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My buddy in 3rd grade has a pen pal from New Orleans she wrote paragraph about her buddy, her buddy’s school, and what she knows about New Orleans. Here is her paragraph…

My buddy’s name is Jon and so far I can tell that she likes movies and popcorn, and is really exited to be doing this just like me! My class and I planted daffodils at Isham Park to raise money for the Langston Hughes Academy (which is my buddy’s school). It was really fun!!!!!! I know that when we started writing, the Langston Hughes Academy was doing its teaching in a trailer but now I think they’re in a school. I have learned that New Orleans is a hurricane target because of Ike and Katrina. I also have learned that it is where jazz began and has Congo Square in it. I have learned that it was sold by Napoleon to the Americans and that it was first owned by the French. I am really exited to be doing this and can’t wait to hear back from my buddy.

Let’s give her a round of applause

Here is us!!

Cinder… well actually Selena Silver

Selena Silver lived in New York City with her mom and her dad. One day while Selena was at school her mom got sick. A couple weeks later she passed away.

Finally after three years Selena’s father remarried. Then everything changed. Selena’s stepmother had two daughters Anna and Hannah. At first Selena’s stepmother was nice. But she became really mean. She knew that Selena was much more athletic than her daughters and not to mention prettier. So she started making her do all the chores. And if Selena asked her anything about sports she would make her do even more chores (if that was even possible). Any way with the chores she didn’t have time for sports.

When Selena was 6 her mother had given her an ipod. Selena’s mom had decorated it with rhinestones making musical notes and a basketball. Selena listened to her ipod when she was doing her chores.

Selena’s father was on business trips all the time and when he was home he just couldn’t speak up. The stepmother over powered him. One day he was at home and Selena’s stepmother let Anna and Hannah lay on the couch and watch television while Selena rubbed their feet and did all of her other chores. Selena’s father watched everything not saying a word.

Often times when Selena had to wash the car she would hose it down first and when she was scrubbing it with a sponge her sisters would spray her with freezing cold water. Sometimes even her stepmother would happily watch.

When she got home from school she would have to: vacuum every room, do the laundry, walk the dog, take out the garbage, and she would have to clean every room in the house so it would sparkle. Then she would have to cook dinner, and wash the dishes after dinner. She only got disgusting dinner like pizza that had been left in the sun for a while and sandwiches with rotten bread and whatever was on the inside of the sandwich was also rotten. Every morning she made all the beds and then went to school.

Once Selena was out doing whatever her stepmother told her to do when Anna and Hannah took her ipod and listened to all the music. When Selena got home she went crazy looking for her ipod. Anna and Hanna didn’t give it to her. But by mistake they left it on the couch in the living room. Selena was picking up the garbage her stepfamily left on the couch and she found it. After that she was very careful with her ipod. But still Anna and Hannah kept on taking it.

At school she only had one friend. Her name was Ruby. Ruby’s mother and Selena’s mother had been friends. So Ruby and Selena spent a lot of time together when they were little so they became good friends.

One day while Selena was doing her chores she heard her sisters scream. She ran over to them and said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” said Anna.

“Then why were you screaming?”

“Well you see for your self,” she handed Selena the piece of paper in her hand. Selena started to read it.

Dear Anna, Hannah and Selena,

You are all invited to try out for the basketball team.

Friday the 24^th

Thank you,

Jason Prince (the captain of the team)

P.S. You have to wear basketball clothes.

You see, every year Jason selected 20-25 people in the school to try out. He sent each one an invite to come. Anna and Hannah thought he was particularly dreamy, so they had always wanted to try out.

“Oh wow I can’t wait to go!” said Selena. Selena LOVED Basketball! Her mom had also loved basketball. When Selena was little she, she mother and her father would always go to the playground that was right around the corner. They would go and play basketball for hours on end.

“Go?” screamed her sisters “go!” they stared at her. Then they started laughing. “You are not going.” “You don’t have basketball clothes and you have to wear some or else you can’t try out.

