Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Natalie
Over the past three weeks, Team 20 has worked on photo stories. Photo stories
begin with a photo. We creatively wrote about what was going on in the photo and
we added more. This was one of Mr. Marks favorite writing projects when he was
in Mr. DOnofrios fourth grade. We added dialog in appropriate places and chose
a vantage point, either first or third person. We wrote as many photo stories as we
could. Then we looked over our stories, each chose the one we thought was our
best, and wrote the reason why. As a class, we created a revising checklist. Then
we changed and added details to our stories. We signed up for a kid-to-kid
conference and revised with a partner. We added even more detail to our stories.
We then conferenced with our teacher, Mr. Mark, and came to a final end. We put
our final drafts all together. Our class chose the title for our zine, Neeble. Neeble
was a popular word in a book we read as a class called Lizard Music by Daniel
Pinkwater. In this book Neeble in lizard language is the only word the lizards say
and it can mean everything.
The Trap
By Henry
The trap was nearly ready. My friend had dared me to catch a guy on film trying
to snatch some doughnuts out of a bear trap. I had the bear trap in place as well as
the glazed doughnuts. Now all I needed was a victim. Someone unintelligent
preferably. I pretended to be on my phone texting when I was actually looking for
people to pass by and try my doughnut. Then, at the perfect moment, someone was
walking by and stopped to study the doughnuts. I pulled my camera out of my
pocket and started filming. The man was studying those doughnuts pretty hard.
He went back the way he came. Darn it! I said to myself. The man had left, but
then he came back with a stick! I started filming again. The man bent over and
started to gently poke the doughnuts. Slowly, so slowly the glazed doughnuts
started to inch off of the bear trap. Then with a SNAP the bear trap shattered the
stick in half! Ha ha ha! I laughed out loud. The man grimaced and stomped
away.
Camp
By Madalinny
Mom please, I remembered saying while I stood in the kitchen in our Portland
apartment. No, I told you, you cant go to camp, my mom replied standing furious in
the middle of cooking dinner. Why not? Because it costs too much, now go to your
room! Uhh, I never ever get to do anything!
Now I am here burning in the sun, lost in the woods with you guys begging to go
home. Are we there yet Rosie? No there is still a long way to go! As we were
climbing the rough gray rocks. I climb and climb, which goes on forever! All the while, I
was thinking about mom and and how she was right that I shouldnt have come. I just
shouldve stayed home watching t.v and eating candy, hot cocoa, and popcorn in my
warm cozy bed. Only if my dreams could come true. Now Im sobbing like a baby
wanting to go home. My cuts sting like a bee sting. The sweat slowly drips off my nose
as I work my way up the rocks. Hey OMG! We are almost there! Rosie yells. Really?
I yell back. Hold on. Wait! Nope. Never mind. Its just another hill, Rosie says with a
tear in her eye. An hour later our mouths are as dry as a desert, the sweat is all over us,
and finally we make to the camp. We fall on the ground and drink about a gallon of
water.
Captain Marshmallow
By Abbey
BANG! POW! How about a knuckle sandwich!? BAM!! I punch a slug in
the face. The slugs start to crawl away. Thats right you evil slugs go cry to your
mommy! An...an...an...and stay away from this planet and never come back! I
start to walk, but stept on slug slime. Eww, can you at least clean up after
yourselves?! Merp? said the head slug. So immerture, I whisper to myself.
My name is Captain Marshmallow...What? I like marshmallows. Got a
problem with that? Good, can I get back to my story now? Thanks! I fight evil
creatures that invade this planet. Those stupid evil slugs attack this appliance
factory almost every week. I ran and jumped on a washer but fell and hit my face.
Im still working on that part. I try again and this time I did not fall. I am the
greatest superhero of all time. I am
Dan get off of the washer and help me deliver this refrigerator, said my
friend Jon. Fine, Im a deliverer. You daydream too much, said disappointed
Jon. The truth is I have a secret identity as a deliverer and nobody knows that I
fight crimes. You dont, and stop talking to yourself! said Jon impatiently. FINE
FINE! I dont, but one thing is true...I LOVE me some marshmallows! Now that,
said Jon I believe!
Race Day
By Peter
I am a horse and it is race day. I am black with a black mane and white around my
hoofs. I am sleek and blazingly fast. Sometimes something with a funny white
helmet is sitting on my back and keeps hitting me with a stick on my buttocks. I
look around me. Other horses are galloping at top speed right behind me. They,
too, have things on their backs wearing funny white helmets. I guess Ill keep
galloping along. As I start down the homestretch I see lots of things cheering and
yelling. They arent wearing funny white hats, but they sure do yell a lot. Up
ahead theres a line on the ground. Neighhhh...owww! That thing on my back
keeps hitting me more frequently as we head toward the line. The things along the
side keep yelling louder and jumping up and down. A couple milliseconds later, I
see myself on a giant jumbo screen. Then I get a thing around my neck with
yummy flowers.
