Winter

 Author's Note: I felt like doing a small and fun poem today so I chose to do an acrostic poem.   I was inspired when I  looked outside today.  I hope that you like it. 
 
Windy and white
Icky, slushy weather
Nights seem to begin at four
Twenty-first of December
Everybody plays in the snow
Ready to go, all bundled and warm

Room Redo: Comfy Area

In the Academy 21 room, we had just put five mini red couches into the corner of our room.  The we assembled some black table in the middle of the area too.  Don't forget some soft decorative pillows.  Many, if not all of the people in Academy 21 have came to the "comfy area" to do work/read and socialize  a little bit.  In my opinion, it's great.  I like being in here because I feel much more comfortable and "at home."

Traveling the Universe

Author's Note: I was inspired by my report on the sun, to do a poem on the universe.  I wanted it to be creative and use Stream of Consciousness.  


I see myself zooming through space,
Planets are revolving,
Millions of stars are shining,
Asteroids and comets are flying by,
Moons are dented with craters,
Galaxies are sparkling far off in the distance,
But you can't stay forever because,
There is no air

Christmas

 Author's Note: Christmas is coming up and I just felt like writing a list poem on "Christmas is the time when..."

Christmas is the time when...
The light snow falls,
Colorful lights twinkle,
Frigid wind brushes against my skin,
Sound of cheering and singing,
Receiving and opening presents,
Giving is more important,
The warm feel of family around you,
The comforting smell of Mom's homemade food,
Sledding and playing outside with family,
Church bells ringing,
Sitting next to the fire place,
Sipping a steaming cup of hot chocolate,
People are laughing, loving, and smiling,
Santa already came,
Snowmen making and snowball fights,
A happy time to be with everyone you love,
Merry Christmas

Room Redo: Furniture

Yesterday, we weren't allowed to go into the Academy 21 classroom due to our furniture coming in.  Today, everyone got their own desk and cubical to work in.  We have the choice to design it and make it comfortable for us to work in.  Some people have already moved in... a lot.  In my opinion, it looks great so far.  I can't wait to see how everything looks when  this entire project is completely done!

Antsy Does Time

Author's Note: This is my response to the book Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman. I wanted to be creative and add a little bit of technology. I hope you like it.

River

Author's Note:  I used Stream of Consciousness to make this poem on a river. 

Narrow and cool

Moving rapidly

Splashing at turns

Murky, dark waters

Rushing down for miles

and ends up in the Gulf

Leaves



                                                      

    Leaves are an extraordinary sight during autumn when the colors change, and you can see the bright oranges, yellows, reds, purples, and browns.  But, do you really know why those colors are there, and why it is only some trees?  Do you have other questions?  I am 100% sure that you do.

Why do leaves change color in autumn? 

     When summer ends and autumn begins, days will become shorter.  Then, there won't be enough sunlight or water for the trees to go through photosynthesis.  But what is photosynthesis?  Photosynthesis is the process of how plants make food for itself.  Plants would take water by their roots and a gas called carbon dioxide from the air.  Sunlight would be used to make the stored water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose (sugar).  The glucose is the "food" for energy and growing.  A pigment called chlorophyll also helps the process of photosynthesis.  Chlorophyll makes plants have the green color.  Chlorophyll also allows plants to get energy from light.  When photosynthesis stops, the chlorophyll will fade away, which would bring out the bright, beautiful colors. 





Maple Tree



What kind of trees or leaves change color?

     Leaves change color on many deciduous trees, shrubs, and plants.  Deciduous means their foliage will  fall off during autumn.  Oak and maple trees are two of the many deciduous trees that will lose foliage during autumn. 

Is there a reason why leaves will change color?

Trees in winter

     Leaves will change their color during autumn because the tree itself will have to conserve water or survive better in the winter.  To do that, the leaves will have to change color and then eventually fall off.  That will reduce damage caused by insects during winter.  In addition, the process of changing color and falling off can keep the tree from being damaged or destroyed completely.

What colors do the leaves turn?  Why?

Red & Purple	Trees such as maples will have glucose trapped in the leaf after photosynthesis stops.  When the nights are cool and little sunlight shows, the glucose will turn into a red or purplish color.  That will make the leaf a red or purple color.
Orange	Orange is the color the green chlorophyll turns when it fades. Also there are carotene pigments in the leaf that make it orange.
Yellow	Somewhat like the color orange, when the green chlorophyll fades, the yellow comes out due to xanthophyll pigments.
Brown	Brown is the color the leaf turns when there is waste left inside the leaf from glucose.

