My Craft Idea/Christmas Present (AHW)

Yesterday at school, when Green Elephant finished, I ended up with a board game called Blokus after I stole from Mike. I opened it today to play it with my brother Michael when I found out that the board that you set the pieces on wasn't there and neither were the plastic triangle things that you put the pieces in while you play. I was bummed that I couldn't play. Then, I had an idea: My aunt Katie loves mosaics so I decided to cut out a piece of cardboard from the box inside and glue a bunch of pieces together to make a mosaic for aunt Katie. At first, I didn't know what it was going to be of but then, it started to look like a half-tree. In the end, I decided to make it into an apple tree. I think it turned out well and I am going to give it to aunt Katie an her wife Mary Jo for Christmas.

This is how it turned out (I trimmed the cardboard around the edges but took the picture before)

AHW

I'm soooo excited for the holiday party tomorrow at school. I have to remember to wrap my white elephant gifts in newspaper before tomorrow. I wish I didn't put it off 'till tomorow because no, I'm really worried I will forget. I hope that writing it down like I am doing right now will help. My aunt always says that t helps you remember things if you write them down. I agree.

Today, during class, Ellie and I took turns FaceTiming in Mahlah so she didn't miss her classes. Even though she's in Joseph and Ellie and I are in Roberts, no one else had her as a contact so she had to do our schedule instead. Mahlah could not come because she had a fever but she was feeling well enough to go to school virtually for some time. I showed her my very, very, very, very, very, very, very boring choice hour, Pioneer Days. It's pretty much just extra schoolwork that you have to do. Just a long hour of research. Yes, you read that right: R-E-S-E-A-R-R-C-H; Research. Uugh. I hate it. that is why I can't wait 'till the third quarter.

The Big Trip (AHW)

"HI!" Michael and I said in unison. "Hi, there," replied Aunt Katie over the phone. She had called to talk to Aunt Jen about the big trip we would be going on the morning after Christmas.Then, she wanted to tell us kids about it since she was taking us. It was on speaker phone and you know what Aunt Katie said to us? She said that she's taking us to Virginia for a few days to visit her family. I think all of her family lives there and last time I want there, well, I can't even remember Virginia, just part of the car ride when I, at two or three years old was coloring in a coloring book with a towel on my lap in case I got car-sick. I've seen many, many pictures though. In one of them, I was standing side by side with five-year-old Michael on the beach, our feet sinking into the wet, sandy, shore. Now that I think of it, that is the only part I remember about Virginia. We were both wearing two piece, orange and yellowish bathing suits and I was in a purple life jacket. in another picture, i am holding a hermit crab in my hands, showing it to the the camera. Anyway, I can't wait 'till Christmas of course, because of family coming over and eating dinner with everyone and, most of all, presents.But also because that is when I will leave with just Aunt Katie, Michael, and Mary Jo to meet, once again, my family on Aunt Katie's side. I'm so excited!

Snipes (Part of the sleepover with Ellie) (AHW)

"Turn on your Snipes at the count of three!" yelled Ellie across the house, "1...2...3!" She switched the button on the bottom of the Snipe (a small, green or red plastic dinosaur type thing) from 0 to 1. "Where should we hide it?" I asked. "I know!" Ellie exclaimed. "Up here," she whispered as she stepped up onto the bottom shelf in the closet where Lauren's clothes were. "This is not gonna end well," I thought and said out loud. Ellie carefully set the Snipe on the top shelf in the closet. They're never gonna find it here, I thought; I was wrong."Done!" Ellie shouted. We waited anxiously for Hannah and Emma to tell us they were ready. We saw them come out of the living room and knew it was in there somewhere. We checked in boxes, under and in between the couch cushions, inside a pair of mittens, under the couch and on Fletcher, the dog. It was nowhere to be found. While we were looking under the couch, we opened this box thing and found a smaller box in it. We both had the idea to hide our Snipe in there next time. We closed the box and shoved it under the couch. Just as we got up and started walking to the kitchen, we heard the Snipe making a pterodactyl-like noise. "Eraaachk!... Eraaachk!..." It repeated over and over again It sounded as if it was coming from the other couch. The one Ellie's dad was sitting on. "Do you have it?" asked Ellie. "I do not," replied Mr. Deighan. Ellie then checked in Fletcher's sweater. "Come 'ere," Ellie said to Fletcher. The Snipe was not in there. Finally, Hannah and Emma came in and asked us where our snipe was hidden. "Not until you tell us where yours is," replied Elie. "Fine,...dad, stand up." Mr Deighan stood and Hannah flipped over the pillow that was underneath him.There was the Snipe, seeming to call "ToooBad!...ToooBad!.." over and over again.

