"What Would I Say to America's Founding Fathers?"

Author's Note- This is my Patriot's Pen Essay that talks about what I would say to the founding fathers of America and who some of these men are. Look carefully for some paragraph or sentence transitions.

In some points of my life, I have asked myself, what would I tell America’s founding fathers? Would I say that I am proud of what they have done for our country? Would I say they should regret what they did and what would they think of our country now and how it has turned out when they left it? We have many Founding Fathers of America that helped create our nation as free country. We need to let people know about this amazing group of men that we owe very much.

Many people live their lives not caring who the founding fathers of America are. They are the people who found the nation after the American Revolution and our Independence was won. Some of the men that helped create our nation were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and many more. The biggest and most important Founding Father of the United States was George Washington. George Washington had many leadership positions when he was elected president such as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, Commanding General of the Army, and one of the obvious ones, The President of the USA. If I had the chance to meet George Washington, I would say thank you for creating a country where we can have a freedom of speech. Thank you to be able to have a government and mostly to be able to say “We The People.”

Furthermore, another Founding Father of the United States is John Adams. John Adams helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that helped end the American Revolution. Later on, he was elected vice president and then was later elected the 2nd president of the United States. John also had several leadership positions such as statesman, diplomat and the leader of the American Independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was a politician who supported republicanism. If I had the chance to go back in time or just being able to see him again, I would say to him that he has done an extraordinary job of keeping America safe and protecting us. He was one man who kept America going in the right direction. Saying thank you to him for what he has done would be the one of the greatest days of my life.

In addition to two very important Founding Fathers, another very important one is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the 3rd president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was another founding father diplomat that was stationed in Paris. Jefferson also helped organize the Republican and Democratic Parties with the help of one of his friends, James Madison. He was elected vice president in 1796 and was then elected president in 1800 and was re-elected as president in 1804. Thomas Jefferson accommodated many roles that assist the United States and other countries as well such as France when he was appointed to Minister of France. To this founding father of the United States, I would say to him that he has done an amazing job of not only helping out the United States, but helping other countries in need and keeping many things on track.

There were many other founding fathers that created and helped form America. George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the main group of men that lead America in the right direction. In addition to the first three founding fathers, there were 74 men that created America. If I could go back into time and see this group of amazing people, I would say thank you for what you have done for our country. One big question that would be interesting to ask them is what they would think about our country now. I would be intrigued on what they had to say. Without these group of men, America would either not be America or worst of all, not exist. I hope that the politics and Americans today will make the right choices and honor these men by keeping America on the line and not dishonoring them by ruining the land that they created. We owe these men so much for the land and people that they have created.

Cause/Effect- A Boy No More

Author’s Note: This oral report is a cause and effect analysis of the happenings in the novel Touching Spirit Bear. This is a very short analysis that talks about the book.

Touching Spirit Bear is a fictional and adventure story that has many twists and turns throughout the book. Cole Matthews, a teenage boy lived his life learning nothing but anger and power. Cole is just like any ordinary boy who goes to school and gets an education, but beats people up and acts as he is the boss of everyone in the world. Cole one day goes to the extreme and sends a boy named Peter Driscal in the hospital smashing his head on the sidewalk. The event that I am going to analyze is after Cole is sent to Circle Justice, goes to the Remote Alaskan Island to learn to survive in the wilderness and throw away his anger. Cole’s parole officer, Garvey sends Cole to this remote island to change his ways for good.

The climax of the story was Cole being sent to a remote island, just a few days after he beat up Peter and sending him to the hospital. When Cole was sent to the island, he had to learn to fight for his life, no matter how painful and invigorating living there was. When Cole was on the island, no matter how hard he tried, there was no way to get off of the island until the end of the book. Cole knew that surviving on this island would not be easy but Cole tries as hard as he can to survive and knew what he was going to do in the times on this crucial island.

Then, as Cole is trying desperately to save his life, he gets mauled by a giant Spirit Bear as Cole kept threatening the Bear to think that the Bear was afraid of Cole. As Cole’s body was about ready to shut down and ready to die, Cole’s parole officer Garvey and a Tlingit elder named Edwin were able to meet again and save Cole’s life. As Cole was healing, he was sent back to the island and started to learn how to roll his anger and pain away. Cole then turns his figure around and was able to return home. As Peter was in the hospital, healing from the attack, Cole was able to connect with Peter and have Peter not to be afraid of the new Cole Matthews.

