Stories: The spice of life!

Stories give spice to everyday life!

Every one of us has sat down at the dinner table and heard the tales of the our family members' days. When telling a story we search for the perfect words to capture our audiences attention, no matter how mundane the actual plot might be. Rather than bluntly stating "I went to the post office and the line was long," we tell the story of the little old lady standing so long that she had to be nudged awake by her grandchild. Or, we tell the story of the obnoxious teenagers who pushed their way to the front of the line, without any consideration for the weary faces amongst the crowd. Ultimately, it's the same story. It's all about the facts you emphasize and the words you select.

This year my 6th-9th grade English students have been working on several major projects. We're reading novels including: Around the World in 80 Days, Tuck Everlasting, The Westing Game, and To Kill a Mockingbird. We're reading daily poems and learning to identify literary devices such as tone, mood, alliteration, hyperbole, similes, and metaphors. And, ultimately, we're learning about the structure of a story through daily journal assignments and other writing projects. We're asking questions such as:

• What makes a story (or any type of writing) enjoyable to read?
• Does my spelling really matter, especially now that spellcheck exists?
• Does our diction, our word choice, really make a difference?
• What is a sentence? How do I know when i've written a sentence fragment or turned a sentence into a run-on?
• Is grammar really important? Does anyone notice?

. . . Join me in applauding my students' efforts as master story tellers! Below are a smattering of stories selected from each of my classes. (Keep in mind, these are their original stories. No grammar has been edited-- no spelling has been changed.)

6th Grade

My Cat Saves the Day!

by Ruth

I've been made a teacher; students will be arriving in ten minutes! "What am I going to do?! What am I going to do?!" I ask my cat, Enkidu, who is snoozing on my desk. He blinks at me and goes back to sleep. Five minutes . . . . three . . . one . . .

Enkidu quickly puts himself on the chair under the desk. I run fingers through my hair, the door at the other end of the room bursts open with a bang. "Good morning teacher." they all shout, and they look around for one. "G-good morning c-class." I stammer "n-now we will be learning Biology." "From you?!" I rest my hand on Enkidu and feel his heart pound alongside mine. "Yes" confidence rising as I feel Enkidu's warm, warm fur. "Ok, today we-" "Your not really our new teacher are you?" says a scrufy kid in the front. "Today" I ignore the other kids. "We will be learning about," I cut across another comment. "about the, um, what do you call it, thing." I think a while.

Enkidu stood and walked along the desk until he found a marker. My desk is right next to the board and marker in his mouth, Enkidu did something extraordinary. He wrote on the board with a slight squeak:

Lesson 1.

The class went wild. But there was still more.

Environmental

Aquariums

They all went crazy and clapped a lot. Enkidu on the other hand bowed so low that his wiskeres touched the desk. He was my hero. Not only do cats turn out to be really good spellers, but they give you the courage when things get tough.

The Opposite Day Curse

by Ify

I'm walking to school . . . Huh? NOW I'm walking home, no . . . I'm walking to school . . . Augh!!! THE OPPOSITE DAY CURSE! When Insano man almost destroyed all the Supers, he created a black metal orb that was so powerful it destroyed him. But one of the last Supers tried to defeat the orb. It snagged him and now bears his curse every 3rd Wednesday of November. Now there are no superheroes or super villains . . . Now there's ALL heroes and villains . . .NOW there is . . . AHH! The Opposite-oh, you get the picture. I'm not in my classroom . . . YIPE! DETENTION! Now I am! I am in the classroom! --OHHHHHH . . . ! Whatever. It's not tomorrow. Ahhh, NOW it is tomorrow. No more opposite day. BUT ALL THE SUPERS ARE BACK! I don't need supers! I want a normal life. Hey, I'm in my bed. Ahhhh . . No, I Don't have eto sit in the day that was created by Opposo. I am FLUSTERED! Can't life be . . . Oh, I don't want . . . "Good morning". I'm an . . Hey, What are you . . . ! I'll show you! Listen BIG FACE . . . I'll . . . It's NOT OPPOSITE DAY! Oh, don't be rude. Oops, Sorry.