Chart made by Mai Vo

How did the colors get into the leaf?

      In fact, the colors were always in the leaves.  It just couldn't be seen. During the summer and spring, there is a lot more chlorophyll in the leaves.  All of the green will cover up the orange and yellow pigments until autumn.  Then the red, purple, and brown will come during autumn when photosynthesis is concluding.  It may be a bit confusing for how the color changes, but it is because of each leaf's process.  (Look back at the chart if you need to.)  

What We See

Wavelengths

When you look at a leaf, it appears to be green unless it is autumn.  Green is the first color that hits our eyes.  As stated previously, chlorophyll works like a dye to turn the leaves green during photosynthesis.  So, what is seen is a leaf being green.  There is also a different reason why we see green leaves, and they are called wavelengths of light.  A wavelength includes the rainbow colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  For example, when we see a green leaf, all of the wavelengths will be absorbed into the leaf, but mostly the blue and red wavelengths.  The green would be reflected and that is what we see - a green leaf!


Thank you for reading through my project.  Please leave a comment about it.

Resources: 

"Deciduous - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous

"Autumn Leaves - Fall leaf colors - Why do autumn leaves change color and fall?." Science projects, ideas & topics - science fair projects - easy kids science projects & experiments, science articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. <http://www.sciencemadesimplehttp://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/leaves.asp

"Leaf - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf

"Autumn Leaves." Kidzone - Fun Facts for Kids!. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kidzone.ws/plants/autumn1

Unknown, Pat. "Star*Dreamer's Thanksgiving." Star*Dreamer's Corner. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. http://www.star-dreamer.com/11/.

Horton, Jennifer. "HowStuffWorks "Anthocyanins"." Howstuffworks "Science". N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2010. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/botany/leaves-turn-red1.htm.

"Blog Improvement Overview: 9 Areas to Improve Your Blogging | Visionary Blogging." Social Media Strategy Help -- Visionary Blogging. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. http://visionaryblogging.com/blog-improvement-overview/.

"Chlorophyll - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll

"BibMe: Fast & Easy Bibliography Maker - MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian - Free." BibMe: Fast & Easy Bibliography Maker - MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian - Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. <http://www.bibme.org/>.

My mom for taking pictures of leaves in/on the way to Wausau

Professor Donna Fernandez, Department of Botany- UW Madison

Mr. Roehl

Mr. Johnson









Benjamin Franklin

    Do you know the man on the one-hundred dollar bill? Yes, it is Benjamin Franklin. Even though he had a rough childhood, he accomplished a lot that should be important to all of us. He was a noted polymath.  A polymath is Greek for “having learned much,” and it is a person who excels in a wide variety of areas. Benjamin Franklin was the most important writer, printer, scientist, inventor, and politician in history.

    As a young boy, Benjamin Franklin helped his brother print newspapers. He had wanted to write the newspaper, but his brother, James Franklin, wouldn’t allow it. As a result, Benjamin Franklin used his pen name, Silence Dogood, to write letters that gave advice and other information. He secretly put them into his brother’s printing shop. He eventually ran away to Pennsylvania at age 17 and became the publisher of a successful newspaper company called the Pennsylvania Gazette. Benjamin Franklin also started the Library Company where thousands of reading material was kept for the public to read. Five years after the Pennsylvania Gazette, Benjamin published Poor Richard’s Almanac, which has some of today’s well known quotes. As Benjamin Franklin got much older, he wrote a biography about his life, but sadly died before the book was ever published.
    In 1743, Benjamin Franklin retired from his writing and printing career. He had a great interest in storms and more specifically electricity. In 1750, Benjamin Franklin published a plan to prove that lightning was electricity. He demonstrated that with his incredibly famous kite and key experiment during a lightning storm verifying that lightning was electricity. Benjamin Franklin also did many more experiments that confirmed much of the knowledge that we know today.
    As for inventions, Benjamin Franklin made some of the most important inventions in history. The bifocal glasses were invented by Benjamin Franklin. They were very helpful to many people who had many different eye conditions because they had two different optical powers. Some of his other grand inventions were the Franklin stove (fireplace), an odometer, and a lightning rod.
    Later on, politics became more of an importance for Benjamin Franklin. He changed some of the parts in the Declaration of Independence and was one of the fifty-six delegates who signed it. Benjamin Franklin was the only Founding Father who signed the four most important documents in the United States: Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Alliance, Treaty of Peace, and the Constitution. There were many other things that Benjamin Franklin made a difference in as well, but one of his last acts was the anti-slavery treaty.
    Throughout Benjamin Franklin’s life, he completed a great deal, and it changed our lives and our world. He was a man of great talent and intelligence. Out of all the writers, printers, scientists, inventors, and politicians, Benjamin Franklin is the most important one.

