ErinMR_Homepage_2008

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 __Reflection to the Menu Project__ I think this activity was a really fun experience. It was exciting to be able to pretend that you owned your own restaurant and could make your own food. The themes I thought were really creative. I mean, it went from Western, to Mexican, and in between. What I enjoyed most about this activity was being able to describe each food so that you would invite your audience to actually believe they were sitting at an eatery and could order one of your fantastic meals. Although it may have been a challenge trying to find each recipe and putting it into extremely detailed vocabulary, it was one of my most favorite LA projects of the year. I hope everyone enjoyed my menu as much as I enjoyed everyone elses!  Sometimes I sit counting the stars, And outside the sun, Getting brighter and warm suddenly, The kind of cry where no tears came out, Going through your drawers and pockets saying, You’re one of us now. And then I see his big hands, Holding something out to me. Just let your mind take you to all kinds of beautiful places. The sky’s real blue and no wind’s blowing. Mountains and grass everywhere, Lots of trees too, There are only a couple windows though, And not a whole light coming in, Like I see something coming that ain’t good. I write the word HOPE on my hand.   A Found Poem from Jacqueline Woodson by Erin

__Fictional Civil War Piece__ “Ulysses, we must never back down to the Confederate States.”  President Abraham Lincoln explained. “So many lives have been lost fighting for what they believe in. However, just know that you fight in honor of them and the Union. One day, slaves will be free, and our country will unite as one. With your help, I know we can defeat the Confederacy, which is why I came to talk to you today. You are one of the strongest and most aggressive soldiers we have. You are now a General of our army.” Ulysses S. Grant nodded in agreement to what the president had told him about never backing down. “Thank you Mr. Lincoln,” he said. “I won’t let you down.”

A few months later, news spread across the states that General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate army had surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union at the Appomattox Court House. “I can’t believe you did it!” shouted Ulysses soldier friend. “I can’t believe it either.” He replied. “However, it took more than one man to win such a terrible war.” His friend, who went by the name of James, shook his head in disbelief of what had just happened. “Do you realize how many people are free now? Think about it. There will be no more stories about slaves running away to Canada, or flyers asking for one of them dead or alive. No longer will there be those horrible auctions, and they can all thank the Union army for doing that. Because we were willing to fight for them and their freedom, it shows how much we believe that all men should be treated equally.” “You’re right,” said Ulysses. “Not only that, but our economy will hopefully improve too. This event will definitely be a big mark in history.” Back at Ulysses home, his wife Julia had just gotten the mail. As she flipped through the many letters, she came across one from her husband, and rapidly raced to open it. Inside, it read: //Dear Julia,// // By now, you have probably heard the news that the// //Union// //has won the war. I am writing to tell you that all is going well, as I hope it is there, and that I will be home as soon as I possibly can. It has been a long journey during these times as it seems like just yesterday I had a gun in my hand fighting for my life and every other soldiers’ as well. Every moment of the day, you are waiting for someone from the Confederacy to make a surprise attack, and so keeping on your toes was definitely something I had to work on. However, I don’t have to worry about that feeling anymore. That’s because now, after all the battles and lives lost, slaves are free. I know, I can’t believe it either. But it’s true. Just like the Declaration of// //Independence// //says, all men should be treated equally, and now, that statement is coming true.// // Sincerely, // // Ulysses //

__**Star Lab Response**__ Well, today the green team got a chance to experience a demonstration called the Star Lab. I had no idea what to expect. As Period 5 approached, excitement began to fill my body and I went up to the stage with the rest of my Science class. Upon the stage sat an inflatable dome shaped figure, and as I listened to Mr. Science from the Children's Museum explain what we were about to experience, I couldn't wait to actually take a look inside. We then entered the Star Lab in groups of 5, and wow was this "thing" truly amazing. A kind of projector put pictures around the walls of the sky at night with all the stars shining. Mr. Science then taught us about how many people long ago, would look up into the sky and make up stories about what they saw. He would point to a group of stars, known as a constellation, and then we would learn about them. This experience made me realize how much we take TV and video games for granted because long ago, ancient people didn't have those things and so to occupy themselves they would use their imagination to make up tales and stories about the stars. You see, sometimes I think we forget about using our imagination, and we really should use it because you may think of something you never would have thought of before. To all the people all the white team, there is lots of fun in store for you guys tomorrow! __** Grammar Guide: **__

__The Noun:__ A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing such as Heather, park, flag, and Mrs. York

__Common Nouns:__ A common noun names a non-specific group of people, places, or things such as city, town, country, and teacher.

