the cougar's territory.The Warriors series is like this because the cats are very picky about territory. Even stepping one paw in another clans' territory can start a battle. I'm sure a cougar isn't much different. Plus, the book said that Chance wasn't that big and to a 300 pound cougar, he's probably a nice little midnight snack.
     -The end was about the complete opposite of my prediction. The cougar attacked (and might have killed) Steven, the dog's owner. I guess the cougar preferred human rather that dog, which makes  a little more sense because  Steven is more of a meal. But what did happen to Chance? It never says. Maybe it was something like this...

Chance runs back from the water's edge, happy and cheerful to have FINALLY gotten a walk. He turns his head, sniffing and searching for his owner. He traces his scent to the gate where he stops, shocked. He finds Steven unmoving body being dragged into the forest. His ears pick up a low growl and he runs. Runs through the open gate, runs home. Runs away from that awful park. Chance reaches his house, gets on his hind legs and pounds against the door. He barks with all his might, to get his older owners attention. The door opens and his older owner shouts something at him. Chance just ignores it; this was way more important then being in trouble. He points toward the park with his nose and whimpers loudly, almost if saying "He's over there! Something has killed him!…."

I think that would be the very end of the story because the book say that Steven walked Chance everyday , so they would have a strong bond. Also, Chance probably would know the path that they go and would be able to find his way back home. Since Chance cares about Steven, he would want to help him and the only person who would help is Steven's dad. 

Poem

The Giving Holiday

You sit down at the table, with family and friends,

The feast is laid out, it almost doesn't end.

But why is this happening, around this time of the year,

Well, it's a special gathering, Thanksgiving is here.

The Pilgrims and Indians started this, a long time ago,

Till this very day, we have followed them so.

Now the table is set and it's time to start,

Saying a quick prayer might be smart.

After giving thanks, we all start to dig into the meal,

And eat as much as we want, as much as we feel.

And what is all here, what is to eat?

Crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, where is the meat?

It's in the center, above all the others,

A big plump turkey, about the size of your younger brother.

The food may be good, but that isn't the point of it all,

It's to give thanks for what we have, on this holiday in fall.

Character Analysis Essay

Breaking the shyness

          A shy girl, practically hiding in the shadows. Her crush, the most popular guy in school, suddenly gets a bad limp and has to start wearing a leg brace.  Her teacher picks her of all the other students to help this boy while his leg is injured. Her dream is coming true. From then now, her friendship with him grows and she completely transforms into a much more confident person. In Deep Down Popular  by Phoebe Stone, Jessie Lou is the girl who changes from shy to confident around her crush, Conrad Parker Smith.

                At first, Jessie Lou has no clue what to say to Conrad. To her, he’s way too popular to even acknowledge her. She just thinks that she’s the girl in the back of the room, in a completely different world then Conrad. Jessie Lou has liked Conrad since they were little, as it says in the book “In second grade I covered Conrad with kisses whenever I could. In third I gave up my swing or my cookie or my bus seat coming home. By fifth grade I never said anything to him at all”. You see, as time goes on she becomes farther and farther from him. So by the time she’s in sixth grade, during the time of the story, she’s shier then ever.

                After Jessie Lou’s teacher picks her to help Conrad, it’s whole new step. She has to talk to him now. Soon she even relieves that. When they both started to hang out, Jessie Lou just talked the bare minimal to her crush, like when they were first walking home together. What broke the ice was when Conrad’s bike fell into the river and she pulls it out. From then on they start to really communicate. The more she’s around Conrad, the more she seems to talk to him. Their friendship grows until the end, when Conrad kisses her on the cheek. “Conrad’s kiss feels like a little butterfly fluttering against my cheek” as she says and for any girl, their crush kissing them is a dream come true.

                This change is like Hollis from Pictures of Hollis Woods, who is a girl who has been from foster home to foster home. When she is sent to Josie, she could care less. She barely wants to be there, but soon she starts warming up to Josie, their friendship becomes very strong. By the end of the book, Hollis would do anything to be stay with Josie because she finally feels wanted. Hollis and Jessie Lou change in almost the same way by growing a strong friendship.

                The shy girl comes out of the corner and starts being herself around her crush. Just by having more confidence, Jessie Lou completely changes her relationship with Conrad. Throughout the book, she completely changes for the good and her shyness completely floats away. By that point, she is like a completely different girl.