I had a really good time and, though I lost that round, I learned that not everything is always about winning. It's about having fun, playing hard, and trying your best. I did all of those things and that is what matters.

Thieves Part 2: Ideas Part 1: My Idea (I know the title's confusing but don't judge a story by it's title)

After we had laughed ourselves out about the ostrich thing and I explained my idea, everyone else shared their ideas. My idea was this: Tomorrow, we meet at my house. Everyone has to bring their bike. We tell mom and dad that we were going to play at the park down the street for a couple hours and then, we will actually go to the park to sort out the plan and make sure everyone knows their part. Since the bank is literally only four blocks from the park it won't take long at all to get there from the park. When we got there, we would put some fake jewels (we can skip the procedure of getting them) right outside the vaults after getting in by knocking out security (I know it's meant but hey, what else can we do?) and breaking the cameras. Then, before we break into the room with all the vaults, Put a "high-tech super sound muffler" (that we made ourselves and, surprisingly, works) over the alarm. We figured out all the codes already because, even though it was a pretty stupid idea, and no one thought it would work, we all had that in our ideas anyway. Open both of the security heavy, steel doors and, (by snooping a little bit) use my mom and dad's code to unlock the vault. Trust me, it's not gonna be simple once you see what the security door codes were like, letters, numbers, symbols, and all. I had to write them down because, even with everyone helping, we couldn't remember any of the right numbers, in any of the right orders. Scatter some (actually, a lot of) cash, take a photo, and send it anonymously, to 32 Action News. They would then record that on the news tonight, or tomorrow and the thief would come running!

Theives Part 1: The Beginning

            "And at Central Pineway Bank, the security guards are being questioned by the police as we speak."

            I (10 years old) was sitting in the living room, on the couch, next to my best friends, Ellie and Sophia (both 10 years old) along with my cousin, Brad (9) and Sophia's six-year-old brother, James, with his hands on his face and his eyes wide like the kid in Home Alone as he watched the news with us. Dad turned the TV off. "Why don't you guys go play outside or something?"

            "Sure, Dad."
            "Okay."
            "Alright."

            It was a nice, warm spring day so I thew on a jacket along with Brad, Sophia, and Ellie. James wanted to come along too but, knowing him, he would just get in our way so, while everyone walked outside to the front lawn, I quickly got some bubbles for him and headed outside. "Hey, James, catch!" I said and tossed the bubbles toward him. I figured it was fine to toss it to him since he was pretty much the best player on his little league baseball team. He caught it one handed and opened the bubbles right away. I got everyone to gather by the tree in the middle of our lawn. "Guys, I have an idea" I said.

            "Uuuuuuuuuuh..." said Sophia, looking confused.
            "Yeah, Alex, what are you talking about?" Ellie said.
            "The news?" Brad questioned.
            "Exactly!!" I replied, "The bank robbery!"
            "What about it?" asked Ellie.
            "What's wrong with the bank robbery?" Sophia asked.
            "Really, Sophia? That's like asking what's wrong with asking an ostrich out on a date while, meanwhile, the ostrich is peeing in your swimming pool!" I answered. We all started cracking up.

Sentence chunks

I saw / a grey- grew slimy thing / like a snail / without its shell, / only bigger, / the size of a rat.

Sentence Unscramble

SCRAMBLED SENTENCE

he knew

But even as that thought touched

his mind

nor any hope of such

that for him

that had bred home

only the shadow

to drift home

and none of the substance

rootless

and without any stake in the

country

would be

UNSCRAMBLED SENTENCE

But even as that thought touched his mind to drift home....

Eye Test (AHW)

THESE EYE TESTS WILL GET HARDER AND HARDER AS YOU GO

  FIND THE O

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0000000000O0000000000000000000000000000000000000
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000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
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FIND THE TWO ;'s

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 FIND THE n

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnmm



FIND THE l

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
111111111l111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111




FIND THE R

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PPPPPPPPPPPRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP










If you got 0-1, you win... nothing sorry
If you got 2-3, you win... a small  piece of candy of your choice
If you got 3-4, you win... a tennis ball
And if you got all 5 correct, you win... Nothing, A small piece of candy of your choice, and a tennis ball.

Whatever you got (and be honest), tell me in the comments!

