Hero Myths Of Ancient Greece And Rome

     The Greeks had many ideas of what qualities a hero should have.  In The Adventures of Theseus, Theseus had courage to slay the evil Minotaur.  In Perseus and the Quest for Medusa's Head Perseus had the strength to cut off Medusa's head.
     Theseus had a lot of the characteristics of a Greek hero.  The most important of which is courage.  He had courage to kill the Minotaur and lead his people out of the labyrinth.  In the story the Minotaur was confused when Theseus faced him with that much courage because no one had faced him that way before.
     Greeks also thought that a great hero needed to have physical strength.  Perseus' physical strength and abilities helped him in hard times.  Perseus had to have the strength to chop off Medusa's big head.    Perseus had to have swung the sword pretty hard to get the head off the beast.
       The Greeks believed that a hero should possess great strength and no fear to complete a risky task.  They believed that with strength and courage a person could solve conflicts, fight beasts and enemies, and save innocent people.  Theseus and Perseus where courageous, and strong Greek heroes.

     The Greeks thought that a hero needed to have courage, boldness and quick thinking.  Perseus had the courage and boldness to confront the king, cut off Medusa's head, and turn the sea creature to stone.  His quick thinking helped him to snatch the eye and tooth from the gray sister's hand, and pull the Medusa's head from the sack in order to turn the sea monster into stone. The Greeks admired these qualities because they help you fight against the problems that appear, and help with emotional doubts and mistakes.

     I think that the characters in the Greek myths will have strength, courage, and no fear.  Some might have the strength to control the sea and weather.  Some of the gods and  goddesses in the stories will have the courage to turn a person into an animal.  They will have no fear to do what nobody has done before.  Edgar guest's poem The Things That Haven't Been Done Before says" From the beaten paths they draw apart to see what no man has seen.  There are deeds they hunger alone to do though battered and bruised and sore, they blaze a path for the many who do nothing not done before".  The Greeks were kind of leaders to the Romans.  They made paths that the Romans followed and saw what was unseen.  then they made many stories about their quests and some of the stories are still being told and read.

Humans and Animals

     I think that animals are individuals and can be like people in certain ways.  A scientist said "The most important thing to know is that animals are all individuals, he adds.  Just like people, they have different personalities and learning styles." Gulls are protective of their belongings just like humans, and dogs can communicate and think about things that humans think about.  In many ways animals are like humans and have personalities and learning styles.
       Dogs are smart and know all kinds of things we do.  Dogs have many different personalities and learning styles.  For example when my dog is hungry, thirsty, or has to go, he will act like it.  When my dog needs to be fed he will bark and whine.  He knows when his body needs some nutrition just like we do.  If he has to go to the bathroom, first he'll try to stand by the back door till we notice him standing there.  Second If we don't notice him in at least two minutes he will stand near us and stare at us till we realize what he wants.  Third If it takes us another two minutes to figure him out he will rest his wet chin on your lap until you get annoyed (that usually works).  When he wants to play he'll bring us his ball and bark at us till we throw it for him.  When we are young we tend to nag or beg our parents to do something.  Dogs do this too, they beg their owners to do something for them.  When you are young and get lost somewhere you try to find your parents and when you see them you are happy.  When a dog gets lost it tries to find it's owners or in it's case parents.  When my family and I go on long trips and come back home our dog gets all giddy and happy because he has missed us.  Once while we were gone on a trip our next door neighbor came over to feed our dog and when he walked in our house our dog jumped on him and growled.  He was trying to be protective.  We humans are also very protective.
     Seagulls are protective of their children when another animals or humans interfere. When the people we love are hurt or someone we don't like tries to interfere we get protective.  In a magazine I read for school a scientist was researching seagulls and how they acted.  Well he went a bit too far with his research and got dive bombed by LOTS of seagulls.  He ran to a safe place, and when he came out again he was again dive bombed by a lot of seagulls.  He ran back into shelter and thought of how to go back out without the gulls recognizing him.  He dressed up in different clothes and a mask then went out.  To his surprise nothing happened!  When he took his mask off he was dive bombed.  In the same way us humans can remember certain characteristics of another person.  Gulls have different personalities and learning styles.
     These examples show how a human and an animal are similar in many ways.  These things are what make it easy to live with animals and earn their trust.  Animals are individuals and have different personalities and learning styles.