Short Character Analysis Responce

Ways of Change       

          In "Casey at the bat", Casey  is a show off baseball player, but after he strikes out, will he change? I believe that Casey will change his ways because he probably will realize that he isn't as amazing as he thinks he is . He's believes that he's the champ, especially with a giant crowd cheering him on. After striking out, maybe he'll see that there are people who can defeat him. Casey may be great, but he's not the best. This character reminds me  of Quentin from Deep Down Popular because of the way he thinks he's so awesome when he's really just annoying. Both of these characters are a little full of themselves, but they can change.

Poem

Shrieks and Scares

Author's Note: A couple weeks ago, the weather was really stormy and spooky at my soccer practice, so I decided to write this for Halloween.

The trees shake

Their dead branches rattle,

to the melody of the witches' cackles 

As they prepare their potions for Halloween night.

The eerie clouds stir restlessly, the wind howls like a were wolf

Bats fly across the dark sky

You stand their, smaller than you could ever imagine

While the world wakes, ready for Halloween Night

Black leaves blow off trees, and shadows creeping up from everywhere

Then the monsters, the goblins, the ghosts, the witches

Vampires, old mummies, and spiders appeared

They slowly drift closer, and closer

The closer they come, the faster your heart pounds

Step, pound, step, pound, step, pound

They're here on Halloween.

They have waited all year to haunt, to give others shrieks and scares.

Essay

More Candy?

Author's Note:  This is another essay that I wrote because my Patriot's Pen was awful. Hopefully, this one is a lot better.

         

“Trick or Treat!”, the age old saying that comes every October. We all love the sweet candy, and want as much of it as possible. The ultimate goal is to come home with a big pillowcase full of the delicious goodness, to have the victory having more than your siblings. But what if that was ripped from you, if the pillowcase became almost empty and the siblings taunted you till Thanksgiving. How could you bear with that? I might have to, because this year I will miss half an hour of trick-or-tricking because of a soccer game that I “need” to go to. That is why, to avoid this horrible burden of having less candy, I think my loving, caring parents should buy me a little extra.

One reason is because my favorite candy is on sale, the wonderful Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. How could you pass up that? I mean, when you usually go trick-or-tricking you get some candy that you hate and never eat, leaving it in the bag to rot and discovering it the next year, but if you buy your favorite candy, none goes to waste. It’s the perfect candy for a bargain.

          Another reason I need more candy is because without it my favorite holiday will be ruined. I know that that sounds super dramatic, but it’s true. You see, I look forward to Halloween for the entire year; I’m always excited to go throughout the neighborhood with my best friend and having a good time. Of course I also look forward to collecting candy (who wouldn’t?).But since I’m missing the last half an hour of trick-or-treating, which is when people hand out more pieces to get rid of their leftovers, I will end one with a lot less pieces than you may think.
         To conclude, I will have a serious shortage of sweets by the end of trick-or-treating. Being teased by my sister, and being envious of my friends when they are eating their candy and I am completely out will be unbearable. But my parents can end this suffering by spending just a few more dollars, but will they? Can’t they see that I need more candy?                 

Patriot's Pen Essay

Author's Note: I really hate this essay, so just don't judge me. I'm actually writing a different one which will  be better.

Flag of the Founding Fathers

                 There are many amazing people who founded this great country, each one a single stitch in the red, white, and blue flag that proudly waves in the air. Think about it, if you could talk to those great heroes, what would you say? I would want to thank the Founding Fathers for everything that they done right for our country.

                 “Thank you for voting rights!” would be the first I would tell them. Voting  has let the people of U.S.A. have a say in who runs the country. Also, voting makes our voice be heard and gives people a decision to really think about.
In this way, we are different than other countries who don't get to choose, who might not even care about how their country is lead. Voting gives us hope in bad times because the candidates deliver well-thought speeches to give their message and we pick the one that we think can push America forward.

                 Voting was a good decision, but I would also say “Thanks for establishing everything”. I mean, making laws from the very beginning controlled what happened here. Creating the Declaration of Independence was perfect; It was like the official document that made this country a whole. As the founders established states and cities, they basically created the U.S.A. that we have today.

                 “ I mostly thank you for freedom.” We live in such a great country, and we barely know it. We are so lucky for a strong, developed, free country. This country is blessed by having so many freedoms like freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Citizens here are free to follow our their own paths and  are free to decide. Freedom overall was the best thing the Founding Fathers did for this country and without freedom, everything for us would be a lot different.

