Writing STARS 11-20-08 WA#6

Sorry for the delay. I have been very busy. I still have two more to publish from this assignment. I will try to post them soon! Thanks for understanding!

Three Ways to Save Electrical Energy

by: PN, grade 6

There are three great ways to save electrical energy that should be used. They are turning out lights, turning off computers, and playing outside. First turn out lights. Lighting takes some money from the community. Next try turning off computers. By turning off computers one might save a cent or more a second. Finally play outside. Playing outside is healthy, fun, and saves money. These are some of the easiest ways, and one more way is using solar panels for generating electricity

Chapter Nine Update

After receiving an e-mail from a parent and seeing my own children struggle with the Chapter 9 Shurley English test, I wanted to send you a brief e-mail to cover a few points.

Please do not worry about this test. I expect most children struggled with it a bit. I prompted my son a little to get him on the right track. The questions on this test were worded differently than anything we have done. In the book, this would have been a lesson one day - to have them list the different types of pronouns, and begin the helping/linking verbs. However, I simply did not have time in class to do it this way. I am teaching the material every minute we are together! Ugh!

However, I gave them a different quiz in class this week and I was very encouraged to see where the kids are with the material. We will be reviewing most of these grammar concepts (while adding new ones) for the remainder of the year. If your child understands the Q & A flow, then she/he is doing great. If I have specific concerns about your child, I will always send you an e-mail.

Although we will continue at a fast pace next semester, be encouraged that we have already touched-on many of the grammar concepts. The trick now is MAKING IT STICK! We will continue to progress with writing and sentence labeling by understanding the function of the different parts of speech.

Each week, please try to do all of the assignments, but remember WE HOME SCHOOL! One of the benefits of this is that we can be flexible! I understand not getting it all done. I have told all of the kids they are welcome to bring in the assignments late. I would much rather them do it late, than do nothing at all. Additionally, (I think I stated this at the beginning of the year) if your child is writing an assignment for another class, and you feel it would be too much to have them do the English assignment, please have them give me the other paper they have written. Although I will not grade it as a paper, your child will receive credit for writing a paper. Please don't make a habit of this, but every once in a while it's fine! I am very flexible!

I hope this helps! Stay encouraged! I'm amazed at how much the children have learned in the few weeks we have had together!

On a final note, I was planning to have your children keep their Thanksgiving poem in the notebook for their "end-of-the-year-book." If you would like your child to have it to share with family for the holiday please remind them to take it home over the break. I've been impressed with the poems I have read! Precious!

Articles for TC Newspaper

Please enjoy the following entries that were submitted for the TC newspaper. I simply "cut-n-pasted" the articles that were e-mailed to me. I did not edit them or proofread them. (Whew! It would have taken me forever!) However, I did use abbreviations to protect identities.

The variety in the submissions was amazing! I believe you will find these entertaining and enjoyable to read! Way to go, class! I'm proud of you.

Why Everyone Should Like Thursday School

by: MB, grade 5

You may ask “why should I like Thursday School; it’s just school?" Well, I have gone around and asked people different grades things they like about Thursday School to get some reasons why. Let’s see what they had to say.
Jo Jo is in 2nd grade and her favorite class is P.E.. She likes P.E. because it is fun. Her favorite thing is to run around and play fun games. She likes Thursday school. Next is Maria, when asked what her favorite class was she said “all of them”. Her favorite thing to do during Thursday School is getting snacks in the break room. Her opinion of Thursday School?....she LOVES it. Now onto Benjamin. Benjamin is in 4th grade and his favorite class is Children’s Literature. He enjoys hanging out with his friends. Next is me. I think my favorite class would have to be Shurley English. Sure, it’s hard work but you get things done. My favorite thing about Thursday School is that you can have fun and be yourself. I like Thursday school. The next person I asked was Rachel. Rachel is in the 10th grade. She likes her history class because her teacher can make it fun. Her favorite thing about Thursday School is all the people. She likes Thursday School. Last we come to Jacob. He is in the 12th grade and his favorite class is Economics. Jacob says he likes Thursday School “good enough”.
So, the next time you ask “why should I like Thursday School?” those are some of the things you can think of. Remember, it’s not just school-it’s Thursday School.

