I sat, taking my books and IPad out of my carry-on bag. Then, I put on my seat belt. I adjust the strap on my waist like adjusting the straps on my back pack. The plane doesn’t have comfortable seats. I begin to get comfortable when I hear the pilots voice boom out of the speaker above my head.

“Good afternoon,” he said in a chirpy voice. “I am your pilot I hope we have a great flight,” he continued. “Please, prepare yourself for take-off and turn of any electronics,” boomed out of the speaker above my head.

I CAN’T WAIT! The plane started moving on the runway like a little boy rolling his toy car; fast and slightly out of control. The plane makes a huge jolt that made my stomach twist and knot up. The plane started speeding up, getting faster by the second.  Then, we start flying! I looked out the window; we were off the run way and hovering over the ground. Slowly, the plane got higher and higher and higher into the air like a bird taking off from land. Outside, the buildings looked like doll houses, I could barely make out the windows on the houses. Outside I saw the clouds that looked like white cotton candy, fluffy and soft looking.

I have sat here in this stiff uncomfortable air plane chair for such a long time. I knew you had to sit in a plane for a long time. But not this long. My legs are stiff as metal rods. My mouth as dry as a dessert. My arms limp like spaghetti by my sides. I am sitting on this plane for so many hours that I just can’t stop myself from asking:

“Ugh, mom when are we going to get off this plane?” I moaned like a wounded animal.
“Soon Maya,” my mom said in a soothing voice.
That’s what you said 1 hour ago I think. I am reading a book and waiting to get off this plane. Hope rises in me as I hear the pilot’s voice crackle to life on the speaker.
“Hello, it is 4:30 here in Guatemala, 75 degrees,” the pilot informs us. “Please get ready to land, turn off all electronics and pack up all your things,” the pilot said in a stern voice.  “Make sure you don’t leave anything behind” He continued.

Yay! I think. Finally, I will be off this plane and with my family. All the way in Guatemala. Far away from home.

Check out students' posters! Students researched an animal and created a poster that cleverly displayed the information they learned. 

For reading workshop, students read an except from Andrew Clements' fun novel Lunch Money, about a boy named Greg who draws, publishes, and sells his own comics called, "Chunky Comics". Students also learned about the history of comic books and how to make their own mini comic.

RAFT Writing: Students wrote a persuasive letter from the perspective of Greg. They needed to persuade the principal to let them sell their comics at a booth in the cafeteria during lunch time. Check out some of those clever letters under RAFT Writing.

 When people think of drones, most people think of planes with bombs and people being killed. It's true that’s part of the story, but drones have many uses besides the military that are very helpful.

What are drones?

UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicle) commonly known as drones, are flying robots that can be as small as a dragon fly or as big as a house. Drones are like planes except the pilots can be thousands of miles away! People are currently making drones that can move around without pilots! There are many types of drones. Some are in the air force armed with bombs while others are bringing medical supplies to areas in disasters. 

Hurricane Hunters

Drones can be used as hurricane hunters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began using drones in 2006. The drone the NOAA uses are about 35 pounds, which can fly into a hurricane and communicate near-real-time data. People use drones as hurricane hunters so they don't have to risk lives. Drones report on temperature, pressure, humidity, and location could help scientist understand the forces of wind and water inside hurricanes by going with the flow in ways humans never could.

Forest Fires

Drones can be used for prevention and early detection of forest fires. People have developed drones that provide real time emergency service, including information about the location of the outbreak of fire as well as many factors (wind speed, temperature, humidity, etc.) that are helpful for fire crews to stop fires. The most popular drone of this type is FT-ALTEA, developed by Flightech System. 

Medicine Transportation

Many developing countries don't have good roads. That means that medicine can't get to the people that need medicine quickly. But people have found an answer to that problem, drones. Drone can fly over bad roads. Also, trucks might take days to get medicine, but drones might take an hour or two. These drones use three main technologies. The first is the electric flying vehicles. The second is the ground landing stations where the drones can come to swap batteries and deliver medicine. And the third is the operating system which manages the whole network.

In conclusion, even though drones can kill people, they can also save people. Drones will change the world in unexpected ways, bad and good.