                 The beautiful flag that soars in the air shows our Founding Fathers, still looking over us. They created the amazing country that we have now. From the choices they have made and the things that they did, the Founding Fathers really knew what they were doing and we will never forget them.

Cause/Effect Piece

   Effects of a dog

  In How to steal a dog by Barbara O' Connor, Georgina Hayes is a poor girl and her house is, well, a mini van. Her mom is juggling two different jobs, trying to save up enough money for an apartment. After seeing a flyer for a missing dog with a big reward for it's return, Georgina plans to steal a dog and wait for the fliers to pop up.  After a few tries, she finally steals a dog from its yard, and from this point nothing will ever be the same; She now has to hide the dog from the owner, her mom, and everyone really to keep herself from being in serious trouble and to insure that the reward money is hers.

     What lead to this is when her and her brother, Tony,  search for a dog who meets their requirements: A quiet dog in a rich-looking house. Anything different than that, the two of them could be caught or not get a high enough reward. But after the climax, the effects of it are hiding the dog in an abandoned house. After a while the owner gets very worried, and Georgina is trying to convince her to offer a high reward for the dog's safe return. This part of the book reminds me of how in Warriors New Prophecy: Midnight by Erin Hunter, humans start destroying the forest and all the cats get very nervous and don't really know what to do, like the owner of the dog. But even though stealing a dog was a weird idea from the start, if she didn't try at all she would spend the rest of her life in a mini van with her mom desperately trying to get enough money. Funny how stealing a dog could completely change your life.

Conflict/Resolution Piece

        Burning Brings the Problem

      In the book, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag is just a regular firemen; burning books is what he does. Soon people realize that he's  keeping books of his own. The main conflict is a Person VS. Society conflict because Montag wants to bring back books to society, but he knows  he'll just have to completing turn directions and brake away from his normal every day life. This conflict is sort of similar to the Hunger Games because of how Katniss has to out-smart the Capital at the end and break all the rules, like in this book.

       Montag pretty much reveals his secret of keeping books by showing his wife, Mildred, and her friends the books.  He half-resolves his conflict when the firemen come to burn his house, Montag ends up killing the captain of the firemen house and just making a run for it. He hides here and there, floating down the river and following abandoned railroad tracks. After a long trek, he finds some other former book keepers how also want to bring back books. In the end,  there's a feeling that they will eventually solve the problem because the Montag and his new allies give you the feeling that they will try to bring books out of the ashes from and stop the flames that burn them.

Narrative

Tube of Terror

            Two friends going to the water park, having fun, splashing around, doesn’t seem like a scary story right? It doesn’t. But part of that very trip still burns deep inside me even to this day.

          It was around my best friend Lauren’s birthday and she had invited me to come with her and her family to the Wilderness Water park for the whole day. I was definitely excited, although the ride there took an eternity. Bouncing around,  I felt like a caged animal in that tiny car.

After finally arriving, we dashed into the hotel room and changed to our swimsuits as quick as lightning. The water park had three section, each filled with different thrills and excitements of its own. Lauren had picked the one with a water raft ride called the black hole. As we walked through the halls to the water park, I was worried. My stomach felt sunken and I was freezing and sweaty at the same time. Any sort of ride made me nervous. But after this I would be way more than just nervous.

          All of us, Lauren, her mom, her grandma, and me, all sat in the circular raft. I prayed that I wouldn’t go backwards. Water bubbled and whispered its faint hiss from under the raft. My hands held the handles firm, my knuckles turning white. Then whoosh! The raft slid down the pitch black tunnel, no way of stopping it.

Feeling completely blind, I heard the water splashing around but it was almost like it was nowhere. I was there but I was nowhere. I was moving yet I wasn’t. My hand tried to find Lauren next to me but it felt lost in the void of space, where screaming, even till your vocal cords gave out, would never save you. “Lauren!” I half said, half yelled in the darkness to talk above the gurgle of the water.

         “Sarah, I’m right here!” she hollered as the raft began to shift and slide around. I held so tight to the handles that my hands felt numb.

I felt sweat on my body, even when covered in chlorine-drenched water. The raft was moving a lot, skidding lightly on the surface of the water. Suddenly the raft moved upwards and it was almost like I was standing. Please don’t have the raft flip,  I prayed; the last thing I needed was to be squirming and fidgeting, trying to grab hold of something in the a raft-less raft ride when there was no light.