Bibliography

"Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin." ushistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .

"Benjamin Franklin." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

Philadelphia, the time Ben reaches, Andrew Bradford has already replaced his employee, another printer in the city, and Sir William Keith. "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Ben

"Bifocals - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .

"Franklin stove - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .

"Odometer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .

"Glass Harmonica ." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .

"BibMe: Fast & Easy Bibliography Maker - MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian - Free." BibMe: Fast & Easy Bibliography Maker - MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian - Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. http://www.bibme.org/

"Benjamin Franklin (Time For Kids Biographies Series), Time For Kids Series, Editors Of Time For Kids, (9780060576097) Paperback - Barnes & Noble." Barnes & Noble.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .

Mr. Johnson for going over pre-writing and helping with questions I had

Room Redo: Painting, Cups, Walls

Today in Academy 21 we began painting our walls with murals made by my other classmates and I.  In my opinion, our room looks great!  It is very colorful everywhere you look.  On the left wall there was a dull bulletin board, but now it's covered with various, bright colored paper.  That wall is for all of the Academy 21 projects.  We haven't done much with the back wall.  On the other hand, the ceiling is full of hanging red and yellow cups.  Don't ask why, I have no idea.  The entire Academy 21 has been doing a program called Rising Stars and today a group of students made a really nice mural based on Rising Stars.  A few feet down from Rising Stars, many of the Academy 21ers chipped in on making a painting that says Academy 21 along with it's logo.  Then underneath that, there is a pretty flower and grass painting with some help from Mr. Johnson.  Lastly, is the front wall.  Three girls are in the midst of making a bookshelf mural that is inspired from the one in Mr. Johnson's room.  On the opposite side of the front wall is small painting of our online math website, Aleks.  We are only starting our room redo.  Come back to my blog soon to get updated more on the progress of the Academy 21 room. 

Morning

Author's Note: This is what I felt and saw when I looked out my window before I got on the bus this morning.  

Patchy fog covered the ground

The sun shown behind the clouds

Grass is wet from the morning dew

The air feels muggy and cool
And that was on my way to school

Aren't We Thankful to See Color

Author's Note: This poem is inspired by The Giver because they can't see color.  All they see is black and white.  I wanted to show a colorful poem to see how much we have and how fortunate we are to be able to see colors.

Red roses

Orange citrus fruit

Yellow rays of sunshine

Green fresh cut grass

Blue waves in the sea

Purple wispy skies

Pink fluffy cotton candy

Fahrenheit 451

Author's note: I am putting myself in the place of a fireman in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  I am trying to show what the life of a fireman would be like.  This book is based in a dystopian world and it's a science fiction novel  where firemen are the ones that start fires.
 
Everyday I go down to the firehouse.  There is where the mechanical hound is kept (a machine that can be programed to find and destroy certain people)  and the other firemen playing card games.  When we hear the alarm, we will all ride down to a house or library, or where we find that books are kept -- especially books that are famous literature such as the Bible.  I don't care whatsoever about those books, I like to watch them catch flames and turn to ash.  Books would be flying around on fire.  To me, it was a relaxing sight.  There was a night where an elderly woman had a house full of books.  Instead of leaving her burning house she set herself on fire.  That night, before the woman died, I was curious as I sprayed kerosene out of my hose and lighted a match onto a pile of books.  I secretly recovered one of the books, then I remembered the Captain saying that a fireman takes a book one time or another; after 24 hours they have to burn it.  I read the book thoroughly and I only had 24 hours before I had to burn it.  I wanted to memorize the book, it could be my only chance.  When I come home I face is full of ash and dirt.  I also smell like smoke.   I'll go to bed, and the next day the cycle goes over again.

That Man on Halloween

   It was the night before Halloween. I, Anna, was gazing out my bedroom window when I was supposed to be doing homework. Fog covered the pathways.  The moon was bright and low. You can faintly hear the howl of the wolves and growl from the bears far off in the forest. Halloween decorations were scattered all over town. Fake spider webs, pumpkins, lights, witches, and what not. However town was unusually silent; until a man started roaming around the cobblestone streets.

