language+arts

=This I Believe=


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This I believe was really fun because I got to really talk about the book I read and my favorite sport, basketball. I think my best piece of work is my basketball glog because I had a lot of time for it. I see a lot of progress in this I believe because now I know how to write stuff a lot better. I really like this I believe!!!

= AUTHOR STUDY =

The author I chose is Gary Paulsen. He was born on May 17, 1939. He is one of the most popular writers for children. Gary Paulsen loved reading. That’s what inspired him to start writing. When he was fourteen he ran away with a carnival. In 1983 he became a dogsledder. But two years later in 1985 he suffered from angina so he had to give up dogsledding. Then he became a writer. He got so popular that he gets around 200 letters a day from his fans. I chose my author because my teacher, Mrs. Sweetman, read us a book in class called __My Life in Dog Years__ and I loved it. So I chose Gary Paulsen to read more books by him to get a sense of how he writes and is he a good writer. Some interesting facts about Gary Paulsen are that he was once a magazine proofreader. I find that very surprising.

The three books I have chosen to read from Gary Paulsen are __My Life in Dog Years__, __Hatchet__, and __Masters of Disaster__. In __My Life in Dog Years__ there is a connection because the book is all about him and he loves dogs. In __Hatchet__ there is a connection to his life because Gary Paulsen loves the outdoors and hunting. __Hatchet__ is all about that. In __Masters of Disaster__ there isn’t really a connection I can find, but I bet there is one. Gary Paulsen’s background influences him because Gary Paulsen loves dogs and the outdoors. That is what a lot of his books are about.

Comparing the three books I have read, they are all very different. The themes are very different. In __My Life in Dog Years__ the theme was all the dogs Gary Paulsen has had and all about them. In __Hatchet__ the theme was a boy who was lost in the Canadian wilderness and how he managed to survive. In __Masters of Disaster__ the theme was 3 boys who wanted to do something cool and unordinary like flipping over a house with a bike or jump out a tree house. So they are very different. They all have different characters, plots, settings, and everything else. All of the books I have read do not have much in common except Gary Paulsen wrote all of them. But some of Gary Paulsen’s books do have stuff in common with these books like __Woodsong__ is like __Hatchet__.

My favorite book of these books is __Hatchet__ because it was very well written and when you started reading you were already into it. I really liked that book. My recommendations for future grades doing this project are that they should do Gary Paulsen because his writing is very good and he is a great writer. --- = ZINE =

Dear Reader,

This zine is all about baseball. I have been playing baseball for a long time. I love it. It is my all time favorite sport. In this zine you will read all about baseball and me. First you will read my personal narrative when we almost won the championship. We came so close. Then you will read my persuasive piece where I will tell you how good and fun it is to play baseball. You will be surprised how good and fun baseball is. Next you will read my descriptive piece where I will tell the sights, smells, feels, and tastes of a baseball game. Next you will read my expository piece where I tell you how to hit a baseball and get good at it. After that you will read a couple poems I made up about baseball.

Finally there is an addendum. This addendum is a play I made up. Parts of it have to do with baseball. The play is about a family that wants to go see the Phillies game. But one kid in the family, the smart genius that hates sports doesn’t want to and he wants to go to the math fair instead. I hope you like my play.

Sincerely,

Logan Stone

Last year I was on a little league team. Our team name was the Bulls. Last year we got minor league team names, this year we get major league team names. I played mostly second base, and right field, but our coach really tried to move us around. My coach, coach Patlove was a nice coach if you got on his good side. I was on his good side. I had friends on the team, but none from school but I was still happy.

I played in Lower Merion. We had about two games a week and one practice a week. But our team was very bad. We went 1-9 at the end of the season. Our only win was when the team we were playing started a really bad pitcher and he walked a bunch of people so it was hard for them to catch up to us. But since everybody makes the playoffs we made the playoffs, so at least we had a chance. Our second coach, the one that’s not really in charge, brought a toy bull that gave us good luck. We won every playoff game because of the bull. But in the semi-finals were we lost by one point! It was tragic! Our team was so disappointed! The game went really well, until the other team had a great comeback and out team lost.

But then after all that, we got a snack. But we were still so bummed that we lost. We got soft pretzels from the Pretzel Factory. But you can’t win everything so you just have to live with it. But if we won that game I wouldn’t have been able to go to the shore, so it wasn’t as depressing as it could have been. After the game I was disappointed because we lost and I would have to wait until spring to play baseball in a league again.

Right now I am playing on a team called the Miami Marlins but we got the old logo from last year. It was the worst year to get the Marlins. This year I play second base almost always and I’m a lot better. I hope this season we get to the championship and win!!!

Baseball is a great sport and I think everybody should play it. People should play baseball because it is a great sport for many reasons. It gives you a great work out. It builds your body strength, mostly with aerobic exercises. Maybe in the game it’s not going to give you very much exercise, but before the game our coach has us run a lap around a huge field and do a lot of stretches. It teaches you good hand eye coordination because when you teach out to catch the ball you have to put your hand in the right position to catch it. It also increases your speed when you’re running.

