Magi Quest Writing activity

Magiquest alphabet writing:

Write a paragraph of our experience at MagiQuest! Construct the paragraph with each sentence beginning with a consecutive letter of the alphabet beginning the first sentence with the letter A and the last and twenty-fourth sentence beginning with the letter Z.

An absolutely super fun thing to do when you’re in Myrtle Beach is go to the interactive video game arena called, “Magiquest”. Broadway at the beach is where Magiquest is located and it is fun for the whole family! Can you think of an even better way to spend a vacation then at Magiquest? Dustin, who works at Magiquest helped us pick out our wands and our clans, I chose the Woodsy Clan ad Lily chose the Warrior clan. Everyone got to choose a wand, except for mom because she didn’t want one and dad because he wasn’t there. First we went in to the training center where we learned how to play the game. “Go to the center of the room and point your wand at the screen on the turret,” said our instructor.” “Hurry and choose your mission, once you’ve chosen your mission the wizard will tell you a riddle of the things you need to find in the arena and who you must bring them to after you’ve completed your task.” I chose the enchant rune first; each rock gave you different powers when it was time to slay the dragon at the end. Just then, the wizard came on and gave me the riddle that I needed to find many different colored gems around the arena. Kellan, the wizard told me that after I found all of these gems that I had to bring them to the pixie in the Tree house in the sky. Luckily for me, I found all of the gems in no time and got to visit the pixie who gave us the rune of enchantment. Mom and Lily and I worked together as a team on the next rune, the lightning rune. Not many other people were in the arena so it was fun because there weren’t any lines to wait in at all to talk to the creatures. One of the creatures was the gargoyle of the shadow clan who in exchange for 2,000 pieces of gold gave us the distraction rune. Princess Diana was another creature that we talked to, after we brought her all of the items she wanted, she gave us the portal rune. Queen Esmeralda however as not quite as nice, in the dungeon is where she realms tricking young magi’s into never getting the rune that she holds, I saw other guests go up to her and she looks mean. Runes are like rocks that hold useful spells that can be used when fighting the dragon at the end of the game. Since we didn’t get all of the runes on our first visit, we didn’t get to battle the dragon yet. That’s why Magiquest is a great business idea, you have to keep coming back and it remembers your wand so when you come back you can increase your level and get closer and closer to battling the dragon. Understandable, we had a time limit and Lily was very upset when we had to leave because we didn’t get to meet the Goblin King, or Queen Esmeralda, or the Dragon yet, but were hoping there’s a Magiquest in Singapore! Vacation is really nice in South Carolina. We’re just wondering why there can’t be a Magiquest closer to us. Xavier, who was the person that trained us said the closest one to us was in Boston and Pennsylvania. Yet, we go to Boston quite often so maybe we can play again, someday. Zebra, Oh and if you haven’t noticed this is an alphabetical paragraph, and that Zebra word at the beginning of this sentence, yeah don’t pay attention to that, it’s just there so I can have a sentence that starts with Z!

 

Pirate's Voyage Writing activity

Pirates Voyage I – 14 word paragraph:

Write a paragraph about our dinner out at A Pirate's Voyage. Construct the paragraph so that the first sentence is one word long and each consecutive sentence adds a word. The last sentence should be a 14 word sentence.

 

Fun. Fun Voyage. With some Pirates. Broadway at the Beach. With a really big feast. A dinner show at Pirate’s Voyage. We were on the Sapphire Pirates team! In the first act we learned about Pirates. And if we are were worthy enough to be one. We saw absolutely great stunt work and gymnastics and diving. The Second act was the Pirate Olympics Crimson Pirates against Sapphire. Lily got to be in the show, she got to chase geese. At the end of the Pirate Olympics the Sapphire pirates won a medal. And the glow in the dark mermaid pirate AWESOME show was at its end!

