Tamira bent down to pick up the broken shards of glass. Of course it had to be this that broke, she thought to herself. The shards were incredibly sharp, making cuts in her hands as she picked them up. She was used to pain because Tamira is a slave in the “New World.” Her owner, Andreya, bought her five years ago in a marketplace.

 Andreya. The name came out like vinegar on Tamira’s tongue. She hated Andreya. She was lazy and rude. Tamira often wished she was bought by someone else, but she was stuck with Andreya until she could buy her freedom. How Tamira longed to be free, yet she hadn’t found a way to make the money. She had just finished picking up the glass when she heard a scream.

“Tamira! Get in here right now!” Andreya screamed. Tamira moaned and trudged into the living room. When Tamira entered the room, she didn’t see anything at first. But she turned to look at Andreya and what she saw was a long, green, slender snake.

“Tamira!” screamed Andreya.

“Yes, miss.”

Andreya was freaking out. “Get this snake out of here! Hurry, before it bites me!”

Why don’t you do it yourself you big baby she thought. But she didn’t dare say it. Who knew what Andreya would do to her for that?

“Ma’am, it’s just a garden snake. It won’t hurt you if you leave it alone,” Tamira stated, with slight attitude.

“Did I ask you to speak?” asked Andreya. Her eyes narrowed then she continued, “You only speak when you’re asked. I would think you would have learned that by now.” Tamira did know that. She remembered the first time she spoke on her own accord. It wasn’t pretty.

“Sorry. My bad,” said Tamira.

“You weren’t asked to speak.”

“I’m apologizing.”

“I would shut that sassy mouth of yours before you get whipped.” Andreya smiled her “I just won” smile. How Tamira hated that smile, but she bit her tongue and tried to shoo the snake out of the house. The snake was about out of the door when Tamira slightly touched it with her foot. Then the snake turned around and bit her right on her big toe.

“OOOW!” Tamira bellowed. Her toe throbbed. She looked down to see it dripping blood onto the mantle of the fireplace. Just then Andreya came in.

“Oh, that’s too bad. Make sure to clean that up.” Andreya made a smirk then walked out of the room. It seemed Andreya did everything possible to make Tamira’s life harder. Every time laundry was needed, she made Tamira do it. Every time even one dish was put in the wrong place, Tamira had to take everything out of the cabinets and put them back. Andreya was evil, and Tamira has to live with it.      

Later after Tamira had done her chores and after Andreya was asleep, she went to the piano in the living room. She sat down and took a deep breath. It had been a long day and she deserves to spend the rest of the night in peace. Her fingers lay daintily on the keys. Tamira had to be quiet so she wouldn’t wake up Andreya. What a nightmare that would be.

As she played, she felt free. To her, music is incredibly special. Without music, she doesn’t even know how she would be able to get through each day. Then she thought about the first time she laid her hands on a piano. She was young, but didn’t remember the exact age…….

 Tamira had just had the worst day of her life. Andreya made her do ever single house and garden chore there could be. She was on her last chore when Andreya walked by and said, “Hmm. I just remembered that you need to go to the sea and get seashells. I’m making a necklace with them, so please pick out good ones or I’ll make you do it again.” That got Tamira’s blood boiling.

“Andreya, why don’t you just high-tail yourself down to the ocean yourself. It would serve you right to actually do work.” Tamira froze. She just made the biggest mistake of her life.

“Excuse me?” Andreya said without turning around. She was very mad, and Tamira could tell.

“I’m sorry miss. I didn’t mean it,” Tamira said in a tiny voice.

“Well if you didn’t mean it then why did you say it in the first place?” Andreya inquired. Tamira felt her eyes boring into her. Then she took a deep breath and said, “I just don’t like having to do everything, miss.” As Tamira said this, she could hear Andreya’s deep breathing. Then finally, she looked at Tamira and said, “Well plan on doing everything you did today, tomorrow.” Her smirk made Tamira want to scream. But she bit her tongue and just went back to do the rest of her chores.

That night after Andreya had gone to bed Tamira had gone into the piano room. She hadn’t ever played the piano, but she decided to try and teach herself. Always Tamira had been amazed by the sound of music. There was a very tall stack of books, all of which were on how to learn the piano. Tamira’s hands were shaking as she picked up one of the old books. She didn’t know how to read, but she knew the letters of the alphabet. As she began to look at the first page, she found out that she understood it fairly well. Then she began to play some simple songs, but they sounded pretty good!

