The material in this file was written last year, school year 1990-91, by fourth graders in my class at Dee School in Ogden, Utah.
The material in this file represents unassigned work. These are stories, essays, and poems that were written, not because I assigned them, but because the students felt like writing. Some was written at home, then transcribed at school, while others were written when students had completed other work and had "free time."
The material was written on Apple IIe microcomputers using Bank Street Writer III. To present them in this file, the student files were first loaded into Appleworks, copied into one large file, and then printed to disk as an ASCII file. This occasionally results in odd line lengths and margins.
Dee School is the home of "I Can Write!", a project funded by a corporate grant from Apple, Inc. All fourth graders write for half an hour every day using Apple IIe microcomputers and word-processing software. For more information on "I Can Write!", please write to:
David M. Thomas, "I Can Write!" Project Director
Dee Elementary School
550-22nd Street
Ogden, Utah 84401
Or, send E-mail on America Online to DavidT93; on GENIE to D.M.THOMAS; on the NEA BBS to Dave Thomas. However, mail inquiries containing a self-addressed business envelope with two first class stamps will receive priority for reply.
Comments addressed to individual student authors may by E-mailed any of the above addresses during 1991-92. They will be delivered to the students.
MY SCARY EXPERIENCE
One time when I was in Denver Colorado and my dad took me to Elitch Gardens and my dad took me on the rollercoater. The rollercoaster was called the twister. It was very scary. My dad wanted someone to go with so he wouldn't have to alone. There was a very long line. We waited and waited for one of the cars. When I got in the car, I felt as if I was about to die. I told my dad I didn't want to go except he said it was to late. He was right. The rollercoaster started. I held on tightly to the bar. We went up a hill, then down a hill. My stomach practically flipped over. Again I felt as if I was going to die. I was scared. We went up another hill, and my dad took my hands off the bars and said, "Scream, Nisa scream! I said, "Dad?!" Then he let go of my hands and at that time, we went down the hill, into a tunnel and down another hill.
Nisa Rodriguez
TORNADO
When I was in Colorado this summer, there was a giant tornado warning. It was on a Wednsday when I was at my babysitters house when My babysitters mom had to do some laundry. I couldn't stay at the house because Priscilla was at the mall with her counciler. So I went with my babysitters mom to Denver, and then Priscilla called saying that she was feeling kind of sick. So we went to North Glenn to pick her up and we looked in the rear veiw mirror and we saw a big, horrible, black cloud! She said, "I hope that Priscilla hurries up." And then I looked up at the clouds and they were moving very fast. Then we saw Priscilla and her friend, Tabitha. They ran to the car and got in. They were soak and wet. We were having a thunderstorm and then we saw that the cloud was going over to Commerce City (where they live) and then we hurried over to their home. We turned the T.V. to channel #4 and started to watch the news. The newsman said to watch out for Tornados if you are in one of these Cities, and then they named some Cities. He also said that in most places in Colorado would either have: violent thunderstorms, hailstorms, (the size of golf balls) and Tornadoes. They showed us Hylland hills, and they were having a tornado. And my two cousins live there but luckily they have the basement apartment. At Elitch Gardens, the power had stopped working. (Elitch Gardens is an amusment park in Denver) Peope on the rides got stuck. Some people got hit with the hail. There is a ride called the Sidewinder and it has stairs that goes to the top. Then the people get in the cars and then go down a big hill, through a loop, up another big hill, then, It goes backwards. Well,
people were just going to go backwards and then the power went out. The people got stuck on the top of the hill, and there was no stairs on the side where they got caught. People also got stuck on the other roller coasters and the sky ride. Then a couple minutes later, My stepmom called and said, "If you try to call me, I won't be there. I have to go to the basement of my work. We can see a tornado outside of our window right now." I had brought one of her dogs with me. She called right back asking if we could please get her dogs and we told her that we already got one of her dogs and she asked if we could get the other one. So we went to get the other dog and it was raining very hard. I got out of the car, and got her other dog, got back in the car, and we drove back to her house. Then at about 3:30 it all cleared and my stepmom came to get me and we took both of her dogs and went to her house. After my Dad got home it was just raining a little. We asked him how his day went, and he said it went fine. Then we turned the channel to the news and we saw that Elitch Gardens power was back on. It was going to open the next day. My dad said, "I'm glad that we went to Elitch Gardens before all this happened." We went on Monday. I'm glad we went on Monday.
I LOVE THE WORLD
I don't like the world. I love the world. I love the sun shining in the sky, The people helping others, and the green grass. I love the world. It' the best world. Aw, I for got somthing. I love Dee School! When I was baby, I went outside I said, "What is that sun shining in my eyes? "But I did not no that it was a sun. I love the world! I love every thing what was in it.
By Chris Linder
2/26/91
MY CAR
My car will be very special.
My car is red.It has four wheels,
With those four wheels,it runs fast.
My car is red.My car has four doors.
I feel comfortable in it.My car is smooth.
Gabriela Hurtado
Teacher's note: Gabriela is a student with limited ability to speak English. Her primary language is Spanish. She wrote this paragraph first in Spanish, then translated it into English
"One Tough Turkey"
The Pilgrims had lived through their first year in the New World, and it was time for the first Thanksgiving.