Brookgreen Gardens & The Low Country Trail

Brook green Gardens is filled with absolutely beautiful statues, fascinating plants and flowers, magnificent animals, and much history. With so many different activities Brook green Gardens is the perfect way to spend your day. The statues are Grecian God inspired and are beautiful painted in Gold, Silver, and bronze. There are also sculptures and statues of animals like a heron, a seal, and all the other animals in the zoo at Brook green Gardens. There are also many beautiful gardens filled with vibrant colored flowers and magical trees. Brook green Gardens used to be a Slave Plantation, and what is called, “The Low-country Trail,” is actually the historical rice field that many slaves in the 19^th century worked at. There are also many different ponds throughout the Gardens, and many beautiful fountains in the ponds. I thought the Brook Green gardens were absolutely beautiful and I would love to go there again someday.

Low-country trail:

The Low-Country Trail was a historical walk on a South Carolina Slave Plantation from the 19^th century with beautiful statues and a platform overlooking a rice plantation. On the Rice Plantation I could see all of the harsh climates that these slaves were working through, very hot weather wet weather, and all of the natural wildlife like alligators, panthers, poisonous snakes, and more. One of the statues was of a slave woman; you could see that every single day of her life had a routine, housework. She would work in the kitchen, clean the house, cook, and make sure everything was perfect for her master, then she would do the same thing for her own family. The statue was of a slave woman, with a broom, and apron, and she looking to the sky, as if she was looking for a better life, she was looking for something better in the future, but she knew this could never happen. I saw how small all of the slave houses were, and I really understand why they wanted to get away from the South and risk the chance of getting caught, I guess they thought it would still be better than being a slave.

I read an American Black Folktale today, it was called, He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit. It was about He Lion thinking all of the time about himself and only himself, me, myself, and I, he always said, me, myself, and I, I could tell by reading this story that He Lion, was actually the plantation owner who only thought about himself. Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit were the lower class, the slaves, they were always doing what He Lion told them to do, even if it wasn’t right, One day they told He Lion that he was being selfish and then He Lion got really mad, and he separated Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit and sent them (sold them) to another Lion far away, and that was the end of the story.

April Trip Days 136-154

Another April, another trip! The girls and I had an interesting start to our journey this year. Firstly, Grandpa DC and Grandma Gayle in Alabama had a rough month with serious medical concerns, so Dad decided to skip part of our trip to South Carolina in order to help his Dad (Grandpa) get back home from the hospital and rehab center. We missed him but are happy to say that both Grandpa and Grandma are getting better every day and we were so proud of Dad for taking care of his family.

Secondly, Maine State Music Theater scheduled Sophie second audition for this summer’s season for Saturday April 13th. We were supposed to be in Washington, D.C. with Grandpa Mike and Grandma Linda visiting all the sites and the Holocaust Museum but...we stayed in Brunswick and Sophie auditioned in the morning. What a day! She did a great job and felt awesome, unfortunately they sent all six girls away with good wishes and a promise to call “either way” within a few days.

So at 3 am we got in Ruby (the Prius) and drove Dad to Manchester, NH airport and dropped him for his flight to Birmingham. Then we continued our long drive south. We stopped for a couple of hours rest at Grandpa and Grandma’s house in Connecticut and then got back on the road and drive to Virginia, where we stopped for the night. The next morning, Monday April 15, we drove to South Carolina. The girls watched movies, sang along to Les Mis, drew and wrote poems, and were awesome in the car! The further south we drove, the warmer the weather felt & we were on our way to Myrtle Beach, SC.

We found our hotel, checked in, unpacked the car, changed for the pool and then I got a call on my cell phone. The lady on the phone identified herself as calling from Maine State Music Theater and asked if Sophie would like to “spend her whole Summer with Maine State”! They offered her the roles, yes I said roles, of Young Cosette in Les Miserables AND Jane Banks in Mary Poppins! I was shocked and so proud and I handed the phone to Sophie and she was asked the same question & of course eagerly accepted! We celebrated that night with a fun dinner out at Crabby Mike’s seafood buffet!

Sophie upon hearing the news from MSMT!

