Spontaneous Short Story Writing - By T.P., A.C., and E.W.

On a hot summer day a pig was taking a bubble bath, when suddenly one bubble began to grow in the air. Inside the bubble was a pig fairy. The pig fairy said she will grant the pig three wishes. The pig's first wish was a refrigerator full of ice cream. He was amazed and for his second wish he said he wanted some cool clothes. When he went to his room and looked in his closet he has the world's most amazing clothes ever including designer sunglasses. His third wish was for 1,000 more wishes. He wanted another fairy to grant him double the wished. This way he can share his present with his best friend Ralph. The second fairy said if you get too greedy we'll take away all of your wishes but we will lay a curse on you. And you'll have a rooster head, frog legs, and a horse body. But the pig forgot about what the second fairy pig said and for too greedy. One night when he was sleeping on his new king sized bed, surrounded by toys, and right next to a huge flat-screen TV, he felt something weird tingling in his body. And he started to cough up feathers. When he woke up he found out that is was just a dream. The end!

Writing

This week we are taking a creative writing class in the morning.  In this class we wrote about a special moment that we had in our life.  Then we focused on dialogue to make a skit.  I think this class is very helpful for our classes next year.

**W.G. + A.B.**

Creative Writing Class

Right now, I am in Creative Writing.   Today was pretty fun.  We made skits and wrote about our own moments. 


~M.L.

Writing Class Poem

Here is a poem from our writing class.  The assignment was to use slang terms from the English language to write a poem.  

I am Fresh

Sup yo, I got swag

I am so fresh, you got nothing on me

I ain't gonna hurt you, so don't back up, sheesh.

Hola, I got a cool name.

Don't look at me like that, I'm not lame. 

Ayo das  one for calling me out

I didn't steal that food so don't shout.

Now that you know that I got swag

No need to sulk, don't be a drag.

Adios, I need to go, 

This is so fresh, nice seeing you bro.

Here is another entry from the same author.

The broski drew a knife and gripped the blade as if to throw it.

"You ain't gonna get me with that," Death said triumphantly.

"Ayo, shuddup," the broski replied, and threw it.

It flew right between death's legs.

"Ayo das one for trying to kill me," Death shouted.  He punched the broski in the forehead and stomach.

As the man crum[pled to the ground, he whispered,

"Adios, bro," and walked away.  The next thing he knew, he had woke up in his cardboard box.  It had all been a dream.

"Well, at least I am fresh and still got my swag," he concluded.

The End

D.G.

Writing Class Assignment

This is an assignment that was written by a student in writing class.  They were asked to write DURING class to write an essay compared to two poems.  This is something that would be asked of a much higher grade level because of the short amount of time, and the students did a magnificent job.

 Two Poems

By: R.G.

          These two poems, "Marvellous Travel" by Joshua Fernandez and "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, are very enthralling.  "Marvellous Travel" is about a writer who travels different places and with different things.  "The Road Not taken" is about a person who has to choose which road to take and by choosing the road less traveled by, he discovered something new.  I like :The Road Not Taken: more because the poet has to make a choice, he discovered something new, the poetic format, and the fact that he traveled through his home state. 

          There are many extra similarities between the two home state poems.  First, in both poems, the poet travels somewhere.  "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood."  According to this quite, Robert Frost is traveling on two roads in a yellow wood.  In "Marvellouis Travel" the poet travels to different continents.  Next, they both discover something in their travels.  "Watching those silently cry, Asking themselves the question why, someone left them without saying goodbye."  According to the quote, Joshua Fernandez discovers that man people are in pain and are sad.  Finally, they both are written in first person.  Accordingly, there are many similarities.  

          There are also many differences between the two poems.  First of all, "Marvellous Travel" is way longer than "The Road Not Taken" with 22 lines.  "The Road Not Taken" only has 16 lines.  Next, the author of "Marvellous Travel" would be very happy to go traveling again.  Robert Frost, author of "The Road Not Taken" would rather not go back to the worn out field.  Finally, they travel to different places.  Fernandez travels around the world in Asia, America, or Europe.  Frost stays in the yellow wood of Massachusetts.  Though in his home state, he discovered something he'd never ever seen.  As you can see there are also man differences. 

