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This year was my best year at Dalton. I really had the most fun this year because of the kinds of projects we did. The kinds of projects we did were the things I liked to do. I like to read, and we read the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. One of my favorite things we did was going to Plymouth. (See post about Plymouth by clicking on Plymouth.)I also really liked learning about the Pilgrims. (Don’t bother looking on my blog for a post about learning about the Pilgrims because there is none.) Here is what we did. First we created a made-up Pilgrim from sources (ex. Mourt’s Relation, Of Plymouth Plantation). Then we started a first draft of what our story would be like. Then we edited it and did a second draft. Then a third then a final that included our sources and had copyediting. Then we started a cover for our book. The cover was made to look like a book that would have existed in 1620.

Finally, I liked reading. I really like to read a lot! Loved reading the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. (I am already on the 6th Oz book out of 14.) We also had a tea party like the tea party in Alice in Wonderland.

But I didn’t really like one best, they were all great!

I told you I would write a follow-up post.

On Friday April 27th a bus pulled up in front of The Dalton School. I was on the bus. One day ago this bus had pulled up in front of Plymouth Plantation. I went to Plymouth Plantation for one night. This is what it was like.

When we got there my class went to the graveyard where the pilgrims actual graves were. We walked around in the graveyard and saw many of the names of the people that travled on the Mayflower. On the way back to the buses we saw many of the places where the Pilgrims actual houses stood (now they are just normal buildings there). When we got back to the place where we got off the bus, my class went to see the Mayflower II (a reconstruction of the Mayflower) andthe class that had already seen the Mayflower II went to see the graveyard.

On the way back we saw Plymouth rock. It was just a rock with a big 1620 in it. Then we went to see Mayflower II. The Mayflower II was really cool. It had 3 masts on it. Lying in the water next to it was the shallop. The shallop is a small boat that was used for fishing and making expeditions of the land. After seeing the main part of the deck we went up to the upper deck. There we got to meet somone who was pretending to be like a Pilgrim. We talked to her and she talked to us in the way that people would have talked 400 years ago. She asked us where we came from and when we said “New York” she didn’t know what that was (there had been nothing there when they arrived).

Later that day after we had brought our suitcases to where we are going to sleep, we visited the village of the Wampanoag tribe. That was the tribe of Native Amercian’s that we there 400 years ago. Insted of talking like their ancestors would, they talked like people talked now, but they lived like Native Americians. We saw them building canoes. They do this by taking a log and burning out the inside. The way they made it so that the whole log didn’t burn up was by using wood that was a little wet. Then we went into huts that they built and talked to some of them. We asked them a lot of questions about their life and they answered them. It was cool seeing what their life would have been like.

Then we had activites. First we went to see 2 pilgrim houses and tried to figure out how they would have lived. Then we got to write stuff in quill pens ex. our names, etc.. After that we got to play with toys that the Pligrims children used. There were hula hoops but insted of hula-hooping with them you took a stick and pushed it along. There was a game like tic-tack-toe and many more gamees like what we would use today. Then we got to dress up like the pilgrims. It was really funny seeing your friends wearing Pilgrims! Did you know that this thing a baby had to wear on their head called a pudding. Then we got to go to the place where we could have dinner. There was apple cider to drink and things to eat. Some of the things to eat are turky pottage (turky oatmeal), carrots, bread and butter and for dessert, pear teart.

Now we had to go to bed. The boys had to sleep in a big room and the girls had to sleep in another big room. In the morning we had breakfast and went to the gift shop to buy stuff. Then we visited the 1627 Pilgrim village. We saw what the pilgrim houses would be like and saw some of the people who work there living in the houses. Then we saw the gun place where they would protect their new coloney. Then we walked back to the bus and were on our way home. At 4:20 that day, we were back home.

In a week the 4th grade at The Dalton School are going to Plymouth, Cape Cod. This is where the Pilgrims landed on the Mayflower in 1621. We are staying there for one night. I think it will be fun there. All of the boys will sleep in one big room and all of the girls will sleep in another big room. Being there will show us how the real Pilgrims lived when they landed on Plymouth Rock. There, (in Cape Cod) people made a village about how it would have been in 1621. People are hired and they live in the village like the Pilgrims had. When we are going to be there we will eat and live like the Pilgrims would have lived. I am very excited to go there.
When I (c15am) get back I will add on to this about what it was like being there.

4th graders at the Dalton school in New York City have been studying forced immigration or slavery. This topic is part of their immigration study. They read a book by their teacher, Ms. Edinger about Sarah Margru Kinson, one of the slaves captured on the Amistad. Now, you’re wondering what the Amistad is right? (If you already know skip this little bit) The Amistad is a ship that captured slaves illegally and brought them to America. But one of the captives escaped, and he and some of the other men killed almost all of the crew. They kept some alive to get them back to Africa, but those sailors tricked them. During daytime they sailed towards Africa but at night they sailed toward America. The American Coast Guard found the ship and charged them with murder. After some hard times the to-be slaves won their trial and were sent back to Africa. Go to blogs.dalton.org/edinger/ for more information.

Also, Edinger house did many more projects about forced immigration. They did a poem unit with poet Natasha Trethewey. She read them poems by her friend about the Amistad and they wrote their own poems about a certain person from the point of view of the on the Amistad. One of the students brought some stuff from Africa that he got when he was there. He brought a wood sculpture, jewelry and many clothes.