   He wore a black overcoat and top hat. His shoes clicked against the stones. I could see his breath as he breathed the frigid air. All of a sudden a group of little boys and girls skipped into the streets out of nowhere. As soon as they got within three feet of the mysterious man, I could see boys and girls fainting. I thought to myself, we can’t have this man wandering the streets tomorrow night when hundreds of kids are trick or treating. I decided to go to bed.

   The next morning when I woke up, the sun shined in my face. I knew that I had to deal with that man that I saw last night. I had approximately six hours before trick-or-treating started. Lazily, I walked down to the kitchen; the house was empty. I wondered where my parents and sister, Madelynn were. There was a note on the fridge. I began to read it, “Anna, we went costume and candy shopping with Madelynn. If you need anything give us a call. We will be back in 4 hours.”

   I gobbled down some cereal and milk.  Then started back up the staircase. Once I got to my room, I quick changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, pulled by hair back into a ponytail, and headed out the door. I took my bike and rode off.

   I was looking for the mysterious man, but I could not find him whatsoever. Maybe he only came out at night. Once I thought about I realized he doesn’t seem like a day or people person. So I decided to go home. It was on my way home when I heard a cry for help. I biked right over and saw a kid, only a kid. Once he saw me, he pleaded for me to get his kite out of the tree. I did, but that was not what I was thinking of. After climbing a tree and falling down with a kite in my hand, I sorely biked home.

   My parents and Madelynn were supposed to be home in about 2 hours. I had nothing better to do so I put on my Halloween costume. My Aunt Sally made it for me because my mother requested it. Once I put it on I looked like a bright orange, childish, plump jack-o-lantern. I felt as if I were four again. Next, I put up more decorations. The ones that we now might only scare a baby.  After about an hour of decorating, our house looked haunted. I put up some gravestones, spiderwebs --fake of course-- spooky music, electronic decorations that move in a creepy motion, and I dimmed the lights. Last, I got a huge bowl of candy.

   I was exhausted after falling, putting up decorations, and all. Slowly, I drifted into a deep sleep. In my dream I saw a dungeon-like room overflowed with little boys and girls. The room was cold, dark, and scary. It was almost as if I were there trying to get them out, but I couldn't. My heart was pounding, I had no idea what to do. I woke up, panting, to the sound of the garage door opening. That was a horrifying nightmare.

   "Hello Anna!" said Mom and Dad simultaneously.

   "Hi," I replied.

   "How was your day? I see you put up some decorations and got on you costume. You look so cute!"

   "Mom! Don't call me cute. And my day was good. I ... "

   "Look, look! I am a fairy princess! Bow down to me," squealed Madelynn.

   "Madelynn, shh. Sorry Anna; what were you saying?" said Mom.

   I replied telling her about my packed day. Then I mentioned the mysterious man in black. She was quite curious and cautious from then on. Mom almost decided not to let us trick or treat later. Madelynn and I were ready to trick or treat now, but my friend CeCe still had to come over.

   "Ding, dong!"

   "She's here!" I yelled in excitement.

   "Hey Anna, nice costume," said CeCe.

   I wanted to get away from my family so we both went into my bedroom. Right when we got in CeCe whispered,"Have you seen this really odd man? He wears black and every time he goes past some kid, they would faint."

   "Yes, I have. In fact, this morning I was trying to find him. I couldn't and thought that maybe ... "

   "He only comes out at night," we said simultaneously.

   "Anna, CeCe trick or treating is starting!" my mom yelled from downstairs.

   Both of us scurried down and ran right out the door. Madelynn is went with my mom since she is too little. CeCe and I ran door to door. By that time we had a lot of candy, and oddly a fork. I can faintly heard Madelynn's shoes tapped against the ground behind us. As the night got dark the moon showed more and more. I at the time knew that the mysterious man would be out anytime soon.

   "I found him!" yelled CeCe.

   Together we ran over and grabbed him on the shoulder. The "man" turned around,"Hey guys what do you think of my costume?" said a girl. "And what's your problem?"

   "Sorry, we thought you were someone else...gotta go!" I replied. Then, we sprinted away without looking back. As we ran people were looking at us. All of a sudden someone jumped down from a tree and we rammed right into him. CeCe and I fell over with a hard thump.