          I like "The Road Not Taken" more because of the poetic format, the fact that the poet has to make a choice, the fact that the poet discovered something new, and the fact that he traveled through his home state.  First, I like that he made his poem four lines per stanza and included a rhyme scheme.  A rhyme scheme makes this poem sound good.  Second, the poet had to make a choice.  I like when people have to make a chouce because it makes a poem or a story more suspenseful on what would happen if he chose a certain one.  Third, I like that he discovered something new by taking a different path.  Though it was worn out and he'd never come back, it's always better when you do something different.  Finally I like that he traveled through his home state an found places that he's never seen before.  It's great because you get to explore places you've never seen before vecause you always want to see the world, not your home state.  Now you know why I really like this poem.  

          I like "The Road Not Taken" more because the poet has freedom.  He has freedom to add suspense, change the poetic format, create a discovery and set the story in his home state.  I think that Frost write great poems that has imagery, suspense, and poetic format.  I learned a lot from this great poem.  

My Week at International Ivy

My week at International Ivy was so fun,
Now it's hard to believe that it is done.
The classes were cook and the breaks were awesome,
Now I will tell you all about them. 


I had writing from nine to twelve thirty
But don't worry, I'm not that nerdy.
I wrote essays, stories, and many poems.
I am sure to share them at my home.


I had video game creation until five, 
It was a blast, and a jive.
I get to take home twelve games, 
I only get to play them cause they're far from lame. 


I had two breaks during the whole day,
I just had one so I'm like "yay"!
We did a lot of stuff like minute to win it, 
Because the counselors have so many wits.


Now that you know that camp was a blast, 
I hope next summer comes really fast.


D.G.

International Ivy

The week at Ivy 
Has been fun
With lots of lively stuff!
We had wet-day and 
Friday, and now the 
Week is done.


We played dodgeball,
Capture the flag,  and
Even duck, duck, goose!
We made new friends
but kept the old. 


We wrote short stories, 
and did study skills. 
There was rain and there was sun.
We'll never forget the fun we had
At International Ivy! 


S.B.

Writing Class - International Ivy Poem

I liked the breaks
There were many different stakes
Writing was fun
It was like playing with a machine gun.


We played a game
Which increased my fame
My robot's name is Death
You can tell by his uneven breath.


I love this class
It's a blast
I love the Ivy Points 
They're like golden coins.


This class is the best 
There is no test
When I get out of here
I'll say to my parents this class is very dear


S.S. 

International Ivy Camp Poem - Writing Class

International Ivy camp was a blast
The Caldwell College campus was very wast. 
I enjoyed writing to be better
And remember when I forgot a letter. 


Lunch was awesome in the cafeteria
Though we had to deal with heat bacteria.
During breaks we had snack outside
Though we felt like we were being fried.


Then I had Robotics class
Lego Mindstorms NXT was a blast.
Then at 5:00 we had to go
I was sad that only a few more days were left.


I had writing class until twelve thirty
I thought I might be kinda nerdy.
We wrote stories, poems, and plays
I like the poem about the horse that goes neigh.


In the afternoon, I had Robotics
The Lego Mindstorm NXT's were symbiotic.
We programmed our robots to do cool things
We are so awesome we can make it sing.


My favorite part of the day was break
There were so many snacks I didn't know what to take. 
We played different games and had so much fun
We had a great time on wet day in the sun.


R.G.

Two Articles Essay

Yesterday in Writing Class, the students were asked to read and answer comprehension about two articles.  Here is the assignment that one of our students wrote and decided to share on the blog.

Two Articles

By: R. G.

These two articles we read in class, “Sweet Corn” by Tony Earley and “Inside Alaska” by Rob Knotts, are very entertaining. “Sweet Corn” is about the author’s grandma’s delicious corn and how electricity helped her keep corn. “Inside Alaska” is about the exploration of caves in the Alaskan rainforest that has led to great discoveries. I like “Inside Alaska” more because of the exploration, the personal experience, and the location.

