The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Kevin and Juno were sitting on a park bench together. Neither of them was smiling. After a long period of silence, Kevin said, "This isn't going to work. I mean, you're a dog person and I'm a cat person." Juno nodded. A tear rolled down her face. Kevin went on, "If we got married and bought a house, what kind of pet would we get? Some kind of cat-dog? Somebody's going to be unhappy." Juno began sobbing and said, "Ok, let's just end it now. Have fun with your slobbery dogs." She jumped off the bench and ran into the woods.
Third Person Objective
Act!
Market Leaders
Most mobile phones sold today have an operating system that was either designed by Apple or Google. Apple makes the iOS operating system powering their iPhones and iPads. Google makes the Android operating system that can be found on many different mobile phones and tablets. Both of these operating systems allow users to connect to app stores and download applications. To launch these applications, users press small square buttons that appear on their home screens. One major difference between these two operating systems is that Apple makes all of its own hardware. That is to say, the iOS operating system only appears on products created by Apple. On the other hand, many different manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, and LG use the Android operating system. Which one do you like better: Android or iOS?
Compare & Contrast
They have watered the street, / It shines in the glare of lamps, / Cold, white lamps, And lies / Like a slow-moving river
Simile
The Hard Way Out by Terry Vaughn
In this novel, Brian is struggling. After losing both of his parents in a tragic car accident, Brian is living at his Aunt's house and sharing a room with his cousin. Basketball is his only escape. But after getting benched for low progress report grades, Brian's world shatters. Does he have it in him to improve his grades? Will Brian come to peace with his emotions? Can anyone help him?
Realistic Fiction
Red looked across the prairie. He didn't see anything concerning. He wondered why Texas Joe had hollered like that. Texas Joe turned to him. The ghost that Texas Joe had just seen was gone. Texas Joe swatted at the air. Now he felt crazy. "You have to believe me, Red. It was just here," said Texas Joe. Red scowled at him in disbelief. "What was just here, Joe?" he asked. Red was angry with Texas Joe for disturbing his sleep for no apparent reason.
Third Person Omniscient
What is the denotation & connotation of the word hoard?
store stuff away in secret/ negative
Downloading Apps
Getting a new phone is a really cool feeling, but your phone can’t do much without applications. In order to get the most from your new phone, you need to download apps. To do this you will need a data connection. Some plans allow you to get data from your phone network. If your plan lets you to do this, you can connect to web services anywhere that your phone gets a signal. If your plan does not let you to do this, you will need to connect your device to a Wi-Fi network. Free Wi-Fi can be found at coffee shops, laundry mats, and other public locations. Once your phone is receiving data, go to the application store on the device. Use the search or browse functions to find fun, interesting, or useful programs. Once you have found an application that you want to try, click the button to download and install it on your device. Not all applications are free, so make sure that you know how much the app costs before agreeing to download it. Also, if you are under the age of 18, get your parent’s permission before downloading anything. You’ll like your new phone so much more once you have some cool apps.
Sequence
DAILY DOUBLE!
A treasurer of immortal days, / I roam the glorious world giving endless praise,
Hyperbole
Newton's Law by Morton Mallon
After a life of studying the nano-transportation sciences, Professor Melton stumbles upon a major breakthrough. On April 20th, 2042, Melton discovers a way to transport particles at light-speed across fixed distances. Now he can teleport from one location to another. But Professor Melton soon discovers that there is no such thing as a free lunch. He learns that the body ages relative to the distance travelled, not just the time. This means that a teleporting body ages very rapidly. Can Melton solve this problem before his time is up?
Science fiction
The dew on the grass made my running shoes damp. It didn't bother me. The sound of my feet hitting the street formed a rhythm, a steady pattern of light thumps. I timed my breathing with the rhythm. These sounds filled my head. I thought of nothing other than the next step and keeping my tempo. I soared over the sidewalks like concrete clouds.
First Person
TRICKED YOU!
Write the outline of an argument essay on the board in 1 minute!