7th Grade

Media

by Jackson

Today I’m going to write about the when media decided to role the world! It started with a toilette, he got frustrated with his job for obvious reasons and decided to rebel agents the humans. First Tony the toilette got sinks, tubs, and shower heads; they ransacked a radio and TV station and sent their message out to the world about how they where going to role the world! They invaded towns and villages with the help of their new allies, the TVs and radio boxes. Later after they took over villages and such, they decided it was time for the bigy, they where going to attack N.Y.C! AS you can imagine the world panicked, and the government chickened out, so it happened, toilettes, sinks, tubs, TVs, radios, Computers, video games systems came by the millions and surrounded N.Y. They where about to attack but on the horizon came the sound of banana powered choppers…MONKEYS!!!

8th grade

Squeak, Squeak

by Heidi

Squeak, Squeak was the noise that the swing made as I swung on it. It was a lovely fall afternoon and the leaves were just starting to turn. The crisp fall air was just the right temperature. There was a slight breeze, not the kind of breeze that gives you the chills, but not such a slow breeze. It was nice. My cat Mr. Bittersman came and sat on my lap. After he became comfortable I began to stroke him. He was softer than rabbit fur during game season. He began to purr. “There you are Jasmine!” I whipped my head around. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

9th Grade

Rain

by Hannah

There are many poems

About rain

And pain.

But can’t we gain

Anything from the rain?

What about the spring rain

Soft and sweet

On a hilltop where

Dreams and reality meet?

Or what about cold,

Dark, autumn rain?

Is it really that bad?

It’s not always sad!

Listen to the rain

On a window pane.

Reading a book

So you won’t go insane.

You see, there are many nice

Things we can gain

If we’ll only be thankful

For the rain.

6 Weeks . . . Plenty of Time for Creativity!

With 6 weeks left in the school year, I've found that it can be incredibly difficult to keep middle school students in their seats. The excitement that they already feel towards our upcoming summer vacation has them counting down minutes until the end of the day-- and counting down days to the end of the week! ( . . . It's scary to think about this progression of energy building up over the next several weeks!)

. . . If only I could tap into more of that energy and direct it towards learning! (Isn't this every teacher's wish?)

The good news is this: the ticking clock hasn't stopped the creative juices from flowing! May the following polished "snippets" from our creative writing journals lead you sing, "I'm so happy, feeling snappy . . . my life is rosy . . ." And other fun things like that. ;-)

God bless,

~Michelle~

***

6th Grade Journals

A new way to launch space ships into space

by Josiah

I was reading about how much it costs to send a space ship into space. It costs 450 million dollars per mission! No wonder America’s in debt. I was thinking that they should make a different way to send space ships to space that is cheaper. I think they should build a giant sling shot to fling space shuttles into space. It would be taller than the empire state building. The cord would be so hard to move but it wouldn’t break. It would be designed so some how it could fling a space ship into space. The space ship would use a little fuel to help it get through the atmosphere.

***

Twistiosus

by Mallory

Once upon a time, there was a magical land called Twistiosus. There was just one problem. All of the people there had crooked, curved, silly noses. Most people believed they got these from the horrid weather. It was hard work to stay sane in the scorching hot climate they experienced. One day, the king decided he’s had enough. He held a contest between all the school-age children. The best idea to protect the poor, crooked nosed people from the weather would live in the palace. He or she would be treated like a prince the rest of their lives. Many children presented crazy ideas. One proposed several dragons go put a large wall between the sun and the land to provide some shade. Another suggested that everyone stay in a large circle and fan the person in front of them all day long. But the king laughed most at a little girl with a pot full of wet clay. “How will clay help anyone with the heinous heat, child? Go back to your games.” He chuckled. “Wait!” the girl cried. “Its more than just clay! Try it. You put a little on your face and shoulders, and the sun wont hurt that part of you.” The king tried a little. It worked! The little girl became a princess, the people were no longer bent out of shape by the sun, and sunscreen was born! They all lived happily ever after.