Sources

Wikipedia "unmanned aerial vehicles" n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle
Retrieved on Feb. 9, 2014

TED Talks "no roads there's drones a drone for that"  
 http://new.ted.com/talks/andreas_raptopoulos_no_roads_there_s_a_drone_for_that  
Retrieved on Feb. 12, 2014

PBS Nova "How Dumb are Drones" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/how-dumb-are-drones.html  
Retrieved on Feb. 9, 2014

I am going to compare and contrast Katniss and Sabrina. Katniss is the main character in the book The Hunger Games, a book that takes place in the future. Sabrina is one of the main characters in The Sister’s Grim; this story is in a place where fairy tales are things that actually happened. These two characters have a lot in common and some things that are different.

One thing Katniss and Sabrina have in common is that they both are very protective. For example they are always looking after their siblings and they will do anything to keep them safe. Katniss volunteered for her sister in the hunger games; she almost died for her sister. After their parents got kidnapped Sabrina was always looking out for her sister Dapheny. Sabrina was like a mother figure for Dapheny. In addition they are both very mature. For example Katniss is the person who gets food for her family and she takes care of her sister. When Sabrina and Dapheny got into the foster care system they got put with a lot of weirdoes, and Sabrina always found a way to keep her and her sister safe. Another thing Sabrina and Katniss have in common is that they both have a lot of secrets and emotions they don’t tell anyone. For example President Snow told Katniss that if she didn’t do what he wanted her to do he would kill all the people Katniss loved, and she didn’t tell anyone! Sabrina has many emotions that doesn't tell anyone. She had so many emotions that when Rumple Stiltskin got her to tell him her emotions, she had enough emotions to fuel him into a bomb. Another thing Katniss and Sabrina have in common is that they have the same fashion sense. Both Katniss and Sabrina don’t like pink and dresses. They both wear what makes them comfortable. For example Katniss has the money to buy dresses and designer clothes, but she prefers to wear her old hunting jacket and boots. Sabrina didn’t have a choice of what to wear in the orphanage, but then when she had a choice of what to wear at her grandmothers she chose the same style.

As you can see Sabrina and Katniss have a lot of things in common they also have some things that are different. One thing that’s different about Katniss and Sabrina is that Katniss is the main supporter of her family and Sabrina isn’t. After Katniss’s father died in an accident, Katniss took the role of feeding her family and taking care of her sister. On the other hand, Sabrina always had food and a roof over her head.

As you can see Sabrina and Katniss have a lot of thngs in common nd a lot of things that are different.

Do you ever feel that toys such as dolls make bad images on girls? I do. I think that because the dolls put stereotypes on girls that aren’t true. They make girls want to put on makeup and clothes that are inappropriate. And because it makes girls have a low self-esteem; and makes girls feel like they have to be someone they aren’t.

The first reason I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls is because they make girls have a low self-esteem and makes them feel like they have to be someone they aren’t. One reason I think that is that is girls want to look like there dolls and when they can’t they feel bad. For example once someone I know cried because she didn’t look like her dolls. That is horrible girls shouldn’t feel they have to look like there dolls!! Dolls also make girls see all the bad things about themselves. Psychotherapist Maribeth Blunt sees dolls not helping, but rather attacking a person’s imperfections using unrealistic viewpoints. Blunt feels that dolls urge kids to change who you are to be accepted, and being who you are isn’t good in off.

The second reason I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls is because the dolls put stereotypes on girls that aren’t true. One of the stereotypes is that boys are stronger than girls. I think dolls influences this because the dolls make girls look weak by making them have skinny arms. Boy dolls always look buffer. I think that’s just not right! Dolls also make boys and girls have different professions and characters. Like how girl dolls are always princesses and fairies; and boy dolls are always firemen and police. Why can’t girls be fire woman or police woman? I’m sure there are girls that would want to be police and fire woman. Why aren’t there dolls for those girls?

The third reason I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing bad images on girls is because dolls make girls think it’s OK to put on makeup  and put on clothes that is inappropriate or too mature for them. One reason is that girls look at their dolls and think if they have this I can have it too. Some dolls are inappropriate and girls want to dress like that. Then when their parents don’t let them where the clothes they get mad. I feel bad for the parents because they are doing the right thing; and their children get mad at them for that. Another reason is that dolls makes girls want to put on makeup that makes them look bad. Someone I know puts on makeup and it makes her look unappealing to people that don’t know her. I don’t think it’s OK for doll manufactures to think that girls won’t look up to their dolls and try to look like them and even the inappropriate parts.