Paragraph on Ida B. Wells

     Ida Wells fought for her and the people that were being killed for religion, and their race.  The way that she fought was with her pen.  She wrote in the news paper about the lynchings (or murders).  If Ida B. wells didn't stand up for the people that were being killed, There might have been a second civil war.  The bible says that If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?  In the same way this applies to us, So if America kills America, it is divided against itself.  How then can our kingdom stand?  Even when people threatened to kill her she still wrote about the murdering that was happening in America.  All she did was move, buy a gun, and keep writing.  People started to realize what was happening and the were embarrassed.  Today their is still murder going on because of how people are but Ida stopped some people and had them think about what they were doing to our country.

Interdependence of the Characters in Storys

     Some of the animals and people in this unit relied on each other to survive in rough situations and when they need to feel loved.  In the stories Stray, Vern, The Dog of Pompeii, and Zlateh The Goat animals and people rely on each other In certain ways.  In Zlateh The Goat and The Dog of Pompeii the characters rely on each other to stay alive.  In Vern and Stray they depend on each other for love.
     Zlateh the goat and Aaron show interdependence by doing the things they do best.  When it was cold Aaron made a shelter out of hay so that Zlateh could eat and stay warm.  Later when Aaron was hungry Zlateh let him drink her milk.  In the same way Tito and Bimbo from the story the dog of Pompeii trusted each other's abilities to stay alive.  Tito relied on Bimbo's sense of smell, leadership, and sight to stay alive.  Bimbo needed Tito to trust in where he was leading and what he was doing was good, and Tito did.  Tito and Bimbo where good friends and trusted in each other in so many ways.  In the end of this story Tito was probably wondering what he would do without Bimbo.  In Zlateh The Goat they rely on each other's love to stay strong just like in Vern and stray.
     The dog in Vern and it's owner love each other a lot.  The dog comforts it's owner when he is sad.  The dog depends on its owner to feed and love him.  Without The dog the owner would get depressed, and with no owner the dog would feel lonely and hungry.  In Stray The dog relies on the owners love for him.  If the owners didn't love the dog it would either be out in the cold freezing to death or in the pound, but instead the owners realized that they really loved the dog.  Doris depends on the dog to be well behaved and cute so that Her parents would except the dog as part of the family.
    In this same way we should love and, look out for each other.  To be a good friend we should love and care for everyone around us.  In the bible it says that, We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).  

Innovations

     Three innovations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth Centuries were the assembly line, the plane, and the telephone.  These inventions helped the American people to communicate, transport, and manufacture.
     The assembly line helped people to build their products more efficient and easier.  Henry Ford invented the assembly line to make it so he could sell lots of cars in a little amount of time.  In WWII the assembly line helped to manufacture large war equipment.  Lots of company's products go down an assembly line during the production process.  This invention is very useful to many people but so is the plane.

     The wright brothers' invention of the plane made it so people could fly far and fast.  Planes are also used in the war to transport equipment from place to place, transport people, or sneak up on the enemy.  Planes can get LOTS of people from one side of the world to the other!  Orville and Wilbur Wright wanted to prove that they could stay up in the air for long periods of time, and they did!  This innovation helped with transportation.  Like the plane the telephone helped transport, but it also helped with communication.
     Telephones made it so people could talk to relatives, and friends that are far away without having to travel across the country.  Many people allover the world are using a telephone right now.  The telephone was also used in wars to transport messages from place to place.  The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.  His innovation was demonstrated for the first time at the Centennial exposition.
     These innovations helped shaped America. Manufacturing, transporting, and communicating would not be the same without these brilliant ideas.  Thanks to the four men who invented these things companies can produce more products, people can travel fast and far, and you can talk to a far away friend!

Rafting

     Have you ever gotten really scared?  I have gotten pretty scared before, but I think this was the scariest time of my life!  Every year my grandparents invite two of us to their house for our birthdays.  If they go somewhere we get to come along.  I was invited to go rafting with them and my cousin near my birthday.  I was really excited.