***

7th Grade Journals

The Day I tried to Escape

by Zac

It was late, and it was time to escape. I knew tonight was my only opportunity. As the clock struck 12:00 I subtly made my way through the dark winding hallways, trying desperately not to let any floorboards creak. In the distance it became a black unknown path, I felt my way slowly with dread. Would I stumble, would I fall? Even though I feared for the worst I was determined to escape. I neared a window- I could see a faint light the seemed to merge into the bushes. I knew my friends were near, it was the right time and the right place. Behind me I could hear faint shrieks, that horror used to be mine, but not after today. As I thought I was home free I heard numerous foot steps rapidly heading my way. Was I trapped? I did not know behind which corner the men were concealed, so I went the only way I saw fit for escape. I punched the window and jumped right out into the misty night air. I was weightless, free. As I landed I could see the gate. I knew in its vicinity there were many dangers so I sprinted toward it desperately trying not to get caught. I could see the outside world. . . I had missed it, had it missed me? It certainly seemed to beckon.

8th Grade Journals

Dramatic Irony: Love

by Lauren

The young man went to find his girlfriend the BEST rose he could find. It was Valentine's day. He found a rose the color of the sunset. It was beautiful, so he bought hundreds of them! It used all of his money that he had been saving for his car. Then, he bought a beautiful diamond ring. He knew spending all of this money was going to be worth it all in the end though. He was planning to propose.

Meanwhile, the young lady was just coming back from the doctor's office. He had just told her that she was allergic to all types of roses. She was very upset about it, but she knew that her boyfriend had probably just bought her some cheap tulips or something. She walks into her apartment and sees the most lovely roses she had ever seen in her whole life, EVERYWHERE! Shocked with happiness, surprise, and an insane itching she looks around. Her beloved Jim stands in the middle of the room. He sweetly said, "Oh, lovely Julia. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?" She starts to cry in absolute joy. She heartily accepts his request. They then went out to eat and laugh about how she had itched herself during the whole proposal. She explained everything that had happened before hand to her new fiance.

Love is alike nothing,

Sometimes it makes you laugh,

Others it makes you cry

Roses are lovely,

They are made for love and joy,

That is why they are

***

Dirty laundry

by Ellie

there once was a boy named Zach

he did his chores very lax

he was too young to pay tax

and he dint play the sax

and he never did his dirty laundry

they smelled like a dead donkey

pile on pile they grew

never being washed, he just bought new

and boy did they stink

and none of them were pink

one day the clothes started to speak the said they wanted to eat

they ate their master

with some plaster

quicker than I could wink

oh no

then his mother jumped in

threw water on them

they dissolved

and UN-evolved

and turned into a pile of laundry again

there once was a boy named Zach

and he never did his laundry lax

***

Overwhelmed with Laughter!

This week-end I spent most of my Friday night and Saturday morning catching up on grading. (Yes, precious students, I do love you all enough to spend my week-end reading what you've written!)

I tend to enjoy saving my dessert for last, allowing the flavors to flow over my tongue. In the same way, I saved my favorite part of grading for my dessert: looking over our newly published journal entries! Students picked their favorite creative writing journal entry from the past several weeks and edited and revised their work. Let's just say it was the tastiest dessert i've enjoyed in a while! They were SO enjoyable that I couldn't choose just one or two!

May their words bring smiles and laughter to you, as well.

~*Michelle*~

(6th grade class-- Frozen tableau assignment. We read

Dr. Seuss's Yertle The Turtle. After, students had 5 minutes to work together

to create a "frozen picture" that sums up the book. Aren't they precious?)

6th Grade Journals

What Would I do If I had a $Million$ Dollars?