Wasting, Passing, and Using Time
By: CF, grade 3

According to the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary, the definition of time is: the past, present, and future measured in days, hours, minutes and seconds. Once you spend time, you cannot go back. There is no such thing as a time machine. No magic formula can change the way we have chosen to use, pass, or waste time. Let’s examine just what it means to waste, pass, and use. The Scholastic Dictionary is an excellent resource for this. It says that wasting is when you use or spend something foolishly (not wise). Passing is to give up the opportunity to have or do something (I wish I had…). To use is to spend or consume by using. Nobody is perfect, there will be a minute now and then that we don’t use time as wisely as we should.
For now though, from the mind of an 8yr old, here are some uses of time that maybe you can put to use if you are bored.
There are four things you can do if you are bored, they are: spy on and scare a friend, play outside, pretend, and to play chess. There is also what I like to call a “fun scale” from 1-10. 1 is not so fun, 10 is really fun. First, what I think is the absolute best when I am bored is to spy on and scare a friend. I think spying is the best because I can have fun and be active at the same time. It makes me really laugh a lot. Mom says “laughter is the best medicine for a bored mind”. On the fun scale, it is a 10…that is REALLY FUN. I enjoy it a lot. The second thing my bored mind likes to do is play outside. Playing outside is enjoyable and fun. Riding a bike, playing lps (littlest pets), playing soccer, kickball and riding a scooter are all fun things to do outside. My fun scale for playing outside is 10. Third, if you are bored, I suggest playing pretend. I think you should pretend because you can use your imagination. Pretending is a way to be anyone you want to be, anywhere you want to be without leaving home. It is awesome fun!!! I give it a 10 on the fun scale. Finally, playing chess is a wise use of time. It is a strategy game that works your mind. When I play chess, my mind is busy keeping up with how I can capture the enemy king and not be captured. On the fun scale, playing chess is a 10. I know, they are all 10’s. Fun, fun, fun, what can I say (?)....I like it.
There are lots of things you can do if you are bored. I named four, can you name some more? That’s a rhyme, you can do that too. Write a poem if you like. Use your time, don’t waste it and don’t pass it. Trust me, I’ve done that before.

Airsoft Positions

by: WP, grade 6

I have three favorite positions in an airsoft game. These positions are sniper, infantry, and S.A.W. (squad automatic weapon). First, I enjoy being a sniper even though they have a lot of pressure to get that one shot. I like to be far away from the enemy. Snipers do not usually stick with the group; they mostly move quietly and stalk their enemy until they single out someone to shoot.
Second, I like to be infantry. I like to be infantry since there is safety in numbers and their guns (M16) look cool. An infantry squad has to work as a team or else the enemy can easily pick them off with snipers or other infantry. Usually infantry are less feared than snipers or a S.A.W. unless there are a lot of them. In games of capture the flag I like to be infantry because you get to help take forts and bunkers which are not easy.
Third, I like to be a S.A.W. They usually have a box or drum magazine. A box or drum magazine holds more ammunition than a regular magazine. Both magazines hold around 2,500-5,000 BB’s. S.A.W.s are mostly large heavy weapons which have bipods and are not moved around a lot. S.A.W.s are fun weapons to use since they are intimidating and have seemingly endless ammo. In conclusion these are the most common positions in airsoft and will always be the best in an airsoft fight.

Reasons to Play Lego Indiana Jones

by: PN, grade 6

If someone asked me what my favorite game is, I would say Lego -Indiana Jones : The Original Adventures. I love it because of the great battles, awesome gameplay, and special characters. The very best part of the game is the many, varying battles one can replay in story or freeplay mode. As each battle and level is completed, the player gains more pieces to build his own unique characters. My next favorite part is the gameplay. My favorite parts of the gameplay are the levels to complete, the mini kits, and Young Indiana Jones levels you unlock when all the mini kits are found. Lastly, I like the characters, including eight Star Wars characters hidden in the levels. The various clothing, weapons, and abilities of the characters add to the fun by adding unique quirks to them. The battles, gameplay, and characters make a fun game, but combined, make the game eight times more fun then any other game I own.