     My parents dropped me off with my grandparents and we went to their house.  I stayed with them for a day.  The next day we packed up their truck, and we took off on the road.  We drove for a long time and my butt started to get sore from sitting down too long.  When we got there we unloaded the fully packed truck, and prepared the boats.  We inflated the rafts and put everything we needed for the trip on the boats.  It took about a half an hour to get everything ready, but we did it.  I climbed in the boat and we all floated down the river.

     The little blow up boat hit the first rapids for the day, and it shot forward, it was fun!  We rafted most of the day through rapids, sun, and the clear turquoise water.  It was all fun and I didn't have a sunburn yet.  We had rafted for hours before we found a good spot to camp on shore.  My cousin (Ryan) and I set up the tent then went to eat lunch.  We ate freeze dried food for lunch. I had mac and cheese.  The mac and cheese was a bit gritty but still refreshing after a long couple of hours of paddling and floating downstream.  After lunch my cousin and I paddled around in the water near the shore.  My grandpa and I fished for a while in the rapids near our campground.  I caught a little green fish.  Ryan and I played in the water till dinner time.  We ate, dug a gigantic hole in the hot sand just for fun, and then went to bed.

      The next day we packed up our stuff, filled in the hole, and ate breakfast.  While we were eating breakfast our grandma said that if we ever fell out of the boat we were to swim to shore.  After breakfast I had to go to the bathroom (which I tried to avoid but couldn't).  I told my grandma and she gave me the bucket, the fold up toilet and a shovel and told me to walk somewhere no one could see. I said o.k. and walked off into the tall bushes in search of a spot.  When I found a questionable spot I set up the plastic fold up toilet.  I sat down did my business and folded up the plastic potty.  I quickly found out that I should have gone first because when I opened the bucket a horrific smell and two flies came out.  I scooped the stuff off the ground with the little gray shovel and put it in the bucket.  I picked everything up and carried it back.

     Later after that little experience we got back in our boats and headed of down the river.  We floated down the river through more exciting rapids in search of Russo Rapids.  One rapid we went through was really fun.   It was bumpy, fast and water would splash in the boat, it was my personal favorite.  We searched and searched for the monstrous Russo rapids that everyone was saying was fun when finally we found them!  My grandpa went down first just in case something happened.  we had brought walky-talkies along so we could communicate.  Once my grandpa was down he told us when to go down.  Ryan and I were in the same boat and we went down together.  we started to paddle towards the rapids.  When our boat was in the rapids we went faster than we did in all the earlier rapids combined.  Big waves came towards us and splashed against the boat.  About half way down Ryan and I saw a big rock that made a big bump in the water.  We tried to paddle around it because we knew we'd flip over but the current was too strong.  What happened next changed the whole rafting trip for me and my cousin.

     We hit the bump and the front of the boat abruptly stopped.  I was in the front and Ryan was in the back.  the back of the boat kept going and then the whole boat flipped over.  I was under water and could not see a thing.  The water was so dirty.  I could feel the boat float away.  I floated up trying to get some air when a huge wave went over me.  I tried to keep my head over the waves.  I turned around and saw Ryan doing the same thing, luckily he was taller so it was easier for him.   After the wave passed I asked him if he was okay and he said yes.  I turned back around to face an unexpected wave.  Water flowed into my mouth and I swallowed it.  My knees hit a rock under water and I went back under water.  Good thing I had a life jacket on because I just floated back up.  I hit more gigantic rocks and went under more waves.  I knew there was nothing I could do but try to keep my head above water.  I noticed that I still had the paddle in my hands and remembered that my grandma said that if we fell out of the boat we needed to swim to shore.  I thought for a moment about if I should drop the oars so I could swim or try to swim with them.  I asked myself "if I lost the oars would I have to pay for them.  I decided to drop the oars and swim to shore.  I swam toward the rocks on the shore.  I quickly grabbed one with the tips of my fingers and pulled towards them.