          Slowly the raft moved to its normal position, and slowly I began to relax. My body was still shaking. A rising light, closer, closer. Soon the raft flooded with light and we were out. The rays surrounded me and I felt in a different world, a different universe. Before, the darkness felt like the last thing I would ever see. But I was alive, breathing hard, still worked up from the event like a deer who just luckily dodged a car. Trembling, I got out of the bright yellow raft, followed by Lauren and her other family members. Thank goodness, the scene was over. The curtained dropped.

But the play wasn’t over; I still think a lot about the event. “I thought we would die” I said to Lauren at the end of that day. “I could almost see the headline: RAFT FLIPS; 4 DROWN IN TUBE OF TERROR.” Lauren told me that I was crazy and laughed, but seriously, I am now terrified that that will happen again on any sort of rides because of that horrible memory.

Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have freaked out. I mean they design those rides so no one gets hurts, right? This memory is pretty important to me anyway because it was still part of a very fun day at the water park with Lauren. That little moment of complete fear, that's what really sticks out from that day. Maybe it would just be best to just forget the “Tube of Terror”. 

Retelling

Author's Note: If your going to read the book Stargirl then don't read this. (I give away the ending)

    

    When a strange girl  comes to a new school, she  opens the eyes of an ordinary boy. Soon the whole school goes into a frenzy for her, but that slowly slips away as they relieve she’s just plain crazy. As everyone turns on her, the boy becomes more close to her and when she moves away, he finds her hideout where her craziness really occurred.

Poem

A Simple Tree

A simple tree, in fall, winter, spring, summer

A simple tree, the golden leaves softly floating down one by one

A simple tree, nothing but bare bark in a rough blizzard

A simple tree, buds appear, life returning

A simple tree, the sun's blazing rays, scorning the tree

A simple tree, just a simple tree.

Quote Short Response

Words that don't Return

Author's Note: I made a comparison  with my quote to the Warriors series. If you don't know what that is or haven't read any, I understand so I tried to explain it just a little bit (By the way, they're cats)

"It is with a word as with an arrow- once let it loose and it does not return. " -Unknown

      This quote is great because it's short, sweet, and to the point. To me this quote means that when you release you're words you can't change them, so choose your words carefully, even if it's just a joke. This quote is important because people can tell a lot about just from your words.

       I totally agree with whoever said this quote. You can never take words back, even if you say "I take that back…", the words are always there. Whoever said this knew what he/she was talking about because choosing the right words is important. 
       Sometimes people will misinterpret what you say, like in Warriors New Prophecy: Starlight, Rowanclaw misinterprets Tawnypelt because the Clans were close on they're journey and she doesn't believe that they should start fight with each other over territory yet." Brambleclaw braced himself for a fight. But before Rowanclaw could pounce, a tortoiseshell streak burst out of the bushes and bowled him over. It was Tawnypelt. "What are you doing?" she spat. "It's much too soon to start fighting over territory". Rowanclaw glared at his Clanmate. "What a surprise, it's the half-clan warrior!" he hissed. "We all know you'd rather defend your brother than your Clan." "That's not true!" Tawnypelt protested." Just by your words people can tell a lot about you and misinterept what you say. Most of all, remember that your words never return.

Summer Poem

Goodbye School, Hello Summer

As summer approaches, the hallways clear

Summer is cleaning out lockers, closing the textbooks

But as school slowly dies away, summer takes over

Lawn chairs sit on bright green yawns

Bikes are dusted off and finally rode in the summer's gently, warm breeze

Boats, Beaches, Sand, all so familiar, from a long time ago

Warm, sunny days turn into fireflies that twinkle

 as the night's stars reflect their faint glow.

So goodbye school, hello summer!

Essay

Bring Summer to Students

          The beach, the sand, and warm summer breeze is something that kids look forward to the whole school year. They work hard for the year, so why do some people think that kids don’t need that break? Sure, adults work all year, but they’re adults. Students need the time to relax and just be…well, kids! Students should always have their summer breaks from school.

          Relaxing is the thing that we all need sometimes, and summer provides that to kids. It’s a time to hang out with friends, for spending time camping with our families. Without summer there’s no smore’s, no laughs, no break. It’s more peaceful to not stress over school work, even if it’s for just a little while, it is still enjoyable.

          Also, teachers need time to prepare for a new school year. If school years are right after the other, how can teachers plan? How will they prepare for a new year with new students? They can’t. Teachers have to have time to plan the school year’s activity and learning activities so that the school year goes smoother.

