For your blog assignment, I want you to choose one small part of our week and write a terrific narrative paragraph about the event. Start with a good topic sentence. Include lots of details that use good verbs. Don't forget to end with a concluding sentence that just fits this paragraph. I have created a new rubric for this assignment. It is posted on Schoology. This assignment is due on Feb. 19. Impress me with your writing skills. ( Be one of the first five to complete this assignment and receive a special award!)
Hey sixth graders, we just had a wonderful interim week. We did a lot of different things. We spent time snowshoeing, cross country skiing, building fires, land navigating through the deep, snowy forest, drilling holes in the ice, learning about wolves, and of course, our reader's theater tour.
For your blog assignment, I want you to choose one small part of our week and write a terrific narrative paragraph about the event. Start with a good topic sentence. Include lots of details that use good verbs. Don't forget to end with a concluding sentence that just fits this paragraph. I have created a new rubric for this assignment. It is posted on Schoology. This assignment is due on Feb. 19. Impress me with your writing skills. ( Be one of the first five to complete this assignment and receive a special award!)
Haley M.
2/6/2014 08:06:41 am
When we went to Deep Portage as a sixth grade class, I really enjoyed building a campfire. My group, Josh, Lailah, and I, got to go with the rest of the class out into the woods and build a shelter. Yet, that isn't my point. My entire point is that I really enjoyed building a campfire. We had to gather a large pile of sticks, and use little ones for the kindling, while we used ripped up pieces of birch bark for the tinder. It was extremely fun to, while going through safety and survival, build up a tipi of sticks and try to light the wood with one of the three matches given to our group. Lailah tried, but her match lit for a millionth of a second before going out. When she stroke it again on the can, it broke. I tried, and the first time it broke. Josh tried, and one of the first times he stroke it, it broke. Then Marv, one of the parents we were very fortunate to have on the trip, took one of the stumps and lit a piece of birch bark. We got the fire going pretty good, up to my knees, and then it started to burn out. We had tons of wood, including enormous sticks we were using for a shelf to melt snow for water in a can. Our water actually boiled! It was so cool! And our fire kept getting further put out, and then I blew gently on it, and flames ignited once more in our little campfire. It was pretty awesome. I had a lot of fun making fires at Deep Portage, and hope to do it again sometime soon for my family, and show them what I learned at Deep Portage!
Ben
2/10/2014 04:22:24 am
When my sixth grade class went to Deep Portage my favorite activity was "The Ball Game". Right when we got to Deep Portage we were lead to a pond called Bass Pond. There our instructor Julie laid a ball down on the ice. The objective of the game was to start at the starting line, retrieve the ball, and return the ball across the starting line. Julie would look the other way and say," One fish two fish red fish blue fish," and then turn around. If she saw that the ball was gone she would guess who had the ball. If she guessed correctly we would have to return the ball and start over. While we were playing the game, everyone would just run up and grab the ball. Julie would always guess who had the ball. After two more times of failing we came up with a plan. The plan was for everyone to line up and pass the ball down the line. The first time the plan failed, but the next time we succeeded. I enjoyed this game because it required strategy and I like a challenge.
Sami S.
2/12/2014 04:55:11 am
Rock climbing is a difficult task that includes leverage and strength as well as a fair amount of courage. When I went rock climbing with my sixth grade class at Deep Portage, I relized this twenty feet in the air. As I would snatch onto one rock with one hand, my foot would slide its way up towards the next rock in its path. I didn't know high I was until I quickly glanced over my shoulder at all of my classmates. My arms and legs shook. I would climb another five feet. I glanced down at my feet to look at my options. Sliding my way onto the next rock, I conjured greater heights. I crawled along side the wall, steping one rock at a time. I started to feel my arms and legs growing weak. The rocks started to grow smaller. My hands grew sweat beads on them. My courage was thinning with every move I made. I pulled myself to the next rock. I was almost to the top. My hands grabbed the tiny little rocks they can. They slipped. I quickly banged the wall to alert the man holding the rope that I was ready to come down. My hands and feet let go of the wall and I dangled, gliding my way down. I fell on the ground softley. If there's anything I have learned from rocking climbing, its that fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.
Miranda
2/12/2014 06:46:06 am
It was a perfect day for skiing. The sun shone high above in the clear blue sky, the air was crisp and cold, and the snow was soft and glittering. I couldn't wait to go.
Joshua-Taylor
2/12/2014 01:07:18 pm
When the sixth grade class of Saint Johns Prep visited Deep Portage, and my favorite part was Cross Country Skiing. This was one of the first activates that we did. We slipped on our ski boots and headed outside. Everybody clipped on our skis and headed out. In the beginning it was hard and lots of people tumbled and fell to the ground. After a while, everybody sort of got it. We went up and down. There were three really big hills, it was like downhill skiing but not as fast. I actually got lost and went over the stopping line. I noticed how no one was in site for miles, so I turned around and got back with the group. I had lots of fun cross country skiing and I hope I can do it again.
Justine M.
2/12/2014 10:00:03 pm
Their ski trail was simply amazing. Our first activity that we did when we went to Deep Portage was skiing through the woods. It was a crisp and cold day, perfect for skiing. When I first got onto the trail, our instructor, Julie, pointed out a porcupine. It was the first one I ever saw! After I had seen it, it took of like lightning! Actually, not really but I was going pretty fast. The trail itself was 1.8 km (little over 1 mile). My first run was 20 minutes although it seemed like forever. My second run I decided I go slower that I took half hour. After I finished, I went into the lodge to warm up.