My Dad, My Hero

by: JB, grade 6

War heroes and their families are right here at TC. My dad has fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom, (OIF), once for 18 months, been a border patrol agent in Mexico, and is currently serving his second tour in Iraq. My dad is my hero and, I believe, a hero for our country.
Osama Bin Laden and his followers are the enemy that America is battling. It all started on a peaceful September morning as passengers started boarding American Airlines, (A.A.), Flight 11 headed for California. After leaving Boston, 5 terrorists went to the cockpit of the plane with box-cutters and bombs. The terrorists took over control of the airplane and headed for New York City. At 8:46am Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. As the north tower was burning, everyone thought that this was a big accident. Then seventeen minutes later, 9:03am, United Airlines, (U.A.) Flight 175 crashes into the south tower. After this latest disaster everyone knew this was no accident.
My dad was away on a business trip in Texas as this was happening. My mom called him to let him know what was going on. Being the hero, he wanted to come home immediately to protect us. All flights had been grounded so he had to rent a car and drive. Cars were hard to find since everyone was renting them because they could not fly. He found one and headed home to be with us.
Firefighters from all around came to help people out of the buildings and to douse the flames. While this was happening A.A. Flight 77 leaving Washington D.C. gets turned around and headed straight for the heart of D.C. At 9:38am the flight crashes into the Pentagon. As everyone tries to recover from this epidemic, United Airlines Flight 93 leaving New Jersey headed for California gets hijacked by four terrorists and turns back headed for the east coast. The passengers, by this time, know what is going on. So they team up to get the plane back under control. At 10:05am the south tower collapses. Then at 10:10am Flight 93 crashes in a field in Pennsylvania. The north tower collapses at 10:28, ten minutes later. Over 3000 Americans lost their lives on that day.
My dad does what he does to prevent disasters like this from happening again. My dad has a pretty cool job and is a great dad too. President George W. Bush’s speech on the evening of September 11, 2001stated, “These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people have been moved to defend a great nation.” My dad is one of those people and I am proud of him.

My Three Favorite Classes at TC

by:JC, grade 5

My three favorite classes at TC are Mind Movers and Mysteries, Shurley Grammar, and Mad Science. Mind Movers and Mysteries is my favorite class. It is very fun, in class my friends and I get to solve mysteries together. When I solve a mystery I have a choice of a piece of candy or a point. I usually choose points, at the end of the year my teacher, Mrs. B will give out the super sleuth award to the person who has the most points.
Shurley Grammar is my next favorite class. My teacher, Mrs. B makes writing and grammar exciting! She has taught my class how to label sentences. Now that I understand how to label sentences correctly I can wiz through my work. Every week I have eight vocabulary words that I have to look up in the dictionary. I enjoy learning the meanings of new words.
Mad Science is my third favorite class. Every class I get to do fun science experiments that my mom probably wouldn’t let me do at home. So far, my favorite experiments were the bubble bomb and making green slimy goo. I wasn’t interested in science until I took this class, now it’s my favorite subject that I do at home! I’m thankful for all of my teachers at TC, however these classes rank in my top three favorites for this semester.

Three Favorite Foods I Recommend

by: JC, grade 4

If I must say so myself I enjoy eating some pretty strange foods. I believe everyone should at least try my three favorite foods: sushi, tomato pie, and refried beans. The sushi roll that I would recommend for beginner sushi eaters is a California roll. In a California roll there is crab, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in seaweed and rice. To complete the sushi roll top it with a little wasabi and soy sauce. I promise that it will melt in your mouth like a cookie right out of the oven.
Tomato pie, you might be thinking, “pie with tomatoes, GROSS!” Where I lived in upstate New York tomato pie was a hit. It’s much like pizza only it’s made in a rectangular pan and topped with sauce and parmesan cheese. It is then baked and served cold. If you ever get the chance to visit Utica, New York you have to try this amazing pizza.
Last but not least I recommend everyone try refried beans. Although, people say that these beans look and smell like cat food, they taste much better, although I have never tried cat food. My favorite way to eat refried beans is to top them with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. I like to eat my beans with tortilla chips. I enjoy dipping my chips into mounds of beans; it’s like a piece of heaven! If your favorite food is macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets you need to put some spice into your life!! Just one little bite of sushi, tomato pie, or refried beans could change your ideas of what good food is.