HAHA
Lost and Found
A mobile phone is lost every second by some estimates. A 2011 survey shows that about 22% of Americans have lost a mobile phone. When a person loses their phone, they don’t just lose a device that may have cost as much as $600, they lose phone numbers, photos, and sensitive information. If the phone isn’t locked and it gets lost or stolen, someone may use it to commit identity theft. Perhaps the worst part about this is that it can be prevented. Today’s smart phones have free applications that allow you to find your lost phone using GPS signals. Even if you cannot retrieve your phone, you can use these applications to delete your data so that you are less likely to become a victim of identify theft. Losing your phone feels horrible, but if you take the time to install a phone-finding app, you’ll be much better prepared to deal with it.
Problem & Solution
The daisy hugging the earth / in August, ha!
Personification
Intermediate Math Problems for Students by M. Colwell
This workbook explains how to perform basic mathematical operations, like double-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It also explains fractions and decimals.
Informational Writing
If you are confused about something in class, don't wait. Raise your hand and ask for help immediately. Do it while your teacher is still explaining the material. Your teacher will probably be happy that you are taking an active part in your education and should attempt to explain the material in a different way. If you are still confused, ask your teacher if he or she is available after class to give you additional instruction. You are worth it. Don't give up on yourself.
Second Person
What is the connotation of the word dignitary?
Positive
Eyes on the Road
For better or worse, mobile phones are changing the world; however, one place where phones are definitely making things worse is on the road. Today it is common for motorists to play with their mobile phones while driving. Drivers may get bored or impatient while waiting in traffic and use their smart phones to pass the time by checking sports scores, stock numbers, or news stories. Worse still, they may engage in text messaging. Some drivers are so used to receiving and responding to communications immediately that it does not occur to them to wait until an appropriate time to respond. As soon as they get a message, these drivers will try to read and respond to it. There are many reasons why people use cell phones while driving, but none of them are good reasons.
Cause and Effect
A horse! a horse! My kingdom for a horse!
Hyperbole
"If a Tree Falls" adapted by Stan Tanner
This is the very short story of a buck. The buck was admiring his horns in the water's reflection and feeling bad about his skinny legs. Then a hunter tries to kill him. As the buck tries to escape, his big horns get stuck in some tree branches, but his skinny legs manage to pull him free. The moral is that what is truly valuable is often unappreciated.
Fable
Jeremiah squinted from the sun. He was thinking about the game. They could have won. He could have won the game for them. All he needed to do was catch the ball, but he didn't. He dropped it. His coach talked to him. "Jeremiah, we had a great season. Nobody's perfect. Look at me. Ha ha," he said. Jeremiah smiled at the coach, but he couldn't forgive himself so easily.
Third Person Limited
TRICKED YOU AGAIN!
*Grammar Games*
HAHA Again!
Difficult Decisions
Since I made honor roll every quarter this year, my mom is going to buy me a new phone for my birthday. I can’t decide whether I want to get an iPhone or a Galaxy. They are both really cool phones, and they cost about the same, but they are also different in a lot of ways too, like the Galaxy has a bigger screen. The iPhone’s screen isn’t small or anything, it’s just not as big as the Galaxy’s. However, the iPhone connects with my iTunes account. All of my music is already uploaded to iTunes, so all I have to do is sync my phone and then I can listen to all of my music. That’d be cool. But if I got the Galaxy, I could use Google Play to upload my old songs and buy new ones. This would give me a chance to go through my old music collection. That’d be cool too. I’m not sure which one I’m going to get but I’m super pumped about it either way. Maybe if you make honor roll every quarter next year, you can get a new phone too. It’s worth a shot.
Compare & Contrast
Life is a stream / On which we strew / Petal by petal the flower of our heart;
Metaphor
Bronze Star by Irwin Keene
World War II has been hard for Mama Conner. While her husband and three sons have been away at war, Mama Conner has had to fend for herself. She keeps the house together, raises money, and provides for Baby Maple. The mood in town suddenly darkens when her neighbor Betsy loses one of her loved ones in battle. At Mama Conner's ladies club, several upstanding ladies of the town are on edge. They heard a garbled news report announcing that a man from their town was lost in battle. But the man's name went unheard and the women are left to speculate. This novel ends in a surprising twist.
Historical Fiction