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

Cell number two

Close up of cell two

Close up of cell two

Cell number three

 Close up from cell three

Another close up of cell three 

 Cell number four 

 Close up from cell number four

Close up of cell four 

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.    ;-)