               There are many similarities between both articles. Both articles have personal experiences throughout the article. In “Sweet Corn,” he states his experience eating Granny’s corn. In “Inside Alaska,” he starts the article by providing his experience exploring a cave. Second, both articles have great discoveries that help humanity. “Inside Alaska” has a discovery that helps scientists uncover human history while “Sweet Corn” has a discovery that helps Granny keep corn year round. Finally, both articles have important secrets like Granny’s corn secret. According to this paragraph, there are many similarities.  

               There are very few things different in both articles. First of all, they take place in different places. One takes place in North Carolina while the other takes place in Alaska. Next, one article was about food while the other was about cave exploration. Finally, “Inside Alaska” is longer with 17 paragraphs while “Sweet Corn” has 5 paragraphs. As you can see, there are very few things different between the two articles.

               I like “Inside Alaska” for many reasons. First, I like it because they explore different caves. I like reading stories about people who explored different dangerous places and how they survive and what they find. Second, I like that the author included a personal experience. It gives a good hook to the beginning of the story and it certainly got me interested in this story. Finally, the place this story takes place is Alaska. I really like Alaska because of the glaciers and the rainforests. Now you know why I really like “Inside Alaska.”

               I like “Inside Alaska” more because of the exploration, the personal experience, and the location. Scientists found evidence of human history is Alaska, the author includes a nice touch with the personal experience, and scientists searched the Alaskan caves for evidence. This is a great summary of the article. Rob Knotts added a technique that a lot of writers forget, a hook. His personal experience drew me into the story when I first heard it. I will certainly remember to include a hook while writing.

               

Writing Class Entry

Our Writing Class has elected to share some of their essays on our blog!  We have some very talented writers in this class, and written below is one of the essays written from yesterday's class.  They read two plays and were asked to compare, contrast, and share their opinions on the plays in their essay.  Please read below.

Two Play Excerpts

By: R.G.

The two excerpts from the plays “Harvey” by Mary Chase and “Brighton Beach Memoirs” by Neil Simon are very motivating to me. The play “Harvey” is about a man named Elwood who has a special friend name Harvey who no one else can see. The play “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is about a boy, Eugene, who is trying to play baseball but is annoying everyone inside the house. I like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” more because it is more realistic, uses baseball history, and is funny because of all the screaming matches.

               Both plays have very few things in common. First of all, they both have a lot of dialogue. If it didn’t have dialogue then it would be considered a play. Next, they both have some narration and stage directions throughout the excerpts. You can tell by the many italics in parentheses and capital letters. Finally, both excerpts have four characters. In “Brighton Beach Memoirs” there are 4 characters: Kate & Eugene Jerome and Blanche & Laurie Morton. In “Harvey” the four characters are Elwood, Mrs. Chauvenet, Veta, and Myrtle. All these characters play important roles in the excerpts. As you can see there are very few similarities.

               Though both plays do have many differences. The play “Harvey” has a lot more stage directions and narration. This is true because half the story is telling the audience and the actors information about the next part. Also, there is a lot more imagination in “Harvey.” Elwood is using his imagination to create his invisible friend who he thinks everyone else can see but is wrong. “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is so realistic and is possible to occur any day. Finally, “Brighton Beach Memoirs” has a lot more lines. There are 171 lines in “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and 66 lines in “Harvey.” As you can see, there are many more differences then similarities.

               I like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” more because it is more realistic, funnier with the screaming matches, and uses baseball history. This excerpt is more realistic as there is nothing to imagine unlike in “Harvey” when he believes his invisible friend is a pooka. This scenario could happen anytime at a house somewhere else. This excerpt is really funny because Kate screams at Eugene all the time about dumb things. She thinks that roller blades left in the kitchen will kill her. Finally, I really like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” because of the use of baseball history with old famous players. I like baseball and history so this is the perfect part of this play. There are many reasons why I really like this specific part of the play.

