c17cd

Last Post

c17cd — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:55:56 +0000

Yes its true. This is my last post of the year. In three days school is over and I am free. But I will always miss writing posts. I loved making podcasts writing about what we are doing in school. Also I loved reviewing books and seeing all my comments. I hope my blog is a inspiration to kids every where. I hope I can write next year also. Bye

Pilgrim Story Podcast

c17cd — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:43:03 +0000

We are starting our fictional Pilgrim stories here is my podcast of of a bit of my fictional characters story here it is……..

The Wizard of OZ debate

c17cd — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:05:34 +0000

In school we had a debate about, “Is the MGM Wizard of OZ a good adaptation of the book or not.” After having read the book and watched the movie many times I originally was in favor of the book and thought it was much stronger in conveying the message of friendship, adventure and caring. I then was placed on the side who supported the fact that the movie was a good adaptation. When I heard that I had to argue for the good adaptation I felt like screaming, “NO NO NO.” But hearing a lot of different comments during the debate I realized that I had to change my mind and that the movie was actually a good and insightful movie. Some of my arguments were, “The way the Munchkins were shown in the movie made sense because it had to be fantasy and they had to represent a different look just the way OZ had to appear mysterious. Also, ” adding the farm hands I felt was appropriate because Dorothy was dreaming so she included Zeke, Hickory, and Hunk as the people she knew well in real life. The same for Miss Gulch.” Last but not least, “In the book instead of ruby slippers there were silver. But since color was a big deal back then it made sense to add some pop. Also they played quite an important role at the end when getting back home she had to click them together three times! They certainly made an impression to this day with children trying to wear these ruby slippers and dreaming of going somewhere on an adventure! I hope you liked my few debates and that you agree with me.

West Virginia

c17cd — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:38:33 +0000

Facts:

*Area Code: 304

*Bird: Cardinal

*State Abbreviation: WV

*State Capital: Charleston

*Area: 24,231 square miles (West Virginia 41st largest state)

*Population: 1.808,344 (37th most popular state in the US)

*Major Industries: Coal mining ( 2nd largest in the US); livestock, manufacturing of glass products (West Virginia famous for); tourism

*State Flower: Rhododendron

*Tree: Sugar Maple

*Animal: Black Bear

*Official State Colors: Blue & Gold

*Nickname: Mountain State and the motto “mountaineers are always free”

*Lowest point: 240 ft

*Highest Point: 4,861 ft

*Precipitation: 0.6

*Ohio and Potomac rivers form parts of boundaries with other states

*West Virginians refer to their state as “Almost Heaven” because of scenic beauty and rich biodiversity

*West Virginia is called the whitewater capital of the East with about 9 rivers good for rafting

*New River is actually America’s “oldest river” – it cuts through entire state

*New River Gorge is called the Grand Canyon of the East

*80% of West Virginia is covered with forests

A Very Famous West Virginian

Mary Lou Retton (1968- ),the gymnast who won four medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics, including the gold in the all-around competition, and helped the U. S. women’s team win a silver medal, is one of West Virginia’s most famous export. One quote from a coach tells us a lot about her determination, discipline and devotion to the sport she was so good in. “As the pressure gets greater, Mary Lou gets greater!” While winning the gold medal in 1984 she also became the first US gymnast to win the gold since 1948. Mary Lou Retton was famous for her beaming smile and her fierce determination. She delighted the West Virginian’s and made them feel proud and helped the world to learn more about this beautiful and very scenic 41st State. She even got a street named after her in her hometown of Fairmont. I am a competing gymnast myself and I look up to her and what she has done for the sport. Even though she came from a small town she made history. She won her title by only .05 points. She scored perfect 10’s on floor and vault exercise and having achieved that she will be remembered for a long time. Now she lives in Texas with her family including four daughters and when asked what inspired her to become such a successful and famous gymnast she says that she used to watch Nadia Comaneci on TV. She hoped that girls watching her on TV were inspired the same way. I certainly was!

Another Famous Woman from West Virginia

Betty Zane another woman who I believe changed history for the better! She was a brave and very courageous person who played an important part in the Revolution. She and her family lived at Fort Henry in the upper Ohio River Valley and history remembers how she made a mad dash through hostile Indians to get gunpowder to keep Fort Henry from being taken over by the enemy. You must be wondering why she risked her life for gunpowder, why?

During the “last battle of the Revolution,” commander Col. David Shepherd’s gunpowder supply was running low and after battling with the enemy and was almost exhausted. Betty Zane’s brother’s cabin was the nearest source, but it was more than a hundred yards away. When all seemed lost brave Betty stepped forward to accomplish an amazing task. She was young, fast and strong to carry the powder and so do the job. But this dangerous job was nowhere near perfect. She had to pass through the throng of Indians and British spies. They had gathered on all sides around the Fort with their guns and arrows. Did she make it? Yes, carrying the powder in her apron. What a hero!