__Proper Nouns:__ A proper noun names a precise person, place, or thing such as Southbury, Middlebury, Lauren, and Golden Gate Bridge.

__Pronouns:__ A pronoun takes the place of a noun so it doesn't repeat ideas such as The dog chased its tail. (It takes the place of dog.) Rebecca rode her bicycle. (Her takes the place of Rebecca.)

__Personal Pronouns:__ Personal Pronouns refer to the person writing the story (first person), the person listening (second person), or the topic the story is written about(third person) such as I, me, you, your, he, him, its,and hers.

__Demonstrative Pronouns:__ A demonstrative pronoun points our a person, place, or thing such as this, that, these, and those.

__Verbs:__ A verb expresses the action or state of a person, place, or things such as walk, run, crawl, tastes, and feels.

__Action Verbs:__ An action verb indicates the action of a person or thing. The action can be visible or mental such as entertain, jog, imagine, and throw.

__Linking Verbs:__ A linking verb joins a noun or pronoun at or near the beginning of a sentence with a word at or near the end such as remain, look, smell, stay, and sound.

__Helping Verbs:__ A helping verb is a verb that comes before the main verb and adds to its meaning such as have, can, and could.

__Adjectives:__ An adjective is a word that describes something such as shiny, smooth, and expensive.

__Articles:__ There are two different types of articles, indefinite and definite. A definite article points out a precise or specific person, place, or thing, while an indefinite article refers to a non-specific group of similiar people, places, or things such as the, an, and a.

__Proper Adjectives:__ A proper adjective is an adjective formed from a noun or pronoun but is used as an adjective such as American and German.

__Possessive Adjectives:__ A posessive adjective is a personal pronoun that modifies a noun such as my, her, your, and ours.

__Adverbs:__ An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by adding to its meaning such as carefully, outside, yesterday, and early.

__Prepositions:__ A preposition relates a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence such as about, above, like, near, and of.

__Picasso Response:__ I think that what Pablo Picasso meant when he said, "You see, for me a painting is a dramatic action in the course of which reality finds itself split apart." I think he means that when you look at a painting, it's not so much as to what you're looking at, but the thoughts jumbled around in your head that make you think about what emotions or feelings the artist was trying to express when he drew or painted the picture. I believe that Picasso loved the feeling of when you looked at a painting, drawing, or scuplture and each item in that picture gave you a weird reaction as to what you were actually looking at. Also in this quote, when he says that reality finds itself split apart I think that what he meant was there are some things in art that are realistic and that you see in your everyday life and that there are other things in art that could never really happen except in the artists mind or emotions which he/she expressed with this "fake" item or object.

 <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'; background: #f6f5f4; color: #23980b; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msobidilanguage: AR-SA; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #23980b; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0000ff; font-size: 126%;">Writing Prompt Now that you have witnessed history what are your thoughts?

As I watched the inauguration, I kept thinking to myself, "I can't believe this is happening," I mean, because this was a moment that will, and already has made history, I am so excited that one day, I'll be able to share that moment with future generations that only are able to read books or hear about this historic event, and not actually be able to watch President Obama get sworn in live like I was able to today. As President Obama had said,"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." This sentence reinforces the fact that not long ago the Civil Rights Movement was taking place, and many places along the south were segregated instead of integrated. Not long ago did African Americans have to drink from seperate water fountains. Not long ago did little black boys and girls have to go to different schools than little white boys and girls. But yet, even though this all took place not long ago, today, President Barack Obama changed the way Americans will see their bright future. As the setting on the TV changed from where the inauguration took place, to a school in Atlanta, Georgia, a story was told about a boy that said to his teacher, "Now I know that African Americans won't just be seen as criminals or athletes, but heroes." His teacher then asked him what he would like to be when he grew up and the boy replied, "I would like to become the President of the United States, and because Barack Obama just did it, I now know that I can too." President Obama also said, "For the world has changed, and we must change with it." I believe that the changes President Obama says he will make will help and improve our country, The United States of America, greatly. The U.S.A. has a brighter future awaiting. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #23980b; font-size: 126%;">