Unfortunately, this was the same awful day as the Boston Marathon bombings. It was a strange, surreal week watching the terrible aftermath and then the hunt for the two suspects, which resulted in a massive shut down of the city of Boston while thousands of police searched for the brothers responsible. The manhunt, shoot out, and eventual capture of the suspects played live on cable news.  

We spent a lovely week in South Carolina in a small but clean and safe room near the beach and all the fun. My favorite place in the Myrtle Beach area is Brookgreen Gardens, a beautiful public garden and regional zoo with a lot of history and amazing flowers, plants, and sculptures! It was a great price too--our one day admission gained us access to the gardens for the consecutive 7 days--so we came back to the gardens twice more during our week. Sophie and Lily both learned a lot and Sophie did a couple reports for her school days.

We also spent a couple afternoons at the beach playing and collecting seashells. The girls loved the surf and the warm sand and the friends they made. The beaches are beautiful and the water was warm and perfect. We also had a lot of fun at the Boardwalk visiting the aquarium and Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum and a very cool activity called MagiQuest (read Sophie’s report on how cool it was and how much fun the girls had).

We went out to dinner, we played in the pool, and we also did some school--the Daily Sparks and Lily did a lot of reading! On Friday we drove Sophie to Charleston along the Grass Basket highway through the Gullah region (I bought a small, beautiful grass basket from a neat lady on the side of the road), where we met Emma and Linda and Theresa and left Sophie to have fun at her skating camp (read her posts about what she learned & did). Lily and I drove back up to Myrtle Beach and she and went mini golfing! The next day (Saturday April 21) we went back to the gardens, then the state park, and out to dinner. We packed up on Sunday and drove back to Charleston to meet back up with Sophie and watch her skating performance. Lily and I had a couple hours to explore the very cool little southern port city. We went on a carriage ride through the city and learned some of the history, then we walked through the Slave Market--a cool flea market with arts and crafts. Sophie skating performance was cute & fun & she had a good time and met new friends.

We stayed the night there (thank you Emma!) and got up super early the next morning and continued our long drive south. The girls knew we were picking up Dad, who did a great job helping his Dad transition into a rehab center, but they didn’t know where. We drove six hours south and then when we were an hour outside Orlando, I called Kevin and we told the girls the secret we’d kept since January--that we were spending the next week in Florida at Disney World! The girls were so excited. It was cool to be able to surprise them with a trip they’re familiar with but it can still bring so much happiness! Sophie’s great quote when she found out: “I can’t feel my legs!"

Kevin arrived and we checked into our timeshare, then went to Downtown Disney & Disney Quest! The next seven days were magical and fun and warm and sunny and perfect!

On Tuesday April * we extended our trip and drove to Alabama to help DC get back home and settled from the rehab center. Thank goodness for the love and support we have back home so that the house and the animals were cared for another week. While Kevin and I helped clean the house, establish some outside care and help for DC, visit Grandma Gayle in the hospital, and stock the fridge and freezer with food, the girls got to spend some time with Uncle Aaron, Anne, and Hunter in Birmingham. Finally, on Saturday, with DC safe and healing at home, we started the long drive north back home. We drove 14 hours the first day to northern Virginia, then a beautiful and easy 9 hours home. Everyone was glad to see us and I was happy to say again that we made it over 3000 miles and 3 weeks gone with never getting lost, no car trouble, on time and no problem with reservations, no fights or injuries, and everyone and everything safe and accounted for! A success and a wonderful trip!

So with the added time away and the shortened school year (Les Mis rehearsals begin Saturday June 8th) we have accelerated Sophie’s last few weeks of seventh grade. She got 12 days school credit for when we were gone (and she learned and did a lot of work and reports showing how & what she learned). Starting at Day 160 Sophie is working “double time” and doing one 7 7 per day in order to finish the unit we planned.

Her last day of seventh grade, Day 175, is Friday June 7th.