     Later I saw grandma coming down the rapids in her boat and a wave of relief came over me.  I saw some of the things from the boat floating down the rapids.  My grandpa paddled toward us.  I looked over to Ryan who was also clinging to a rock.  I said to him, " that was scary."  He nodded and grandpa had paddled over to us and told us to grab on to his boat.  Ryan grabbed on and I did too.  Meanwhile my grandma was gathering up the boat and everything in it.  She found everything except a towel and Walkie-Talkie.  My grandpa paddled to the other side of the river to a little camp ground.  We stayed there for a while and hunted for rocks.

     Later we got back in the boat and paddled down the river again.  We went through more rapids but this time they weren't as exciting because I was afraid we might fall out again.  We stopped at one side of the river where we ate lunch, and saw wild horses.  This was when I realized I had a big sunburn.  The sun gave me big blisters behind my ears.  We rafted some more and went down more rapids.  Later we came to the end of our trip and put everything back in the truck.  We stopped and got lunch.  When we got home Ryan and I took turns talking on the phone to our parents about the experience.  Even though it was fun at first the whole thing was scary.

     There can be very scary things that happen in our lives and we cannot do anything to stop them.  The only thing we can do, is give the situation to God, turn and face our fears, and hope it won't happen again.  This is the best thing I could have learned from this situation.

Setting Up Toy Army Men Battlefields

     Setting up a battlefield for toy army men is effortless and fun!  All it takes is imagination, and the ingredients.  First you find a place to build your exciting battlefield, indoors or outdoors. You should do it on a hard flat floor so your men stand up. If you don't have flat floor you can set books out on the floor.  It is okay if the books are different sizes or thicknesses because it will make your battlefield more realistic, and it will make the ground lumpy and bumpy like hills.  To make your battle a little more fun, you can spread the books apart to make trenches between them.  Plastic boxes, and laundry baskets make good buildings for your battlefield.  With a little bit of imagination and smart thinking I bet that you could come up with some awesome ideas too!

Why We Should Have a Playground In Our Neighborhood

James Vaughn

 97707 55613 Swan road

Dear OWW2 POA,

     I think that our neighborhood needs a playground.  There are many ways that a playground would benefit our community.  I know that a park would have some expenses connected to it, however there may be ways to reduce expenses through neighborhood involvement.  Most parents in this neighborhood  don't like to take their children to other parks because they are too far away.  If the park got messy the community could lend a hand and help clean it up.

     Most adults in this community dislike driving their kids to other parks because they're too far away.  If we had a park nearby then our parents might trust us kids to ride our bikes to the park.  If it was built at the Marina during the remodel then it would be nearby almost everyone in this neighborhood.  If it was build there then people would be able to swim in the river and play on the playground.  The playground would be an attraction that people of all ages could enjoy. It would help increase the population and help build friendships in our community.
 The park would help build friendships.  The friendships would help teach the people in our neighborhood to: keep others safe, not argue, create growth, and increase community involvement.  If the people in our neighborhood were always bickering and not caring for others no one would want to live here.  The more friendly people there are here the more people will want to live in Oregon Water Wonderland 2.  There are some things that would need to be payed, but at the same time there are thing that we would not have to pay for.

      This extraordinary attraction would have expenses that we would have to bear.  However, some of the expenses that we would not pay for are lawn mowing expenses and cleaning up after the park.  If we just put rubber padding or bark chips on the ground then we would not have to mow lawn and that would save us money and energy.  Another cost that we would not need to pay is cleaning up after the park visitors.  If the park got messy I could organize a group of people from the community and help them clean up the park. I would be responsible for posting flyers organizing park clean up days. My friends in the community would be happy to assist me with this effort.
      A playground would be a big improvement for our community.  The park would be close to most everyone in the neighborhood, help make OWW2 a caring and strong neighborhood, and have a few expenses that wouldn't require payment for.  If there was a park it would help bring people together and help them to get to know one another better.  Thank you for reading my letter, and I hope that you will decide that this neighborhood needs a playground. Thank you for all that you have done for our community.

