Last Student Writer of the Week

Our last unit this year was on persuassion.  Sorry parents, that means that your kids will be even better at asking for what they want!  Well one of the topics we covered was reviews.  Michael decided to take his review assignment one step further and fix it up in a final draft.  His review of Minecraft has solidfied this for me once and for all: I NEED TO PLAY THIS GAME!  Good job persuading me Michael!

Mincraft
By: Mojang
Platform: Xbox, PC
Rating: E10+
Price: free-$20

When you wake up in a strange three dimensional world of many items.  Where all things come from blocks, these many things include ores, monsters, animals, resources, and tools.  You can join the 20,000,000 people that are playing the epic journey through unknown lands.  Venture into caves, explore above, in and underworld, and a far away land.  Use weapons and tools to protect and build what you can only imagine unitl now.  Help the player, Steve to survive the worlds challenges.  Be alone, or play with friends.  You can build for fun, or survive.  Maybe give yourself a challenge on hardcore, the hardest mode stuck and you have one life.  Fight a walking TNT, or maybe your own TNT, and destroy everything.  So what are you waiting for, play the majestic adventure game, called Minecraft.

Student Writer of the Week 5-14-12

Even an everyday journal entry can be extraordinary.  Today I feature a student who I have seen make a lot of progress this year.  Congratulations to Marcos for making it on the website!

My Weekend
By Marcos

This weekend me, my mom and my friend Cameron went to go see the Avengers on the premire.  There was so much people that me Cameron were next to eachother but my mom wasent.  Right in the middle ther was a fire alarm!  We did not care we still saw it.  After that I went to speend a night at his house and played video games.  We fell aslep in the middle of the hulk.  The morning, Dominic came over.  We had so much fun.

Social Studies Test on Wednesday, May 16th!

Social Studies Chapter 9 Test

The Turn of the Century

Lesson 1: The Cattle Kingdom

-         Longhorns

-         Cattle drives and the jobs the trail boss, cowhands, and drags had

-         Richard King- largest ranch in Texas

-         Ranching culture: lasso, rodeos, and tall boots, leather chaps

-         End of the cattle drives: barbed wire and railroads

Lesson 2: Railroads and Industry

-         Before railroads, people used horse-drawn carts, wagons, and steamboats as transportation

-         The first locomotives in Texas brought a lot of changes:

o   More settlers and businesses moved to Texas

o   New goods could be brought to communities

Skills: Use a Time Zone Map

Lesson 3: Oil

-         One of the largest oil derricks was Spindletop which gushed 100 feet in the air and spewed for nine days.

-         refinery - a factory that turns oil into products such as grease and kerosene

-         Before it was used for gas, oil was grease for machines and burned in lamps for light

-         Boomtowns – population grew quickly

Galveston Hurricane

- Isaac M. Cline tried to warn people

- September 8, 1900

Lesson 4&5 : Texas in a Changing World & Texas in World War II

-         During WWI and WWII, Texans fought in the war and many pilots and soldiers were trained in TX.

-         Suffrage: the right to vote

-         In 1919, the TX legislature approved the 19^th amendment giving women the right to vote.

-         Great Depression

-         Dust Bowl

-         Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

-         Audie Murphy – Texan, got the most medals

-         Casualty- dead and wounded

-         Because of WWII: Texas changed from rural farms to industrial cities

-         At home people supported the war effort

-         Women took on many new jobs

Student Writing of the Week 5/7

Students!!! Don't forget to drop your writing in the box. I had so few entries this week but Anish would deserve to be the writer of the week no matter what. The Lost Friends By Anish Jack Jack found himself in a bus. In the backseat. He didn't know where the bus was going but he knew he was in the dessert. There was something in his pocket it was wet and it was a envolope with a usb. He had lost his memory. His instincts told him to open the cap. When he did it turned into a sword.

Student Writing of the Week 4-30-12

I think that some of the best writing comes from the heart.  In this week's writing of the week, Amatuallah reaches deep inside and shares a part of herself with us.  I'm also proud of her for trying a new genre of poetry/prose. 

By Amatuallah

Life these days can be really painful.
Sometimes you just want to cry.
The times might come to end you life.
I might just whine
but not today
maybe tomorrow but this isn't my day.
Sure maybe it's done
but for me you'll be happy.