After all this adventure she settled with her husband Alfred Clark and several children near the Fort. A fair amount of descendants live near where the Fort stood a long time ago. Their is also a street named after her as well as a Highway. If you are interested to read more about Betty you can find the famous novel “Betty Zane.”

I hope you enjoyed reading about these wonderful women. For my resources and facts I had a book about Mary Lou Retton available, and Wikipedia about West Virginia and Betty Zane’s Bio’s on Wiki.

Alice 3

c17cd — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:50:44 +0000

Hi, so I have been writing Alice posts before but this is my last one. The last time I wrote was when my buddy and I were already far along in our comic. Now we are done with the comic and have printed out the end result and we have hung them up. I must say they look good, interesting and I am proud of our work. If you look there are only about 3-4 completed comics hanging up. The comic was a hard journey but finally we were done but some people still are working on their comic. Here is my buddy’s blog c17zt. Take a look! I hope you enjoy her work and you liked me telling you about Alice and all we did around this project. My wish is for you to read the book and like it as much as I did.

Buddy Interview

c17cd — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:41:48 +0000

Hi again my buddy from 3rd grade has just interviewed me about Big Dalton. Well here is the podcast.

Nevada

c17cd — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:43:31 +0000

In school we have started to explore the many great States of our country and our Writing Skills teacher decided to assign to each of us two states to research and write about. The first state you will hear about here is Nevada. I hope you enjoy listening and learning important and interesting facts about this “hot” state.

Article 1

We have always known Nevada to be a dry place (well actually it is now the driest state in the the U.S not being a total desert though) but it has not always been that way. 11,000 years ago when the last ice age ended, Nevada’s mountain ranges were covered in slick ice which slowly melted and became large lakes. So warm and shallow lakes covered Nevada millions of years ago. They were teaming with all different kinds of animals. Over the course of time all these pulsating and diverse life forms came to an end. Soon the bottom of the sea was littered with the remains of animals and plants. They were covered with sand and mud as its layers and many years later they became, of course, fossils. One fossil that survived was the Ichthyosaurs, (fish lizard), which was a twenty-five long and 40 ton reptile with huge eyes, 200 sharp teeths, and a long snout. Some scientist say that this reptile resembled our present day dolphin just having been much much much larger though. This dangerous looking predator has survived history and has become Nevada’s official state fossil! Thank god, it’s frozen in time into a huge piece of rock because I would never want to be face to face with this creature. If you would want to search for more left over signs of the past there are plenty of Museums to visit.

Article 2

Carson City is the capital city of Nevada. It was one of the many different cities in Nevada that was founded in the early boom days of mining. A center of silver mining, Carson City was named after the explorer Kit Carson. It is one of the only two capital cities in the United States that borders another state, California. After the discovery of gold and silver Carson City’s population began to grow bigger. Over the last decade it has risen and fallen and is now a little over 54,000.

Can you guess what famous writer has visited and lived in Carson City? If you thought of Mark Twain you guessed it correctly. He only lived in Virginia and Carson City for about three years. But these years were very important for him and for the towns as well. Samuel Clemens (his real name) came with his brother who was sent by President Lincoln. He needed money and tried, like many others, working at a quarz mill. But that was very hard work, too hard for Samuel as it turned out and he quit. Needing money very much he started working for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper as a local reporter. They offered him $25.00 a week and he enthusiastically took the job. People loved his style of writing, his unique gift with words, stories and his special humor. That particular job helped him become that beloved writer that we know about and love today. While writing for this newspaper he started using the pen name of Mark Twain. He had to leave Carson City suddenly but wrote the following description:

“It nestled in the edge of a great plain and was a sufficient number of miles away to look like an assemblage of mere white spots. The mountain summits overlooking it seemed lifted and clear out of companionship and consciousness of earthly things.”

I hope you liked some of this interesting history of Mark Twain and Carson City.

Facts about Nevada:

*State of western US it was admitted as the 36th state in 1864

*Phrase “Battle Born” on the state flag shows the state’s entry on the Union side during the American Civil War

*Nevada is the 7th largest state and the name comes from the Spanish word “Nevada” meaning snow-covered after the Sierra Nevada mountain rage

*2.6 million people living in the state with 85% in the cities of Las Vegas and Reno

*State’s nickname is “Silver State” because of the large number of silver deposits that were mined there

*0ne out of ten Americans vacation in Las Vegas anually

*State bird: Mountain bluebird

*Nickname: Sagebrush State (Mark Twain called it the ugliest plant ever); Battle-Born State, Silver State

*Population: 1,998,257

*Area: 110, 540 square feet

*Major rivers running through Nevada: Colorado River, Humboldt River, Truckee River

*Major lakes and tourist destinations: Lake Mead, Lake Tahoe, Lake Mojave

*Nevada is the fastest growing state in the US

*Oil discovery in 1959

*Highest Point in Nevada: Boundary Peak 13,143 feet

I got all of these facts from this site . One of the articles are from a book. The other is also from a book.

