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Feb. 16, 2009

Writers Circle, Feb 13, 2009

Posted in Children's Work
Our writer's circle this week was really nice.  Unfortunately someone (I won't mention any names) didn't get her state research paper done so that will be published at a later time when that person can get her act together and write the paper.  At least she has done all the research and cards for it!!!  She keeps saying that the writing part will take only a few minutes and that is true but she won't make the time for it, citing excuses such as laundry, cooking, cleaning and playing chauffeur to the family.  Anyway.......

A's assignment for this week was to write a "family dictionary", a listing of all the special terms and names that we use specifically in our family.  I've had to modify her work somewhat to keep it somewhat anonymous, but anyway, here it is:

L**i:  a nickname for my silly little sister
Onion Head and Brain:  a plain nickname for me
K*t**:  is my name for my big siser
Daddy:  my daddy
Ma:  my mommy
Ba:  the Vitamese name for grandma
Owm:  the Vitamese name for grandpa
Uncle B**:  because we all call him that
Auntie:  because of Suey
York:  my uncle yukon Ohnoon

I believe she made up the last 2!  I know which aunt and uncle she is talking about but we don't call them that!  LOL 

I didn't do one because it merely repeats hers. 

Here is K's research paper on Connecticut:

Connecticut
                       By K.

In 1635 Thomas Hooker of Massachusetts decided that Massachusetts was growing too fast for him.  He heard of a large river and fertile land to the west and set out for it.  He and his neighbors named the place Connecticut Colony. Connecticut Colony joined with New Haven Colony to become a large part of present day Connecticut.

The name from the Mohegan Indians and it means “long river place” or “beside the long tidal river”.  These same Indians lived where Connecticut Colony was.  When the white men were clearing farmland, the Indians begged them not to cut down a certain white oak.  They believed that the Great Spirit told them signs through the tree.  The settlers agreed and the white oak became the Connecticut state tree in 1947.

King James II wanted all of New England under one governor.  In 1687 Governor Sir Edmond Andros came and demanded that the people of Connecticut give him Connecticut’s charter, the paper that gave them rights as a colony.  Legend says that when they were debating over the matter, somebody stole the charter and put it in the white oak.  Connecticut grew steadily and on Jan 9, 1788, it became the 5th state. 

Numerous historical museums, fun outdoor activities, and interesting wildlife make Connecticut a fun state to live in or visit.    

There are many fun museums to go to in Connecticut.  One place is the USS Nautilus Memorial in Groton.  There, visitors can sit in submarine control room or look through a real periscope.  Another place is the Pequot Museum in Mashantucket.  There, visitors see how Pequot Indians lived.  Visitors can also see how they made things.  Noah Webster’s House is in West Hartford.  Noah Webster was the first person to make a dictionary.  Visitors can also go to the Webb house in Wethersfield, where General George Washington and the patriots planned the battle that ended the Revolutionary War.  Many historical things happened in Connecticut and historical museums are great fun to visit. 

There are many fun things to do outside in Connecticut, and the weather is also very nice.  In the summer, the weather hardly ever goes over 35 degrees Celsius, so there are many outdoor activities to engage in.  Long Island provides a great place to go fishing or boating.  And since no place in Connecticut is more than 120 km from water, swimming is a popular pastime.  Good weather and beautiful scenery make picnicking a popular pastime as well.  In the fall, leaves fall from trees in a beautiful array of colors.  In fact, many visitors come to Connecticut just to see the brightly colored leaves.  Just like in the summer, there is good weather.  In the winter, the temperatures hardly go below freezing.  This weather is good for skiing in the Mowak Mountains.  Many people also take sleigh rides.  Children also enjoy the endless snow in their mouths, making snowmen and snow angels and snow forts and having snowball fights.  In the spring, amateur gardeners begin planting.  Connecticut usually loses frost around mid-April so around this time there may be light flurries of snow.  Connecticut has temperate weather so residents enjoy outdoor activities year round.

Connecticut provides a home for numerous plants and animals.  Trees such as ashes, beeches, birches, elms, hemlocks, maples, oaks, pines and evergreens grow in Connecticut.  In Sessions Woods in Burlington, visitors many see chipmunks, turtles, frogs, foxes, skunks, rabbits, raccoons and owls.  At Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, visitors see sharks, seahorses, seals, jellyfish and crabs. In spring Connecticut’s state flower, the mountain laurel, bloom all over but best in rocky soil.  Turtles, fishes and whales live in the sea, while along the coast, waterfowl, ducks, partridges, pheasants, thrushes and bald eagles make their homes.  There are various plants and animals in Connecticut and outdoor lovers have a splendid time observing it. 

In Sylvia McNairs’s book, America the Beautiful Connecticut, she says “(In Connecticut) There are no towering mountains with year round snowcaps.  There are no huge canyons.  Its beaches are not bordered by steep cliffs.  Its waterfalls are modest, not gigantic.”  She also says, “Connecticut’s beauty is soft and alluring, rather than spectacular.”  Connecticut may be small, but it is mighty, almost like a fairyland, it’s a fun place to live. 

References

Books:
Burgan, Michael. Voices From Colonial America: Connecticut. Washington, D.C.:  National Geographic Society, 2007.

Girod, Christina M. The Thirteen Colonies: Connecticut. San Diago, CA: Lucent Books, Incorporated, 2002.

Heinrichs, Ann. This Land is Your Land: Connecticut.  Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2004.

Heinrichs, Ann. Welcome to the U.S.A.: Connecticut. Minnesota:  Childs World 2006.

McAuliffe, Emily. Connecticut, Facts and Symbols. Mantato, MN: Capstone Press, 2003.

McNair, Sylvia. America the Beautiful: Connecticut. Canada:  Children’s Press, 1999.

Websites:
State of Connecticut, “The Official State of Connecticut Website”, www.ct.gov/, 2002-2009.  Accessed February 2009.

Even though K. hemmed and hawed and didn't use her time well, I think she still put out a pretty good paper.  I did help her with the editing, but she did almost all of the writing.  I helped redirect her when her supporting sentences were not supporting her topic sentence (not often) and with some issues on the structure of her paper.  But overall, I would say she wrote most of the paper.  Our next research paper, she will work much harder in the weeks prior so that she isn't doing things at the last minute, and I plan on giving her a lot of instructions at the beginning and then just letting her write it.  Also we have plans on having her learn to type this summer so I think she will type her own paper next year.  All in all, a good experience for her!
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HELLO!!! This blog is a place for us to publish some of our children's work and just to journal our amazing educational journey.

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