Tamira was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear Andreya walking into the room. When Andreya entered the room, what she saw was Tamira with her dark eyes closed, and her fingers flowing of the keys of the piano like a receding river in valley. It sounded so beautiful! Andreya would’ve been totally mesmerized for a long time if Tamira hadn’t stopped. And then Tamira turned to her and Andreya saw immense fear in her eyes. Finally, Andreya came back to her normal self. Andreya’s heart was beating so fast she could feel it in her fingers and toes. “What are you doing!?” she screamed. Tamira looked like she was on the verge of crying.

“I’m….I’m very sorry…, miss.” Tamira’s muffled sobs were making her hard to understand.

Andreya screamed, “How dare you touch my things! How dare you even think about using something that you know is not yours!” She walked forward and grabbed Tamira by her forearm. Tamira struggled to get away, but Andreya’s grip was like iron shackles.

“Stop! Please stop! STOP!!” Tamira knew there was no point in trying to escape. Andreya had her firm, iron-like hand wrapped around her skinny forearm.

Andreya’s eyes would’ve held fire if they could. “You think you can just do whatever you want, don’t you! Well I’ll teach your head a little lesson!”

She took Tamira into the garden and found her whip. Tamira knew this was coming. She watched Andreya take out the whip from the shed. And after that everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Andreya saw Tamira’s fear in her eyes. It’s what she deserves, thought Andreya. And then, the beating had begun.

Tamira had finally finished all her chores. It was late and she was plenty tired. Why, she thought. Why did I have to love music? Why am I drawn to such an exquisite art and can’t forget about it even after being punished? She looked at her arms and legs. The burns and bruises still stung—physically and emotionally—even after a month. Being reminded of what happened to her only made her feel even more unimportant. Like there was no mercy in the world, only hatred and punishment. Even the loneliness Tamira felt when she was little was slowly creeping back into her. Like the feeling of cannons strapped to your feet, pulling you down to the bottom of the ocean but there no way of escaping. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t here the sounds. The sounds of something familiar, something that she loves with all her heart and soul. The sounds of fingers on keys.

Tamira’s heart skipped a beat. It had only been a month since she heard music but it felt so long ago to her. The sound was faint, but still there. She began to do a mixture of a trot and a skip as she tried to find where the sound was coming from. The roads seemed endless, yet Tamira was determined to find the music. Finally, she turned a corner and saw cluster of people. She was so caught up in the music she jumped when a boy appeared in front of her.

“Hello,” Tamira said. The boy had dark black hair and was quite thin. His clothes were torn and tattered. She figured he was probably a slave. “Um, what is your name?” she asked. The boy stared at her for a second before answering.

“My name is Alec. I’m a slave on the run. I heard the music and tried to find it.” He paused for a second and his eyes narrowed. “I see you have found it, too. You’re attracted to music, I presume?”

“Maybe,” Tamira answered.

“Why maybe,” the boy inquired.

“Why is it any of your concern?”

“Because I heard what happened to you.” Alec hit it right on the nose and Tamira paused, wondering how Alec knew about her, and was about to say something when somebody from inside the circle yelled, “Does anybody else know how to play?”

Her heart throbbed in her ears. Tamira longed to play, but knew there could be punishments. But nobody would have to know? Tamira thought to herself. Her painful memories of the beating came back to her. In her ears, she could hear Andreya’s evil voice screaming, “You think you can just do whatever you want?! Well, I’ll show you a thing or two, missy!” And the burns! The feeling of her skin turning black and seeming to dissolve into nothing is the most unbearable pain she has ever been felt. The feeling of being slashed at……..Her memories so painful, yet that wonderful feeling of freedom overwhelmed her. Tamira’s mind had drifted for only a few seconds, and then she made her decision.

“I can.” Tamira stepped into the middle of the circle. She couldn’t even believe she was attempting this again. Everybody’s eyes were on her—or on her arms and legs—and in their eyes she saw doubt. What am I thinking?, she thought to herself. Having been beaten before for her love of music, Tamira told herself she would never do it again. Then she thought of the immense feelings of freedom and happiness. Something that elusive didn’t ever come over her when she was doing something else she loved. Music was the only thing that could wrap her up with such warmth and compassion and it was the most free she could ever be. With all that in mind, she bravely sat down.