But it was hard to catch turkeys. "Go and get them!" said the Governor. "Okay," said Captain Bill Fitz. Out in the woods was one tough turkey! His name was Solomon. As he watched the Pilgrims go by he was worried. Solomon ran and found his wife Regina. The two turkeys were hiding behind the trees. At that moment, Captain heard some gobbling behind a tree. "I think I've got one." As soon he went to the tree he tried to catch them but the turkeys were running fast. And Captain Bill hurt his head. As Captain Bill was all healed up, he tried to find Solomon and Regina. Then he went to another tree. "I think they're in that tree." So he went to that tree but the same thing happened. "Do you think they're going to bother us again?" said Regina. "I don't know." When Captain Bill came back, he said "Why not have something else and we can pretend it is turkey?" And they did and they tried to pretend it was turkey.
The End
Shaun Miller
November 9, 1990
"The Raw fish"
Me and my sister were eating raw fish, (this kind of raw fish was a kind that you can eat the bones, they don't taste like anything) my sister didn't like it so she felt sick, I thought It was O.K. Well, my sister didn't feel good so while I was up in my room, I wanted to watch T.V. So I went downstairs then I saw my sister throw-up. It was so gross. But I wasn't going to throw-up so I just ignored it and watch T.V.
The End
Shaun MIller
January 18, 1991
WHAT I THINK IS BEAUTIFUL ABOUT THE UNITED STATES
BY BRIAN PERKINS
I WAS BORN IN KOREA BUT WE MOVED TO AMERICA.
I LIKE THE MOUNTAIN VIEW AND THE FRESH AIR.
I LIKE TO LIVE IN AMERICA.
I LIKE TO BE AN AMERICAN.
THE AIR IS GREAT FOR BREATHING.
THE WATER IS GREAT FOR SWIMMING.
I LIKE TO RUN AROUND AND PLAY.
I'M GLAD I MOVED TO AMERICA.
MY LIFE
BRIAN PERKINS
One day I was at school and when I came home my mom wanted me to help her to make kimchee. I thought it smelled weird. My mom thought it smelled good My mom told me to taste it my tongh felt like it was on fire. I needed some water she tasted it she said it was perfect I ran to the sink and turned on the hot water on accedent, but when I found out I was drinking hot water I ran to the bathroom and turned on the cold water I said "finally". I was really releaved. Then I asked mom what's for dinner? My dad said kimchee. My mom said he was joking. I was releaved.
THE END
BURIED TREASURE
BY BRIAN PERKINS
Fifteen years ago, in Nashwalk, Minnesota, there was a boy named Maxwell Smith. Max loved to explore every where. Sometimes he got in trouble for looking in the wrong place. One day, Max went exploring in the woods. Suddenly Max heard a noise. Max followed the noise to a couple of men who were wearing baggy shirts, black pants, and pirate hats. Max saw them put a paper in the bush. When they left, Max went and got the paper and ran home. When Max got home, he put the paper in his private safe. When he was done eating, he got the paper and his magnifying glass out and locked the door to his room. Max opened the paper and found out it was a map to something. Max went back to where he got it. When he arrived, the pirates were there looking for the map. Max stood very still and quiet. When the pirates left, Max looked around in the bush. He saw some thing shiny and grabbed it. It was a knife. He used the map and and studied it hard. He followed the map and dug where the X was. Two hours later, he hit something in the ground. He pulled it up and picked the lock with the knife. Inside were shiny gold coins. Max carried them home and told his mom he had found treasure. She looked at it and said, "We're rich!" When his father got home, they told him what Max had found. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Dad answered the door and came in with the pirates. They said to Max, "Give us the treasure or your parents die. Max said, "No!" He ran up stairs because he remembered his trap for when intruders came in. When the pirates got on the rug in the hall, they turned up side down. Dad called the police. The pirates were arrested, and Max and his parents were rich for a long time.
THE END
Beautiful World
the world is beautiful
about the different colors of people,
the flowers in spring, and the green grass in summer, and the blue sky.
The little blue and red and grey humming birds,
the brown shiny horses, and the green forest and white rabbits,
the rainbow across the river.
the beautiful houses by the traffic,
and the puppies how they grow.
the beautiful seagulls that fly in the air
and the ducks that swim in the pond.
the black bears that climb trees in the forest,
and the seals that slip through the sea,
the fields that have melons for the people
and the shady green trees for shade.
1-25-91
geneva sustaita
the end
LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS
This story is about the Ingalls family who uses different things then we do now. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote these stories about when she was young. She wrote them about sixty years later.
They made candy by mixing boiled molasses and sugar together to make a thick syrup. Then they got snow and poured the syrup on the snow. After a few mintues, the syrup hardened and turned into candy.
In Chapter 2 Winter Days and Winter Nights,"Laura's and Mary's Pa comes home from hunting with a bear and a pig. Pa said that why he had both the bear and a pig is that when he got to the trap, the bear had already had the pig (the pig was dead). The bear was about to eat the pig but he got there in time to get it before the bear ate it.
Every day they had to do a different job Ma used to say:
"Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday."
I like the book LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS because it tells about how they learn to live in the wild. If you want to know more about the book then read it.