“I’ll buy some,” said Selena.

“You don’t have any money.” Selena looked down at the floor.

Anna smiled. “Bye,” Anna and Hannah said cheerfully. They turned around and left.

The next few days were hectic. “Selena!” screamed Anna, “iron my basketball uniform.”

“Selena!” screamed Hannah “Get my hair brush!”

On the night of the tryouts Anna and Hannah both sat down on a chair and waited for Selena to do their hair and anything else she needed to do. You see Selena could make anybody pretty… well almost anyone. Selena started. She pulled their hair into ponytails. She painted their nails, she even did makeup for them. She kept trying to tell them that it was only a basketball tryout. But with them it went in one ear and out the other.

Anna and Hannah squeezed into their uniforms and off they went.

Before they left Selena’s stepmother turned to Selena “You know Selena you really should be doing your chores. And we’ll be home by 12 o’clock you know I have to take the girls to a celebration dinner.” “I would take you but your just a nothing like your father.” And with that she left.

Selena sat down on the couch. She couldn’t believe what her stepmother had said. I mean she knew she hated her but… her father? No she thought, that’s not true she was just saying that to make me mad.

Selena tried not to cry but hot tears started streaming down her face. She wished her mother was still alive, that her stepmother never set foot into their house, and that her dad would stand up for her.

All of a sudden the doorbell rang. She wiped her tears away and got up. Who could it be she thought. She slowly got up to answer it. She turned the doorknob and the door creaked open and… standing there with a basketball uniform in her hand was Ruby! Selena started to say “What are you-” but Ruby cut her off.

“No time put this on we’re going to try out for basketball,” said Ruby.

Selena said, “Thanks so much.” And she took the uniform and ran to her room, changed into her uniform and picked up her ipod. Never know when you’re going to need it. She didn’t know how long the waiting line was, plus she loved music.

Five minutes later she and Ruby were in a taxi going to the basketball tryouts.

Right when they got there Anna and Hannah we’re trying out. They kept missing the basket and… “Ow!” shrieked Selena’s stepmother. Anna had been trying to pass the ball to Hannah but instead it hit Selena’s step mom in the stomach and she had been sitting on the bleachers so she fell off. Selena started laughing. Her sisters shot a glance in her direction and she quickly stepped in to line.

Finally it was Selena’s turn she smoothly shot the ball into the basket. “Wow,” said Jason, “you are pretty good. And then they started playing together. Her sisters stared at her in aw. Hannah looked at her mother “Who is that!” Anna started to cry and whine.

“Why can’t that be me!”

Selena had lost track of time she looked at the clock and it was 11:54!

She grabbed Ruby’s hand and they ran away. While she was running she dropped her ipod.

Jason ran after her but she was too fast for him. Jason picked up her ipod and put it in his pocket.

The next day when Selena got to school there were posters everywhere that said…

If you lost your ipod last night at tryouts come to the basketball court and tell me the most listened to songs on your ipod.

And then there was a picture of the ipod.

Selena stared at the poster. That was her ipod! She could see her mom’s decorations all over it. She went to go find Ruby.

Anna and Hannah had also seen the posters. They knew that it was Selena’s ipod. They had tried to steal it from her so many times. They had also listened to it. They knew every song on it not to mention the most listened to song.

Anna and Hannah ran the basketball court. Anna pushed Hannah out of the way and said to Jason, “Remember me?” She named the song. Jason looked at her. She had named the right song. But he was not so sure she was telling the truth. He remembered two girls had tried out and been really bad and she looked like one of them. “Okay then lets play some basketball.

“Why?” asked Anna, “I already named the songs.”

“Well if you don’t play I don’t believe you.”

“Well fine I’ll play,” replied Anna. She held the basketball. And then she started dribbling the ball. It plunked on to the floor. She picked it back up and she tried to shoot a basket. The ball went flying through the air and it hit Hannah.