Then the world changed right before her eyes. She was playing something she didn’t even know she could play. Her fingers danced on the keys, as if they had a mind of their own. Tamira was totally flabbergasted. Then she figured it out—she was playing her own music!  The music she was playing had been put together in her mind! Those of feelings of hatred and hope and desire and compassion spilled out of her and into the music. She put every emotion she ever felt into it. Tamira put in her heart, soul, and mind. And for the first time in a long time, she was happy and—for once in her life—she felt important, special, and like nothing could bring her down. She played her heart out, sewing her life into every note, and sinking her entire body into the luxurious feeling of freedom. But just as Tamira finished, she heard the one voice she always feared: the voice of Andreya. 

“Just what do you think your doing missy?” Andreya had her hands on her hips. She was in great awe by Tamira’s music. As she thought, she never recalled just sitting there and listening to Tamira play. A month ago, she had been infuriated that Tamira had even touched her grandfather’s piano. Now, it was as if she had just heard the greatest musician of all time. Tamira was about to cry again, and Andreya could tell. Then, she just ran up to Tamira and gave her a hug. “That was so beautiful,” Andreya stated.

Tamira was so surprised, yet happy at the same time that Andreya was showing her such affection. And then all of the sudden, Tamira wasn’t afraid of her anymore, and she hugged Andreya back. Tamira and Andreya just stood there hugging for what felt like eternity. Finally, Tamira broke the silence.

“Am I going to be punished?” Tamira asked in a small voice. Andreya looked down at her and smiled. “Never would I do that to someone with as much talent as you.” Andreya and Tamira hugged again just stayed like that for awhile, but Tamira didn’t care, because for once, she knew she was now loved for her talents. Most of all, for the first time Tamira knew that she was free.

Dear Dr. Diane DeBacker:

Hello. My name is Alexa and I’m in the sixth grade. The point of me writing to you is to try and persuade you to talk to people about why we shouldn’t have State Assessments. Now, you may be thinking that this letter is going to be ridiculous and is just coming from a child who lacks knowledge about the purpose of these tests. There are reasons that these tests are good, but there are many other reasons that prove that these tests are taking away from the other issues we should be worrying about. So, what I’m trying to do is to convince you in some way to not have all of the schools in the state of Kansas take these annual tests.

First of all, nobody likes taking these tests. In my school, the students always complain about taking these insignificant tests. Also, as once as we are done taking these tests, we get to know our scores. And I’m sure you probably know from being an adolescent yourself once that other children will tease others because of their scores on tests. When that happens, you can’t help but feel bad for those who do get teased. This may seem insignificant to the big picture, but it hurts peoples’ self confidence.

Another reason we shouldn’t have State Assessments is because of the teachers. Now, I understand that the teachers are just trying to help, but they try way too hard. For our ‘pep assembly’ for the 6th grade tests at my school, the teachers put on a play. Don’t get me wrong, it was very entertaining. But they had been talking to us about the tests for two weeks. And that put it a little over the top. I talked to one of my classmates and he said that he doesn’t like it when the teachers keep telling us that we are going to do great because we are well prepared and intelligent and all this pep-like talk that isn’t necessary. I do give credit to the teachers for trying to lighten up that burden-like feeling that we have to do well because it’s what the teachers expect and hope for. But it would be pleasant if they were not constantly talking to us about it.

Do you remember learning about astronomy, animal science, and history while you were in school? Well, you were more fortunate than we are right now. This generation doesn’t get to learn about those subjects that you adults did when you were kids. All we learn about are the subjects that you make state tests for. Those subjects—math, reading, science, writing, and government/history—are the basics for your knowledge, and I get that. But what happens, is that teachers spend all the time on the subjects we have to know, instead of maybe some subjects we want to know. If we had those other subjects, students might think school is a little bit more enjoyable. Back when we didn’t have those tests, I bet there were a lot of other subjects the students got to learn about in school. Instead we have to spend hours, and hours of our lives on the same things every single year. If we had those other subjects, it would probably be a little bit more expensive, yes. But could you even imagine how much fun it would be to see children actually enjoying what they are being taught?

You know how bad the economy is right now, I’m sure. And I’m sure you know how much money goes into the school systems in the state of Kansas. I bet one reason is because of the State Assessments. Most schools in Kansas probably do pretty well on these tests. But there are some schools that don’t do as well. Like with the school systems twenty years ago, those schools get more government funding. The government believes that with that money the teachers can get better resources and better utilities to teach the students. But some of schools that get that extra government funding still don’t perform very well on these tests. That is like having the government waste a large chunk of money on an investment that isn’t flourishing, but we keep on investing in it. With the economy the way it is, there are so many other, smarter ways to spend our money. There are other things going on in our state that could use that money. The main point is that these tests show results that certain districts need more money. And if those schools continue to not perform well, the government should have someone go out to that school and see what isn’t working instead of wasting the state’s money without even knowing what it’s going towards.