A reliable and thankful friend,
James

Nero's Martyrs

     Nero killed many people in his life.   He killed many Christians including Peter, and Paul.  Nero had a lot of ways to kill people.  Nero even had his own symbol!
     There are several ways that Nero had people martyred.  One of the ways that Nero had Christians killed was that he would put them on a stake in his garden and burn them to help give light to his palace at night.  He killed some people the way most other kings did sometimes he beheaded them,  poisoned them, and crucified them.  Nero even had people torn to pieces by big hungry animals!  There are a lot of people that Nero killed and one of them was Peter the apostle.
     Peter was crucified under the order of Nero.  He chose to be crucified upside down because he didn't think he was worthy enough to die the same way Jesus did.  The governor offered peter his life if he just denied God, but Peter stayed faithful to God.  In 1 John 2:22 it says "Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son".  Peter knew the reward waiting for him in Heaven.  Nero didn't only kill Peter but Paul too.
     Paul was beheaded under the order of emperor Nero.   Before Paul was executed he was arrested for two years for stirring up a crowd of Jews.  He was sailed to Rome where he was put in jail for another two years.  After two years of custody he was executed.  He too stayed faithful in God and was not afraid to die for God.
     What we all know as the peace sign today is Nero's symbol for peace without Christians.  It has a broken upside down cross in the middle of a circle.  The upside down cross represents no Christians and the circle means world peace.
     Nero was an awful man.  He ordered the execution of all the Christians and he had regular innocent people martyred.  This man was a very bad example and I hope not to turn out like him ever.

Why I Should Have a Birthday Party Before 13

Dear Mommy,

     I know that birthday parties can be crazy, expensive and drain a lot of my parents' energy. I also know that you want me to postpone having parties with several friends until I'm older.However, there are many reasons a birthday party before 13 years old could be appropriate for me. 
     One of the reasons I want a birthday party before thirteen is because I don't want to have to say to one friend, "Hey you get to come to my birthday!" and to the other, "I am sorry; you don't get to come".  It makes me sad to have to tell them that.    The only two friends I can think of that I would want two invite would be: Ethan Ossana and John Taylor.  I really like the idea of playing with two friends on my birthday and letting them meet each other.  These two boys are both very respectful. That  would make it easy to  keep my friends busy.
     Keeping my friends entertained wouldn't be a problem.  My friends and I would play outside the whole time.  We may come inside to get Legos or something, but we would probably take them outside to play with.  We would play safe games like: capture the flag, Nerf war, and water balloon fight.  We wouldn't play any games that were not appropriate.  The house would be peaceful if I had a birthday party.  There would be no kids bouncing off the walls. If we ate a whole bunch of sugar we could eat it at the end of the party and then send everyone home to their families.  If I was wound up to you could just send me to bed (after everyone was gone).  I might also offer to entertain my sisters half the time of the birthday party. None of our entertainment would come at a  high price.
      The party would not be very expensive.  We would play outside the entire time.  I would be willing to work within your budget.  It could end up being a little cheaper than a regular birthday activity.   It wouldn't only be cheep for you but it would be cheap for other people too!  The invitations would say not to bring a present because having fun at the party would be enough of a present for me. I would also clean up after the party, saving your time and effort. Another way I could take responsibility for the work of the party is to make my own invitations.
     I could make the invitations by myself and you wouldn't have to worry about it. The invitations would say no presents, would give strict hours for the length of the party, and would request that they bring quiet entertainment to help keep us busy.
     There are many reasons why I should have a birthday party.  I would entertain my friends the entire time,  keep the party inexpensive, keep the house peaceful, and make the invitations myself.  I hope that you agree that I should have a birthday party before thirteen.  Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Your loving son,
James

Cockroaches

     Cockroaches are interesting bugs.  They live in various places. Some people think cockroaches look scary, however other people think they look amazing.  Cockroaches love food!  Like many creatures cockroaches lay eggs.  Some of them are kept as pets! Usually people think of these bugs as pests. Can you guess how many types of cockroaches are really pests?  

      Cockroaches live in areas where it is heated, dark, and moist.  A lot of them live in walls because inside the walls it is very warm and dark.  Places that have food already available is where they'll want to be. We don't see cockroaches often because they hide in these dark, enclosed spaces. However, some people think they are handsome insects.