My Favorite Books

by MS, grade 4

I have two favorite kinds of books. The first book is a series. They are The Little House on the Prairie Books. My other favorite book is The Phantom-Toll Booth.
I think that the Laura Ingalls Wilder series is really interesting. It talks about a little girl named Laura Ingalls growing up. All the books talk about Laura except for the one I'm reading right now. It talks about Laura's future husband.
I also like the Phantom-Toll Booth because if you like fantasy, that's what the whole book is about. The book is about a little boy named Milo who is looking for an adventure when he goes on a jurney to try to find two princess called Rhyme and Reason in the air castel. But on their way they go through many different obstacles.

Three Field Trips Everyone Should Take

by: TP, grade 6

There are three field trips that I think everyone should take. The first is Bodies The Exhibition. It is an exhibit that travels around the world showcasing real human bodies. It is beyond your imagination. You get to see what real bodies look like on the inside in all kinds of stages. Some are healthy and some are not so healthy. They will be showing the exhibit in Atlanta starting this month. Their website is: www.bodiestheexhibition.com. I think everyone should go see Bodies The Exhibition because you get to see the stages of life right before your eyes. It's very cool! The second field trip that I think everyone should take is to The Lost Sea. It is America's largest underground lake. It is located in Sweetwater, TN. You get to explore caverns and ride a boat that you can see through the bottom. It is very interesting. It is not really a sea but still a good exploration. Their website is: www.thelostsea.com. It is open year round. The third field trip that I think everyone should take is Appalachian Caverns. It has lots of fascinating history behind it. It is located in Blountville, TN. It is a bat sanctuary home to seven species of bats within its caverns. It now also has a gem mine. Their website is: www.appalachiancaverns.com. You should really consider some of these awesome places for your next adventure.
That's the three field trips everyone should take and they're awesome!

9 Reasons Why Recycling is Important

by: ET, grade

There are 9 different reasons why recycling is important.
The first reason is recycling always saves trees.
The second reason is recycling protects wildlife habitat and biodiversity.
The third reason is recycling lowers the use of toxic chemicals.
The fourth reason is recycling helps curb global warming.
The fifth reason is recycling stems the flow of water pollution.
The sixth reason is recycling reduces the need for landfills.
The seventh reason is recycling reduces the need for incinerators.
The eighth reason is recycling creates jobs and promotes economic development.
The final reason is buying recycled products contributes to the demand for more recycled products.
There are so many reasons to recycle but I would encourage you to recycle.

Home Schooling Earns a “Thumbs Up”

by: FB, grade 4

Have you ever wondered if going to public school would be better
than home schooling? I have done both and there are several reasons I think home schooling is the best choice.
Home schooling allows flexibility. I’m able to start earlier in the year than public schools. I also get to go on field trips and special trips with my parents. I wouldn’t travel with them if I enrolled in public school.
Another reason I like home schooling better is that I can eat lunch with my mom and my brothers. Lunchtime in public school was disgusting. Everyone chewed with their mouths open! Gross! Also, the unappetizing cafeteria food made my stomach feel lumpy. House food is much better.
I love home schooling because it’s not only fun, but I get to enjoy my family everyday. We play games and take walks together in the morning. If it is someone’s birthday, we’re able to celebrate all day long. Everyone is kind to one another. In public school, not everyone was nice. It’s refreshing to be with my family.