So, Dr. DeBacker, my request may seem delirious and unreasonable. But please think about my suggestion and my reasons. Thank you for your time, but I believe you should consider the state of Kansas not having the annual tests. Thank you again for your time.

Sincerely,
Alexa

I have three dogs. Two of them are sisters that are two years old. The other is ten and not related to the other two. The two sisters are nothing alike even though they are supposed to be related. Most people would never guess they are sisters. It is amazing how different they are.

The dogs’ names are Tikka and Tessa. We got them at Petsmart in January last year. When we got them, they were as little as newborn kittens and could fit in my dad’s hand. Being mutts, they both had different colors of fur. But that is one of the few things they had in common: Their fur was more than one color. Those were about the only things they had in common when we got them. They are so, so different.

One of the biggest differences between my dogs is that they are related but look nothing alike! Tessa has black fur with little spots of white and white feet. Tikka has black and brown fur all over with white feet, like Tessa. Also, Tikka has longer ears than Tessa. And, (I think this is weird) Tessa’s toes are mostly white, and Tikka has black. It is so weird that two sisters, from the same litter and that have the same mother and father, can look so different.

My dogs look really different, but also act different. One likes being inside and one likes being outside. The one that likes being outside, Tessa, also runs really fast and like a horse. The other, Tikka, prances and doesn’t go very fast. Even when they are both outside, their barks are different. Tikka’s is high pitched like a scream, and Tessa’s is lower.

When my dogs are inside, it gets interesting. I will be in bed trying to go to sleep then both dogs will jump up and lay down. But Tikka will be at the end of my bed, and
Tessa will be up pushing me away from my pillow. It drives me insane! Better yet, Tessa gets crazy and moves all the time and Tikka will just lay there like she is dead. Tikka also lays on her back. Tessa will lay the way a normal dog should lay. In the daytime, if both dogs are at the top of the stairs and you just stare at them and make faces, Tikka will just stare at you and Tessa will get up and walk away! It is so funny.

My dogs are very different, as you probably figured out. Their mannerisms are completely opposite from each other. They even look really different. There isn’t much the same between them, but I love them so much and wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Have you ever heard of Egypt? You probably have. I have studied Egypt for three years and think it is an amazing civilization. My favorite part is the process of mummification. This is the process which the Egyptians preserve the body for the “afterlife.” The process of mummification is pretty cool. Who knows, maybe we will do this in the future for burials.

The process of mummification is very interesting. The king of Egypt has to die. When he or she dies, they begin the process. They first wash the body in the Nile River. After that, they cut out all the internal organs like the kidneys, intestines, stomach, and even the brain. To get out the brain, they stuck a hook up the nose of the body and pulled the brain out from the nose! That’s kind of gross, right? I think it is. But the one organ they didn’t take out is the heart. The Egyptians believed that the heart was the center of all knowledge, and they thought that the brain was a worthless organ. That is why they left the heart in.

After taking the organs out, they filled the body with salt. The salt was designed to draw out any moisture still left in the body. If you left moisture, it could grow into bacteria and then rot out the rest of the body. The salt was left in for about 80 days and changed often. Eventually, the body would look and feel like leather. They then began to wrap the body in linen cloth. This is what makes it become like a mummy. Every few layers they would put an antique brooch or weapon the king owned on the body and then keep wrapping the body. As soon as the body was done being wrapped, it was placed in its hand-crafted sarcophagus and was masked with gold. Then, it was off to the tomb.

So, as you can see, the process of mummification is very interesting and a little gory. What was your favorite part of mummifying the body? My favorite part was the wrapping of the body with linen cloth. Egypt has many different was of doing things and many of them we still don’t know today! Now you know just a little bit about Egypt, but there is still so much more to discover and learn about this ancient civilization.

Alexa
16200 Kill Creek Road
Gardner, KS 66030

Dear Brad Pitt,

Hello, my name is Alexa. I’m in the sixth grade and we are doing a writing project asking someone for something. First off, I just want to tell you that I loved your role in the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” That was the best movie you ever did! Also, I loved “Ocean’s 11.” In your recent movie you had to have a mustache. I saw the previews and thought it looked funny. Most of all I really liked you in a mustache! That is my big request, could you grow a mustache?