Well I would first think about it and make a list on what I would spend it on. Then I would only spend it wisely and not buy things that I already have. I would only if it was in poor condition. I'd give some to Japan and Haiti.

~By Martin~

__________________________________________________

ENGLISH

Well every time I come to English class I get excited about what we will do or what we will write for our journals. I like doing stuff like the play for the book we read, but the annoying part was when everyone is chatting when we are acting. I think that for English we should watch the movie to that book that we read. ENGLISH ROCKS! Like, your awesome. I wish every teacher could be like you, you let us express ourselves anyway we can in our journals. I like it when we do vocabulary basketball, free reading, reading buddies, and anything else you can come up with.

Thank you Miss Nietfeld

I love this class

The end

~by Andrew~

(Hm . . . I wonder if Andrew is wanting his grades to increase when he submits a journal entry like this! ;-) )

7th Grade Journals

Falling

I was falling, just falling. I felt free. It felt as if nothing could tie me down. Everything went so fast yet so slow. Birds past like blurs. It felt as if I was floating. I noticed that the land was getting closer. I got worried for I forgot what to do. I was so amazed with this feeling that I hadn't noticed that the others had opened their parachutes. It was too late. My parachute wouldn't open fast enough to slow me down. But I opened it in hope of safety; I was slowing down, but yet too fast to land.

The next thing I knew the screen said, "game over."

~By Jonathan~

__________________________________________________

Dwarf Lords

This is the story of Leond Montanya, and of Kratan. “Where now!?” Kratan exclaimed. Scanning the horizon for an area to hide from the Lethars, who are barbaric blood thirsty greedy tyrants. “I don’t know” returned Leond with disappointment. Their horses were galloping across the plains just as the Lethars crested the hill behind Leond and Kratan. “Ar moka!” [Get them] yelled the captain of the Lethars. Kratan suddenly heard the thundering hooves of the Lethars horse riders. Being the better woods man, Kratan exclaimed “Hurry! Follow me” and they road for their lives.

The horses were beginning to tire from exhaustion. They spurred their horses towards any shelter they could find. As they galloped across a large hill, they came upon a lake of boulders that didn’t match the surrounding hills. It was as if they were dropped there by some unseen force. “Make for the boulders!” yelled Leond over the galloping hooves.

~by Camden~

__________________________________________________

Topic: I Can’t Find a Topic!!

I can’t think of a topic of a journal because I’m not used to make up my own topic. Maybe I should write about the offspring’s of The Little Mermaid and Beowulf eating the three little piggies! Wait, that’s not C.I.S.P. appropriate. I could write a journal listing lots of ways to say the equivalent of non-C.I.S.P. appropriate like: There was this human eating monster that feasted on leftovers after it um, deals with the owners. One day, it found a human out in the open and it crept up behind it and---- “Oh, hi Mrs. Johnson, I was just uh, er, no,no , noooooooooo---”

~By Caleb~

8th Grade Journals

Doggie Day

By Ellie

Hi, my name is Ruff, and I’m a dog.

I’m a 10 month old French bulldog, owned by a woman named Maggie. You see...... Maggie’s a fool, she’s easy to manipulate and she will always do as I ask.

So for you humans, here is my normal day:

I get up at 9’oclock as Maggie the fool rushes off to work (poor thing). The first cunning task I give myself is go pee behind the radiator. She can’t see it, as the couch is right in front of it. In a few days...boy it’s going to smell! Then I go chew the bar stool, not breaking it. I’m not stupid, but next time Maggie brings her big friend Mark round and he plops down, down he’ll come! Finally I have figured out how to turn on your human telly. You humans may not be creative, but your day time TV is highly addicting!

Normally at this time Maggie comes home and walks me. Which I find terribly fun, last time I pulled her into a hotdog vendor! After this wonderful game and dinner I promptly fall asleep in the middle of Maggie’s bed, aren’t I evil?