TC’s Top Three

by: WB, grade 3

TC offers some incredible classes for kids. The classes here are fun and informative. However, my three favorite classes at Thursday Connection are Astronomy, Medievel History and Amusing Math.
My first favorite class is Astronomy. Astronomy pleases me because we perform many Science experiments. We have colored radar sticks, and dropped rocks into flour for meteorites. One day we went outside and lined up the planets on toilet paper. I also enjoy Astronomy because my mom teaches it.
My second favorite class is Medievel History. I like Medievel History because I like learning about knights. I’ve learned that Knights have something on their shield to identify them. Mrs. H also taught us that people became knights at age twenty-one. Learning about knights has been fun.
My third favorite class is Amusing Math. I love Amusing Math because my favorite subject in school is math. In class, we get to play fun and fascinating games like Bingo, Connect Four, Roll-n-Subtract and Roll-n-Add. The games help us learn. We also talk about fractions, count money, and practice adding and subtracting. Amusing Math is a fun class where I learn about my favorite subject.
There are many terrific classes at TC. However, Astronomy, Medievel History, and Amusing Math are my favorites.

Identical Titles with Differing Stories

by: MB, grade 6

An amazing fantasy novel, Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis would definitely be one of the top ten books I would recommend to others. Recently, Prince Caspian also hit theaters and was a massive hit. Although the book and movie share the same title, they do not share the same story line.
You are probably wondering why a kid like me would write an article about this subject. To make a long story short… it was a school assignment for Thursday Connection. That fits well in the school newspaper, doesn’t it?
To get to the point, my review is on the book and movie Prince Caspian.
The novel Prince Caspian is very exciting. It is a gripping story about “a prince denied his rightful throne.” He must assemble an army “in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. In the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world.”
The book did contain a very tiny bit of inappropriate language. Although it is very minimal, it doesn’t make it acceptable. Perhaps, this one word is in the book because in the author’s lifetime, a_s was an acceptable word. C.S. Lewis could have chosen a more satisfactory word.
Also, I think C.S. Lewis could have used better description in a few places. He provided exquisite detail, but there were three or four places where he could have used more descriptive language to give the reader a better vision of what was happening or what something looked like.
Prince Caspian is a splendid novel. However, for the reasons stated above, I would rate the book at “4 ½.” (Scale: 1 = It stinks! Horrible! 5 =Worth the time! Excellent!) Prince Caspian is a must-read!
Grudgingly, the movie only achieves a “3” for it’s rating. It did not obtain a “4” because it was nothing like the book. PERIOD! I was very disappointed by the repulsive replication of the book. If you have not read Prince Caspian then this would be an awesome movie.
Viewing this movie after reading the book reminded me of seeing Eragon after reading the book. I was very angry.
One credible factor about the movie is the producers removed the word I was talking about earlier in this article. At least there is one good thing about the movie!
One suggestion, if you want to watch the movie then read the book first. The reason I suggest this is because if you watch the movie first you will find no point in reading the book. Also I think viewers need to see how much the movie crew altered the story line of the book. You will be surprised at how much the two differ.

Class Syllabus Nov - Dec

11/6 Sentence Labeling and Preposition Test, Helping Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Interjections, Compound Subject Nouns, Homonyms (Ref. 28), Jingle 15 – Eight Parts of Speech
Assignments Due 11/13
Workbook Assignment: Ch. 9 Vocabulary, Homophone Sheet #1, Ch. 9 Sentences Labeled in Practice Booklet, Ch. 9 Test, (optional! You may wish to wait until after the next TC), and at least TWO entries in your Journal. Work on Memorizing the 23 Helping Verbs! You may be surprised with a pop-quiz next week!
Writing Assignments :
Thanksgiving Poem – use the attached instruction sheet to help you. Be descriptive! Use your senses to come up with adjectives! Please illustrate this if possible. Make sure to write a FINAL draft before you illustrate it!
Create a Vocabulary Review Sheet for your classmates. Please type these if possible or neatly write in a dark black pen. Remember to provide your sweet teacher (ha-ha) with a KEY to check them. These will ALL be included in our end-of-the-year book!
3rd and 4th Graders – Create a Word Search Puzzle with at least 10 vocabulary words
5th and 6th Graders – Create a Crossword Puzzle with at least 10 vocabulary words