Hannah ran up to Jason and pushed Anna out of the way. She said “I am actually the girl you are looking for. But by then Jason knew that they were the sisters that had tried out and been terrible.

Ruby saw this happening while she was walking by with Selena. She pointed it out and said “Selena go over there.” She shoved her in front of Jason. Selena went over to Jason and said, “Uh” no words could come out she glanced at Ruby. Jason looked at her there was something familiar about this girl he thought. Ruby looked back at Selena. Ruby went over to Jason and said, “Sorry my friend here lost her ipod at tryouts can she please have it.”

“If she can name the song.”

Selena named the song. Jason told her to start playing. Selena started to play. She dribbled the ball to the basket and made a shot. She played by herself for a whole half an hour. Jason told her that she was now officially on the team.

He went up to her, “You want to go see a movie?”

“Sure,” she said. Anna and Hannah stared at her as she left.

“Uhhhh!” They yelled. They couldn’t believe that Selena now was on the basketball team instead of them.

Selena’s father was so proud that he finally spoke up he said that she and her stepsisters should share the chores or her stepmother should do them, he said that she could sleep in her old room, and most importantly that he was sorry about the way he acted. Selena’s stepmother was so mad that she moved out of the house

As for Anna and Hannah well their mother was so mad that she treated them just as she had treated Selena. And their mom had to find work, which she hated. She worked as waitress in a restaurant. So in the end they all got exactly what they needed.

THE END

The Sisters Grim is a book series written by Michel Buckley. In this book two sisters (Sabrina the older one and Daphne younger) have the sad tragedy of their parents being kidnapped. At the crime scene was their parent’s car with a red hand print in it. They are orphans until there grandma (who they have never met nor heard of) tells the orphan edge she will take them. She tells Sabrina and Daphne they have two famous ancestors the Brothers Grim. They meet all kinds of strange characters such as Snow white, Prince charming, Jack from Jack And The Bean Stalk, and many more. I think it is a very good book. At the end of each book like some other series it says to be continued. It makes you want to read more.The fairy tale characters are not how you would suspect them to be. If you like mystery, suspense, and fairy tales you would like this book.

We wrote Amistad poetry inspired by Elizabeth Alexander. My poem was about Teme a little girl, and she got kidnapped. I wrote my poem first person. Here is my poem

Remember

I remember when the men came.

The way I tried to call my mothers name.

The way they put their hands over my mouth.

The way they hit me.

The way I cried for my mother

cried for my brother

the way I cried for Africa.

I remember the way I left

the way I left home.

After we wrote the poems we made collages. Here is my collage ….

Karen Hesse wrote Letters from Rifka using he own families stories. She interviewed he great Aunt Lucy about her experiences of immigration. She changed some of the details and names but as she wrote “But this story is, above all else, Aunt Lucy’s story.” She is using quotes of Pushkin at the beginning of each letter at the top of the page. This is good historical fiction because she uses language that would be used at the time like she met a little Russian boy and she called him a Russian peasant. She is also using real places such as Antwerp Belgium, and Berdichev. Also at the beginning of each letter an the place she was in like in the first letter it said September 2, 1919 Russia. If you would like to read a book abut a little girl and her journey going to America read this book.

The story of Sarah Margru Kinson is abut a girl from Africa and she gets then on a boat to Havana to be a slave and then she go’s to America. Only my class got to read it. Right now it’s just a manuscript. I really liked reading about the story of Sarah Margru Kinson by Monica Edinger. I thought it was very good. I liked that John Quincey Adams was their lawyer. In one part Margru thinks “Will I ever see Africa again.” I felt really bad for her. She was with two other kids Teme and Kagne. I really like how in the book there are poems about how she dreamed of home. And when they get captured she every one is thinking “What do these white men want with us.” In the end she is okay.

On Feb. 6^th, 2009 Elizabeth Alexander came to our school and talked to the 4^th grade in the morning and the 6^th, 5^th, and 4^th grade in the afternoon.