American cockroach

     Cockroaches look really neat!  They possess two tiny compound eyes and six legs. Compound eyes are eyes that have numerous  mirror-like lenses that help the insect see in every direction.  Cockroaches are several colors.  In tropical places cockroaches can be red, yellow, and green.  Being bright colors helps them blend in with their environment.  Black and brown are the color of the cockroaches in other areas.  Like turtles cockroaches have a hard shell on their back to help protect them from predators.  The hard shell helps make them hard to kill.  Normally, cockroaches are about 15 millimeters (almost a half an inch) long.  They can grow up to be about an inch long.  Some roaches have wings.  They don't only look neat they eat heaps of food.
     Cockroaches eat a ton! But, they can survive without eating for at least a month.  That is probably why they eat a lot.   Cockroaches like to eat almost everything: cheese, sweets, meat, grease, starch, you name it.  They will eat household items like wood, leather, and book bindings.  Plants and vegetables are another thing they like to eat.  Cockroaches love to eat dead things. Eating is not the only thing they do; like every other creature they reproduce.

nymphs= smallest bugs with stripes on their backs

     Like every other animal on earth cockroaches must reproduce themselves.  Their offspring are called nymphs (nimfs).  Nymphs are born in egg-cases the size of a bean you'd find in chilly.  The egg-cases hold 16 to 50 nymphs.  The nymphs grow up to be adults and lay eggs of their own.  At this rate areas where they live could quickly become infested.

Oriental cockroach

Asian cockroach

    Only Four kinds of cockroaches are pests: the American cockroach, German cockroach, Asian cockroach, and the oriental cockroach are the four  household pests. They'll eat your food and destroy your walls and belongings that are made from natural materials.  They will leave a smelly odor everywhere they go.  Worst of all cockroaches can give you allergies, diseases, and asthma.  Some of the germs that they carry can kill you especially if you are unhealthy already.

American cockroach

     There are 4,000 species of cockroaches!  It's amazing that only 4 kinds of cockroaches are pests.    Most cockroaches live away from people and don't bother us. A small number of Madagascan hissing cockroaches are even pets!  People keep them as pets because the roach will eat leftover food, dead animals, and dead plants.  Most cockroaches live in places where they never encounter people.

German cockroach

      Don't you just love cockroaches?  Encountering these bugs is a little rare because they like to hide.  If you see one take a moment and look at how neat-looking they are.  Once you are done you should keep it as a pet because unlike some other pets it will eat almost anything.  Only keep it if it isn't a pest.  After the cockroach reproduces you can let it go out in the wild again.

Great Wall of China

     The Great Wall of China is an amazing structure!  It is an important part of Chinese history.  It was made of many strong building materials, and is of enormous size.  Many things were lost during and after the construction of the wall. These included people and parts of the wall.

     The Great Wall of China was built to keep intruders out of China.  It was constructed during the Ming dynasty and the reign of emperor Qin Shi Huang (co-chang-she-wan).  The Chinese discontinued building the wall, and intruders soon found out they could go around it into China.  The Chinese saw that the wall was impossible to finish because China is a big country, so they abandoned it.
     In around the 7th century, BC the Great wall was being constructed.  It was made out of stone, brick, dirt, tamped earth, and wood.  Did you know that the Great Wall of China is 5,500 miles long?  It is 15 to 30 feet wide at the base and 16 to 26 feet tall!  It took 276 years to manufacture.  Soldiers, prisoners, slaves, farmers and other civilians helped build the wall.  The Chinese built watch towers on the top, and made a path wide enough for troops or wagons to travel on top. However, all this construction came at terrible price.
     Lots of people were lost before and after they abandoned The Great Wall of China.  Chinese workers were drafted against their will to work on the wall.  It is said that at least one person died for every foot that was built.  At least 3,000,000 people died.  Some of the great wall has disappeared because people have taken pieces from it to use on their own creations. The great age of the wall has caused disintegration because of weather. War also helped destroy the wall.
     The Chinese risked their lives and built the Great Wall of China to save their country and emperors.  Even though lots of people died and intruders still got around the wall and into the city the Chinese still stayed loyal to their country because of the great emperor Qin Shi Huang who had the vision to unify his country.