       Fun is another issue. How will kids have fun and just be their selves with no summer. Sometimes, we all need a break and summer gives kids time to have pleasure at the beach, a campground, or just at home. Summer is made for having fun.

          See, summer is the perfect time for relaxing, teachers to plan the next school year, and just plain fun. Students need summer to enjoy themselves and prepare for the coming year. It should never be cancels because it’s essential to kids and needs to stay. We must continue, continue to bring summer to the students.

Predicting Piece

What are you hiding?        

 

 What are you hiding? Well not you, but the characters Soula and Elliot in the book "Waiting for normal".  In the store, both act very suspicious. When Addie and Soula talk alone, she talks about her wasted store and wasted town. So what are they hiding?  I think Soula and Elliot are trying to run people out of town.

       Soula and Elliot are hiding this because in the book it says "'Good today'  she told him. She touched the sides of her black hair like she was adjusting a hat. 'Four down and four to go' said told the guy. She winked a perfectly lined eye at him'" and "'And here I am, selling junk food outta the micro-nuker, cigarettes, gasoline by the tankful!Talk about waste! I'm part of it too.'"It sure sounds like they are hiding that there's eight people that should be run out of town, but that's my theory.   

        They seem like they're hiding that they are trying to run eight people out of town by making a crappy little town o the eight will leave. Making there's 8 people that Soula is trying to get rid of. "Four down, four to go.". But what's next in the story? How would the next part of it go? Maybe something like this….

     After saying goodbye to my new friend, Helena, I decided to head by the store to see Soula. I was just walking in when I heard Elliot and Soula talking.

    "Elliot quiet!" she said and hushed her voice. I hid behind the store shelf, close to the counter where both were standing. "Now how is the plan going?"

    "Well…"Elliot said as he played with his golden earring. "There's still four to go. Four people are gone, outta here. So what are we planning to do to make these last four leave?"

    "We'll have to sell crappier food, make the store and empty acres out back even worse. Those four have to leave!" Soula whispered. She seemed aggravated with these people, whoever they were.

    I slowly backed out when I stepped on a bag of chips that had fell.

   "How's there?" Soula called as I ran out. 'Why was she running people out of town'  I thought as I headed towards our trailer '...and more importantly, am I one of them.'

   

Random Point of View Piece (No questions) :D

Author Note: I know this is super strange. DON'T JUDGE ME! Well, I wrote this because Mrs. Reagles made us write about the point of view of the opposite gender falling in love.The age that I got to write from is....well I'll let you figure it out :D

     Is there a chance?

   She is so pretty. But what chance do I have with her. None. That's right none. Forget it John. You're  just starting: You just got out of college a few years ago, you have a starter house and apartment, life is just blooming for you. But she is rich and beautiful. She probably didn't even notice you, I thought to myself as a passed Izzy Robin, that mayor's beautiful daughter. So was rich. Yeah filthy rich! I had, well, um, a good amount of money. But I didn't have five cars like she did. I didn't ever have a car. So what, in Boston, you can take a cab, a trolley, anything.
    Anyway, back to the point. I really liked her, but is there a chance? I don't know. All I do know is that I like her; I liked her from the first time I saw her. She was on the balcony at city hall, standing by her dad. It seemed like she was a Princess guarded by her loving father. But was I the prince that could sweep her off her feet, or the peasant that stayed with the rest of the crowd.
    My heart pounded. That happened when I thought about her. If only I could have one date with her, just one. My fists clenched as my wonderful thought was interrupted by another. Is there a chance? If only there was. I love her so much. I sweat, I worry, I freak out whenever I think abut her. But is there a chance?

Poe Piece

Author's note: Comment on what you like/dislike or what you want to be changed. Thanks :D

 A Poe of my Own

      I creep silently through the dark scarlet hall. The old clock chimed 12. Midnight fell on the castle.

I headed though the west wing, watching the halls for something, anything. My Lord had called me there, which never happened. 

      "What did me want of me?" I wondered as I creep closer. No one ever goes to the west wing. Or at last, never comes back.

      The big door to the wing stood glaring at me, ready to pull me in and never let me out. I gulped hard, as my heart pounded to the sound of the 

      "Hello?" I called, as a peered in the dark room. The scarlet curtains caught the moon's beautiful white rays and turned to red slashes on the floor. I opened my mouth slowly to call again when I heard footsteps. Slow footsteps creeping towards me. I could make out a figure in the red light. 