Cole was able to accomplish everything that was asked of him to do on the island because the parole officer Garvey asked him to survive and change his ways in the days that Cole was there. Cole would have never changed if he hadn’t given up on himself and just said enough and stayed home after the bear attack and being the same Cole Matthews as when he arrived on the island. For a boy at his age, it was hard for him to survive on his own because his parents never taught him to help himself survive. However, Cole was able to do beyond what Garvey had asked, but was able to change himself from the inside out and become friends with the boy that he had put in the hospital.As a result of Cole’s ways, Peter was able to learn to trust Cole and know that Cole deep down changed himself so that this situation would never happen again. Cole and Peter were then able to be best friends and live on the island together, knowing that they could trust each other and know that they each have each other’s backs for life.

Conflict/Resoultion- A Boy No More

Author's Note: This two paragraph analysis is my conflict/resolution piece that talks about the most recent book I have read. In this analysis, look for some sentence transitions.  

A recent book that I have read is A Boy No More by Harry Mazer. In this book, a teenage boy named Adam Pelko lives in Hawaii with his mother and his little sister, Bea. One day, Adam is out with his friends in Adam’s boat fishing when they see Pearl Harbor getting bombed. The bombing forced Adam’s family to move out of Hawaii and found a place in a town called Bakersfield. But this tragic day, was the least of their problems, especially for Adam. The biggest conflict in the story was Adam receiving a letter from a close friend in Hawaii and setting Adam on an big adventure. The big problem was that Adam had school and he had a job he had to attend every morning. From Bakersfield to Fresno would take hours and possibly days. This conflict traveled throughout the entire book which kept the story real and exciting. In addition to what’s happening, this conflict affects everybody’s lives and their jobs. Adam almost loses his job because of the letter, sneaking out of the house and misses school, his mom had to sometimes stay home from work  just to make sure Adam didn’t sneak out of the house and go to Fresno. His sister still went to school but asked where her brother went. Adam’s family hit a little bump and it almost tore Adam’s family apart.

There were many ways that this conflict could be solved. One, Adam’s mom could drive him to Fresno and Adam could deliver the letter and drive back home together. Second, Adam could have just delivered the letter through mail to Davi’s dad. And lastly, Adam could have just wrote back and said something like, “I’m sorry but I am not able to deliver the message.” In the book, the way that Adam and his family solved the problem was letting Adam go on his adventure to deliver the letter, but work extra hours at work. That is probably the best way to solve a problem is to figure it out as a family. Adam and his mom solved their conflict. At the end of the book, Adam delivered the letter and Davi reconnected with his family. Always talk your problems out with your family and every solution can be solved the right way, just like Adam did with his family. They compromised and solved the issue.

"What Would I Tell America's Founding Fathers?"-Allison Andes

Author’s Note: In this essay, America’s Founding Father’s will be revealed, along with my opinion about them. Watch for some strong use of vocabulary and for some information on the Founding Fathers of America.

In some points of my life, I have asked myself, what would I tell America’s founding fathers? Would I say that I am proud of what they have done for our country? Would I say they should regret what they did? The big question is, what would they think of our country now and how it has turned out when they left it? We have many Founding Fathers of America that helped create our nation a free country. We need to let people know about these amazing group of men that we owe to very much.

Some people don’t even know who the founding father’s of America are. They are the people who found the nation after the American Revolution and our Independence was won. Some of the men that helped create our nation were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and many more. The biggest and most important Founding Father of the United States was George Washington. George Washington had many leadership positions when he was elected president such as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, Commanding General of the Army, and one of the obvious ones, The President of the USA. The biggest leadership position that George Washington had was helping create the precedents and foundations that would help create and form America. If I had the chance to meet George Washington, I would say thank you for creating a country where we can have a freedom of speech. Thank you to be able to have a government and mostly to be able to say “We The People.”

Another Founding Father of the United States is John Adams. John Adams helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that helped end the American Revolution. Later on, he was elected vice president and then was later elected the 2nd president of the United States. John Adams was a very important person in the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress. John also had several leadership positions such as statesman, diplomat and the leader of the American Independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was a politician who supported republicanism. There are a lot of things that John Adams has done to help create America and make it a safe and free country to live in. If I had the chance to go back in time or just being able to see him again, I would say to him that he has done an extraordinary job of keeping America safe and protecting us. He had many occupations in his lifetime that helped keep America on track and moving in the right direction. Saying thank you to him for what he has done would be the greatest day of my life.

In addition to two very important Founding Fathers, another very important one is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the 3rd president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was another founding father diplomat that was stationed in Paris. Thomas Jefferson also help organize the Republican and Democratic Parties with the help of one of his friends, James Madison. Also, at the beginning of the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson served in the Continental Congress. He was elected vice president in 1796 and was then elected president in 1800 and was re-elected as president in 1804. Thomas Jefferson accommodated many roles that assist the United States and other countries as well such as France when he was appointed to Minister of France. To this founding father of the United States, I would say to him that he has done an amazing job of not only helping out the United States, but helping other countries in need and keeping many things on track.