Days 134 & 135

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned                                                Days 134 & 135   April 12, 2013

1.       Math

a. I learned that any variables divided by itself equals 1. Examples: x/x = 1, n/n = 1, y/y= 1

b. I simplified some expressions using variables.

c. I assumed that all variables in the denominators do not equal zero.

d. (-1) (-a) (-b) + -a/ (a) (-b) = -ab + 1/b

e. (-2)(-x) (y) + yz/z = 2xy + z

f. -10 (-a)/ (-5) ab = -2/b

g. -9c (-d)/ 3d divided by c/(-2) = -6

 

2. Science

a. I learned that it is possible to create energy by using water. One way is to harness the natural movement and pattern of the Oceans tides.

b. Another way of creating energy is to store water in a reservoir, then direct the flow of the water to create energy. This is called hydroelectric energy.

c. In both Tidal and hydroelectric energy cases, the movement of water turns turbines to create the electricity.

d. Did you know that hydroelectric energy dates back to 1882.

e. The first hydroelectric station was opened in Wisconsin using the waters of the Fox River.

f. Hydroelectric systems usually require a dam by a steep water valley.

g. Tidal power plants draw on the back and forth movement of the tides. Moving water turns the turbines which, in turn, generate electricity.

3. History

a. I learned that the Nile inspired many great Egyptian science inventions: Like the calendar, paper, boats, and many mathematical formulas.

b. The Egyptians built the pyramids with k=just four simple tools, the lever, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the pulley.

c. I learned that the Pyramids have many rooms and tunnels. One room holds the Pharaohs sarcophagus.

d. I learned that to make the underground rooms and tunnels, the Egyptians worked with caissons, which we still use to construct tunnels today.

e. King Zoser’s pyramid was built about 4,500 years ago, It was the first pyramid ever built.

f. The Great Pyramid of Khufu was the largest Pyramid ever built Its base is as large as ten football fields.

g. There were 2,250,000 stone blocks used to build the pyramid and the pyramid weighs close to 5,000 pounds.

 

4. Language

5. Reading

a. Setting of the story

Time: at night

Place: On a sea coast.

b. The characters: Lee, the young sister of Chen, the fisherman

c. Main characters problem:

She thinks she has lost her brother at sea during the storm.

d. Events: What happens to keep the main character from getting what she wants?

First: The wind blew her lantern light out.

Second: She loses her whistle in the sea.

Third: The wind blocks out the noise of her yelling her brother’s name.

e. How is the main characters problem solved?

She sees a light in the horizon.

f. What is the final scene in the story?

Lee hears Chen calling to her.

g. I really liked reading this story.

6. Writing

a. In writing I learned that many people have strong opinions about issues such as these: justice, money, injustice, family, home, crime, safety, security, waste, education, conservation, and violence.

b. Here are some issues I feel strongly about: Medical issues, Gun laws, conservation/recycling, War threats.

c. I read a letter from a man named, “T. Tavenor” who sated his opinion on the library issue, he said that he volunteered at the school and that it made him furious to see the dark library with only one student working on a computer and the librarian not having enough money to buy new books.

d. T. Tavenor uses an emotional appeal that makes the reader feel made at the school board and sad for the librarian.

e. I wrote a letter in response to T. Tavenor’s:

Dear editor:

When I read T. Tavenor’s I could not believe what I was hearing, how the School board was not allowing time for the kids to go into the library, and even if they did have time, you aren’t providing them with the right books and the supplies they need to do their research. In my opinion you are doing a horrible job preparing these kids for high school where they will have to do their own research. The poor librarian sits in the dark room all day flipping through book catalogs but the school is not allowing her to buy any books for her students. If the school board keeps this up, Students will not only not have a library, but will not have other important classes as well. To these kids you are sending the message that books are not important, is that really the message you want to send?