Friendly Letter to E.B White

James Vaughn
Swan Road Bend, OR 

3/19/2012

Dear E.B White, 
     I love your book Charlotte's Web!  I learned LOTS of significant life lessons from it!  When Fern told her dad not to kill Wilbur I gained lots of important knowledge.  I was taught other lessons From the animals in the barn.  When Templeton, Charlotte, and Wilbur went to the fair I acquired meaningful information.
      I learned countless lessons from when Fern told her dad not to kill Wilbur.  everyone deserves a chance to live, and all life has value.  I was taught that I should treat others the  same way I want to be treated.  The lessons I learned will help me in hard times in life. That is not all the things I was taught; there is more educational advice I learned from the animals in the barn.
       The animals taught me that I need to stick up for my friends even if I die trying.  That life lesson ties in with a verse from John 15:12-13 "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this to lay down one's life for one's friends."  I need to be an example to others who are being disrespectful and selfish, yet again,  those aren't the only life lessons I have been taught from your Incredible book.  There are more I was reminded of from Wilbur going to the fair.
     Wilbur and Charlotte taught me that I should not give up and keep trying.  The second thing I was taught was that I shouldn't be like the bad people.   The third thing was that I not only need to have good friends but to BE a good friend.
     The life lessons I learned will help me in the future to be an awesome friend.  Now I know that I need to be there to help my friends with their needs, be kind, and never give up.  I hope to read more of your books SOON!

Thank you for writing Charlotte's Web!  What a book!
Your Reader
James Vaughn

Word Web Assignment

Charlotte's Web Comic Strip Assignment

James holding his comic strip.

Cell number one

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Christmas Traditions

My family has the best  Christmas traditions. One is hiding tiny, plastic baby Jesus. We also go to my kind Grandparents' house.  One other awesome tradition is giving to others.
     My family has an exiting nativity scene.  The nativity scene comes with pocket sized baby Jesus.  My mom likes to hide Him all over the mysterious living room, and the first person to find Him gets a delightful prize, but that's not all we do.
     Every year we look forward to going to our grandparents' house to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.  We also get to see our CRAZY cousin and aunt! We party and fill up on snacks till midnight.  We all give enjoyable gifts to each other. All of us have a merry Christmas and happy New Year.
     Giving gifts to others is awesome. It is wonderful to receive gifts, but it is better to give than receive.  Last year my friendly family bought chickens and sent them to Africa to feed starving Africans. This year we gave money to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.  Nazarene Compassionate Ministries gives money to people in need of a home or food.
     We all have traditions they may be giving away Christmas gifts, devouring roast beef, or playing fun games.  Christmas traditions only make Christmas more fun.

What Is Special About a Gift

     Giving and receiving gifts can be meaningful in many different ways. Gifts can be fun or funny, have special love attached to them, or be a sacrifice like God's gift of eternal life.
      Once I gave away a picture of myself to someone at a Christmas party. I got my picture taken in the backyard.  My mom and I put it in a frame and wrapped it in wrapping paper.  My family and I went to a Christmas party.  The special part about that gift was that it was a white elephant gift. When the guy opened the gift everyone at the party was laughing HARD! That might have been the most fun gift I've ever given.
      My dad and I made a wonderful desk My desk wasn't a Christmas gift or birthday gift it was an awesome gift.  I built my desk with my dad. I made my desk so I could construct Lego models on it.  The desk is special because my dad spent money and lots of hard work on it.  This gift might have had the most love attached to it.
     Jesus died on the cross for me.  Jesus died to wash away my sins.  If I believe that He exists and that He died to save me than I will have everlasting life in Heaven. What a great gift!  Jesus wants me to go to Heaven and live with him forever.  The special thing is that Jesus also died for you and he loves and cares about every living thing on earth, and hopes you choose to believe in Him too. This is the most sacrificial gift I could ever receive
     When you receive a gift think about how much someone loves and cares for you.  When you give gift make it fun or funny and show the receiver how much you care about them.  Don't forget to tell them that Jesus loves and cares for them too, and sent his only son to die for them as well as everyone else.    ;-)