~By Ellie~

A Glimpse Inside their Minds

Over the next few months my middle school English students will be working on the revision and editing processes. One of their regular assignments is to choose one of their favorite journal entries, to edit and revise the content to the best of their ability, and to submit their finished project to the editor (me) on a regular basis.

Every couple of weeks I will select a few of these entries to publish on my blog. Why? Well, because I want to honor my student's hard work, and because I want to share their work with you, my friends, family, and supporters. I am so proud of these students! Their imaginations are so creative, and their writing is improving ever so much.

I hope you will enjoy these periodic glimpses into my students' imaginations.

God bless,

~Michelle~

January Journals

6th Grade

Poems

by Mallory

These are three of my favorite poems. The first one I wrote for my grandmothers, the second for anyone who looks at the stars, the third to my classmates in study hall.

Grandmothers

Grandmothers are the nicest people you meet,

Whether at home or out on the street.

While everyone imagines them just sitting and knitting,

Nothing on earth could be more unfitting!

Grandmothers are perhaps busier than anyone,

For all of their work adds to a ton.

Their work does not require great strength or fast pace,

‘Since its simply to put a smile on your face.

Their work has ensured them that they’ve not a foe,

And the list of their friends, why, on and on it does go.

Grandmothers are the nicest people you meet,

Whether at home or out on the street.

Stars

Little lights looking

Like heavens little lanterns

Lighting up the sky

Study Hall

While sitting at a study hall I got a little bored,

And choosing that it not be known that in my sleep I snored,

I wrote this poem just for you,

‘Since there was nothing else to do!

* * * * * * *

Heaven

by Matthew

I always thought that to get to heaven you have to have a ticket, and that ticket was your soul. One day, or rather dream, I needed it.

I opened my eyes, it was all white. I couldn’t see anything. After a while I noticed that I was going up. Then I heard beautiful music. I saw something in the clouds…whoa. I have never seen anything like it! Everyone was dancing and worshiping God. But before I went into heaven, there were two queues (lines of people). I noticed that one went to heaven and the other went to hell. It was sad that there were more in the line to hell. Finally my turn! I was so happy I felt like dancing and singing. The angel was huge and amazing. He said, “Ticket please?” I smiled at him and he smiled back. I looked at him and said, “Sorry, I don’t have any ticket.” Then he said. “Heaven awaits you. You have a ticket. You didn’t know?” He reached towards my heart and carefully took it. I looked at it and it said, “You don’t deserve heaven, but it is your reward because of your faith in ME.” The angel gave it back and said. ”But you shall wait.”

Well I guess it wasn’t that bad going back to earth.

Suddenly I jerked awake as if someone shot me. It was a dream. I felt something in my hand. Could it be?

THE END

* * * * * * *

7th grade

. . . Really, Mom & Dad?

by Heidi

While I was at school, my parents decided to glue my bed upside-down to the ceiling. They said they wanted me to be 'more creative.' I would have to get into my bed by turning the anti-gravity on. “That is an excellent idea!” my parents said. In the morning I woke up... on my dresser with a huge headache. Someone turned the anti- gravity off. Oh no! What was I going to do? So I will have to either tape down the button with duct tape or duct tape my sister to her bed in order to keep her from turning off the anti-gravity off. I think I'll duct tape the anti-gravity button. So, I tried, and I woke up on my desk this time with twice the headache. Well, let's try something new. I'll duct tape myself to my bed. So, I tried it. I woke up this morning, and I was on my bed! But, Ewwwww... there was drool all over my room. Well, back to the drawing board.

* * * * * * *

8th grade

Swimming

by Lauren

I am swimming in the sea. I can touch the oxygen tank on my back, but I feel almost absolutely weightless in the waters. As I kick my flippered feet and move with my hands, I jet forward. My hair waves in the water, just like it would in the wind, The amazing multicolored fish swim in a dazzling coral reef next to me. I can see the sparkling light shed on everything in the sea. I can see my tiny air bubbles floating towards the surface of the crashing waves. I look at the air gauge.