7. Art

Days 132 & 133

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned   April 10 & 11, 2013    Days 132, 133

1.       Math

a. I like practicing math on Khan because it helps me practice doing math in my head, which I need more practice on.

b. The thing I wish Khan would change is when you typed the wrong number in for your answer, you lose all your points.

c. In arithmatricks today I practiced estimating by 49 and 51.

d. 700 / 49 = 14

e. 450 / 51 = 9

f. 320 / 49 = 6.4,

180 / 51 = 3.6

g. 910 / 49 = 18.2

270 / 51 = 5.4

 

2. Science

a. Today in Science I learned about geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is energy that comes from the heat of Earth’s core.

b. A geothermal power plant can capture the steam, and then run it through a turbine to generate electricity that can be transmitted to homes and businesses.

c. For every 328 feet you go into the ground, the temperature rises 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit!

d. So, 2.5 miles below the surface of the Earth, the temperature reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

e. To make steam in some cases where steam does not naturally come out from the Earth’s core, Cold water is pumped into holes drilled very deep. The cold water is heated naturally by hot rock below. Hot water resurfaces where it is used to create electricity.

f. Some of the things used in a geothermal power station are a generator, Insulating sedimentary rock, and a heat exchanger.

g. The hot springs at Yellow Stone National Park are a perfect example of heat in the Earth’s crust producing hot water and steam.

3. History

a. I learned that Cleopatra lived the fantasy life of a young princess, until her father was driven out of Egypt and fled to Rome for help. That’s when Cleopatra turned from a young princess to a shrewd queen- in- waiting.

b. Cleopatra quoted, “The people did not like my father. They called him Auletes, the flute player, and they scorned his sacrifice of money, dignity, and land to the Romans, and yet he protected the throne.”

c. Cleopatra was the second child born to King Ptolemy XII. Her father was a weak and unpopular ruler, who managed to remain in power only by paying huge bribes to the Romans.

d. I learned that the name of the time of the flood of the Nile was known as, “Ahket.” This was from July to October.

e. Egyptian farmers worked with cycles as the waters rose and fell. Farmers never needed to use fertilizers because the floodwater made the soil so rich by the nutrients and silt the floodwaters left behind.

f. Egyptian farm tools included plows and hoes.

g. Schemu was the season of harvest in Egyptian times.

 

4. Language

a. Today in Spanish I worked more with time. And what I do in my daily routine.

b. I learned that in Spanish, when you talk about a daily routine, you use the verbs present tense, the verb shows who is doing the action. Miro, como, voy, hago. I watch, I eat, I go, I do.

c. Some verbs are known as reflexive verbs. Reflexive verbs always have a pronoun in front of them. Me levento. I get up

Me visto I dress

Me lavo los dientes. I clean my teeth.

d. When the preposition “a” is followed by the masculine noun, el becomes al.

Voy al colegio I go to school.

e. To talk about a specific time in Spanish you use the word, “a” A las diez, At ten o’ clock.

f. Me levanto a las siete y media. I get up at half past seven.

g. Como el medioda. I have lunch at midday.

5. Reading

a. In reading today I read a story about two kids who won a science fair.

b. Who are the characters in the story? Sean, Dexter, Sean’s mom, Mrs. Frommer.

c. What is the setting for the story? Time of year? Fall

Place 1: Dexter’s garage

Place 2: The science fair

Place 3: the computer store

Place 4: the science fair.

d. What is the problem in the story? Sean and Dexter don’t have enough money to buy a computer chip for the robot they are building for the science fair.

e. How do the main characters try to solve the problem?

They get jobs to try and earn enough money together to buy the computer chip.

f. What event helps the characters solve their problem?

When their Science teacher gives them a coupon to the computer store.

g. At the end of the story Dexter and Sean win the science fair.

6. Writing

a. In writing today I worked with figuring out what was a fact and what was an opinion.

b. Write two facts from the article that Daniel Murphy wrote. Reading involves having access to books.

c. The library is not open before or after school, and there is not enough time between classes.

d. Then I wrote two opinions from the article. By choosing their own opinions from choosing their own reading material students would be more motivated to read on their own.

e. Our school should rethink the library and its use.

f. Write some opinion words. Think, should, need.

g. Write an opinion fact from the response from Juanita:

I know so many kids who don’t really know what’s in the library.

