Here are some great student narratives!!

By: Krystal B.
"The Tough Choice"

"Are you going to the game, Stacey?" I asked. Of course, Stacey knew I was talking about the big football game everyone
was planning to attend. All of my friends were planning on dressing in our
school colors, green and white, to show our spirit. What I did know was that
almost the whole highschool was going to be there for opening game. But what I
didn't know was that the choice I would be forced to make would affect the rest of
my life.
"Of course I'm going to the football game!" exclaimed Stacey.
I knew she was going to say that, but I didn't want to show up all by
myself.
"My mom could drive us to the game," I suggested.
"Great!" agreed Stacey.
The game was on Friday night and it was already Thursday. My mom was
talking to me about the football game in the car ride home from school that day.
She had wanted to know all the little details like any other mom would want to know.
I had no idea how much fun these games were, because it was my first football game
at highschool, being a freshman.
We got home and I started working on my homework. The second I finished
my homework, Stacey called. She wanted to tell me that since her brother was
going to the football game as well, he could drive us home. I agreed, and we hung
up the phone.
For the rest of the night, all I could think about was the football game
and how much fun everyone was saying it would be. When the bell rang at three
o'clock the next day to end school I was excited. I ran to my locker, got my books,
and anxiously rode the bus the whole way home.
Two hours had passed and all I had done was homework. My clock turned five
o'clock and I ran to the garage, got my mom, and hopped in the car to go get Stacey.
When we got back to my house we ran to the bathroom and covered ourselves with green
and white face paint. I remembered while putting the paint on, Stacey's brother was driving us back home. His name was Steve and he was a senior in highschool. He wasn't always the brightest kid
and he always got in trouble. But from what I knew, he was a nice guy.
We got to the game just in time to see all the players walk out onto the
field. From a distance, I saw our friends with their arresting facepaint standing
under the bleachers. I didn't notice who they were talking with, but they looked
like seniors.
"Let's go see what they're up to," yelled Stacey.
We bolted across the field to under the bleachers to find a whole bunch of
kids, I felt stifled inbetween the crowd. I pushed through, with Stacey following
behind, to see Steve and his friends drowning themselves with alcohol.
My jaw dropped when Stacey had the audacity to run up to him and chug down
a drink. I didn't know what to do! All my friends were drinking and I was not
going to let that ruin my future.
"I'm going home!" I screamed over all the noise to Stacey.
She clutched my arm and shoved a drink in my face, trying to get me to
drink it. I pulled away and ran across the street from the highschool. I called my
mom to pick me up and I explained everything to her on our ride home.
The next day at school was not the same. Steve had gotten drunk, but still
drove Stacey and some friends home. Their retribution for drinking resulted in them
getting in a terrible car crash. Eventually, everyone would be okay, but it would
take some time for all their wounds to heal. Right after school I went to the
hospital to see Stacey. All I could think about was how much damage was done, just
from drinking alcohol.

Joseph N.
“Self Discovery”