I don’t know anything about growing a mustache, but I think they are pretty cool. You look very attractive with a mustache and younger. Not that you look old, but you would look even younger to me. Fake mustaches I don’t like so much because the move around and don’t match your real hair color. But if you grow one on your own, it will match your hair color and you will look snazzy!

Thank you for your time. I hope my request isn’t too much to ask. It would be my dream if you could grow a mustache and look even better than you already do. Also, after you grow a mustache, could you take a picture of yourself and sign the picture and send it to me? That would be really great! My contact information and address will be put into the end of this letter. Again, thank you for your time and I hope to see you in another movie soon with a mustache.
Sincerely,
Alexa
Contact Information: Phone 1-913- 856-3850
Address- Pioneer Ridge Middle School
16200 Kill Creek Rd.
Gardner, KS 66030

On Wednesday October 21st of 2009, was my school’s annual Twin Day. Everyone knows what a twin is, right? Well, on Twin Day you got to pick one of your friends to dress up exactly alike with and be like that for the whole day. Last year, Twin Day was my favorite day of the year. I got have my best friend, Grace, come to my house, go shopping with me and make matching shirts. Our shirts were the bomb, I must admit, and we also had matching socks, we wore our hair the same, the same shorts, and the same earrings! It took a long time, but it was worth it.
The whole school was watching the morning announcements the week before and the Spirit Week days were publicized on the slide show. They showed Sports Day, Crazy Hair Day, Twin Day, Clash Day, and then Red Day. I was psyched about Twin Day because I could finally do it with someone this year. My best friend, Grace, had the same idea and we decided to do it as long as it was okay with our parents. Our parents gave us the okay, and we were pumped about being twins. Our shopping extravaganza was going to take place on Saturday then we would make the shirts on Tuesday. It was going to be very fun. Grace and I would look the best for twin day, I was sure of it.
The only problem we had was that we were still not sure what our shirts should look like. I thought about doing something cute like on Grace’s shirt in glittery letters “Alexa is my Twin”, and on my shirt “Grace is my Twin.” We still weren’t sure when we went to go shopping, however.
We went to Hobby Lobby first. When we got there we finally decided to do my idea of making identical shirts but with our names on them saying who our twin was. I was very happy. Then we got t-shirts to make, glitter spray, and iron-on letters for our names and words. Also, we got rhinestone stars to iron on our shirts to give it some POP! It was really fun picking everything out. After we had decided what our shirts were going to be and we got all our materials needed, we bought the stuff and went back to the car. Now was the fun part: Shopping!
We were talking about what else we should where to make Grace and I twins. I thought we should do matching, wacky socks! My friend, Maddy, has the craziest socks you could ever imagine and she got them from the greatest girl store ever. DEB is the place Maddy got her socks and that was the place we were getting our fabulous socks. When we walked in we saw the most beautiful dresses ever! There were short, strapless dresses and long and elegant dresses for prom nights and formal dances. It was amazing! I so wanted one but they were too big and I was too little (sadly). Grace and I went to the sock wall and, I must admit, I have never seen that many crazy-cool socks in my life! Grace was just as amazed as I was. It was so hard to make a choice but we finally came to an agreement. Our socks were like gladiator socks, but the stripe was purple and then each diamond it made was a different color. The socks were amazing! Also, they would match our shirts (which is perfect). After we were done with picking out socks we got to go to my favorite clothes store in the world: Aeropostale!
We had to travel quite a ways to get to Aeropostale. But when we got there, it was very, very busy. We went get some flip-flop shoes for $4. Then we were done at Aeropostale and we went to Wendy’s for lunch. Grace and I got chicken nuggets with mandarin oranges. We also got vanilla ice-cream for dessert. After that, we dropped Grace off at her house and we planned to make our t-shirts on Tuesday. I had a ton of fun shopping with Grace.
On Tuesday, Grace came over to my house to make the shirts. The sequin letters were iron on and were very cool. Each letter was an array of blues, pinks, and purples, depending on how the light was reflecting off of the letters. My mom, Grace, and I all laid out the letters the way we wanted them. It looked really good! Then my mom took the hot iron and ironed on the letters. Then we did the rhinestone stars and put them in the corner of the words, “Grace is my Twin.” With two stars on opposite corners, it looked fancy. Then we did Grace’s shirt with the same design. Our shirts were amazing! I am so glad that we went with my idea for the shirt design. After both of our shirts were done with getting the letters and stars on, we sprayed glitter on them. They were so sparkly after that and I was really excited to where them.
I waited for Wednesday to come. It seemed to take a long time to get to that day. But I was very excited. Finally, Wednesday came. I slipped on my shirt, my awesome socks, my shoes, and did my hair just like the way Grace wears her shirt. Then when I was driving to school, I was pumped. Finally, I got into the school and put my violin in my orchestra locker. Next, I went into the auditorium to wait for Grace. Shortly after, she walked in, and we looked just like twins.