There were many other founding fathers that created and helped form America. George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the main group of men that lead America in the right direction. In addition to the first three founding fathers, there were 74 men that created America. If I could go back into time and see this group of amazing people, I would say thank you for what you have done for our country. One big question that would be interesting to ask them is what they would think about our country now. I would be intrigued on what they had to say. Without these group of men, America would either not be America or worst of all, not exist. I hope that the politics and Americans today will make the right choices and honor these men by keeping America on the line and not dishonoring them by ruining the land that they created.

A Boy No More

Author's Note- This is a re-tellling piece of the most recent book that I have read, A Boy No More.This gives a brief description of the book and the conflicts throughout the book.

A recent book that I have read is A Boy No More by Harry Mazer. In this book, a teenage boy named Adam Pelko lives in Hawaii with his mother and his little sister, Bea. One day, Adam is out with his friends in Adam’s boat fishing when they see Pearl Harbor getting bombed. The bombing forced Adam’s family to move out of Hawaii and found a place in a town called Bakersfield. But this tragic day, was the least of their problems, especially for Adam. The biggest conflict in the story was Adam receiving a letter from a close friend in Hawaii and setting Adam on an big adventure. The big problem was that Adam had school and he had a job he had to attend every morning. From Bakersfield to Fresno would take hours and possibly days. This conflict traveled throughout the entire book which kept the story real and exciting. In addition to what’s happening, this conflict affects everybody’s lives and their jobs. Adam almost loses his job because of the letter, sneaking out of the house and misses school, his mom had to sometimes stay home from work  just to make sure Adam didn’t sneak out of the house and go to Fresno. His sister still went to school but asked where her brother went. Adam’s family hit a little bump and it almost tore Adam’s family apart.

There were many ways that this conflict could be solved. One, Adam’s mom could drive him to Fresno and Adam could deliver the letter and drive back home together. Second, Adam could have just delivered the letter through mail to Davi’s dad. And lastly, Adam could have just wrote back and said something like, “I’m sorry but I am not able to deliver the message.” In the book, the way that Adam and his family solved the problem was letting Adam go on his adventure to deliver the letter, but work extra hours at work. That is probably the best way to solve a problem is to figure it out as a family. Adam and his mom solved their conflict. At the end of the book, Adam delivered the letter and Davi reconnected with his family. Always talk your problems out with your family and every solution can be solved the right way, just like Adam did with his family. They compromised and solved the issue.

From War to a Hero

Imagine you, sitting in your small, petite boat out on the ocean and sitting in it with some of your closest friends. All of a sudden, you see warships from every direction, sailing into each other when you see someone out on the deck, looking straight at you. You have no idea who that is until you see the ship blow up into tiny pieces. This is the life of a teenage boy named Adam Pelko in Harry Mazer's A Boy No More. Since the explosion, Adam and his friends have split up, moving to different areas in the country. Davi, Adam's best friend is moved to Fresno, while Adam moved to Bakersfield. After a long journey of moving away and away from each other, a letter is sent to Adam as an urgent request. Adam's journey has now begun.

As the story continues, a major conflict occurs. Since Adam got the letter from his friend, every night, Adam tries to sneak out of his house to avoid his mother and his little sister stopping him from the urgent message Adam's friend gave him. Throughout the story, Adam gets caught over and over again. There was no possible way that Adam was able to get out, but Adam never gave up.One night, Adam escapes and his incredible journey begins. Along the way, he finds people that lead him towards his friend and giving him the letter. Finally, after 3 days of walking and hunger, Adam and his friend meet after 3 days. More surprises occur along the way as Adam and his friend make their way back to Adam's house. One surprise leads up to the end of the book that might shock you a little. This book is great for people who love adventure, fiction and a little history involved. I would recommend it for people who also like short books.

The Winning Shot

Author's Note- In this story, I talk about when I was in basketball and did something that my team would never forget. In this event, this story made everything sentimental to me. In my story, look for dialog and great use of vocabulary.

“Timeout, Pewaukee!” The ref said, “For a 30 second time out.” My team ran to the bench, waiting for what my coach was going to say. “Alright girls, bring it in, bring it in,” my coach said. “We can’t afford to lose this game to a team that we can beat. I know you girls are better than this. You need to go out there and give it your all.” What was my coach thinking, that we were like high school players? This team was extremely good and we were playing our best. My heart started racing and my hands got really sweaty. I knew right then that we had to make some sort of play to get the ball to me so I could shoot a 3 pointer to win the game. But how because my team wasn’t very sufficient at passing? “Everybody, we have 3 minutes left. Now’s the time to get the ball to A-Train so she can shoot a three and win the game,” my coach said. I was in shock right after he said what he said. It’s like our minds were connected. I knew right then that I was going to go down into history for my team, and win the game.