I like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” more because it is more realistic, uses baseball history, and is funny because of all the screaming matches. The author has the freedom to make the play realistic without adding imagination, use baseball history to make the play more alive, and use screaming matches to make viewers laugh. Neil Simon wrote a great play using an actual place an creating a family that is normal. He has taught me a lot about writing plays.

              

Writing Class

Today in writing we acted out 2 play excerpts.  They were called "Harvey" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs".  We caught it on tape.

-R.G.

By: R.G.

Here is an essay from one of our Writing Class students.  They were enthusiastic to share as many pieces of writing as they wanted for our blog.  

Jimmy and Amanda’s brother, David, had the biggest science experiment due on Friday at Legreen High School, NJ. David had to store and observe a raspberry-colored poison. It had to stay cool in the refridgerator and not be taken out of the beaker it was given in. David thought that this science experiment would lead to his first A+.

In the middle of winter …

        “It is SO dry!” screamed Jimmy.  “Does anyone have water? I am so thirsty!!” he exclaimed. Everyone could hear him throughout the bus.

        “No, none of us have any water!” exclaimed David, Jimmy’s older brother.  It was Jimmy’s bus stop.  David reminded Jimmy not to touch his big poison project at home.  David really wanted to get an A+ on this project. He was going to have a sleep over at a friend’s house. Amanda, Jimmy’s older sister was also having a sleepover but at Jake’s house. Jimmy’s parents were at work, so Jimmy was now home alone. 

        After getting off the bus, Jimmy walked inside the house dying of thirst. He quickly opened the fridge and pulled the first drink he saw.  He thought it was raspberry lemonade, but he had accidentally grabbed David’s poison. He drank half the glass and put it aside for later.

        He sat down to watch TV after he quenched his thirst with ‘raspberry lemonade’.  He changed the channel to Teen Nick and there was a show on that he didn’t like. sees a show he doesn’t like.  His stomach growled madly. At first, he didn’t think anything of it.  He just thought that it was due to skipping lunch that day.  As he changed the channel, he felt sicker and sicker.   Eventually he was throwing up in the bathroom and doing other things every three seconds. He had to get to the phone to call a friend.

Soon, he found a bowl to throw up in. He carried the bowl to the phone so he could call his friend, Jake, to come help him. Jimmy called Jake and asked Jake, Jake’s five siblings, and Amanda come to his house and help him. Hester, Lester, Peter, Amanda, Walter, Jake, and Nicole went straight to Jimmy’s house. They were very smart so they thought they knew what to do.  Once they got there, they went straight to work.

        First, they asked Jimmy what he did since they last saw him, which was on the bus.  He explained how he walked in and drank the ‘raspberry lemonade’ from the fridge.   Then he told them that he went downstairs to the TV room and watched the Teen Nick channel. He explained that his stomach growled but he thought it was just because of skipping lunch. In reality, it wasn’t about the missed lunch, it was about the poison.

Next, they asked Jimmy where the drink that he drank was. Instead of the poison, he pulled out a glass of the real raspberry lemonade from the refrigerator.  They inspected it, and checked the carton it came in. Everything was fine. They even tried it just to make sure there was nothing wrong. They were all fine. Jimmy was perplexed because he didn’t know why they weren’t feeling sick. He didn’t know what was happening so he still assumed it was because of the missed lunch.

        Jake and Jimmy were looking around the chair in front of the TV for anything peculiar. The other six were looking upstairs for anything different too. They decided to go watch TV shows they all hate like Jimmy was doing when he first felt sick. They watched one show on TV they all hated and it was called Dora. They watched three episodes and besides their boredom they felt as fine as fresh soap.

Suddenly, Jimmy had started to feel different like he was turning into an ugly creature. He knew he had to speak up fast and he knew that the creature he was turning into was not humanoid. The creature he was turning into was raspberry colored and was very hairy. He was like a feverous gorilla with a lot of hair everywhere. He felt really weird like he was almost turning into the mane of a horse. He couldn’t believe it. For once in his life, he was scared and didn’t know what to do.