My trip to Florida was amazing! There were so many fun things we did like going Sea World and seeing all the sea animals in shows. We also went to Cocoa Beach where the sand is so soft you can barely feel it going through your toes! While we were there, we went to the to the biggest surf shop I have ever seen (I know it’s the biggest because I have never been to a surf shop). Florida was amazing and exciting and I would do anything to go there on vacation again!
When I first woke up in the morning, I was tired but excited! I was actually going to Florida, the one place I have always wanted to visit. We had to get up at 5:30 in the morning and be at the airport at 6:30. Our flight for Nashville would leave at about 7:00. We had to go to Nashville to get a flight to Florida because our plane doesn’t ever travel there. We got to the airport, checked our bags, went through security, and then finally got to sit down, waiting for our plane to arrive and for us to board it. Our plane arrived shortly after and we got on, took our seats, and then were leaving the airport and heading for Nashville.
An hour or two later our plane arrived in Nashville. When we got off I saw a ton of pictures of country music stars like Dolly Parton, Reba McIntire, Carrie Underwood, and many others I didn’t know. The Nashville airport was full of people! They were a busy as bees bustling about as to get to the place they needed to go. As we headed to our flight, I saw how everything and everybody was different from Kansans and Kansas items. People talked very different, too. Their accent was interesting to listen to and it sometimes was hard to understand. We had just arrived to our designated flight waiting spot when the plane arrived. After the people on the plane before got off we gone on and took off for Florida.
I must have slept on the plane because the next thing I remember we were landing in Orlando. The sleep left my body and I was pumped! When the wheels finally touched the ground and the plane moved to the small tunnel for the people to come off, I jumped out of my seat. For a few minutes, I was a giant jumping bean as I had to wait for the people in front of us to get off the plane. But when I finally got off and walked into the airport, excitement filled me. I was actually in Florida!
The first day in Florida was kind of slow. We went to our hotel and slept there for awhile then went out to dinner. When we came back we went straight to bed. I was beat. But the next day, we went to a really fun animal place called Sea World. I had so much fun there. I even got to pet a dolphin! There were amazing shows where the sea lions and the dolphins and whales did really cool tricks with the stuntmen. We even got to ride a few rides with the animals splashing us with their tails. It was so much fun and I will never forget how hot it was. I think if I had not had sunscreen on and water to drink, I would have crinkled up like a dried out grape in the middle of summer. But the heat was nothing. I didn’t even pay that much attention to it as I was having fun with the animals.
The next few days in Florida we went to many other places and swam in the hotel pool. My favorite place we went to in Florida was Kennedy Space Center. That place was so cool! While I was there I got to see videos of the first Apollo missions and the space shuttles that actually went to the moon! They were the much bigger in person then in videos and films. Also, I got to see moon rocks brought back from the moon by the astronauts in the Apollo ships. The rocks were surprisingly smooth and dark instead of gray and rough as I had predicted. We also got to ride in a spaceship simulation ride. In it, I got to experience what it would be like to be in a spaceship and lifting off from Earth to the Moon. It was so much fun and I got the cutest spaceship earrings from the gift shop. Kennedy Space Center was amazing and will always remember it.
After those first few days spent in the city part of Florida, we went to the beach for 3 days. The name of the beach was Cocoa Beach and that was also the name of the city which I thought was cool. When we got there we went to the hotel to put all of our bags and stuff in our room. Then we headed for the beach. I have only been to California beaches and the sand there is very grainy and very rough. Honestly, I didn’t expect the sand to be the way it was. But when I first set foot on the sand, I immediately was amazed. The sand was softer than a kitten’s fur. I could barely feel it running through my toes as I walked. The grains were so little and that’s what made the sand so soft. I could never forget it.
For those next few days, we spent lots of time and the beach. We got to hunt for sea shells, swim in the ocean, and I even saw a jellyfish! It scared me at first, but they were cool to look at. The second day at the beach we went to Ron Jon Surf Shop. It was huge. It had two levels of bikinis, earrings, clothes, and about everything involving the ocean you could think of. We got t-shirts, earrings, and the best part was yet to come. We on the second the then, the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile pulled up to the surf shop. I got really excited and we went down to see it. Better yet, I got to take a picture in front of it. The Wiener Mobile was a huge truck, basically, with a giant hotdog on top of it. It was so awesome! That was the greatest truck I had ever seen!
Florida was so much fun! My favorite part was going to the beach and looking for sea shells with my family. The sand in between my toes was amazingly soft and the Ron Jon Surf Shop was awesome (especially with the Wiener Mobile parked in front of it!) Seeing all the animals and getting to pet a dolphin at Sea World was really fun, too! The Kennedy Space Center simulation rocket ride was my favorite part about the space center. All in all, Florida is one of my best memories mainly because I got to spend time with my family and have fun at the same time, and that is what is most important to me.

