week 5 comments

Anna - Camping

Hayley - short story

outside reading book response (may have spoilers)

I am currently reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. I was waiting to find out if America Singer makes it to the castle to meet Prince Maxon and maybe get picked to become his wife. America makes it to the castle along with 34 other girls. She hates it. She hates the fact that Prince Maxon can't find love on his own and must hold a contest to find his wife. America really wants to go home and be with her lover and her family.

Some questions that arise in my head are things such as, "What is the palace really like and is it just amazing?" "What is it like living with 34 other girls who really want to be Prince Maxon's wife?". The author makes this book interesting by making it appeal to girls, and since I am a girl I like the whole story. I am curious to know how far America will make it. There are more books in the series, so I am thinking America has to make it pretty far. I can't wait to keep reading and find out what happens.

100-200 word short story

Mitchell walks into the mall. He peers to his left, a smirk traveling across his face as he sees the buy one get one free donut deal. But then he remembers he came to the mall for blue vans. Pulling out the $20 in his pocket he must make a decision. He ponders weather or not he should spend his parents money on the delicious, mouth watering looking donuts, or the blue vans he has been asking for for months. Hesitantly he starts toward the shoe store, but stumbles over his own feet, falling to the ground and dropping his precious $20 bill. The tears start rolling down his face as he realizes he cannot get the donuts or the shoes now.

comments week 4

Merritt - Dear 13 Year Old

Anna - City Of Bones Week 3

dear 9 year old

Dear 9 year old,
Be appreciative that you don't have a lot of homework yet. I know you wish you had homework to keep you busy, but be glad you have time to play outside and hangout with your friends after school. Be glad that you don't have to be worried about getting the answers on your homework correct and that you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn it in.

Whenever you do start having homework, do it. Doing your homework will help you make a better grade on tests and quizzes. Doing your homework will also help you understand the material better. If you do your homework, it can also help you be prepared for an in class assignment or discussion. Enjoy being a 9 year old while you can.

-signed a 14 year old

personal narrative

For my personal narrative assignment, I wrote about my "incomparable lake day at incomparable camp ozark". I wrote about how this experience taught me more about myself than I thought I knew, such as if I get rid of the fear and bad thoughts I can do more things than I thought. I went wake boarding for the first time and I wrote about this experience exactly as it happened, using vivid details, and trying to make the story have a clear significance other than that this was a great experience for me. I was terrified to try wake boarding for the first time. I tried not to let myself think all the bad thoughts and things that could possibly go wrong while wake boarding and instead I thought about how much fun I would have and how proud my parents would be if I told them I wake boarded for the first time. I did exactly that, and really enjoyed wake boarding.

The writing process was easy for me. As soon as I found out what we had to write about, this was the first thing that came to mind. I knew I could write a story with lots of vivid details, clear significance, and I could write this experience exactly as it happened. When people read my personal narrative, I want them to be able to read it and imagine they are actually there. I want the readers to be able to easily identify the significance and understand that this experience meant a lot to me. I liked writing this personal narrative because it was a topic that I enjoyed writing about and it made me think back on my amazing time at camp!

comments week 3

Griff - Tropical Depression 12

Sydney - The Knife of Never Letting Go

Remembering a Hero, 15 Years After 9/11

The article, "Remembering a Hero, 15 Years After 9/11", posted on the Wall Street Journal and written by Peggy Noonan, is an article about a heroic and brave man named Welles Crowther. Welles was 24 years old. 2 years after he graduated from Boston College, he started as a junior associate on the trading desk. On the 104th floor of the south World Trade Center was where he worked. Welles was in the building when the first plane came in and ripped through floors 78-84 trapping the people on them and the ones above. He called his mother Alison and left a voicemail saying, "I want you to know that I am OK." Welles did something that not many other people would have done in this situation, instead of running for his own life, he ran for other peoples'. This was something very brave and heroic. As a connection to his father, Welles kept a red bandana in the pocket of his jacket that he was going to use to change the world.

Welles found the one stairwell that had been clear. Welles found people that had been injured on the higher floors and carried them down the stairs to the lower ones where they could escape on their own. Instead of escaping, Welles kept going back up to save more people. The fire department credits Welles with saving 5 lives. Welles' family hoped and prayed that he would make it home, but he never did. Welles could have left the building and saved his own life, but he saved others along with the firefighters in the building who had come to rescue people. Welles was found with a red handkerchief covering his mouth and nose. This was the one he was going to save the world with. Welles Crowther may not have saved the world with this, but he did do something so heroic and brave during the attacks on the twin towers on 9/11 and is still remembered 15 years after for what he did.

link to article

the Selection by Kiera Cass

For my outside independent reading book, I am reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. The Selection, from the short amount I have read in 120 minutes, is about a girl named America Singer who applies for a contest called The Selection which is designed for the girls who live in Illea. America doesn't want to enter the contest, but her mom makes a deal with her and convinces her to enter. America isn't expecting to actually make it to the palace part of the contest, not wanting to leave her lover Aspen, but makes it to the palace part and is getting ready to leave in the part before I stopped reading. From the little amount I have read, I think I am really going to like this book. My friends that recommended this book to me say it is one of their favorite books.

The author engages the reader's attention by using vivid details and making the book interesting. I think the author intended for this book to appeal more to girls since it is more on the side of a romance book. This book, in the very beginning, in some ways reminded me of the Hunger Games. I think this is because before I started reading, I thought the girls would just be selected instead of applying to be selected. I really like this book so far and am excited to keep reading and find out what happens!

comments week 2

Maia - The grand canyon 

Hayley - Summer camp

comments week 1

Anna - Counting by 7s

Mary Francis - Me, Myself, and I

wake boarding at camp

Over the summer, I got to go back to the most incomparable and best place on earth-Camp Ozark. Each day spent there is one of the most amazing experiences ever and there are certainly things I will never forget about Camp Ozark. Each day at camp, you have 3 morning activities, and then a day called lake day. On lake day, you go with your cabin to the sparkling Lake Ouchita. Each cabin gets on a boat and you get to wake board, wake surf, banana boat, swim in the lake, enjoy the relaxing and exciting boat ride, bond with your cabin, and just enjoy being on the lake.

One thing I will never forget is the excitement of standing up on the wake board for the first time. I was very nervous because I  had never done this before and I was scared I was going to do something wrong or just not be able to stand up. I was wrong. When it was my turn to go, I jumped in the lake and put my feet in the shoes on the board. The boat driver asked me if I was ready and I hesitantly said yes. The first time I went, the rope slipped out of my hand. I fell forward and my face hit the water. I wasn't going to try again but my friends and counselor told me to try just one more time because they really thought I could do it. Nervously, I tried again. I told the boat driver I was ready and he kicked up the speed and the next thing I knew I was standing up on the wake board. All my friends said I had the biggest smile on my face. This was a very fun and enjoyable experience for me and one that I will definitely never forget!

counting by 7s summer reading choice book

For my second summer reading choice book, I read Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Counting by 7s is a sad and inspiring story of a girl named Willow Change who looses her parents, but has hope because of the new friends she meets. Read the book to find out what happens to Willow Chance.   This is one of those books that as I was reading, I just knew what was going to happen most of the time during the book. The plot gave details that was easy to tell the outcome of the book. This book was not one of my favorites because of this.

This book is important because it has important values and lessons that can be helpful in life. Some of which can make you think in a different way about some things even though this book was not based on a true story. One thing I liked about this book is that Willow's favorite number was 7. This is also my favorite number. This book is, in a way, similar to the movie Annie because Annie is an orphan and Willow Chance is at some point and orphan. This book was interesting to read.