It is important to know about events in history that were significant and interesting to learn about Forced Immigration.
“I really liked reading the book about Sarah Margru Kinson so we could learn how hard it was for the slaves”, said by a student in Edinger house.

-Mourts Relation

You think that you have read Cinderella, right? So why bother reading this story? I think that you should read it anyway. This story isn’t the story where there are evil stepsisters, a pumpkin that the fairy godmother turns into a carriage, and Cinderella losing a glass slipper when the clock strikes midnight. So if you still think it’s a waste of time, fine don’t read it, but if you think that it might have a small chance read on!

Daniel’s dad had just died of the flu. Now his 26-year-old sister was in charge of him even though he was 18. This was because in his dad’s will it said that he wanted Daniel to be watched by his sister until he was 20. She made him drive her places and make her breakfast, and if he complained she would say, “You’re lucky I’m letting you live here.” Daniel could not understand why his sister was so mean to him. The only thing he could guess was that she was annoyed with his dad for making him live with her so she started being mean to him about it.

Daniel and his sister lived a bit outside of Dallas, Texas. They had a small ranch, a few horses and a truck. Only one road went near the ranch, but Daniel barely ever saw cars on it. Everywhere else there was sandy desert. One day the mail came. There was a letter addressed to Daniel and his sister. When they opened it, it was an invitation to the mayor of Dallas’s daughter’s birthday. She was having a rodeo as her party. Daniel and his sister were invited. Daniel had never been to a rodeo before. Of course his sister would not let him go. She said, “I have work for you to do. Clean the horses’ stalls and wash the truck.”

When the night of the party came the sister went with a friend. After he had washed the truck, Daniel sadly went on his computer and played games. Daniel was so upset he didn’t care about washing the horses’ stalls. Then there was a pop. Daniel looked around, but he couldn’t see anything. Just then there was another pop, and a big bull was right in front of him. He screamed. He had never been so close to a bull before. Just then, to Daniel’s amazement, the bull talked to him. It said, “Daniel don’t be afraid or else I won’t help you. You get it? Okeey Dokeey. So your sister won’t let you go to the party-right?”
“Yes,” said Daniel.
“But I will let you go.”
“How?” asked Daniel.
“I am your fairy god bull,” said the bull. Just then there was another pop and Daniel’s clothes turned into clothes for a party. He had boots with spurs and clothes for riding a bull. Daniel felt like he was a turtle stuck in its shell then coming out and being happy for the first time (he was at the happy part). Then on his head there was a cowboy hat. It was dark brown where it stuck up into his head and everywhere else it was a light shade of brown.
“Thanks,” said Daniel.
“Now don’t lose the hat,” said the fairy god bull.
“If you do, all of those clothes I nicely gave you will turn back into the clothes you were wearing when I came. So off you go.”
While Daniel got into his truck the bull disappeared. Daniel started for the rodeo.

When he got to the party Daniel parked the car. When he got to his seat the mayor’s daughter was riding a horse. Daniel saw a bee stinging the horse. Just then the horse grunted and started running around going crazy! Daniel thought that if something went wrong she could really get hurt! Then she fell off! Daniel jumped in the ring to move her before the horse came around again and trampled all over her. But in all the confusion his hat fell off. He had saved her! There were gasps throughout the crowd just when he realized that his hat had fallen off! All of his nice clothes were gone. Then a girl stood up in the crowd. Daniel recognized that it was his sister! Just then he started running as fast as he could out of the rodeo. His truck was waiting for him. It sped off in the direction of his house.
Half an hour later the sister came back.
“I saw someone that looked a bit like you,” she said in the meanest voice she could make.
“I thought I made it clear I did not want you to go.”
The only choice Daniel had was to lie. “I didn’t go to the party,” he said.
“Don’t lie to me,” she said.
“I am not lying!” he said.
“Waadever,” Daniel’s sister replied.

The next day a big nice truck drove up to Daniel’s house. Someone got out and said,
“This is the Mayors daughter”. He gestured to the girl sitting inside the truck.
“She is looking for the boy whose head fits this hat,” he gestured at the hat she was holding.
“No boys live in this house,” Daniel’s sister said. The truck drove away. While it was driving the mayor’s daughter just happened to be looking out the window and Daniel just happened to be riding one of his horses and the mayor’s daughter saw him. She told her driver to stop. She got out and called to Daniel.
“Can you please come over here,” she called.
“Sure,” Daniel said back.
She told him to try on the hat. Almost immediately he recognized it as the one he wore to the party!
He said, “That’s my hat”.
“Well try it on.”
He tried it on and of course it fit him. The mayor’s daughter and Daniel got married the next month and they lived happily ever after. Meanwhile, the sister was learning to do everything herself. Now because Daniel was gone she had to make her own breakfast and do everything for herself.

I am not finished with Endymion Spring but I would surely reccomend it. When Blake finds a blank book that contains a secret- or feeds on children he must   make sure the book doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. But some of his friends may not last forever…

Want to see blogs by kids in China? Click here to visit Jhon’s blog! On Jhon’s blog you can read his review about books and read the book he is writing!

Visit Alaska blogs. Click here to go to iRock’s blog! On his blog learn about Martin Luthers speech and learn about secret writing! Please comment!!!

I also visited people from Mamroneck, NY. Click here and visit Bruno’s blog. Read about him and his girlfriend and about the superbowl.