I love going to San Diego. San Diego is in California. My family usually goes there to see my dad’s old college friend, Brad. He has two kids, a two year-old named Jack and a five year-old named Amelia, and his wife Beth. And we had an awesome time there last summer. . .

I felt as if I would spew throw up over everybody on the plane like a garden hose as the plane violently shook with the wind. When the plane landed in the San Diego airport I walked off the plane after the six hour long ride, with legs made of Jell-O. I wished I could just fall over into icy cold water because it was so hot in San Diego. It felt like five hundred degrees outside the airport because I wasn’t not used to the California heat.

One day when me and my family where walking through San Diego’s “Mexico City,” we walked into a little souvenir shop and I got a little shiny bull. The bull glimmered when the sun’s rays hit the shiny little reflector plates. The reflector plates are rainbow colored. That bull will help me remember San Diego.

When I went to Sea World I really wanted to feed the rays. I fed the rays little pieces of herring. The herring was squishy and slimy. The rays’ backs feel like slick glass, with frog slime poured all over it. I also got to feel an Atlantic Sturgeon’s back. A sturgeon is a big fish. The sturgeon’s back felt like a two hundred year-old, somewhat-spiny shield, rough as sandpaper.

And when we went to the San Diego Zoo, we saw a million different kinds of animals. The rhinos’ skin looked too big for their bodies, baggy and wrinkly. And the mountain goats’ horns were hard like hundred year-old bones, that weren’t preserved very well. The horns were yellowish and brownish.

On the plane ride back to Boston, there was a guy next to me who was sleeping. He snored like a troll with a stuffy nose, full of mucus. He was snoring the entire plane ride back to Boston. But when the plane finally landed and we got off I couldn’t believe that we were back home. The Hancock Building was the sign that we were in Boston. I think everyone should go to San Diego.     

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

Pete rewrote an excerpt from The Black Stallion from the perspective of the horse. Check out his clever use of figurative language. 

The Boy

As I was swimming to shore, I saw another struggling life form. By the time I reached the other life form, it has stopped struggling. Its eyes were closed and it’s sinking beneath the choppy, pitch-black waves. I pull it to shore.

When it wakes up I find out that it is a boy. And I eventually find out that his name is Alec. For some strange reason I don’t understand, Alec intimidates me. It makes no sense! I’m bigger and more commanding than that little twerp. He’s so small and weak.

The next day, I see a yellowish-black snake in front of Alec, about to bite him. Now, I don’t like Alec or especially care for the boy. But, I realized that if Alec gets bitten by a venomous snake, he will torture me with his horrible screeches of torment and agony. Humans are so selfish. So I scream my loudest scream ever and tare across the shore, my body becomes a blur. The humid but refreshing air streaks across my face, but I continue to charge down the shore. I’m right in front of Alec and the snake. I pound the Earth, brittle as butterscotch in the heat, it cracks.

When I stop, the snake is nothing but a shriveled head, with dark, crimson blood spurting out from behind the shiny yellow scales. Then I run away from Alec. One hundred yards away, I stopped and turn around and see Alec. Standing there alone. He shouts something out to me but I couldn’t quite make out the words.

Later, I’m looking out over the enormous cliffs as the wind whips at my mane. I have decided to come when Alec calls me, and I have accepted the name Black. As I’m walking beside a crystalline-looking pool of water, I start to eat some dry, dirty and tasteless carragheen.  I hate carragheen. It’s the most tasteless seaweed I’ve ever eaten. It’s brown and usually floppy. It’s salty as fresh sea-water and coated in sand from when it washes up on the shore.

The next morning, I ran farther inland on the island. I no longer could see Alec. But then I see a little person on the top of a hill. It’s Alec. He whistles and I trot over to him. When I look up at Alec, his face was as pale as a crisp, new piece of paper. And it’s so hot out that he’s pouring sweat like a garden hose. He grabs my mane and starts to climb on me! I’m appalled that he would think, much less try, to ride me! I stiffen myself and whip him off my back, and he crashes into a nearby sand dune. I nudge his head. But he doesn’t move.

After many hours, he wakes up. I’m guessing he was unconscious. He tries to get back on me, whispering softly in my ear. I whip him to the ground again. Now his body is covered in little black and purple dots that humans call bruises. But this time he gets right back up. And I must admire his perseverance, but I will be reluctant to let him ride me. No matter what. . .

I’ve decided to concede to Alec’s wantings. I will let Alec ride me tomorrow...

