Featured Writing by Leah

A One in a Million Chance

by Leah

Two weeks ago I woke up to my blaring alarm clock at 6 a.m. I was so tired that I almost went back to sleep when I remembered that it was a holiday, Lag B'Omer. I was going to take a school trip to Brooklyn to march in a huge Lag B'Omer parade and festival.

At the school, my brother and I got on a blue bus and picked a seat near the front. From there, we kept watching as more and more people climbed on board. How many more could even fit on the bus? It looked like the entire city of Boston was going to New York City!

Finally we got to Brooklyn, and the weather was boiling hot. We split into groups and began walking through a crowd of what looked like "zillions" of people. I was kind of hoping I would see my older sister Shaina, who had gone to the parade with her own school. However, I now realized that there was about a one in a million chance of that happening.

Our chaperone, Rabbi Meyers, called our group together and said that in five minutes we'd be joining the parade. I was so excited to march. I carried a poster with me that read, "Light Shabbos Candles."

Well, I could hardly believe it. As soon as we joined the parade, I spotted some people I knew in the huge crowd. These included my best friend from kindergarten, one former schoolmate--and even my sister and her class! I quickly pulled out the poster I was carrying to show Shaina, who watched as we marched through the streets of New York.

Featured Writing by Fey

Walking Through the Woods

by Fey

As I walk through the woods, the air is filled with the sound of birds chirping from their nests. Squirrels are cracking nuts, and the chomping seems to make the forest quiver. Branches scratch my arm as leaves fall down near my feet.

Something smells like cotton candy, but it is just the scent of blooming flowers. The moist ground has an earthy smell. Wolves are howling, and I hear the clicking hooves of deer walking on the rocky ground. A waterfall in the distance is flowing. I look up to see a blue, white and yellow sky.

Featured Writing by Yoni

Spring

by Yoni

Outside, spring reveals itself. The ground is moist and green from the earlier rain, while clouds still swirl and hover like menacing birds. Trees have begun to sprout their leaves and blossoms. The bark is rough against my back as I lean against the tree to rest.

I close my eyes and hear the sounds of spring: the sizzle of hot dogs and burgers on a grill, the trickle of water from a stream - and finally, the peaceful chirping of birds in the distance.

Featured Writing by David

After the Rain

by David

I wake to the sound of rain falling against my window. I look outside and see the dark, chilly sky. I get ready to go outside and then feel the grass squeaking beneath my shoes. The neighbors next door are trying to get their children into the car, but they are too busy splashing in the puddles.

The screeching of wheels distracts me from my thoughts. A crisp breeze gives me a chill, but I can see the bright sun fighting to get through the thick clouds. Soon the weather clears.

Now I notice the wonderful scent of flowers bursting from the rain and the smell of the earth after a storm. I trip over a fallen branch, and when I reach down, I feel the cold, green grass. Kids are looking out their windows and asking to go outside. Before I walk back to my house, I see the birds flying in the fresh air.

Featured Writing by Ethan & Jesse

The Very Good Idea

by Ethan and Jesse

It was a windy Monday, and Josh was at school. He didn't really like the class he was in and would sometimes fool around in the middle of a test. Once, his teacher, Mrs. Katter, saw Josh passing a note to his friend Max, and Josh was sent to the principal.

Josh got tired of being sent to the principal's office, so he wanted to make a potion to make Mrs. Katter nicer. That night, when everyone else in his house was sleeping and all the lights were off, Josh's lamp was on. He was trying to make his potion.

In the morning, Josh couldn't wait to use his potion on Mrs. Katter, so he tried it on his pet hamster. Surprisingly, his hamster disappeared! Then Josh understood that his pet was now invisible. He put another drop of potion where the hamster had been, and the animal reappeared.

Josh got another idea, a better one than before. He took a drop of the potion so he became invisible, too. He didn't want to go to school with his mother knowing about it, so he took another drop and reappeared. Before he went to school, he brought some of his prank supplies and his potion. Then he went to school and put his pranks all over Mrs. Katter's chair and office, and no one saw him.

At lunch, Mrs. Katter found the pranks. Josh found out so he took a two-inch thumbtack and put it on her chair. Right when she was about to sit down, though, all the kids ran into the classroom, and the tack flipped over. Josh had to think of something else.

The next day, he got to school early, before anyone else was there. He took another thumbtack and glued it to Mrs. Katter's chair. That day, Mrs. Katter brought in a new swivel chair because was tired of her old wooden chair -- so Josh's plan failed again.

Now Josh was really angry. He was sitting in his science class and paying attention to the mechanical subjects so he could create his next plan. That night, when everyone else was asleep, he was busy working on it.

Josh spent the whole night in the garage building something big. In the morning, he didn't walk to school; he took his so-called "bike." It looked like a bike, but it was actually the thing he had built, which he had transformed into the shape of a bicycle. On the way to school, a bully tried to knock over Josh's bike with his own, but Josh pushed a secret button hidden on his own bike, and green slime ate through the bully's bike.

There was just one problem. When Josh got to school, Mrs. Katter was out sick.

Great ways to comment on posts

The list of "comment starters" below comes from a Web site called Pandas on the Move by Derrall Garrison. It shows some great ways to begin comments about other students' blog posts.

This made me think about....
I wonder why....
Your writing made me form an opinion about....
This post is relevant because....
Your writing made me think that we should....
I wish I understood why....
This is important because....
Another thing to consider is....
I can relate to this....
This makes me think of....
I discovered....
I don't understand....
I was reminded that....
I found myself wondering....