        Jake called Jimmy’s parents and told them about Jimmy’s transformation. As Jake was talking to Jimmy’s parents, Peter, Walter, Nicole, and Amanda found the glass that was half filled with poison. Amanda tried the poison to make sure it was bad and she started to turn into a different creature just like Jimmy. Jake quickly learned of what had happened and told Jimmy’s parents as they were still on the phone. Hester dialed 911 immediately and the ambulance took forever because it was too slow. These people lived in a very small town with a hospital so small it only had one old and slow ambulance.

        Jimmy’s parents were rushing to the hospital just to see their son and daughter. Jimmy wasn’t there by the time his parent’s got there. Jimmy’s parents were perplexed that Jimmy wasn’t there yet. When Jimmy and Amanda finally got to the hospital, the hospital got permission from the parents to start the procedure.

First, Jimmy and Amanda took anesthesia to knock them out. Then, with Jimmy and Amanda they squeezed all the creature’s blood out and inserted new blood to cure them. They threw out the blood in a special place leaving some in a container so they could investigate later. Amanda and Jimmy got their own rooms so that they could adjust to the new blood and rest.

        During that time, family came and friends visited. David came to the hospital at night with his parents to see his brother and sister hurt. He was sad to hear of what had happened. He also got mad as he remembered that he told Jimmy not to touch the poison. David got told the story beginning to end and then understood why Jimmy and Amanda drank the poison. Eventually Jimmy and Amanda recovered. Life was normal again and Jimmy and Amanda became healthy with they’re new blood. Even though David got an F- for his experiment, he was glad to have his brother and sister alive!!!!!

The Extraordinary Play: Hamlet

Here is an example of some creative writing from one of our students in the Writing Class.  They were allowed to share some of their outside works as well.  Please read below and share their love of writing!  

By:

R G

               It was a normal day at Greenville High and Eric was rushing to English class. Eric is usually late to every single class except Math as this was his favorite subject. 10^th Grade English was a hard class, and as he ran, Eric thought what they were doing today in class. He sat down next to Joey and Connor and started to talk like crazy. The end of day bell rang and Eric walked to the locker room for sports.

               Eric disliked all available sports choices at Grenville High. Of these choices, he chose to play football. He changed into gear and left for the field. Today was a big game and the Greenville High Geckos lost to the Franklin High Frogs. He walked home and was upset at losing the game.

               The next day as Joey and Eric joked around in the Arts Hall, Eric saw a sign about a play informing students that five people could participate from Greenville High. The play was Shakespeare’s, Hamlet and Eric was excited about the opportunity of playing the lead part. He had seen the play with his family before and loved it. As he thought more about the lead part, he was scared that people would make fun of him if he didn’t do well. He had never acted before and he wanted the lead part.

               For the rest of the day, he was all excited and the Geckos won the second football game in a row. He ran home and told his dad, Jake, about all the good news. Jake thought of how funny it would be to see Eric playing the part of Hamlet in one of Shakespeare’s original plays. “Eric has no acting career and is aiming for the part of Hamlet,” muttered Jake. “That’s crazy!” Jake thought of how much of a failure his son would be so he decided to abandon helping Eric.

               The auditions were tomorrow so he begged Joey and Connor to come with him and try out. They didn’t care for anything having to do with acting, but they followed Eric. The auditions took up the whole sports practice and about 30 minutes of free time. Sadly, the producers needed time to think about who was going to be chosen. Eric couldn’t get the results for a for a few days. He got home and his mom started asking Eric how the auditions went. Eric told his mother that the results would be mailed to them.

               A whole week went by with no news of the auditions. Then on October 24, mail came from Highland Studios. The results said that he had earned the lead part with his perfect movement, accent, and prepared costume. Eric was overjoyed at learning this. He was glad about this great news and knew he was going to have a great time with this experience.

               When he arrived at school, he heard the most depressing and saddening news of his life. Both of his friends didn’t get a part in the play. He felt like the loneliest person on Earth. He thought they were perfect for the part they tried out for. Instead, Sally Scooter and Jerry Jester got those parts. He was going to complain to the producers why they didn’t get in.