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 138.6%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #23980b; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 163.8%;">Here is my Nature's Classroom Piece...Enjoy! <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 117%;">

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 175.5%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 195%;">Before I went away for 5 days, fun to me meant going to the mall and buying everything in the store, hanging out with friends and family on the <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 195%;">weekends, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 195%;">and going on an amusement park ride that was so intense, it left you with no words to explain what just happened to you. Now when I hear the word fun, two words click into my head, Nature’s Classroom. As I look back on my experience, I remember first arriving and settling into the Senior’s Cabin that would be shared with not only 16 other girls, but 24 other boys, daytime activities, and finally going home and thinking about all the useful information I learned there. Here’s my story about Monday to Friday that our sixth grade spent at Nature’s Classroom. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 150%; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%;">“I wonder what this place is going to be like,” my friend Rebecca said as we sat on the bus filled with others in our grade. “I know!” I replied. “I can’t <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%;">wait <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%;"> to see our cabin.” As we sat on the brown covered seat that had many holes in it from other passengers whom had rode on the bus before, I kept thinking about being away from my family for 5 whole days. I had never been away from my parents and family for that long amount of time before. I mean, I knew my mom wasn’t so thrilled about me being away either…After we had arrived at the school, and had put my bags into the U-haul truck that would be taking them down to NC, the time came when my mother, had to say good-bye. This was by far the worst part of my experience. As soon as I saw that twinkle in her eye telling me that <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 150%;">she was about to cry, I gave her a quick kiss, told her that I loved her, and off I went into the school. From there, we were given index cards that told us what cabin, field group, table, and bus we were assigned. Lucky for me, not only was Rebecca on my bus, but in my cabin too. This made me feel a <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%;">bunch more comfortable because she would always be by my side, when I needed someone to talk to. After about an hour, but what seemed like ten, the six buses transporting the sixth grade shuffled down this narrow winding road that led to the entrance. A wooden sign stood outside the campground marked, “Camp, Jewell, Home of Nature’s Classroom.” Everyone’s head clung to the window to get a glimpse of this magnificent place, and Rebecca and I shrieked a noise of happiness that we were finally there. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 150%; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%;">To start off our experience, a quick game of Evolution was enjoyed until the time came when luggage needed to be carried to our cabins. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 180%;">So, up the torturous hill I went with the 16 other girls I would be sharing a room with. Gripping on tightly to my two bags that held the clothes I would need to survive in the woods for five days, I chugged up the hill until I finally saw our destination…The Senior’s Cabin. It was nothing that I had pictured. I don’t mean this in a bad way, no not at all. In fact, that senior Cabin was way better than I had pictured it. It was massive. I could tell as I stood outside the door to the common room that this wasn’t just a regular cabin…It was a masterpiece. Even though I was only outside I could see that there was still so much to enjoy. There was a basketball hoop right beside the cabin and a theater where plays probably went on in the front yard. As Bess, our cabin leader, allowed us to go inside, we all burst through the door and down the hallway that led to the bedroom. The room was shaped line none I had ever seen. The ceiling started out small at the top and then fanned out as it went further and further down. This shaped the room into a circle like formation where bunks were set up all around it. I raced to get a top bunk next to Rebecca and began setting up my sleeping bag while listening to the other girls’ enthusiastic conversations. They sounded something like this: “This place is huge.” “I know, it’s like a hotel in the woods.” “I can’t believe it.” I smiled. I mean, I couldn’t believe it either. This was going to be an experience that would last a lifetime. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6c0da0;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">Two things that I remember most about Nature’s Classroom are eating and getting entertained in the dining hall and the delightful activities that went in during the day. One worry that I had had about NC was that the food wouldn’t satisfy my taste buds, but every meal the kitchen staff there cooked was superb. For breakfast, there was a variety of waffles to sausage, egg, and cheeses, lunch pizza to peanut butter and jelly, and for dinner, pasta to chicken and green beans. However, eating wasn’t the only thing that went on at the dining hall. There was also entertainment and the very memorable ort report. If you ever go to Nature’s Classroom, this saying will come in handy, “If it’s on the platter, it don’t matter, but once it’s on your plate, it’s too late,” because after every meal, the NC staff measures the leftovers. As I <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">was saying before, entertainment is also very enjoyable at Nature’s Classroom. Once the ort report in pounds is revealed, a member from NC might sing you a silly song or play a trivia game against your school and the staff. Now you see why the very boring sounding dining hall can be loads of fun. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6c0da0;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 160%;">After a delicious meal, you’re probably filled up with energy to do all the splendid activities during the day starting off with field group. Participating in field group will bring plenty of laughter and learning to your experience. Your field group leader might take you on a hike up <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">Sunrise Mountain, teach you how to work well with others during the Frozen Ropes Course, or time you on how fast you can go down the giant slide at Nature’s Classroom. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6c0da0;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">Then, there are the special interest classes. You could sign up for anything from building a roller coaster to learning about the history of Rock N’ Roll. Of all the things that went on during the day, night activities were my favorite. There was the Underground Railroad simulation which taught us about slaves trying to escape, the making of skits which you then presented to the whole grade, and many, many more. The thing was great about all the activities to me though was that you learned something new during each one and, who doesn’t like having a blast and learning something new at the same time? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6c0da0;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">As the birds chirped their usual melody, and the sunlight shined through the curtain window casting a beam of light on my sleeping bag, I realized that today was Friday…Time to go home. We carried all of our bags in a wheel <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">barrel back down the hill, had a quick bite to eat for breakfast, and said good-bye to all of our field <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">group leaders. My field group leader, Martin, handed our group IALAC beads which meant I am loving and caring or anything else meaningful that you could think of to put under those initials. He then told us to keep up the great work, and <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">that’s <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;"> when Ashley gave her speech to the 6th grade. She told us that we should be proud of what we achieved at Nature’s Classroom, and to remember all the things we had learned once we got back to our home-sweet-homes. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">So, as the buses roared, and we all took our seats looking out the window to the friendly NC staff, we waved a last good-bye to all the friends we had made, but certainly not the memories <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">The bus ride home was quiet…Very quiet. However, even though it might have been an awkward silence for some, it didn’t bother me because I was thinking; thinking about what I had just experienced, and how it would affect the way I acted once I saw my parents and family again. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">You see, I learned slot about myself at Nature’s Classroom. I learned that I was indeed a responsible person, and that with teamwork and a smile, you can do many things. At Nature’s Classroom, your parents aren’t there to guide you through every little thing, so since we all to take on a little more responsibility, I also realized how much my parents do for my family. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #6c0da0;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-tab-count: 1; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">I’ve decided that because I’ve learned many things about myself and others at Nature’s Classroom, that I will have it take effect on how I act here in Southbury whether helping my mom or dad by setting the table, or just having a great time with my family and friends and not worrying about the non-important things in life. I never thought that when we first arrived to Nature’s Classroom, that I would learn a lesson as great as this one: Learning something, isn’t as bad as you might think. Actually, learning something can bring a bright and wide smile to your face and bring you and others around <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt;">you together. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: #4a41f1; font-size: 18pt; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #d5310b; font-size: 70%; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #6a53ee; font-size: 120%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #d91717; font-size: 110%;">**If you could time travel, what time period would you want to have your holidays in and why?**