. . .I sort of reared into the air. I tested his horsemanship by rocketing down the shore. I felt like I was flying because my strides were so long. The wind hurt my ears and eyes, yet I kept on running. I ran in a wide circle, my speed never getting lower. I saw a deep gully ahead of me and I immediately knew that I could jump it. But could Alec hold on? Hopefully not. So I jumped it. And unfortunately, Alec stayed alive. He just proved he could take fine care of me. And as I landed, I felt the Earth beneath me rumble as if the entire Earth just cracked. I made a rhythm on the pure white sand.

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.

There are about 250 million people worldwide who suffer from color blindness. I tried to find out what causes color blindness. Color blindness is when somebody cannot see certain colors because of different reasons. Here are some of the ways people can get color blind and what causes it.

Causes of Color Blindness

Color blindness is usually genetic. Many more men are color blind than women. This is because the color blind cell is in the X chromosome, which the mother always gives to her kid(s). The mother is called “the carrier,” because she carries the X chromosome to her kid(s). The mother who gives the color blind gene to her kid(s) is usually not color blind herself.

Another cause of color blindness is industrial chemicals. Chemicals including carbon monoxide, carbon disulphide, and other chemicals containing lead can lead to color blindness. Strokes can also lead to certain types of color blindness.

Medications and drugs can also lead to color blindness. Some of these medications are antibiotics, barbitutes, anti-tuberculosis drugs, high blood pressure medications, and some variations of nervous disorder medications.   

The last thing that causes color blindness can occur because of diseases like diabetes, and almost every form of eye disease. Glaucoma, cataracts, optic nerve disease, and macular degeneration. All different kinds of eye diseases. Color blindness, no matter what the cause, should never get worse. It should not get better either without special treatments.

Cone Cells And Rod Cells

 The retina (a thin layer of tissue covering the inner surface of the eye) of an eye has two parts: cone cells, and rods. Rods help your eye adjust to darkness, and to bright lights. The cones cells let you see different colors. There are three different kinds of cone cells; one type sees blue light, the second type sees green lights, and the third kind of cone cell sees red light.

Each type of cone cell is sensitive to different light wavelengths. Those certain light wavelengths cause one of the three kinds of cone cell to stimulate and get excited. When the cone cells get excited they shake back and forth rapidly and you see a color. So if you see a purple leaf on a tree outside, that’s because 2 wavelengths are emitting from that leaf. One of those wavelengths stimulates the blue cone cells, and the other wavelength stimulates the red cone cells. All of those blue and red cone cells shaking around together make your eyes see the leaf as purple. That’s where the color blind cell kicks in. The color blind cell causes one or most of the cone cells faulty. So if you’re color blind, you could see that purple leaf as a blue leaf because your red cone cell is faulty.

That is what causes color blindness, and color blindness’s effects.

References:
ColorBlindAwareness.org “What causes color blindness” http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/causes-of-colour-blindness/

            

Ben and Griffin are two friends from the Swindle series. They both live in Cedarville, New York. They are alike in many ways but they are also different in many ways. But neither can be trusted. I’m going to show you how they are alike and different.

One thing that Ben and Griffin have in common is they both take risks. For instance, they each got their parents out of the house, then snuck out of their houses, and ran to the city dock at midnight. At the dock they helped each other steal a boat. And then stole some animals from a zoo boat! Another thing they have in common is they both believe in miracles. For example, they entered the meanest, toughest, and most vicious guard dog in Long Island, in a dog show just hoping to win. They didn’t. And the last thing they have in common is they are both very sneaky. For example, Ben snuck through an airshaft completely unnoticed. Likewise, Griffin snuck a hundred-fifty pound Doberman into an attic during broad daylight. His parents were home too!

As you can see, Ben and Griffin are alike in many ways, but now you’re going to see all of the areas were Ben and Griffin are different. In many ways are they different.