Added to a good workout it is very fun. Playing baseball you make a lot of friends. On my team I’m the only 5th grader at Shipley who is in triple A. All of my friends in my league are in quad A because I don’t make the cut and they do. My birthday is in late May. But on my team I met a lot of friends. One person on my team is also in my tennis clinic. Baseball also gets you outside. I bet your parents are always trying to get you outside instead of playing your Xbox or Wii. And that is exactly what baseball does. Gets you outside!

Baseball is also a good life lesson. It helps you get along with all your teammates and coach even if you don’t like them. If you don’t get along then your team will do bad because you are not using teamwork. Baseball teaches you to be a team player. If you don’t play baseball or another team sport you will never learn to be a team player. Also when you’re older and have kids you can teach them how to play the game of baseball. It also teaches you responsibility. Like you have to make sure you show up on time and remember your equipment. Your parents shouldn’t be packing your baseball bag, you should, and it teaches you responsibility. Baseball is a great sport and it is great for any reason!!!

When I’m at my baseball game I see the all coaches, players, the umpire, the cheering moms and more. The coaches are screaming at the players to do this and that. The players are in the field getting ready to field the ball and the players up to bat are trying to hit the ball when standing in the batters box. You can hear the umpire shouting, “your out” or, “strike” or, “ball” and all the other calls he has to make. You can hear the moms going, “You got it, honey!” or, “Lets go team!” I hear everything that coaches, teammates, moms, and the umpire are saying. I touch all my equipment like my bat to hit the ball. I also touch my helmet to keep my head safe while I’m up to bat. I also touch my baseball mitt to catch, ground balls, and to field with. During the game I smell the snack that the team has after every game. I couldn’t wait to eat because to eat it because I was so hungry. And then after the game I finally eat the Doritos and Gatorade that one of the mom’s brought. It tastes so good.

But it’s not only just my games that are good but also I go to the Phillies games. The sight of all the players that are in the game fielding and batting and the all the people at the game cheering is so exciting. The sound of all the fans cheering and the guys who sell beer and yell, “Cold beer, cold beer, only 5 dollars and 75 cents” he says over and over again. I love the touch of my Phillies hat on my head signed by Greg Luzinski and the feel of my Roy Halladay jersey on me. The taste of the hot dogs and cotton candy that I get from the guys who sell them are the tastiest things about the game. The smell of the sweaty guys selling all the stuff like beer, water, soda, cotton candy, hot dogs, crackerjacks, peanuts, popcorn, water ice, ice cream and everything else is what baseball games are all about for me. I love going to the Phillies games because they are so fun and interesting. I love the Phillies.

Baseball is a sport where there are a lot of rules. So for starters it’s very hard to learn all the rules. Added to the rules you also have to learn how to do stuff in the game like the position and stance. Today I will teach you how to hit the ball.

First of all to hit the ball you must step into the batter’s box. Make sure you’re in the right position in the batter’s box depending on the pitcher. If the pitcher pitches fast then step back in the batters box. But if the pitcher pitches slow then you can step farther up in the batter’s box.

Second, make sure you have the right grip. Make sure your knuckles are lined up and you’re choking up on the bat depending on the pitcher. If the pitcher pitches fast then choke up. But if the pitcher pitches slow then you can decide not to choke up.

Third, you have to look for strikes. If the ball is coming toward you from your shoulders to knees and over the plate then swing. If it’s not then don’t swing.

Fourth, now it’s time to hit the ball. When you swing, use a full swing. If you use something like a half swing, sure, you will get contact, but it will be chopper in the infield and you will most likely get out at first base. If you swing with a full swing there will be a much better chance of you getting a great hit!

Fifth, once you hit the ball you have to drop the bat and run! When you get contact it is very important to drop the bat. If you throw the bat in little league the umpire will call you out. So when you hit the ball drop the bat and, DO NOT LOOK AT YOUR HIT, and fly like a jet to first base. When you are running to first base never slide because you can overrun the base and not get called out. But when you are running to another base and you think they can get you out then you should slide.

So that’s how you hit a baseball. If you’re still learning, then it can take a while to learn how to hit the ball and being able to do it well.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**B** **A** **S** **E** **B** **A** **L** **L**

**BY: LOGAN STONE**

**B** oss

**A** wesome

**S** ick

**E** veryone loves it

**B** last

**A** mazing

**L** egit

**L** egendary

**WHEN** **YOU** **HIT** **THE** **BALL**

**BY: LOGAN STONE**

**When you hit the ball,**

**Chase the base,**

**Burst to first,**

**Get to second,**

**Fly like a bird to third**

**Take a glance this is your chance,**

**To get to home plate,**

**So don’t be late,**

**When you slide into home,**

**The foam fingers are waving around,**

**The crowd is loud because we really gave this a try,**

**This was no tie**

**THE END**