If I could time travel back to any period in time to celebrate my holiday, it would be the year of 1970, because that's when my mother was 12 years old, just like me. There are many reasons why I would choose this period in time, but the three main reasons are because I would get to see my mother and her two brothers long ago, and get to see their delightful faces when they opened their presents, I would be able to see when my mom and her family decorated their Christmas tree, and I would be able to spend Christmas with all the relatives that now are elderly, and used to be young. When I would first arrive to my grandmother's house at 10 Juniper Road in Newtown, I bet it would be decorated with lights of every color imaginable that would gleam with delight as they hung on my mother's childhood home. Of course the sky would be pouring with snowflakes; snowflakes that were never duplicated in shape, not even once. I would peer through the living room window, and see my mom's oldest brother, Andy, at about the age of 15, my mother at 12, smiling with that cheery sparkle she gets in her eyes right around the holidays, and sitting on the couch would be my grandmother and grandfather. Lying in my grandmother's arms would be a newborn baby, named Michael Joseph, who we now call M.J. and is one of the best uncles I believe that anyone could have. A box filled with ornaments from the-used-to-be recent memories would sit on the floor, as my mother and Andy would pick one up at a time, gently as my grandmother had told them to do so, and place it in the perfect spot so that they weren't too close together. As the tree would become more and more decorated, "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" and other Christmas melodies would be heard from the radio that stood in the corner of the room, loud enough so you could sing along, but soft enough so my grandfather would be able to hear the Giant's football team on TV whenever they would get a touchdown. As I would peer through that window, in amazement at how beautiful my mom was when she was a little girl, I would notice her pulling at my grandfather's t-shirt, in a begging kind of way, and then my grandfather lifting her up so she could place the star on the top of the tree, both her eyes and the star twinkling as if to say, "This moment can't get any better."

