Student Writing Showcase 6-8

  What Is a Research Report? © Thoughtful Learning 2016 A  research report  involves a deep exploration of a topic. Like an explorer, a researcher must seek out new things. But instead of searching new lands, researchers search books, articles, Web sites, and other sources to discover information about a topic. Then they share the most important parts of what they find in a written report. When you write a research report, you must do two things: (1) learn as much as you can about a specific topic by reading, observing, reflecting, asking questions, and so on, and (2) share this information in a clear, organized paper. Your mission in this unit is to develop a research report about an important person from history, science, or math. You'll want to make sure your topic is someone who truly interests you, because you will spend a lot of time learning about this person. Select a Topic For your report, you will research an important person from the past or present. As you con...

Keep Running By Ian      The boat rumbles, we hear gun fire, the men vomit off the sides as bodies of their fallen comrades bump against the boat: arms, legs, and torsos floating in the water; the devastating result of human conflict. The waves crash against the little Higgins boat; I wonder who was stupid enough to design this little deathtrap with a propeller. I would give anything to be back home in Virginia with ma and pa. I was snapped away from my thoughts by a loud crack. We hear more cracks, then the bullet rain starts. The flak is everywhere, it bounces off the boat, into the water near us, and goes right into the ship sometimes. We all huddle towards the front, ready to drop. “This is it!” someone shouts, the gates drop. “GO GO GO LETS G-!” The officer shouts, he never got to finish his sentence. The machine gun mows half of us down within 10 seconds. We rush out of the boat yelling. I saw someone right next to me fall to the ground, blood oozing from his head....

 Historical Narratives (6-8 Writing) What Is a Historical Narrative? © Thoughtful Learning 2016 A  historical narrative  is a story that brings to life a person, an event, or a time from the past. You may write from the perspective of a real person or create a character who takes part in a real historical event. Start by thinking of an interesting time in history and journeying there in your mind. Who would you be? What would you be doing? Would you change history? A historical narrative is a time machine that takes you wherever you want to go! Historical Narrative Essay A historical narrative is a story from the past told from the perspective of someone involved in the story. The  beginning paragraph  introduces the characters, setting, and main action. The  middle paragraphs  lead up to the resolution of the story using factual information as much as possible. The  ending paragraph  describes a lesson learned or looks toward the future. Ian...

Be Smart: Wear a Mask By Bella           You want to go out during COVID. You do not care about masks. You feel sweaty and you have a little trouble breathing. You got COVID. But you are not alone, 214 million people have been infected with COVID-19, and 4.46 million people have died of COVID-19 (WHO, 2021). If you had worn a mask you would not be part of these statistics. After you have had COVID-19, it “can be a long road to recovery, and scientists are just beginning to research the lingering effects” (Schwartz, 2021). If you want to prevent people from becoming sick, save time and money, and be fashionable you should really wear a mask.           The first reason you should wear a mask is because it can help keep you and other people from getting sick. You will feel safer when you wear a mask. “Depending on the type, masks can be used for either protection of healthy persons or to prevent onward transmission” (WHO, 202...

The Jewel of Austria: Apfelstrudel by Daniel           "I have no truck with lettuce, cabbage, and similar chlorophyll. Any dietitian will tell you that a running foot of apple strudel contains four times the vitamins of a bushel of beans" (Perelman). This is how the famous food scientist S.J. Perelman describes the Apfelstrudel. It is simply amazing that an Apfelstrudel that is barely a pound can have 4 times the vitamins than a 24-pound bushel of beans. If you want a high-quality, tasty, and versatile food with an interesting history, you should choose a delightful pastry: the Apfelstrudel.           Apfelstrudels taste good because of their high-quality ingredients and the clever techniques to make the Apfelstrudel. The Apfelstrudel’s ingredients consist of raisins dipped in rum, fresh butter, ground almonds, breadcrumbs, eggs, sugar, flour, salt, water, cinnamon, and apples (Strudel and Schnitzel). Traditional Austrian tec...

MacOS Big Sur By George           After school, you enter your dorm. You get your MacBook Pro out for some homework. When you open it, you see the system is old and hard to access. The browser is old and slow. You might think, “I have to get a new computer! This computer is the worst that I have ever seen!” But don’t blame the computer, it’s the system’s fault. MacOS Big Sur will help you. It has an easy-to-use system, a superb multitasking mode, and attractive APP icon designs. Just think about the simplicity! Just an update, and you’re on the way to productivity. If you are looking for a system that is easy to use, with fabulous multitasking that increases the productivity and quality of your work, and has a refined version of Safari, the anti-tracker browser, MacOS Big Sur is your best fit.           First, MacOS Big Sur is an easy to use system. For instance, the Settings of Apple, System Preferences, is an easy-to-find and...

  Biking for Exercise I think biking is one of the best ways to exercise .Imagine this, you get home from school and go straight to your room to play video games on your PlayStation, then your mother comes in and tells you to go outside and get some exercise. You walk outside and search for something to do, you don’t feel like going on a walk and you don’t feel like running. What’s the next best thing? Biking! This may be surprising but biking benefits your mental, physical, and emotional health! Cycling is a good way to control or reduce weight. It raises your metabolic rate,builds muscle, and burns body fat. Research suggests you should be burning at least 8,400 kilojoules (about 2,000 calories) a week through exercise. Kilojoules are a type of weight system. If you cycle twice a day, the kilojoules burnt soon add up. British research shows that a half-hour bike ride every day will burn nearly five kilograms of fat over a year! Biking is also super great exercise! You'll bu...