11/13 Helping Verbs Surprise, Three-Point Paragraph and Essay (Ref. 29), Three-Paragraph Expository Essay (Ref. 30), Capitalization Rules (Ref. 31), Punctuation Rules (Ref. 33A, 33B), Editing (Ref. 34)
Assignments Due 11/20
Workbook Assignment: Ch. 10 Vocabulary, Chapter 10 Exercise (p.70 in Workbook), Ch. 10 Sentences Labeled in Practice Booklet, Homophone Sheet #2 and #3
No journal entries required this week, because you are writing your first essay!
Writing Assignments:
1.) Write a Mad Lib using the parts of speech we have studied in class. (Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Prepositions, Adjectives, Adverbs, Interjections, Conjunctions) Please have at least eight blanks for your classmates to fill in! Please type these if possible or neatly write in a dark black pen. These will be included in our end-of-the-year book!
2.) Write a Three-Point Expository Essay on one of the following topics. (If you do not feel that your child is ready for this, he/she may continue writing Three-Point Paragraphs. However, I encourage you to push them to their ability.) Be sure you revise and edit it before turning in a "final draft" copy to me next week. Be sure to underline at least THREE vocabulary words from previous weeks.
Write in First Person
What I Like/Dislike About Shopping
Reasons For Having a Fire-Drill Plan at Home
Important Inventions in America

11/20 Three Paragraph Essay and Five Paragraph Essay (Ref. 35-36), Editing Practice with a Friendly Letter, Explanation of Final Book Project
Assignments Due 12/4
Workbook Assignment: Ch. 11 Vocabulary, Ch. 11 Practice Exercises p. 71-72, Ch. 11 Sentences Labeled in Practice Booklet, Ch. 7 Test p. 103, (optional! You may wish to wait until after the next TC), and at least TWO entries in your Journal.
You have two weeks for these assignments. Do your best! Please begin working on your book project for our final day of class!
Writing Assignments:
1.) Write a Three-Paragraph Essay or a Five-Paragraph Essay on the subject of your choice. (I highly recommend that all 5th – 6th Graders do the five paragraph essay.)
Be sure to underline at least THREE vocabulary words from previous weeks.
2.) Choose your favorite writing assignment you have done this year. Begin creating your illustrated book to share on Dec. 11th at our Rock-n-Read Party!

12/4 Begin consolidating our final book project to share next week! Time permitting, this will be a long-awaited GAME DAY for the kids! We will play games to review everything we have learned this year!
Assignments Due 12/11
Workbook Assignment: None – you deserve a break for your incredible effort this year! No vocabulary, no worksheets, no exercises and no sentences to label! Yeah!
Writing Assignments:
1.) Write two entries in your journal.
2.) Write a Three-Paragraph Essay or a Five-Paragraph Essay on your evaluation of the class. What did you enjoy about it? What could be better? What ideas can you share to make our time together fun? Be sure to underline at least THREE vocabulary words from previous weeks.

12/11 Rock-n-Read Party and Exhibition!
Parents are invited to come hear the children read their "book" as they rock in the special rocking chair. We will also review some of what we have studied this year!

No homework over Christmas break!

I’ll spend time over the break reading your evaluations of our class. If your ideas are permissible, I will attempt to implement them next semester! You all have progressed tremendously this year in your writing and your understanding of grammar! I’m so proud of you!

New Concepts & Where We Are Headed

On Thursday we started our class by participating in a fire drill. Because of the loss of class time, I was not able to cover everything as in depth as I would have preferred. I'm very sorry.


Although I introduced helping verbs with the jingle and irregular verbs with the chart, we did not have time to "label" a sentence with a helping verb. The new label is HV. There is not a new question in the Q&A flow for helping verbs, your children simply need to memorize them. (Hey, they know the 49 prepositions now! The 23 helping verbs are doable also!)

Below is the first Ch.8 sentence with the correct labels and the Q&A that goes with it. Please do these orally with your kids if they seem to be having trouble. Your children were all given a chart with all of the label abbreviations and their definitions. This should help you as well. (Can you believe how much we have covered? I am amazed as I type this!)