He is nervous because the coming of winter means that plants die and animals hybernate. Brian gets his food from the berry bushes and when those die he will be out of berries until summer. The animals could blend in the snow and it would be harder to catch animals. Also, he doesn’t have very many clothes that keep him warm. Brian could die in the winter so that is why he is nervous. 

If Betty hadn’t come the Bear would of ate Brian. Brian would of died! But luckly Betty came and saved him.When Betty came she was just coming for the food but she is Brian’s friend she decided to help him. If Brian had lived, he would be badly injured and probably would not be able to move. Also, he wouldn’t have enough food to live on for the whole winter and would starve to death.

3.       Based on what you know about the outdoors, do the events in this story seem believable?  Explain.The events seem very believable. The outdoors are very beautiful but can be very scary. Many people die out in the woods. Bears, wolves, and other lethal animals lurk in the shadows of the trees. Any book that takes place in the woods or outdoors is most likely to have realistic events.

The theme is that Your friends will always be there for you no matter what happens. Having a friend like that is a great thing. Most friends you have at a younger age are flighty and don’t really care about what you do or what you like. Friendship is very powerful and lead you through life better than anything else. 

5.       Write a paragraph that describes what Brian’s actions in the wilderness reveal about his character.  Use details from the story to support your answer.Brian is very determined to reach his goal of survival. He does everything he can to survive. Being in the woods for a long part of the year does change a person and can really impact their character. Before, Brian was probably lazy and didn’t even think about what would happen if he got put in the situation he is now.

Introduction
Sumer is part of the civilization we call Mesopotamia. It is located in modern day Iraq in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Sumer used to be called Babylon and was home the first written set of laws made my King Hammurabi and King Nebuchadnezzar’s Hanging Gardens. The area consists of the city-states Kish, Laggash, and many more. They were the most powerful Sumerian city-states. Sumer, as a whole was an amazing place, full of inventions and historic monuments.
Origin of the Sumerians
The Sumerians go way back before Mesopotamia had even began. Before, they would travel all across Asia looking for food. When Mesopotamia first began and was growing, it used to be called Babylon. In Babylon, the Sumerian city-states consisted of Kish, Lagash, Umma, Ur, and Uruk. Those were the most powerful city-states in Babylon and they conquered many littler city-states. The city-states each had their own god, too. Sumerians believed that the gods would bring them good fortune if they sacrificed food and their possessions for them.
King Hammurabi ruled for a long period of time in Babylon, which is old Sumer. During his reign, he created a huge stele with the first set of written laws. Also, King Nebuchadnezzar had The Hanging Gardens built for his wife. It later became of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Babylon
Sumer used to be called Babylon. In Babylon, a great many things happened. The most important things were Hammurabi’s Code and the Hanging Gardens. Hammurabi’s Code was very important because it was the very first written set of laws. The Hanging Gardens were a huge part of Babylon, too. They were built for a King Nebuchadnezzar’s wife in 600 BCE. So those are two big things that were found in the city of Babylon.
Hammurabi’s Code was the first written set of laws. Before Hammurabi’s Code, government officials would go around telling people the laws by mouth. That could create problems people could keep making up laws and then it would be impossible to live and remember them all. So, in 1792 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon made a 7 1/2 foot cone stele. On this stele, there were hundreds of laws and punishments for breaking the law. This stele was discovered in 1901 by Jean-Vincent Scheil, a french archaeologist. It was an amazing discovery.
Another amazing part of Babylon was The Hanging Gardens. They were made around 600 BCE. They were built for King Nebuchadnezzar’s wife. She was homesick for previous home in the mountains. So, Nebuchadnezzar built a huge garden of hanging green plants. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Hanging Gardens became a huge part of Babylon’s history and for King Nebuchadnezzar himself.