      Was it just my imagination or are the footsteps getting faster. I wanted to run, but I stayed still. The footsteps and my heart pounding the same beat as the

      "Lord?" I asked as a horrible pain stabbed my heart. A knife! The lord's face, covered in red light, smiled at my pain. He wanted to see me die. But why? Why now on this one night?

       "Why!" I yelled with the last of my strength and fell to the ground. The lord left the room, leaving my bleeding in the scarlet light of the night.

The Hammer and the Nail Piece

Pounding

      

       It pounds, over and over. Pounding, pounding, POUNDING! The pain shakes my to the core, but the monstrous beings won't stop till his task is complete.

       "Stop, Please! The horrible pain is killing me!" The mighty hammer did not stop, for mercy was not something he knew about. Well, it was worth a try. Oh, who am I kidding. He's a powerful bully and me, the weak flimsy nail.

       "Must pound!" shouted the hammer.He pounded me harder into the wood.I felt dizzy.Things faded away. Why! Why did master have to command his hammer to kill me. I had always been a good little nail. I always stayed straight in the box and made sure I was clean. But was this where the other nails who master picked were taken. To die? It didn't make sense.

       POUND! POUND! POUND! Three more extremely painful pounds. I couldn't take the pounding. Come on Shiny! You have to defend yourself! I thought as something caught my eye. A shiny nail, only the head peeking out of a block of wood. I screamed. I didn't want to become that! A dead body with the head perking out for master to mock them.
       I was already 3/4 in the wood. I struggled to escape. I fought to free myself. POUND! This pounding was unbearable. But I could not stop fighting. POUND! Oh, the horrible pain! I had to stay strong. POUND! Oh, this is the end! No! POUND!

Spring Storm-

The wind wipes trees around

Heavy rain and small hail pound against the windows

Bright flashes of lighting light the sky

The deep roars the thunder roll through black clouds

Where not the faintest rays of the sun

shine through them

Essay DWA

Author's Note: Please comment what you like/dislike or what you think should be changed. Thanks :D

Just a Little Crazy

          Imagine killing someone because they are a little different. A strange voice; a broken limb. What about an eye? Crazy, right? In Tell-Tale Heart the narrator of the story is crazy and thinks he’s so cunning with his revengeful plot of murder.

          Our narrator tries to make us believe that he is clever when on how makes the kill. “I turned the latch of his door and opened it-oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly- very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep.” This quote from the story alone just shows how cunning he thinks he is, when he's really not. The idea of killing an innocent person is never clever.

          Our narrator is also just a little bit crazy. I mean, he kills an old man because of his blind eye. The poor half-blind feeble man is killed a random night by his butler. But why our narrator did it is still a mystery. He’s just has a dilemma dealing with his anger of “evil eyes.”

          Also, his fury and madness are mostly seen at the end of the story. The beating of the old man’s heart that didn’t stop when dead didn’t seem like a heart at all. I think it was just his guilt that was taunting him. “It grew louder-louder-louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty god!-no, no! They heard!-they suspected!-they knew!-they were making a mockery of my horror!”

          So, does the narrator think he is so cunning? Yes. Is he crazy? Yes. His “so clever” murder and his crazy thought of hearing an un-dead heart proves both questions. The narrator is just a little crazy.

         

Creavtive DWA Piece

Lost in a Broken City

            I ran from the house, trying to get away. I held my glasses in one hand, my backpack from school in the other. I wanted to check and see if my parents and siblings were behind me but I didn’t have time. I just had to run.

I made my way through the rough wind and pouring rain. I fought to stay on my feet. Finally, I made it to the small empty cave in the hill by our house. I quickly stumbled inside, thinking of all the memories me and my family had shared in this one little cave. Tea parties with me little sister, soccer with my older brother, and little picnics with my parents. Yes, I am the middle child in my family. In our house, we have a system; my brother picks on me and I pick on my sister. That’s just how it works.

But anyway, I was safe. I turned toward the entrance now, hoping that my family would be near when suddenly I saw a bulky palm tree truck rapidly heading my way. I tried to back away but it was too late. BOOM! I was out like a light. I had fainted. 