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #40b710; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #08bf3a; font-size: 132%;">A favorite sentence from my pumpkin piece: <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #08bf3a; font-size: 13.86pt;">I believe, that on Halloween night, I will shine brightly expressing my emotions with the figure carved into me, and will show confidence by remember the expression a dear friend, named Charlie, had told me…Big things come in small packages. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f29c26; font-size: 12.6pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f19f22; font-size: 11.34pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #b7850b; font-size: 14.742pt;">A favorite paragraph from my pumpkin piece: <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #b7850b; font-size: 13.86pt;">It all started out on a farm in Northern Connecticut. There, I was born as a seed and planted with many others in an open field. Nutritious soil helped me grow, until the day when a vine sprouted up from the ground. I noticed that I was one of the first to sprout, which made me believe I would be one of the first to grow into a large and plump pumpkin, but boy, was I wrong. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f29c26; font-size: 12.6pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #e8b454; font-size: 12.6pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0bd015; font-size: 13.86pt;">A topic sentence from my pumpkin piece: <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f29c26; font-size: 12.6pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0bd015; font-size: 13.86pt;">Hi, my name is Autumn, and here is my tale. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f29c26; font-size: 12.6pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msobidilanguage: AR-SA;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #d8ad03; font-size: 15.12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msobidilanguage: AR-SA;">A descriptive sentence from my pumpkin piece: <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #eaa81f; font-size: 13.608pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msobidilanguage: AR-SA;">In that field lay over 130 massive pumpkins, and then there was me, diminutive and petite. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f29c26; font-size: 16.38pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msobidilanguage: AR-SA;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #f674ce; font-size: 16.38pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msobidilanguage: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0c6e9d; font-size: 15.4pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0c6e9d; font-size: 13.86pt;">Here is a paragraph from my piece __Clouds__. It was written when Mrs. York gave us a random photo and told us to write about it. I was given a picture of what looked like the side of a volcano with a girl standing on it, and looking up into the baby blue sky. Here is what I imagined this girl was experiencing as she stood there:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 140%;">Crunch, crunch, and then crunch again is heard as I step on the rocks beneath <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%;">my feet. The noise almost sounds like a song as every time my feet go left, right, and then left, right again creates the rhythm to this soothing melody. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%;">I keep having to hold down the hat that lies upon my head because the wind is very fierce today which is irritating, but every once in a while the breeze in your face feels quite refreshing. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%;">I finally reach my destination, near the middle of the volcano, look into the ocean blue sky, and take this glorious sight in. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%;">The clouds are like a giant’s breath on a cold winter day…They look like puffs of pearl smoke. <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%; mso-spacerun: yes; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f5f4; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; color: #0f43bd; font-size: 168%;">I love to look at the clouds, because they’re almost like magic; they appear for you to take a glance, and then vanish before you can take this beautiful wonder in.

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Erin I loved your Picasso story it was really good and I really enjoyed it!!!!!!!!!!!! Sincerley,Bora