Student Writing Showcase 6-8

  Count Some Sheep: Go to Sleep By Ammie     Every time after school you would throw yourself on the bed. The sleep will wash out the tiredness of the day from your brain. Have you ever wondered about the daily action of sleep? Sleeping gives you more energy and it will make you less tired. It can also help you focus and help you concentrate on something better. Besides that, sleeping will make you healthy especially for the brain. Getting enough sleep prevents sickness, gives your brain a break, and gives you more energy.   First of all, not getting enough sleep may cause sickness. “Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation” ( Thomson). This means that if you have a lack of sleep, it will kill you more quickly than the lack of food. Because sleep deprivation will kill you in less than 11 days and food deprivation will kill you in at least 21 days as long as you have water (Silver). “The record for the longest period without sleep ...

Niagara Falls: Annie Edson Taylor by Ian           Niagara Falls, a beautiful area with lots of waterfalls. It's a tourist attraction due to its beauty, but it also serves as a place to pull off all sorts of stunts. An example is jumping off the Niagara Falls in a barrel. Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to do this and live.           Anne had no immediate family because her child died at birth and her husband died soon after. She was one of those people that bad luck picks on. She was an etiquette and dance instructor until she had the idea to become a stunt daredevil. She was in her 60s when she had the idea to jump off the falls in a barrel. She falsely claimed she was in her 40s to the reporters. Before her plunge she tested her barrel with a cat that lived. As a child she was not interested in dolls; she preferred adventure (McKinley, 2019). This may have been one of the things that influenced her to make the jump o...

  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...