Religion
All the people in Mesopotamia believed in multiple gods. However, each city-state had their own god that they believed to rule the city-state. Sumerians believed in an air god, earth god, sky god, and heaven god. They were believed to live in the top room of the holy temple. All Sumerians called them ziggurats. They had many levels and were home to priests, scribes, and the government rulers.
The key gods of the Sumerians were the god of earth, the god of water, the god of wind, and the god of the heavens. Sumerians gave offerings to the gods in hopes that they would be happy and give them good fortune. One god was often believed to be the king of one or two city-states. The gods were in total control of the Sumerians and the city-states.
The temple which the god lived in was called a ziggurat. It was a multi-level building with homes for the priests, scribes, and government officials. On the top level, there was one room which the Sumerians believed to be their god’s home. The ziggurat was located in the middle of the city-state. The construction of a ziggurat took a long time. It took many workers and slaves. Ziggurats were very important to the Sumerians and all of the Mesopotamians.
Daily Life
Daily life in Sumer was quite difficult. They had to control the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but they didn’t ever know when it was going to flood. Their irrigation system was complicated, as well. Also, jobs in Sumer were amazing but little pay came in return. The women of Sumer had to do all the chores of the house and keep the family together while the men had the rights of doing real jobs. One very cool job the Sumerians had a choice of was crafting sculptures of their gods.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded all the time without knowledge of it coming. It often happened when the Sumerians just planted seeds for new crops and the rivers would wash away the seeds. But they used the canals and levees to control the amount of water their crops got. They would pull the levees up when they needed more water, then put it down when the crops had enough. Their irrigation system helped them a lot with growing crops.
There were limited jobs in Ancient Sumer. The men of Sumer could be priests, work for the king, be scribes, or be farmers. You could be a slave, too, but you wouldn’t be paid and would not have as many rights as the free people. The women of Sumer were in charge of the normal house chores. They would do the cleaning, the cooking, and be in charge of making sure the children were safe. Women did not have all the rights men did. They could be shop owners, however. But, that was the main job for women in ancient Sumer.

Inventions
The Sumerians invented a lot of interesting things that we use to this day. Sumerians invent the wheel, their own type of calendar, and the first system of writing called cuneiform. The wheel helped them with farming and irrigation. When the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flood, priests were able to keep track of it by using a calendar based on the stars. Most of all, their writing helped them communicate and keep records of important information.

The wheel was the most important invention the Sumerians created. It helped them with transportation, irrigation, and daily living. They created the wheel in 8000 B.C. and is a circle with a stick of some sort going through it. The first wheel the Sumerians invented was made of wood. The wheel helped them with their farming and irrigation. The wheel helped them with transportation, too. It has helped us with a lot of things like transportation today and it’s used on cars, airplanes, trains, and any kind of things that has wheels. The wheel improved over the years, and now it is very important in our lives. That’s why the wheel is the most important invention the Sumerians.
Another invention that the Sumerians invented was the calendar. The priests helped create the calendar. The priests kept track of the stars’ movement and then wrote the stars’ patterns down with the correlating events. While keeping track of these events, they were able to create a calendar based on the stars and the constellations. It took a huge amount of intelligence and time to create something like a calendar.
The other thing the Sumerians invented was cuneiform. The cuneiform was an important part of there history. There are more than six hundred cuneiform signs. Cuneiform consists of the different writing systems logophonetic, consonantal alphabetic and syllabic systems. Each of the encompass lines and wedges in their writing. It took a very long time to learn how to write cuneiform. Scribes used cuneiform to send messages from the king to the people. Cuneiform was very important in the history of Sumer.
Conclusion
So, as you can see, the Sumerians were amazing people. They invented amazing items we still use, they had an amazing writing system, and created a very intelligent calendar. In the history, Sumer used to be called Babylon. In Babylon, the first set of written laws were created and The Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. All in all, the ancient Sumerians were amazing and are still very well remembered to this day.