               Eric just was just about ready to drop out of the play because of his sadness. He needed to choose between two important things: dropping out to be with his friends, or taking the lead part in the biggest play of the year. Eric chose the once in a lifetime experience, taking the lead part. After he made this decision, his friends were avoiding him all over school.

               Even though he couldn’t be with his friends, he felt like he made the right decision. He did not know what to do after making the hard decision. His football performance and participation percentage were becoming very low, as Eric didn’t go to practices. All his grades (especially Math) were being lowered and everything was turning horrible in Eric’s life. He was a mess.

               Finally, one day, his mom noticed that he was extremely sad. She promised that he would get his friends back, but he didn’t think so at all. His friends were totally avoiding him. For example, they would sit on the other side of the classroom as far as they could get. Neither liked the mess. He didn’t think that he and his friends would be back together. Eric thought that it was hopeless. That was not true.

               To help him solve this problem, she thought of something that she couldn’t afford. She decided to buy Broadway tickets. His mom searched everywhere for tickets to Broadway but couldn’t find any. Finally, their next-door neighbor didn’t want tickets she bought for a show. She gave them away to Eric’s Mom for free. They were going to the Lion King, the perfect play to show Eric and get him inspired and excited.

               Finally, the day of the Broadway show came and his mother surprised him with the tickets. That evening, they left at 5:30 so they were not late. When Eric got there, he noticed how beautiful Broadway was. When the play started, Eric was ready to enjoy his surprise. Eric fell in love with the play. At the end, he clapped really hard and noticed that everyone was clapping for the lead actor. Suddenly, he was driven to do his best.

               That night he couldn’t stop dreaming about that show. Everyday he practiced and practiced with his mom to remember the lines of the lead part. Opening night was in one week so the producers and director were having rehearsals literally everyday. He couldn’t contain his excitement with all the preparation going on of all this. He would finally start a new dream of an acting career.

               Everyone was so excited and willing to help him. Eventually, he got a costume and he practiced his movement. Everyday at least four hours of practice and he would remember his part. Finally, it was showtime and he was ready. He arrived two hours early to help set up the sets and get the props ready. One hour before show time, he put on his costume and started reciting his lines. He was ready to do his best so he practiced his parts in the back of the stage.

               With one minute before show time, the producers went on and introduced everyone. Finally, the curtain dropped and he took a deep breath. Eric smiled and went on stage for his part. He did a great job as Hamlet and everyone else didn’t mess up. The show was fabulous and people were laughing at the funny parts, clapping all over, and crying when someone died.

               At the end, Eric and his peers took a bow. Eric felt so happy and complete! Surprised, he saw Joey and Conner running up to him with his mom. They were all so happy to be back with each other again. They explained that they came back because they realized that Eric needed time to practice so he couldn’t talk to them all the time. It was a great reunion. They were all friends again and everyone was happy! Then his mom and dad walked up to him, smiled, and were pleased with his hard work! Eric smiled back and they all had a family hug! His dad told him how much he regretted not helping Eric and thinking how horrible Eric was going to be!

The Lost Island

Today in Writing Class, the students were asked to practice writing dialogues.  Here is something that one of our students actually wrote during the exercise in class.

(A young boy, Tommy Smith, is going to visit his aunt and uncle.  He is going alone and on his private jet, only with a pilot)


Tommy: Bye, Mom!  Bye, Dad!
Parents: Bye, Tommy!

(Plane takes off.  20 min. into flight sudden beeping noise comes on.  Tommy goes to pilot to see what it is.)


Tommy: What's that noise?
Pilot: WE'RE GOING DOWN!
Tommy: WHAT?
Pilot: We're going DOWN!  WE NEED TO JUMP!

(Pilot tosses parachute to Tommy and pits his own parachute on and jumps)


Tommy: What just happened?!!  O don't even know how to skydive!

(Plane goes down and Tommy blacks out)