Small Moment (Based on Sophia's Story But From my Perspective)!! (AHW)

"Can you please walk with me to choice hour?" asked Sophia, holding her bright green binder and standing at the end of the locker bay next to hers
          "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh..." I said as I very slowly processed what she was saying, "Oh! Yeah! We have the same choice hour today!" Yes! I thought and I grinned as Sophia walked away. A few moments later, Sophia reappeared next to my locker.
          "Ready?"
          "Um, not yet" I replied as I rushed myself, trying to remember everything I needed. "Okay, um, planner?" I shoved my math binder into my locker and pulled out my planner from the huge pile on the top shelf of my locker.
          "You don't need your planner today, remember? All we have is reading and writing."
          Oh, yeah! I thought, grinning from ear to ear.
          Sophia laughed and then asked with a straight face "Okay so are you ready, now?" while holdin onto my locker. I knew she was about to close it, "Can I close your locker?"
          "WAIT! Hat, gloves, neck thingy!!!!" I climbed onto my locker and reached up to the top shelf. "Neck thingy, glove, glove, hat--" I said as I took everything out one by one. But wait! My new hat! Where is it?!! I lifted up everything. It was SO heavy! After whet seemed like a lifetime, (but what was only about twenty seconds) I saw my hat and yanked it out.
          "Ready?" Sophia repeated for the third time.
          "Wait!..." I repeated for the third time. "Uuuum..." again, I repeated it for the third time. "Yes."
           As soon as I finished saying that, Sophia yelled, "WATCH OUT!" and slammed my locker shut.
          "Okay, time for choice hour," I said and we started running to choice hour, as because I made us very late. We were about a third of the way there when I realized that I forgot my violin in the 600 hallway. "WAIT!!!" I screamed as I turned completely around in less than half a second and ran as fast as I could with my coat and backpack on all the way to the 600 hallway. I was surprised at how many people there were over there. I dodged everyone easily.
          "Alex, wait!!!!!" Sophia screamed.
          I reached the end of the hallway, picked up my violin, and, after glancing at a pile of someone's binder, planner, and book, Sugar, turned again just as Sophia reached me. I sprinted down the hallway and nearly knocked someone over. "Hey, it's hard to dodge people with a violin in your hand, okay?" He just stared and kept sucking his candy cane.
          Once I was about halfway to my choice hour in room 305, I stopped running briefly to chec if Sophia had caught up yet. Sure enough, she had and was just as out of breath as I was when I started running again. We got to 5/6 study about 5 or 6 or 7 minutes late (I don't really know 'cause I didn't check the time) and I checked in with the teacher, Mrs. Spencer. "Alex Barnes," I said as I walked into the room. She checked off my name and I set my stuff down inside the room and outside the room inside the room.

Phone Call (AHW)

Yesterday, I was on the phone with my mom and I told her about my blog. She had to write everything down. All the steps. This is what I told her:

Step 1.          Search up joberts14
Step 2.          Click on Joberts14-Home
Step 3.          Go to Joberts Blogs
Step 4.          Scroll down to 5th Grade Blogs 
Step 5.          Click on my name, it should be the second one down
 
And I told her the fast way (though, it's hard 'cause you have to get the capitalization exact).

Step 1.          Search up Alex B's Blog

"Make sure you have all the capitalization exact 'cause other wise, it wont work," I said to mom. 

Today Poem (AHW)

Today

Today I will say "Yay!"

Because I'm asking if I can play

I'm asking if I can go

Next, next Saturday

I think the answer is "Yes."

So hip, hip, hooray!

Today By Alex Barnes copyright 2014

After School (AHW)

Today, after school, I took in both the trash cans and the mail hoping I wouldn't have to do an extra chore. I'm also gonna ask my aunt if I can have a sleepover during winter break. I checked my texts and I had 58 because people were texting from a group text with me in it. Some were from Ellie and one was one of her elf yourself videos. It was funny. I wish I had that app. I've done it on one of my friends iPad before but it was a different version. Not the Christmas one. Anyway, thats the end of my at home writing because my at home writing is now going to the chokee.

Hoow does Auggie change throughout the story?

In Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Auggie changes by cutting off his Padawan braid. Via says, "That took you years to grow!... I cant believe you would just cut it off like that". Star Wars was not what he wanted to be known for anymore. He still likes Star Wars but he used to be known for liking it (besides his face) now, he is not known for Star Wars anymore. He is known for how kind he is and he's kind and that incident at camp.

AHW/ASW (At School Writing)

Today, I was reading Jack S's blog and he has so many typos and spelling errors that I didn't even try to count them. He also wrote sphere instead of a regular ball and wrote: I felt so bed for them. E isn't that close to a. Anyway, that was not meant to be offensive and besides the errors, it's great writing.

A Waste of Time

               "248-283-1000" Jane and I said at the same time as Mrs. Roberts pushed in the Michigan Humane Society's phone number and a person picked up and they talked for a bit and the person redirected Mrs. Roberts to the Michigan Humane Society's education site. She pulled it up on her sloth-like computer and went to the  link for if you want to schedule a tour. Mrs. Roberts was about halfway through when we figured out that we shouldn't schedule the tour until we did one of their suggestions for school projects on the website. I felt bad that Mrs. Roberts had to use up a bunch of her time to do something that we can't even do yet. Today, we brainstormed and figured out a way that we could help the humane society. Towels 4 Terriers.

