If I were stuck on an island

I woke up on the cliffs of the sea. I looked around, and what I saw, rocks, crevices, and sea. I got up and went for a walk to see some of the people that lived on this island. First, I went to the cliffs and the beach. I looked around and saw nobody. It was like I had amnesia. I finished looking around the island and found nobody. The island was deserted.

I tried to think of things that I needed and how I would get them, but the thought of being stranded on the island just came into my mind. "Keep thinking, keep thinking", I said to myself. Finally I came up with some ideas. First, I would go to the shore and try to get some mussels, second I would try to find a spring, and third, I would make a shelter.

Soon, I set off to do my tasks. Finding food and water was easy, but shelter was hard. I had to gather wood, find a place that is sheltered from the wind, and make furniture. I took me from sunrise to sundown to find enough wood, so I stored it and went to sleep. The next day I set out for a location. I found a few places. One was in a cornered cove, one was near the main harbor, (how I knew it was a harbor was that it had remains of docks) and the last one was near a wild dogs cave. I picked the one near the harbor, in case a ship came to get me.

In a fortnight, I had a shelter. I started to get lonely, so I found some kelp and some old skins on the beach and made a teddy bear. For the next few days, my routine was the same, get up, eat, get food and water, and spend the rest of the day free. Usually I would spend most of my free time on the cliff, watching for a ship to come and take me home. I was quite bored until one day my dream came true. I saw a shadowed figure of a boat in the water. It came into the harbor faster than I thought. Soon the ship and I were both ready.

When I landed in San Francisco, I was so happy I almost knocked one of the ship's crew over. I lived happily ever after.

The End

(By Sam-who read Island of the Blue Dolphins this week.)

The Fire Pony book report

C recently completed his report on The Fire Pony by Rodman Philbrick. I gave him some questions to work with to help explore some of the themes in the story. See "Tabby Musings". Then I asked him to expand on one theme.

Explain how Joe Dilly's problems and good points create interest in the story. Include:
A quick summary of the story including setting, plot, and ending.
What are his problems?
How does his taking care of Roy add to the story.

We worked long and hard on this with much discussion. He did a great job on fitting some complex ideas together, and included an excellent summary.

In the story The Fire Pony an epic battle is being waged between the good and bad sides of the second- to-main character, Joe Dilly. Joe Dilly’s problems and good points make him an interesting and sympathetic character. The interesting thing about Joe Dilly is that you never know what he is going to do next.

In The Fire Pony, Roy and Joe Dilly who are fleeing from trouble about a fire back in Montana that Joe Dilly started, drive to the Bar None and are hired as farrier and stall cleaner. The owner Mr. Jessup came to the ranch and gave Roy a horse- so long as he could ride it. Then one night a huge mountain lion attacks and Roy tries to save his horse, but when Roy fails to save Lady Luck, Mr. Jessup shoots the cougar. At the same time, Joe Dilly does not like this relationship, because he is afraid that when they are recognized, he will not be able to get Roy out of there. Then Roy finds out that his new horse can run like greased lightning and decides to race her at the rodeo. He wins both races, but at the second race things go badly wrong. Mr. Mullins tries to push Roy off his horse, and after the race Joe Dilly tries to pull Mullins off his horse. The next day Joe Dilly sets fire to the Mullins ranch. By the time he gets back, even the Bar None is ablaze. He tells Roy’s pony that she must carry Roy to safety and makes her go.

Joe Dilly’s problems are that he drinks, he has a bad temper, he always runs away from his problems, and he does not have guidance. Joe Dilly’s good points are that he is protective of Roy, he saved Roy from the foster home, he helped Roy with the horserace, and he died to save Roy.

Joe Dilly’s problems and good points make the story interesting because it creates tension and makes you want to read on. If you are interested about stories about people with internal battles this story is perfect for you!

Parental Rebuttal to Persuasive Essay

I think that Sam will enjoy returning to Regular School, for the basic reason that she is going through a phase where she seems to really need to feel "normal" and she feels that she is missing out by not going to Regular School.

It remains to be seen whether she really can achieve going to bed and waking up early, and I question whether that is something she has "always wanted to do". I will also miss seeing her as much, since I have to work weekends, but I think she should try it for the last couple of months of the school year. Then if she decides she really wants to continue, she can start again in the fall. Since she is returning to a school she has attended, and she knows many of the girls in her class from Girl Scouts, she should be able to adapt very well.

Frankly, I think she is going to be bored academically, but right now the social aspects of school seem very important to her, so I'll support her in this decision.

Persuasive Essay

I think that going to Regular Elementary will help me succeed through elementary school. Changing from home school to Regular Elementary will help me and my family by improving my education, making things more convenient for my family, and giving me more fun and happiness.

The education would be better for me because there are certain subjects that I like more than some of the Homeschool subjects. Here are a few of them. Regular Elementary has spelling tests so I can spell better. JJ teaches music which is one of my favorite subjects, and last but not least they have P.E.

There also are many conveniences for me and my family. Here are some of them. Dad will have one less student to deal with, I will go to bed earlier and wake up earlier (like I have always wanted to!), and it will be easier to get to school.

Last but not least I will have more fun! I will see my friends more, sometimes bike or walk to school, and it will be easier to get to Girl Scouts and arrange play dates.

I think changing schools would be better for me, and if mom wants to go on trips I can do Independent Study, or we can go on weekends. I think that you should change me from Homeschool to Regular Elementary.



Sam

Tabby Musings

Our talented cat T has been exploring her writing potential. After preparing and printing some questions about The Fire Pony by Rodman Philbrick for my son, I left the file open on the laptop. T reviewed my file and made some additions:

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How does the question of whether Joe Dilly’s past problems will catch up with him affect your interest in the story? Why did the author give Joe Dilly this problem?

Joe Dilly notices when Mr. Jessup starts to take an interest in Roy. Why is Mr. Jessup so kind to the boy, and how does Joe Dilly react to their friendship?

Describe what Joe Dilly sees when he sees a fire burning. Is that feeling the only reason he sets fires?

Is Joe Dilly a good guy or a bad guy? List three examples to support your opinion.



She was a bit long winded, and to be honest, I have edited out a page or two of ssssss... We are, of course, very proud and pleased with her progress. Capital letters are more than we might have hoped for. We are hopeful she may someday discover the piano keyboard, treadmill, or record turntable so she may become a film star on YouTube.

Up to this point her interactions with the computer have largely generated error messages.


Now we know that it takes proper preparation to release her potential. My son's response to my burning questions about his reading will follow next week. As for T, she has requested an upgrade to a laptop with a more powerful processor that produces more BTUs.