Sentence: Our choir has been singing softly for the children at the hospital.
1.) Who has been singing softly for the children at the hospital? choir - SN (Subject Noun)
2.) What is being said about the choir? choir has been singing - V Verb)Note - There are three verbs. Singing is the main verb and will be labeled with a V. Has and been are helping verbs in front of singing and will be labeled with an HV.
3.) Has - HV (Helping verb) - Write HV above the word has.
4.) Been - HV (Helping verb) - Write HV above the word been.
5.) Has been singing how? Softly - Adv. (Adverb)
6.) For - P (Preposition)
7.) For Whom? children - OP (Object of the Preposition)
8.) The - A (Article Adjective)
9.) At - P (Preposition)
10.) At What? Hospital - OP (Object of the Preposition)
11.) The - A (Article Adjective)
12.) Whose Choir? Our - PPA (Possessive Pronoun Adjective)
13.) Pattern - SN V P1 (Subject Noun, Verb - Pattern One)
14.) (For the children) - prepositional phrase ()
15.) (At the hospital) - prepositional phrase ()
16.) Period, Statement, Declarative Sentence
17.) Go back to the verb - divide the complete subject from the complete predicate with a slash mark

PPA SN HV HV V ADV P A OP P A OP
SN V P1 Our choir / has been singing softly (for the children) (at the hospital). D

(The labels will not line-up directly over the words on the blog - sorry! Each label sits over one word in the sentence following the order listed.)

Another tricky label introduced this week is the word "NOT." NOT is typically an adverb answering the question "how." Many negative words are adverbs telling "how" and "to what extent."

Label the word not - ADV. For example - Sandy is not singing in the play. is-HV not-ADV singing-V

HAVE NO FEAR, I WILL COVER ALL OF THIS ON THURSDAY!! However, I would like for your children to finish all of the Ch. 8 material b/c these are the only new grammar concepts. At this point, they should be able to label the rest of the sentences with their knowledge to this point.

Finally, children will have a test on Thursday to list all 49 prepositions and label a sentence. This is so I can gauge their progress. We are moving very quickly now, but I know your incredible kids are ready!

Buckle your seat belts! It's going to be a FUN ride!

I sincerely hope to see all of your children back next semester. By the end of next semester, we will progress in our writing to 3 - 5 point paragraph essays, persuasive papers, friendly letters and occasional poetry. We will also be exposed to MUCH MORE GRAMMAR! There will be several more sentence patterns, Verb-transitive and Verb-intransitive forms, direct objects, compound nouns and verbs, interjections, conjunctions, and differing verb tenses. Finally, we will cover many punctuation and capitalization rules with increased exposure to editing.

I hope this helps you! Thanks a million!

Writing Stars, WA #5

Enjoy these great papers. You will notice the added element of highlighted vocabulary words!

Writing skills are improving for everyone each week!

My Favorite Rides at Disneyworld

by: JB, grade 6

I have three favorite rides at Disneyworld. These rides are the Rockin' Roller Coaster, Stich's Great Escape, and Tower of Terror. My first favorite ride is Rockin' Roller Coaster. The Rockin' Roller Coaster is awesome. My favorite part is at the beginning where you take off at the speed of light. My second favorite is Stich's Great Escape. Stich's Great Escape is so fun. It feels like Stich is in the audience jumping on seats and then eating a chili dog. Afterwards, he burps and it smells like a chili dog. Yuck! My third and final favorite ride is the Tower of Terror. The Tower of Terror is creepy, scary and freaky. That's why I like it. One time when I rode it, I literally soiled my pants. I was busy getting to all these places, but it was worth it. I hope I can ride them again.

Three Things That Make Me Laugh

by: JC, grade 5

Three thing that make me laugh are my dog, my sister, and whoopie cushions. First, my dog can be very wild at times. She runs in circles chasing the light from a flashlight. She even tries to climb the wall to reach her goal. Next, my sister has a very funny sense of humor. She is always busy telling me hilarious new stories. Last, but now least, I love whoopie cushions. This little device makes me crack up, and is very easy to pull off. I love the reaction on my brother's face when he sits in his chair and "whoosh." There are many things that make me laugh, but these are the three things that make me laugh the most.