One way the two boys are different is Griffin is very devious. He’ll sneak through a graveyard in the middle of the night, in a black suit; digging and everyone would think he was at a restaurant with his friends because that’s what he told everyone. He enjoys being sneaky. He finds it exhilarating. Ben on the other hand is completely full of “what ifs.” He is very cautious about many things in his life at once, including being caught in the act. One more thing the boys are different upon is Griffin keeps his eyes on the prize. He’s very determined to get what he wants. For example, one time Griffin asked to see the best dog trainer of all time, Dimitri Trebezhov, to help him train a dog. He said “Go home and stay away.” Griffin kept banging on the door until he came back to the door. Dimitri eventually gave in and Griffin got his way. Again. But Ben gives in easily and doesn’t always follow through on everything he says. For instance, on a boat, Ben started to become uneasy. He was constantly asking if they could turn around and go home. He said it about a hundred times by the end of the voyage. When they got off the boat Ben said “I was so dumb, I was so stupid, why on Earth did I ever agree to go on this stupid boat ride in the first place.” The last thing that the two boys are different is Griffin keeps a cool head in tough situations. Meaning he stays calm. For example, when a kid named Shank, who had a body structure of a tank, but very short, was saying “Yo justice come here,” and Griffin just ignored the threatening  boy. But, unlike Griffin, Ben can sometimes crack, or freak out, under pressure. For instance, Ben tried to stay awake because of his disorder called narcolepsy, but was freaking out so bad that his neck and back were completely sweat-drenched.

These two boys are friends but are different and alike in many ways. But everyone is different even if your friends with someone whose different. Like Ben and Griffin.    

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!

Have you ever sat down on your couch with some popcorn and a cool glass of Coca-Cola while waiting for the big game to start? Then you end up waiting an extra ten minutes just listening to a reporter list off all of the players who got broken ribs, concussions, pinched nerves, and torn ACL’s! But what they’re really trying to do is make you not want your kids play football even if they really want to! I don’t like the media, either here are some reasons why.

People shouldn’t get most of their football information from the media because the media speaks about football as a more dangerous sport than it really is. One reason I believe this is true because the media usually reports about every single bad injury they hear about. For example, a girl in my class named Maya said that her mom is scared of football because of a horrific injury in the paper she had seen. Another example is that one time, during the half-time show, they had a reporter list all of the injuries that had occurred during the week. In addition, the media has way too many articles and reports on football injuries. One time there were 8 reports about terribly injured players.

People shouldn’t get most of their football information from the media because I believe that you should learn from personal experience. One reason I believe this is because you shouldn’t just assume things like terrible injuries. Someone I know told me that his parents let him play football but he could quit if he wanted to, or if he got anything worse than a major concussion playing football. I can somewhat relate to my parents protection of me because I have already sustained a mild concussion and a broken clavicle. Both playing baseball! So it might not be the best decision. But I would do it anyway.

People shouldn’t get most of their football information from the media because they’re only trying to make you scared of football, therefore not letting your children play even if they really want to. My parents saw an injury report on a player from the stupid Carolina Panthers and then rejected me when I asked to play a week later. Maya also added the fact that her mother turned down her brother when he asked because of a reporter that said “Football is probably one of the most dangerous sports in the U.S.” The media shouldn’t be able to trick people like that!

This makes me realize that some people will believe anything they see. Including articles. This is why I believe that people shouldn’t get all of their football information from the media because the media sends negative scuttlebutt to the populous, you should learn from personal experience, and the media is only trying to scare you. It is true that some professional NFL players suffer from dementia that occasionally occurs when someone gets concussions. And other football players suffer from the more serious injuries including cardiac and pulmonary contusions. But I love football, so I would play on.    

The car clicked shut as Liam, his family, and I hopped out of the car in front of Dale Orchards. It was a blazing Saturday, almost one hundred degrees! I couldn't wait.  

“Look at those huge ruby-red apples,” Liam commented. Liam and I lunged into the air and crashed down on rotten, squishy apples. The aroma of apples of all kinds hit my nose. We walked down the cobblestone path to the front gate. The pebbles looked like beige marbles. The orchard was in the middle of a valley.

“May I help you?” said the employee at the front gate.
“We’ll have two bags please,” said Paul in his deep voice.
The employee yanked two bags out of a shelf over her head “That’ll be twenty-four dollars please,” said the employee in her crabby, annoyed voice.

As we walked along the lush tees of the orchard we pluck stupendous apples off of the healthy trees. Then we drop them into our bags. Liam and I started to get hungry because we skipped lunch. So we plucked two apples off the branches of the gala trees. As I sunk my teeth into the light red skin of the apple I could see the white flesh of it. It tasted glorious. 

Liam said “These apples must have fallen from heaven” in an amazed voice. I had to agree.

After I finished my apple I shouted to Liam “Come over here!” Then he ran over. I punted my core across the field. It must’ve split into at least fifty pieces. The closest piece landed about seventeen feet away. The farthest piece away from me was one-hundred feet away or more!