7. Art

Days 130 & 131

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned Day 130 & 131

1.       Math

a. In math today I learned how to multiply and simplify expressions using variables. The trick is to squish the numbers together and then multiply, like 5x * 3y = 15xy

b. I learned that when you have two of the same number variables like 6x * 2x the answer is not 12xx, it is 12xsq.

c. (-7y) (-2) (-x) (-y) = 14xsq.

d. (8g) (-2gh) = 16gsq.h.

e. (-9a) (-5b) (1/9a) = 5asq.b

f. (10w) (0.1) (2w) = 2wsq.

g. (163v) (0)v (6x) = 0

 

2. Science

a. In Science today I learned about nuclear energy, I learned that in 2009, approximately 14 percent of all of the world’s electricity was produced by nuclear power stations.

b. The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima showed the destructive power of nuclear energy.

c. I learned that small amounts of nuclear fuel react; the resulting heat is transferred to water, the water turns into steam that spins the turbines and produce electricity.

d. The electricity made by nuclear energy is transferred by transmission wires to homes and businesses.

e. I learned that scientist Marie Curie discovered uranium which is an atom that is mainly used to create energy and nuclear power.

f. I learned that in some ways nuclear energy is the safest, cleanest, cheapest, and best option for energy, but it is also very dangerous if a nuclear power plant malfunctions.

g. I learned that process of how nuclear power is created.

3. History

a. Most people in Egypt lived in villages, in sun-baked mud brick houses that were crammed close together.

b. The homes of wealthy merchants were spacious and comfortable unlike a tomb-workers house.

c. I learned that the Nile river was the thing that made it possible for the Egyptian civilization to grow in the harsh, dry, climate.

d. I learned that the Egyptians invented the first irrigation system. They dug canals to direct the water from the Nile to the crops. Later the Egyptians built reservoirs to hold the water, so that they would have it for the dry season. 

e. I learned that Egypt was one of the first socialites to grow crops, and they were also one of the first groups of people to tame animals and breed them for work or food.

f. I learned that the Egyptians might have been the first people to make wine and brew beer.

 

4. Language

a. Today in Spanish I practiced conjugating the verbs Estar and Ser

b. I also practiced and learned the months.

c. I lrearned how to say my birthday “Es trieta la una el Agosto, es el cumpleanos de mi.” August 31st is my birthday.

d. I learned that from one to thirty, numbers are written as one word, from thirty one- it is two words.

e. I practiced sorting male nouns and female nouns in different lists.

f. I learned the names of the months in Spanish. Enero, Febrero, marzo, abiril, mayo, junio, Julio, agosto, septiembre, octobre, noviembre, diciembre.

g. I practiced my Spanish vocabulary.

5. Reading

a. In reading today I read a poem by Emily Dickinson called, “If you were coming in the fall.”

b. I practiced figuring out the conflict in the story and finding metaphors and similes.

c. What is the main conflict in the poem?

The speaker does not know when she will see her love again

d. What does the speaker say is here main worry?

She is “uncertain of the length” of time until she sees her love again.

e. Which one of these is a metaphor used in the poem?

Comparing the months to a ball of yarn

f. Which one of these is a simile used in the poem?

Comparing the summer to a housefly

g. Which one of these is a good summary of the poem and its conflict?

 

6. Writing

a. In writing today, I learned about persuasive writing. Persuasive writing is a way to show your opinion and try to make people feel or act in a certain way.

b. I read a paragraph that used persuasive writing about putting a 20 minute free library period in every middle school where students could go into the library and have free reading time.

c. I wrote a writing block stating my opinion and respond to Daniel’s article. (Daniel was the author of the free reading time library thing.)

d. My response:

“I agree with Daniel’s article and think that all students should have choice of their books and should have a set time and break from classes to sit quietly and read their books in the library. I think that the library should be open both before school and after giving students free willing motivation to read more often.”

 

7. Music