Now that you read my essay I hope you understand that toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls. The reasons I think toy such as dolls make a bad image on girls is that they make girls have a low self-esteem, they make hurtful stereotypes, and they make girls put on inappropriate clothes. That is why I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls.  

Students task was to write a well-structured opinion essay filled with evidence supporting their claims. Special features include:

• A strong, clear thesis statement
  
• Three unique, powerful reasons
  
• Meaningful personal experiences
  
• Facts and evidence from others
  
• A strong introduction and lasting conclusion

Students could write about any topic that they felt strongly about. We hope you enjoy our essays!

I was freaking out. “Estas lista?” the guide asked which means are you ready in Spanish. Even though I don’t think he really cared. He just had to ask expecting me to say yes even though I was about to disagree. I was looking far off into the jungle while the guide was harnessing me to the zip line. The harness was set all over my body under my legs and around my arms making me feel weird. The guide pushed me off without listening to my words lingering in the air.

 I was off, into a big blur of trees and animals. It was my first time zip lining ever in all my life. It was so windy and my hair was all over the place and I had to shut my eyes. Then a bird was right in front of my face. The bird was red, it was small too. I could see its tiny eyes looking for an escape route. I was scared I was going to smash into the bird. Luckily the bird flew away just in time saw monkeys with their long tails jumping from tree to tree, as if they were trapezes artists. The scenery was so gorgeous. Then I saw a different guide on the other side waving his red flag. I remembered that red flags meant you had to brake. For a second I forgot how to break; because I was so scared. Then thankfully I remembered how to brake. I put my hand on with the glove on the wire and I slowly screeched to a stop. The guide helped take the harness off the wire. My hair was still crazy, so I smoothed it out with my hand.

Then I looked out into the trees. Nothing was a blur anymore. It was so perfect with the entire wilderness around me. It felt so good

Splash! I was flailing up and down trying to get away from the cruel, murderous shark. I think he thought I was his lunch. I was hopeless and terrified. I saw the fearless shark’s razor edged teeth rapidly coming closer and closer. The swirling water seemed as if it were on the shark’s side; pushing me around like a bully. I was devastated. I tried to swim away but the shark was rapidly coming closer. I thought why do I have to explore so much? If I didn’t I wouldn’t be near this shark. Then I felt the shark at my tail. I swam under the shark’s stomach and leaped. The shark was still facing the other way. I swam away as fast as possible for a seal.  Them I slowed down still trembling with fear.                               

It was time for recess. Everybody stampeded out into the hallways. The hallways were alive with noise. I caught up with my friend Liana. She had a shirt with a polar bear on it, polar bears her favorite animal. I asked her, “Want to go to Hawaii today?” We had teleporters in our school. They take us were ever we want to go. We have recess for as long as we wanted it to, which is awesome. Finally I was out side of the humongous building were all my indoor classes were. The building was neon green today. The colors of the building changed every day, which kind of freaked me out the first week of school. Outside Liana and I zoomed aggressively toward the teleporters. The teleporter was a huge box that always matched the main building the main building with its bright colors. Once I and Liana were at the front of the line we leaped into the open door of the teleporter. There were bright lights and buttons everywhere. There was a keyboard too where you could type in where you wanted to go. I typed in “Hawaii Private Island Maya And Liana”. Each kid had a private island in a country and state of their choice. Liana and I share an island. I clicked the enter button. The teleporter roared and boomed. I opened the door and I was in Hawaii. There was a teleporter on each side of where you were going, one on the island and one at the school. It was a beach with palm trees and a huge sun 24 hours a day. I looked at my schedule I had swimming, palm tree climbing and coconut collecting next. I couldn’t wait!! 

Check out some outstanding student work from the first homework project of the school year, All About Me. I've listed the requirements of the project here; below is what some especially creative students did with it.


Job 1. Mini-biography: Choose two from the following:

• Writing about yourself, your life, and your family – funny stories, sad stories, amazing family facts, etc.
  
• Describe the best book you have ever read.
  
• What was one of the proudest moments in your life?
  
• Describe a turning point in your life.

Job 2. Predictions: Write predictions about where you and three of your friends will be, and what they will be doing with their lives in: Ten years time & Twenty years time.

Job 3. Compliments: Write a page of compliments to friends and family, the kind of thing that you may have thought but never said. Try to include as many classmates as possible.

Job 4. Portraits: A page (or pages) of photos and/or artwork expressing your personality and what makes you YOU.