New Car (AHW)

My aunt jen just got home and Im pretty sure that she went to the store because shes a little late. Im gonna help with the groceries.... It turnes out that she wasnt at the store but Geuss whta?


She got a car on hold and she thinks she might get the new car its silver on the outside and black on the inside and all leather on the inside.

IM SO EXCITED!!!!
PLus, she bought pizza for dinner tonight.

And she says there's another car that this guy at the dearler ship offered  her a differnt car that costs less but its cloth on the inside and we also might get that one instead!!!!!!!

And it has lots better gas mileage so i think were gonna get that one soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               11111111111111111                    11111111111111111

                               11111111111111111                    11111111111111111

                               11111111111111111                    11111111111111111

                               11111111111111111                    11111111111111111

                            <

                                                               

                                     ______________________________________________

                                      Y---------------------------------------------------------Y

                                        A----------------------------------------------------A

                                           Y------------------------------------------------Y

Two Tests - Bye Bye, Eraser (AHW)

The Tests... Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun...

Today, we had two tests: one for social studies, and one for science. Social studies came first and I forgot my 3-D artifact at home, in my room :(. The test was on all the chapters, one through five and almost all of it was pretty easy but the last page plus, (and I just remembered this) that was the page I forgot to finish because I was going to skip it and come back to it. Dang!  I did the test backward just like Mr J suggested. I thought it was easier anyway because you could do all the hard stuff first and then since the beginning is really easy, you can just do that to top it off. I had a perfect eraser when I started class and by the end, it was about three fourths of the way still there. Next, we had science and also had a test there but it was much easier. For the first few questions, it was multiple choice and since Mrs. Roberts didn't like the formatting, she read it out loud to us but the end of the second page, she stopped and let us do it on our own for the rest of the test. For the second to last page, we had to do an "I Wonder" as Mrs. Roberts says, and prepared an experiment. Though, we weren't gonna test it out, of course. The last page, we had to use a straight-edge and make a data table for the experiment (that we weren't gonna do) and by the end of my test, guess what?... There was nothing at the and of my brand-new pencil left except for the shiny, silver metal thing that connects the eraser to the pencil. Nothing. So, good luck, test scores, and Bye Bye, eraser.

Choice Hour (AHW)

Today, my choice hour was Strings Open Practice. Ellie D and Emeline M were in my choice hour as well as Ali C and some others. The choice hour is for 5th through 8th grade orchestra players. My brother, Michael S who is in the 8th grade, plays violin like I do and is in my Tuesday choice hour as well. All of the 8th graders were rehearsing. The cello players could not get a cello and everyone else had to practice in a different room to practice, or watch the rehearsal, which sounded really good. First, while the 8th graders were preparing for the rehearsal, Ellie, Emeline, Ali and I went into a small room and started practicing for a while. After "15" minutes, We packed up our instruments (I play violin, Ellie plays violin, Emeline plays viola, and Ali plays cello) and walked through two doors and a hallway and into the main orchestra room where (skipping some stuff) we sat down on the grey, stone steps leading up to the exit to watch the rehearsal. Mrs. Gillespie was really feeling the intense but equally beautiful music as she conducted to orchestra. Bouncing up and down as she tapped her foot, shouted out occasional names and "Softer Pizzicato!"s and "Faster tempo!" at the same time, waving both her arms around, one holding a conducting stick thing, the other empty. I noticed that there were no bases. I personally think orchestras sound better with the a mix of very sound and there was every instrument except the deepest sounding one. I don't think they needed the bases to sound excellent though. At 4:06,, We all started packing up and watched the orchestra of 8th grade play until 4:09 or 10 and I put on my backpack after putting on my coat and walked straight out the orchestra room doors to my bus, 41, straight across from the door. Homeward bound at last.

Cat Pee on my Bed Again? (AHW)

As I walked into the hallway leading up to my bedroom, I knew something wasn't right. I opened my door waiting for the worst to come. "Aow" I heard the cat as he trotted out of my room. The smell in my room was very foul and I recognized it instantly. Cat pee. I was partially annoyed at myself. I should've known Elliot would close the cream colored bedroom door while trying to get out and I should've left it wide open instead of just a crack. Dang it. I am so stupid. I was also mad at the cat, though. It's not that hard to push open a door, right? Seriously. I took off my coat and my backpack and set down my violin, lunchbox, and orchestra binder and music book. I stripped my bed because it turns out that the cat pee soaked all the way through my comforter, and 4 other blankets and my sheets...