Things That are Great About This Book

c17cd — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:55:24 +0000

When my teacher read this book to us, my mouth dropped open in a perfect O. This will probably happen to anyone who reads this book. “When You Reach Me” is a mystery book. Not one of the new cheesy ones, but for me this book has the aspect of a real mesmerizing mystery and the appropriate plot of one which I will not give away. The cover really displays what the story is about, because it shows were Miranda (the main character) goes and what she sees. The title is O.K., not the best but not the worst. Maybe it should be named, “The Letters,” or, “Time Traveling,” or, “The Time Machine.” When you read the beginning and up to the middle you already have lots of suspects and ideas about whats going to happen. Sometimes while you read you think, “What is happening?” “How can this be true,” or, “What, that can’t be.” I recommend this book to 9-15 years olds.

This book is a mystery because of what happened to Sal (her best friend). Also, who is the person who writes the letters and how can he/she tell what is going to happen. Does time travel really exist? There are lots more questions in this book, but you will have to find out the rest by yourself. One more thing, the book takes place in 1979………..I don’t want to tell anymore because I am afraid that I give too much away. But here are a few of the characters that are in the book Marcus, Collin, The Laughing Man, Annemarie, Miranda, and Sal. I hope you like my review and it will make you curious enough to read the book. I liked it very much.

Alice 2

c17cd — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:53:56 +0000

Like I have mentioned in the last Alice post we all have started our Alice comics. We are pretty far along, and my partner and I have worked on three or four pictures. I can say that they are done, and the script is finished as well. Our comics are about chapters 2 and 3, and one of the pictures shows all the animals lining up and ready to run a Caucus race. The other one has Alice, the Eaglet and the mouse, who is telling a boring story. It is hard to convey the feelings of the animals in a drawing but we succeeded in doing it, I think, by showing that most of the animals are snoring. The last drawing was especially hard to do because you can see Alice falling into the pool of tears. None of the different groups have started comic life but I think that all of them are very close. Most have already scanned in their pictures and we are excited about that . One of the funniest project in the Alice study will be the Tea Party and you will soon hear more about it. My partner is c17zt and we have been working amazingly well together. I think she is an amazing drawer and I am happy that I was partnered up with her. Hope you liked this post because you will hear a lot more about Alice and her and our adventures.

The Green Book vs. Pilgrims

c17cd — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:57:10 +0000

Our teacher had given us a book to read, which was called the Green Book. After we read it, we had to write down similarities as well as differences between this book and the Pilgrims story. I would like to write about them and try and create an image of a picture in your head about these two stories, different but also similiar in certain ways.

I would say that more people died from the sickness on the Mayflower and knowing history the Pilgrims story takes place a long time ago, is real, whereas the Green book is fiction and the story is taking place in the future.

The Pilgrims traveling to a foreign and unknown land had a hard time finding food. They did bring supplies from England and that helped them a little while adjusting to their new life. The people in the Green Book brought pills instead of food and so didn’t suffer as much as the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims traveled in a boat to their new destination. In the other story the people left earth in a spaceship. The Pilgrims journey took 66 days where as in the Green Book it took 4 years because they traveled in space and had farther to go. The Pilgrims left because of religious reasons and in the Green Book earth was threatened so they had no choice but to leave. In Shine, the planet they landed on, they got most of what they needed fairly easily where as the Pilgrims had to work hard not to die. The children didn’t have to do any work in the Green Book which I support because I think children shouldn’t have to work. They are not strong enough and shouldn’t have this type of responsibility. The Pilgrims though all had to pull their weight in order to survive.

Here I would like to write about similarities I came up with and I think make sense. In both stories the people needed to create leadership roles and structure for society to function. Hard conditions were one of the many problems that they had to deal with on the Mayflower as well as on the spaceship. In both stories the travelers were allowed only a small number of personal items to bring with them on their journey to their new destination and neither group had a lot of money. Pilgrims had lots of dangers in the new world but there were some people who could help them along, the Native Americans. Even on Shine there were other species like the Moth people who were considered allies. Considering the conditions both groups adjusted and came through victoriously while working out the challenges.

I know all of this because we have been studying the Pilgrims thoroughly and we have spent time reading the Green Book. I hope you enjoy this post.