   The next thing I knew, we were in the same "dungeon" from my dream along with twenty other kids. They looked starved, zombie-like, as if they have been here for the last week with nothing. From what I saw there was no possible way out. We are all prisoners of the mysterious man for the rest of our lives. Then the man walked in, glanced at all of us, and left with an evil chuckle.

   In the end, we will never see the daylight again. All of our family will never see us again since were kept captive in this death hole. My life ends here, I bet if I never saw that man I would have never got here. Everyone else is pounding on the walls and yelling hoping that someone will hear, but we don't even know where we are. How is anyone supposed to find and save us. HELP!

On Top of the World

I am on top of Mount Everest,

I can feel the frigid winds brushing against my skin.

I am panting from a long hike up world's largest mountain.

I spent days climbing and suffered injuries and coldness.

Now I am up here,

I feel on top of the world.

                                                                                                    

http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/mount-everest-north-face09.shtml

The Giver

I had recently finished The Giver by Lois Lowry.  It is science fiction and a Newbery Award winner.  The Giver is about a boy, named Jonas, who has been volunteering throughout his years as he is supposed to do.  Every December there is a ceremony in which the children of the community go into the next group of age.  Sometimes, something will happen when they go into the next group; otherwise, they will just be more mature.  When an age group is eleven and will become twelve, there will be a Ceremony of Twelve.  During the Ceremony of Twelve all of the children becoming a Twelve will get their lifetime job in the community.    When the Chief Elder is giving out the job assignments, she goes in alphabetical order.  Jonas knows that his name is next, but then the Chief Elder skips it.  All Jonas can do is wonder why.  When the Chief Elder finally calls his name, last, he walks up onto the stage.  The Chief Elder says, "Jonas has not been assigned; Jonas has been selected."  He became the Receiver of Memory, an extremely rare job.  The Chief Elder notes that their community only has one Receiver who will now train Jonas to take his place.  Jonas gets his instructions for Receiver of Memory and the next day he is off to training. 

On Jonas' first day of training, he meets the Receiver that will train him. That Receiver is named The Giver.  Jonas goes into the room that he is to meet in.  There, The Giver, will pass on the memories that he has, onto Jonas so that Jonas will be the only one with the memory.  Everyday after school they do the same process, passing the memories until Jonas has them.  Some of the memories are happy and joyful, while others are scary and brutal. 

When Jonas is in his dwelling his father brings home a newborn since his father's job is a nurturer.  The newborn is named Gabe.  His father takes care of Gabe at their dwelling during the nights.  But when Jonas finds out that something bad is going to happen to Gabe, he makes a plan to run away with Gabe.  Jonas goes on a long, tiring, life threatening trip by bicycle just to save Gabe.  To protect them both Jonas will use some of the memories that he got to transfer to Gabe.  When the journey comes to an end, technically they are still in the middle of nowhere, but Jonas knows they're almost there.

The Giver is a very well-written book with fantastic vocabulary, story line, and more.  I recommend for anyone to read it.  There also sequels to The Giver and I plan on reading those too.  This is also the first book that our book club will be reading.  I hope that they like it as much as I did.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Last Olympian

I just finished The Last Olympian in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.  This book is the fifth and the final book of the entire series and I recommend for you to not only read The Last Olympian, but to read the entire Percy Jackson series.  In this book, Percy and his demigod (half god) friends are preparing for battle with Kronos-the lord of time who is now more powerful than ever.  While the demigods prepare, the gods are fighting the monster Typhon.  And Percy's father, Poseidon the god of the sea, has his own battle in his under water palace.  When Percy hears the Oracle, he gets a frightening thought about everything that it says.  While in battle, many die, and many are wounded.  But who will win?  The gods and demigods, or the Titans?  What will they have to sacrific?  To find out read The Last Olympian (but you should probably start with the first books and go on).  If you like Fantasy, Adventure, and/or Mystery I would highly recommend that you read this series.
Percy Jackson Series
1. The Lightning Thief
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan's Curse
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
5. The Last Olympian
Picture Resource
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYacL0-b90WJquHg_Y3yfT6yCivxrlLcho2SYyT6GL3df6o9BefIUpjHgiKKWa6Q13DaMEGEGYxwqrONOW0NjD-Qc6TjO53LFuQ4eXjbHRQYDlCFavHxx12fAvlTggOU7PXVxAshbu9IN3/s1600/percy-jackson-51.jpg