After the timeout was over, our team got back into the game, including me, and the other team had the ball. As they were coming down, I was thinking about what I was going to do as the point guard was passing the ball. Should I steal and run for it or wait until we get the ball back? Then I heard my coach screaming on the sideline, “Come on Allison, get that ball!” Man alive, I was guarding my player and watching the ball, way over by the sideline and the point guard was at the top of the three point line. How in the name of basketball earth was I supposed to get that ball? I wasn’t going to listen to him because there was no way that I was going to steal. As I was guarding my player and watching the ball, the other team passes it and throws it to our team. I look at the clock and there was only 2:13 seconds left of the game. We were still down 19-21. As my team and I ran down the court, I started to get really nervous. I heard the crowd cheering and my coach screaming. I had to get the ball and get the three before time was up. My team has never won a Dells Tournament and I wanted today to be the day, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. The point guard on our team was bringing the ball down, as I got to my spot around the three point line. I looked around me and there was no one guarding me. I waved my arms up and down for my point guard to see me and pass the ball to me. My point guard saw me and we looked each other in the face as if she was going to pass the ball to me or not. I quickly looked at the clock and there was only 1:30 left. I heard my coach behind me screaming, “Come on! Pass the ball to A-Train!” For once, I agreed with my coach. Finally, she passed the ball to me. I got really nervous at that point. I took my position, raised my form, and let go of the ball and watched it roll to the basketball hoop. I was watching the ball, anxiously waiting to see if it went in. Then, my mouth dropped all the way to the floor. The ball swooshed in the net! The ball went SWOOSH! The crowd went wild and I bolted down the court with my hands in the air and my teammates hugging me. With 47 seconds to go, I screamed to my team, “Do not let them get any more points!” The reason why I said it is because the score was 22-21 and we didn’t want them to get a foul, layup or any type of shot that could gain them points. I wanted the clock to end so badly!

With 15 seconds to go and the score still 22-21, the other team had the ball and look like they were about to shoot. The other team passed the ball and I stole it. When I got the ball back for our team, I stood in my position, holding it so that no one would take it and because there was only 5 seconds left in the game. I started to dribble and I held up my fingers: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0! When the buzzer buzzed, I threw the ball up in the air and went to the bench where my teammates were waiting. This was the first year that my select team had one a Wisconsin Dells Tournament. All my teammates came up to me and hugged and congratulating me for what I had done for my team. Once everyone had cleared out, I kneeled on the floor and was about to cry because I had just made history. I could already think about it. “Allison Andes shoots a three point shot and wins the tournament, 22-21.” I ran up to my parents and gave them a big hug, all choked up from the what was now, the winning shot. “Congratulations Allison! You just won the game! Oh, I am so proud of you!” My mom said. “Great job Allison. And that was a good form too,” my dad said. This day  was truly the best day of my life. I had never done this before, in all of my years in basketball.

After everyone had cleared out of the gym, my team started to head into another gym that had been cleared out for about 2 hours. When I walked in, there was a huge trophy, that was about 6 feet tall! I ran over to it and gave it a big hug because I was ready for my coach to say, “For all the hard effort that this team did today, I am awarding this trophy to A-Train, for making the winning shot. Thanks a lot Allison and congratulations.” I wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth. I saw my coach walking through the door and he said, “Alright team, gather around the trophy for pictures. I hopped on to the bleachers and stood right behind it to get a good picture. After about 5 minutes of taking pictures, I got an individual one with just me and the trophy because it was a special moment. My team went by my coach to wrap up the season. “Awesome job today ladies and Allison, especially you for your winning shot-“ Here it comes. The words that I wanted to hear and the big trophy in my hand. “To end the year, you all get these special T-Shirts from the school.” Unbelievable. This is the first year, out of four years of the Dells Tournament that we got 1^st place in, and all we get is a lousy shirt? I wanted that big trophy for what I did with my team! Everyone started to ask, “Why can’t we take home to big trophy?” “The reason why is because it belongs to this school. This is a trophy just for the team that gets first place, so we give you these T-Shirts,” said the runner of the tournament. My coaches handed out all of the T-Shirts and I asked my parents what sized I needed. “You will probably need a medium,” my mom said. I went over to my coach and grabbed a medium. Then I headed back to my parents and complained to them how we got a lousy T-Shirt instead of a trophy, especially the big one. At the end of the day, all that mattered to me was my winning shot. I will never forget the day I made history in making my Winning Shot.