Sang
2/15/2014 02:12:18 am
When my class had interim we went to Deep Portage. My favorite part was the snow shoeing. My class went snow shoeing on the lake. Half way across the lake we had a race to the other side. When we got there we were exhausted. Then it was time to go back to the lodge. We tramped through the snow my friend Ben broke the trail for us all the way there. I had a lot of fun at Deep Portage!_!
Sam M.
2/16/2014 01:45:25 am
You would be surprised to learn that three sixth-graders could build a campfire when it is below zero. Yet, Mack, Luke, and I (Sam) built one with only a few matches, birchbark, and sticks. Our group was very successful and were the first to get water, but someone kept putting snow in our fire... Anyway, the activity started with making a shelter, which we were the worst at. The next thing we did was build a fire. Mack struck the match on the side of the can and it flickered, but was blown out. Luke tried and the match broke. Eventually we got the fire going, which we blew gently on and gave it a few twigs. When the fire was burning merrily, we put the snow in the can and set it atop a large log. We were the first to get fire, which almost made up for our failure at making a shelter, but the water froze. By the end, my gloves were charred and covered with ash and my hands were freezing, but I was proud of our group even though we may have failed at giving ourselves a shelter.
Will P.
2/16/2014 08:46:04 am
Deep Portage is an environmental learning center near Hackensack,Minnesota. There are many activities that teach people about nature. One of my favorites was cross-country skiing. Our teacher Julie showed us how to put our skis on and we took off. Julie sent us about three at a time. By the time I had made it around the 1.8 mile loop, I was a little bit tired and sore. We had time to go around again, so I did. When I got around the second time, I was so tired that I kicked off my skis and flopped down in the snow like a wet noodle. I was extremely sore the next morning, and I still had many activities to do!
Luke Ellis
2/17/2014 07:54:02 am
Rock climbing at Deep Portage was both scary and fun at the same time. The scary part was how high up the top seemed. Standing down below it looked easier than it actually was. Once slip and it's all over. There was just the silence between and the"Rocky Mountains" or so I called it. When I slipped, the rope held me and I slammed against the wall! I have the legendary stories of the "broken leg" from my classmate Sang. This made me even more nervous. I can't tell you how I felt when I got to the top because I didn't. The test was not to look down. I failed that test. As I looked down at the deadly ground below me, every single person who looked like ants stared at me with wide eyes. IThey were screaming things at me but I heard nothing but silence as I climbed the rock (AKA plastic). As I descended, I slammed the wall twice and I will never forget the challenge of this climb.
Bryan M.
2/18/2014 05:28:46 am
Deep Portage was great,but I think the climbing wall was the most emotional. It was great to do something I haven't experienced since this summer! Over the summer, I went climbing on a climbing tower,which was way higher. I learned to belay,repel,and I also learned climbing techniques. I already felt excited when I heard that we were going to a climbing wall at Deep Portage. I felt like this was the perfect practice for next summer. My friends were surprised that the wall was harder than it looked. I felt good that I got to do this with my great friends. We were so good at this that most of us conquered up to five walls! Picking which rock to grab on was like choosing the most healthy fruit. As I would climb higher,the closer I put my body near the wall. I loved the fact that my wonderful friends were there to cheer me on! I had this great feeling every time I finished a wall. I learned from this activity that if you reach obstacles,determination can overcome it.😊
Mark Budde
2/18/2014 06:22:33 am
"On belay?"
Mack Motzko
2/18/2014 08:09:23 am
In the sixth grade week of interim our sixth grade class did a lot of things but my favorite thing was building a fire and a shelter at Deep Portage. At first, I thought it would be a peace of cake but it was a lot harder than I thought. Establishing the shelter was a tough process, I kept on getting hit by branches on the tree obove me. Our group struggled throughout the whole process of building the shelter but the fire was a whole different story. My group was the first group to get fire and start boiling water. You had to tend the fire by applying little sticks to it every second. You have to keep applying sticks though because at one moment you can think you have the best fire in the world, then just like that it can go out. Of course, that was the case with us. My group still had fun though because it was a great learning experience.
Durham
2/18/2014 12:04:28 pm
When my classmates and I had our interim week in February, we went to Hackensack, MN. We did a variety of fun adventures there, but the most thrilling one was probably rock climbing. When we all were ready, we were given instructions on how to rock climb. Once it was my turn, I was ready to conquer new heights. After he hooked me in, I figured out a strategy. It was very easy at the bottom because the rocks were huge and easy to grab onto. But then I realized the rocks were getting smaller and smaller the higher I got up. The rocks felt extremely tiny and hard to grab as I ascended the wall. Before reaching the top, I realized I had to jump to get to the finish. As my fingers started slipping, I figured it was now or never. I jumped... and made it! While I was going down, everyone was cheering for me and I had a smile on my face. Once I landed and looked at the wall, I realized I had conquered new heights. Rock climbing at Deep Portage was an exciting new adventure which would be enjoyed by all.
Lailah
2/19/2014 05:03:32 am
We did a bunch of fun activities at deep portage. My favorite activity would have to be rock climbing. The only part I did not like about the activity was that I wish we had more time to do it. I tried to climb every wall but it did not happen. But I did climb about half of the walls including climbing halfway up the hardest one that they had. The hardest one started to go upside down. I tried to climb that on 2 times but both times I had only up about halfway. All in all rock climbing was one of my favorite activities. Comments are closed.
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AuthorThe authors of this blog are the 5/6th graders at St. John's Prep School. Some entries are created by their teacher, Mrs. Anderson Archives
May 2020
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