As we wandered on Liam and I started to get bored. Then we entered the granny smith section. We wanted to practice our pitching before the baseball season started. So we nabbed ten clean apples each. We got them all off the ground. There was a pile of cement bricks on the ground, about fifty feet in front of us. It was about seven feet high. I decided to try my cutters because they're a bit wild (A cutter is a kind of pitch).

"Strike one," yelled Liam as I threw a perfect cutter. "Strike two," hollered Liam as a two-seam fastball slammed into the hard brick-like pile.

I threw another good cutter that wacked hard into the pile of cement "Strike three," I whispered to myself with glee.    

 I was in a raft floating in the ocean. This giant wave My entire body shuddered with fear. I was very anxious to take another step onto the overgrowth scattered around the abandoned yard. You could say I was paranoid. The intimidating house fit in perfectly with the lightless, paranormal environment. All of the darkness and cobwebs were so petrifying, I was not even walking. Instead I was staggering towards the horrid house. The darkness and ghastly shadows crept up behind me as I watched the decaying trees sway in the heavy wind. The spine tingling gloom of the house peered over me. The rotten stench of decrepit rabbits and mice was so horrible I covered my nose. As I wandered on into pure darkness, I eventually reached the front steps. I could hear the ancient wood of the steps creak as I crept up the steps. My teeth were chattering when I saw the dull light bulb flickering on and off. Then I heard a freakish shriek come from inside the house. Was there someone in there, or something?

I was more curious than scared, so I opened the door very slowly just to be quiet. The hinges on the door squeaked like baby mice squealing for their mother. I carefully rounded a corner attempting to not touch the decaying wall. I walked into a room; it was a morbid looking kitchen. I try to call home, but I had no phone service. I’m alone. I think. The shrill shriek hits my ears for the second time. I looked around me, the scream sounded louder than before. Was I closer? I rounded another corner, a bit faster than before. There were two hallways. I took the one on the left. Just then, I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I spun around wickedly punching at thin air. I quietly attempt to tip-toe down the hallway. I felt like someone was following me, so I stopped moving altogether.

When I started moving again I heard a soft whisper in my ear “run”. Immediately I took off like a bullet running and screaming. I didn’t care about being quiet at the moment. I was downright terrified. I ran straight into wall because it was too hard to see in the utter darkness. As I try to recover, I see a blurred figure moving toward me. A moment later I find myself gasping for air. Then I realize that the blurred figure I saw earlier was choking me! When I got my vision back from colliding with the wall, I could see it was a little girl. Her hands were dripping with blood. She was no older than eight, but she had the strength of a professional wrestler! She was in her pajamas and she held a teddy bear in one hand.

 Then she leaned over and whispered in my ear “You will not live throughout the night,” then she dropped me and ran away.

I was scared out of my mind. I ran out into the hallway taking perplexing turns to get out of the house. I ran around corners, and up and down stairs. I barged out the front door and lunged off the porch. I slammed hard onto the brittle ground. It felt like running into that wall I ran into earlier. I charged at full speed all the way home. When I got home I told my parents what happened when I was gone. Then they told me I had a very active imagination.

I had just finished watching a movie. The movie was the Three Hundred Spartans. Then I realized I had two minutes to get to third period. I couldn’t miss science! Today they were going to send five volunteers to China in a rocket. I wanted to go to China. So I quickly rented some free rollerblades to zoom down the hall to science. On the way to science I saw other kids whizzing by to get to their specialists classes. I could hear the kids in music class screeching on their violins and violas. The sound of paint splattering hits my ear as I pass the art room. Finally, I’ve made it to science class. I take off my rollerblades and slip on my regular day shoes. I open the door the first sound that hits my ears is the sound of clapping. Then I realize that the rocket must have already gone off to China, without me.  I was so distraught that I walk right out of the science room, slamming the door behind me. Suddenly I see something that turns my attitude in a completely different direction. I see another kid use his key-card to get into the Bifrost Room. A Bifrost is giant cannon that shoots you at light speed to another place as far away as you want. As long as your back by 7:00 curfew. So I decided to take the Bifrost all the way to China. As soon as I got to China I ran to a Chinese restaurant and bought some dumplings and crab ran goons. I grazed on them until I was full. The only thing I actually liked in China was the food. It was not as great as I thought in China. I mean, I couldn’t even understand anyone there. So I decided to shoot myself all the way back to Blue Guinea Pig University. I’m never going to volunteer ever again.