She talked about her book of poems on the Amistad. She said she was inspired while she was walking in New Haven Green she wondered what happened there years ago. So she researched the Amistad and she found out there were kids on board so she wrote about kids too.

She also talked about her book MIss Crandall’s school for young ladies and little Misses of color. She said Prudence Crandall (Ms. Crandall) was a teacher at a school for white girls. She let one African American girl come to the school. The white people in the town said we don’t want our kids to be taught with an African American. So Ms. Crandall said fine. So Ms. Crandall made her school for only African American girls. The town’s people didn’t like this and they did terrible things. They killed the school cat and put it on the steps to the school. They poisoned the well with cow dung. And then they burned down the school. After they burned it down Ms. Crandall closed the school.

Elizabeth Alexander also talked about the inauguration. She said it was awesome as awe-some. She said that she was really nervous she thought she might start crying while she was reading the poem so she talked to her friend who is a performer. Her friend told her to remember to breath. She did exactly that and she ended up fine. She was only allowed to take one person up on stage with her and she thought she was going to bring her husband. But her and her husband both agreed that she should bring her father up with her since his whole life was dedicated to civil rights. She also said that when she was little she went to the, I have a dream speech. Her father wore a pin with a picture of a white hand and an African American hand shaking hands with three words hope, jobs, and peace

Yesterday we saw Oliver. Oliver is about a boy in an orphan home. Oliver asks for more food, and they kick him out of the orphan home. They sold him to a shop keeper for five pounds. Oliver runs away and he meets a group of pick pockets. He stays with them and then he gets caught pick pocketing. Then he lives with his supposed grandfather and then the pickpockets take him back to where he lived with them because they didn’t want him saying anything about them. In the end he ends up with his grandfather.

Any way my favorite scene in Oliver is when Dodger found Oliver on the street. Oliver was great! Here is a list of the characters

• Oliver
• Mr. Bumble
• Widow Corney
• Noah Claypole
• Mr. & Mrs. Sowerberry
• Charlotte
• Artful Dodger
• Fagin
• Nancy
• Bet
• Charlie Bates
• Bill Sykes
• Mrs. Bedwin
• Mr. Brownlow
• Dr. Grimwig
• Old Sally
• Old Lady
• Rose Seller
• Milkmaids
• Strawberry Seller
• Knife Grinder
• Chairman
• Dickie

The Dalton School has also done other plays like the Tempest. Oliver was really very great!!

On January 20th, 2009 Barack Obama became the president of the united states in Washington DC. To become president you have to recite the presidential oath, saying that you will take good care of America. Well when Barack Obama was taking the oath he was focusing on his speech so while reciting the oath he stumbled. Well I just wanted to say he was so focused on his speech because actually I’m writing about his speech. So in his speech he mentioned how the economy is not so good right now. In the beginning of his speech he said “44 Americans have now taken the presidential oath.”

When Obama said “44 Americans have now taken the presidential oath” it caught my eye or ear. I just liked when he said that. Also Aretha Franklin sang my country is of thee the American version. I thought it was really good. Also Elizabeth Alexander read a poem that she wrote for the inauguration and she looked nervous but it was great!I also thought Sasha and Malia Obama looked very nice and they seemed really excited for there dad. This is the only inauguration I remember so if I’ve seen another one I forget so I think this was the first inauguration I’ve ever seen.

I hope that Barack Obama is a great president. I hope he will stop the war. I think he will be a good president. I hope he will make the right choices for America.

We had an assignment to make an Oral History book. First, I interviewed my mom. She came from Iran. First I interviewed my mom at home. I interviewed her on a voice recorder. Then at school we transcribed the interview. That took six or seven tries. Next I typed it up on my computer. And then I edited my oral history. It took 4 drafts, well actually 5 counting the final one. Then I printed the text out and cut all the paragraphs out. Then I glued the paragraphs into the book dummy. The book dummy helped me decide where to put the text. Next I printed the text out ad cut out the paragraphs again. Then I glued the text into the real book. And then I illustrated the book. I was DONE!