The Trap
By Connor
It was horrid place for humanity. His company, not the famed Guantanamo
Prison in Cuba. Though, for Wally it was just another day in his dreary Cubeland.
He was pretending to work when, Wally, you must slay our Vice President, or we
will all be downsized! said Alice, as she burst urgently into his cube. Why cant
you do it? Too much work. Wally sighed. Verily well, damsel in distress, I
shall slay the evil dragon. Say that again and Ill rip out your tonsils, Wally.
Point taken.
The clever sir Wally had just set a cunning trap when the vice president
came by. He quickly readied his phone to capture the moment on video. The V.P
was incredibly stupid.Whats this? Oooh, yummy donuts! he said. SNAP! The
V.P was slayed. But the adventure wasnt done yet. Security appeared and shot at
him with Kalashnikovs! Wally quickly pulled the beet red fire alarm and ran!
Cubeland was in ruins. M-16s blazed in the distance. It was apocalyptic. He found
Alice the Hun looting the supply cabinet. Alice, I slayed the dragon! Its the
end! Actually I pulled the fire alarm. Ah, I see, and they lived UNHAPPILY
EVER AFTER.
Jareds Donut
By Tate
Well, todays my first day on the job! Im working as a computer programmer at Daves
Computer Warehouse. As soon as I walked in, there was this one guy who looked like he
had suspicions about me, even though this was my first day Oh, hey, he said, observing
me. Actually, now that I remember, I came here once to get my Macbook Pro checked
out, because it wouldnt let me press the M key. While the guy, whose name I think was
Jared, checked it out, there was a delicious glazed donut on the counter. Out of impulse, I
ate it. I guess it was Jareds, because I saw a bear trap full of glazed donuts as soon as I
walked in. I managed to avoid it for the whole day until I left, when Jared threw a stale
glazed donut at the back of my head. It felt like it was a sugar-covered rock when he
threw it. Ow! Thats strike one. The next day after that, he glued multiple glazed donuts
on my office door. Strike two. After that, he replaced my doorknob with a glazed donut,
which wouldnt allow me to open it. Strike three. I talked about him with Dave, my boss
and the store owner. He didnt even really listen; he just nodded his head multiple times
and said, Sounds like an easy problem to take care of. He was clueless of what was
going on. On February 27th, 2014, I quit. I was out. When I got home, the door was
surprisingly sticky. I thought the whole donut ordeal was over, but when I opened my
door, a glazed donut was taped to my cat, Perry.
The Trip
By Hannah
There I was, sitting on an airplane. I was supposed to be having the time of my life.
The pilot said this was the comfortable overnight flight that had all the delicious
food and best of all, no kids! But unfortunately I took the wrong flight and there
were tons and tons of kids, babies, toddlers, 10 year olds, and five year olds. There
was a toddler standing on the seat behind me banging his toy plane on my head and
kicking the back of my seat. My head might be bald but its not a runway. Worst
of all the plane was headed to New York. Oh the loud bustling noises of cars and
busses. Oh the horror! I was supposed to be headed for the sunny and relaxing
beaches of Florida. Oh the humanity!
Baby Mommy
By Mary
I wonder where my mommy went. Well whos going to do her job? I guess I have
to do the cooking, cleaning, browsing the web, and change my diaper. I wonder
when my mommy will be back. I hope some time soon, because Im getting a rash.
Where could she be? Could she be under my bed getting my socks? Could she be
in my room picking up my toys? Could she have gone out for the day? I hope she
will be back because all I can do is browse the web. Its been a while. My teddy
bear says shell be back soon, but I dont think soon is soon enough. Shes been
gone for ten minutes now, but it feels like a week! When will she be back? I dont
know. I want my mommy to cuddle me in her arms and to tuck me in bed at night.
Eck! Something hairy and crazy just touched my leg. Oh, no! Theres a monster
under the table. I kick it and it screams. I look under the table and what do I see? I
see my mommy staring at me. I jump into her lap and laugh and play thinking,
Mom, what have you been doing down here all day?
Rock Trouble
By Phil
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I can't get it open! said Connor. Its just too strong of a
rock! Ash replied. Dang its so dry that I am getting dehydrated and I will just be
stuck out here with you weirdoes, said Chowder. So Ash, Chowder and Nate were
just standing there watching Connor trying to break open a rock with a saw. This
will not end well, Nate said.
Guys, look-look! I made it halfway through the rock, said Connor. Hey, I
see something brown and puffy with tiny little claws, Ash said. Nate took out the
fuzzy little thing with tiny claws and realized that it was a platypus. Its just a
cute, fuzzy and adorable platypus! said Chowder. Chowder just went crazy. He
thought that it was going to be gold, but it ended up being a platypus.