***

I awoke, frightened from the hurricane that had just passed. I saw small rays of light on the cave floor where I was laying. I slowly got to my feet. Where are they? Shouldn’t they have been running here with me? I wondered, as I wiped my glasses with my shirt and put them on. I made my way for the entrance and a horrible scene flashed in my eyes. Not only my house, but the whole neighborhoods house’s were in pieces. Limp bodies peeked from under the rumble. I sprinted to my broken house and dug through the pieces. Glass cut my hands and the woods gave me splinters. My hands were red with blood. “Where are they!?!?!” I cried. Was I the only one who had made it through the hurricane?

I decided it was pointless to search through the scraps left of my house. Maybe looking for people who escaped their houses is the best option. I just needed to be by someone.  Maybe, hopefully, Christy was ok.

I ran to her house, only 3 houses down the street from mine.  Looking through the pile of her house, I saw something move by her tree house, smashed on the ground along with the ancient fallen oak tree. Slowly, I made my way toward it, not knowing what to expect. Was it her? If it was, was she hurt? I moved some broken boards out of the way, to reveal none other than Christy.

 “Oh my gosh, Christy! You’re alive!” I said as I helped Christy out of her tree house. As she came into the light, I saw that she was badly hurt. She was covered in bruises, had a swollen black eye, and her leg was twisted in a weird way.

“Hey…Tami. You’re ok too” she said in a cracked voice.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t say ‘too’. What happened? Where are your parents?” I asked, since Christy was an only child.

“I ran to my tree house, you know, because it was higher than my house, and I thought it wouldn’t get flooded, but the wind snapped the tree like a twig. I thought my parents were coming too. Oh, my house!!!” I suddenly burst into tears at the sight of her destroyed house. I think she was as scared as me. Both our families were buried in the rumble, either hurt or dead.

I helped her to the cave and we told each other our stories. She had heard the loud wind and ran for the tree house, hoping her parents were behind her. I heard the wind too and grabbed my glasses and my backpack for school, with all my favorite books and pencils in there, I just couldn’t say goodbye to it. I had shouted to my family to follow but I don’t think they heard me.

We both stayed in the cave for a while. I used the ice pack in my lunch box to care for Christy’s broken leg.

“Thanks Tami. How long have we been here?” Christy asked

“About a day. It’s….” I said as I glanced at my watch “9:37 in the morning right now.” It was Sunday. The hurricane still felt like it had only happened I second ago. The bump on my forehead from the palm tree hurt a lot still. But Christy was way more injured than I was.

We both felt hungry. We used the coconuts from the broken palm tree for coconut milk. It was thick and creamy, filling both of us up fast. Later in the day, I saw a fire truck, an ambulance, and police cars, with rescue dogs barking from the back sit. They had come to check if anyone in the neighbor was alive from under the rumble. And if they alive, they would help them if they were injured. I woke Christy up from a nap she was taking.

“Wake up, Christy! Wake up! There are people who can help you out there!” she woke, and slowly got up. Even more slowly, we walked down the hill, with me as Christy’s human crutch.

“Hey! My friend’s leg is badly hurt. I think it’s broken. Please help her!” I shouted as we neared the bottom of the hill. The people in the ambulance took one look at Christy’s leg and decided to take her to the hospital. I told them that I have to come with.

“Don’t you have some family or someone to watch you, kid?”

“First of all, I’m 10 and second, both our families are missing” I said softly as tears streamed down both our cheeks. I knew that she was thinking the same thing, if we were ever going to see them again.

***

            A week later, we were taken back to our neighborhood by the HRT (Hurricane Rescue Team). We had spent a few days in the hospital, where Christy got a bright purple cast for her leg (Her favorite color by the way. As we traveled through the city to get there, we saw how destroyed everything was. The whole city was destroyed. Search and rescue teams searched for missing people while survivors sat on the curb, crossing their fingers that their loved ones where somewhere in the rumble, and hopefully alive.

            Christy walked on crutches down to the sight of our house. The HRT searched through the rumble of Christy’s House. Her parents were found in what would have been the living room. Both dead. Christy cried as the team pulled them from the remains of the house. They were going to be buried tomorrow, right next to each other. My house was next. I cried both because of the search and Christy’s parents. Were they alive?

            The Rescue Team slowly began parting the material from my house when their search dog barked and started sniffing the ground.

            “He’s got a scent!” A man from the HRT yelled. The dog traveled through the rumble, while the man parted the rumble in the dog’s way. I followed he, searching for someone, anyone. The dog stopped and barked, then dug through a pile of wood from the house. Suddenly, the rumble revealed a figure, still breathing and alive.

            I stared at the body. The man parted the rumble more till it revealed the face of the person. I gasped, “Mom!”