. . . I am almost out of air!

I swim to the top of the liquid mass in time.

* * * * * * *

Little Nudges of Confirmation

Do you ever need to be reminded that God has a plan for your life?

Sometimes I forget that not only does God have a plan, but His plan for my life is good. In Jeremiah God reminds his chosen people, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). In Paul's letter to the Romans he reiterates this point by declaring, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

I make a point to look out my window every night. I live on the top floor of a 6 story building. Prague isn't entirely flat, and my window allows me to see for miles. Eventually I wrench myself away from the window and force myself to crawl into bed. Yet, my mind always wanders to the beautiful cityscape around me.

I'm left in total wonder that I'm living in Prague. . . I'm left in wonder that a city this beautiful can be so broken.

How did I get here? . . . God planned for me to be here. Am I really making a difference? The fact that I'm here says that God is using me. Am I sure? Yes. How?

. . . it's in moments when I ask myself how i'm sure that God sends me little reminders. "Daughter, I know the plans I have for you. Trust me. Keep on walking in my will."

2 nights ago I picked up a new book. It's a novella by George Elliot called The Lifted Veil. Confession: I didn't pick this book up because i'm most interested in it, or because i've heard wonderful things about it. In fact I've never heard of it. Here's the horrible part: I picked it up because it's a novella. It's short. (I've had hardly any time to read for pleasure lately. I know that anything longer would have been a burden for me!)

I flippantly read through the first couple of pages. (It's hard to get yourself excited about a new book when your life is busy.) Several pages in I saw the word Prague. As I continued, I realized that several pages were about Prague. In fact, the main character's visions of Prague comprise a major part of my book! Several pages describe the historic Charles Bridge that I've walked across so many times!

. . . Is it really a coincidence? How many books have such lengthy descriptions of the city I'm growing to love so much?

No. This is just another little nudge of confirmation. "I want you here. Walk in my ways. I know the plans I have for you."

I want to share a passage from this novella with you. It isn't the most optimistic recounting of Prague that exists, but it does pass on a good picture of the city's history. Remember, this is not only a selection of beautiful phrases describing my city . . . It's more than a coincidence. It's a reminder of His plan for my life. May each of us dwell fully in the land God has placed us in. May we remember that He has a plan for each and every one of our lives-- And, better yet, his plan is always for the good of those who love him.

From George Eliot's "The Lifted Veil"

"My father was called away before he had finished his sentence, and he left my mind resting on the word Prague, with a strange sense that a new and wondrous scene was breaking upon me: a city under the broad sunshine, that seemed to me as if it were the summer sunshine of a long-past century arrested in its course-- unrefreshed for ages by the dews of night or the rushing rain-cloud; scorching the dusty, weary, time-eaten grandeur of a people doomed to live on in the stale repetition of memories, like deposed and superannuated kings in their regal gold-inwoven tatters. The city looked so thirsty that the broad river seemed to me like a sheet of metal; and the blackened statues, as I passed under their blank gaze, along the unending bridge, with their ancient garments and their saintly crowns, seemed to me the real inhabitants and owners of the place, while the busy, trivial men and women, hurrying to and fro, were a swarm of ephemeral visitants infesting it for a day. It is such grim, stony beings as these, I thought, who are the fathers of ancient faded children, in those tanned time-fretted dwellings that crowd the steep before me; who pay their court in the worn and crumbling pomp of the palace which stretches its monotonous length on the height; who worship wearily in the stifling air of the churches, urged by no fear or hope, but compelled by their doom to be ever old and undying, to live on in the rigidity of habit, as they live on in perpetual mid-day, without the repose of night or the new birth of morning."

(Charles' Bridge, built in 1357-- The statues primarily represent different stations of the cross. Even in the mid 1800's George Eliot thought this bridge was a marvel of history . . . )