Crack!
By Natalie
Thump, thump, thump, go the dogs paws against the snow. Two shoes on, two shoes off
running at full velocity. Their tongues hanging out of their mouths. The dogs running two in a
row carrying people on the sled. The bells jingle on their necks as they go around the mountain.
You can hear the huskies howl from the ski resort about a half mile away. Pretty soon before
you know it, the dogs are on top of an ice-pond! The ice on the pond is breaking because of all
the weight. The dogs are all very neurotic because the ice is breaking. The three people on the
sled got off and are now calling for the dogs. The dogs are running around on all the different
pieces of ice. All the dogs finally get onto a big chunk of ice. When they were all on the piece of
ice there was very little space. One dog gets bumped off, and now the dogs are even more
neurotic. The owners help get the dog out of the icy, freezing water. More and more dogs are
getting knocked off the ice chunk and the owners are helping them get out. There are only two
dogs left on the chunk of ice. One hops off and swims to the side to get pulled out. The last dog
on the chunk of ice isnt wanting to get off. Come here, come here, one of the owners says.
Theyre whistling and calling her, but she won't come. Finally someone finds a piece of food in
their pocket. They are trying to get her to swim to the edge of the water pond. Finally she
comes off the piece of ice. She swims to the edge of the pond and they pull her out. They all got
out tired and cold, and go sit by the fireplace with blankets and drink hot chocolate in the lodge.
Salty Slugs
By Simon
I am a granny smith apple. My name is Malus Domestica. I was born in Australia. I
went to Stanford University and have five PHDs. I enjoy using big words like
echinoderms and cephalopods. Those are all families of marine creatures that I
learned about in my marine biology class I took in my senior year. Now, as you
see, I am fairly astute and definitely smart enough to know that these two banana
slugs sitting in front of me are deranged! These slugs are dumping mounds of salt
on the table and are going to cover themselves with it. Salt will dehydrate and kill a
slug. I try to yell, Stop! Stop! but it is no use. My mouth is concealed by my
epidermis. The slugs start smearing the salt on their bodies and I turn away. I cant
watch. The next thing I know the slugs are withered up on the ground. That my
friends is how two foolish slugs killed themselves that day.
Wrong Turn
By Nakoa
Three friends were on the way to the airport to begin a very luxurious trip to
Honolulu Hawaii. They had been driving for at least three hours, when two of the
friends, Pete and Snoopy, saw a beaming light coming from behind them. It was no
ordinary beam of light. It was a beautiful color changing light and they got
obsessed with it. They tried and tried to get Bob to turn around and follow it, but
he didnt and argued. Finally after a long long time he turned around and only did
it because the two insanely annoying morons kept asking. After a while of driving
they found a donut shop and that is where the light was coming from. They were
awfully hungry and there was no one around, so they decided to rob the donut
shop. They took the donuts home, had a party, and ate all the donuts. The donuts
were very flavorful, fluffy, creamy and delicious. The next morning when they
woke up, they were in a very grassy place and the felt paralyzed. All they could
hear was MMOAA HA! HA! HA! HA! Dont eat my DONUTS!
The Deer
By Peyton
I, the gorgeous green frog, live in a forest. One day I encountered my first deer.
Many frogs say that a deer is a dangerous animal because they drink as much water
as they can from our pond. When I saw the deer, I panicked and scurried to the
bottom of the water as fast as I could. I peeked over a rock from curiosity to see if
the deer would be able to drink so much water. I accidentally made a big croak
when I came higher on the rock to get a better look and I startled the deer. Its ears
shot up and it said, H-hello? Then I sat on the rock and the deers ears lowered.
Excuse me, dont scare a lady like that! the deer said sternly to me. Then, in fear,
as quickly as I could I said, I am so sorry miss. I didnt mean to scare you like
that. She continued to sip the water. Then her ears stood up and she bound away.
Then I went on with my swimming and being a frog.
The Kids
By Kellen
Whats this? I muttered. Three boys playing in my water fountain? I must be
dreaming. So I went to ask my mom. Oh no dear, she answered. I adopted
them this afternoon. Please treat them kindly. Of course mom, I will, I
muttered. Thank you dear, replied my mother. So the next thing I did was prank
them. I tried putting a spider in their bucket, but the stupid boys just laughed and
said, Oh looky, a birdy! So I tried to tell them that the fountain was full of
germs. But the weirdos just started drinking it. Wait a minute, I thought Maybe
reverse psychology will work. So I told them, That water is good for you. It
worked like a charm. They were out of that water faster than Twitchy can say
Mikasa Ackerman.