There was a very wealthy inventor named Terrance O’Larry. He invented a machine that was able to detect when a person was lying. Since he made so much money off his invention, he was able to travel the world. When he began his travels, he had no idea that what he encounters will put him in tremendous peril.
Terrance planned many hours for his trip. He decided he should go somewhere in
Africa. He wanted to go on a safari. He decided to bring his good friend Michael
Dibaggo. Michael and he had been friends since college and they had similar personalities. They loved adventures, were smart and liked to build things. They both agreed that an African safari would be a great vacation.
They bought two tickets for a flight to South Africa. They decided to drive to a village in the northern part of South Africa. They would live there for three weeks with the villagers and a tour guide. What Terrance and Michael did not know was they were being followed by an evil co-worker, who wanted to kidnap Terrance and steal his ideas for his new invention.
As Michael and Terrance started on their tour, they became very good friends with the many tribal people they met along the way. There were several nights they were asked to stay in the huts with the families of the tribes. The tribesmen told Terrance and Michael of their concern of poachers killing the wildlife in Africa and how many of the animals were now endangered.
Terrance had been working on his next invention which was a pill a person could take that allowed him to have a force field around him that would last twenty-four hours. He was hoping the invention would help policemen. The evil inventor whose name is the sinister Dr. Edward wanted to steal this invention. He wanted to sell it to people who would use it for evil also. He was very greedy and wanted to make hundreds of thousands of dollars. He hired poachers to help him capture Terrance.
After one week of being on the safari, Terrance awoke to two gunshots to his leg. He could not move. The poachers then captured him and took him to Dr. Edward. Dr. Edward questioned Terrance about his new invention. Although Terrance was grimacing in pain, he refused to give him any information.
Back at the village, the tribesmen and Michael had been searching everywhere for Terrance. One of the tribesmen decided to stealthily look in the windows of all of the village buildings. Eventually, he saw Terrance and the bad guys in one nondescript building.
The tribesman ran and got the rest of the tribe and Michael. They decided to swallow the protective shield pill to save Terrance.
As they approached, they were spotted. Gun fire erupted, but the shield protected them all and the bullets just bounced off of them. They rescued Terrance and he was exuberant as well as his new friends and Michael. The poachers and Dr. Edward were arrested.
Michael and Terrance had, had a very exciting trip. Even though Terrance was kidnapped, he feels his trip was a success. His invention of the protective shield has now proven to be helpful with protecting the villagers and animals from dangerous poachers. Terrance was so pleased with how well the protective shield pill worked, he felt comfortable sharing it with the people who protect us everyday, our police department as well as our firemen. He also discovered something important about himself. He had the ability to invent something that could protect those who can not protect themselves, to those men and women who protect us all.



Cody F
"The Magnificent Tortoise King"

On a small island, just off the coast of Puerto Rico, there was an unknown and unmarked village, older than time and stranger than fiction. Fascinating natural characteristics and breathtaking views just enhanced the villagers’ charming distinctiveness. It was a flawless island paradise, that was, until the lions came!
The villagers were almost all perfectly normal and perfectly happy by any standard means. However, they were all mice, except for Javier, the very old and very wise tortoise king. The mice loved and cherished Javier. Javier was their teacher, their mentor, their sage. He taught them, well, everything. In his daily lectures and debates at the local tikki bars, he spoke intelligently of the world and its workings. They were living the good life.
Years passed and the tortoise king and his faithful mice subjects conceived they were all alone on the Earth and Javier did nothing to tell them otherwise. One late afternoon, the tortoise king was sharing knowledge about the uses of folding chairs and tables, when they all heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. The mice thought it was just the breeze coming off the ocean, but Javier knew better for he had heard this noise before. He remembered years and years ago, the same noise, a different island, a different time and of course different subjects. He thought it couldn’t be, but it was! Lions!
Vehemently, the tortoise king broke into a frantic sprint, running circles, squares and even zigzags screaming about lions, lions, lions! By the time the crazed king stopped to take a breath, the lions had destroyed half of the beautiful tikki village. Meanwhile, the mice had not taken a step, frozen and pondering, not understanding the tortoise king’s panic. Of course never ever having seen a lion before, the mice looked at each other in shock. The king had never mentioned lions.
Then it became acutely apparent that the lions were not destroying the village, but searching the village and they were not looking for mice. For everyone knows that lions are allergic to mice. The panicked tortoise king eventually caught the eye of the vexed lions and realized what they had been looking for.
With valor, Javier pleaded with lions for his life, but soon he was gobbled up leaving some very confused mice and a much damaged tikki bar. Hence, the mice learned Javier’s final lesson about life. If you run into a pack of hungry lions in paradise, it is better to be a meek peasant mouse than a magnificent tortoise king!

Here are some great CHOICE essays!!

Grace G.
The Music Man Tryouts

Last year, my friends and I were talking about joining the school play. When we heard that it was a musical, we were a little uncertain because we didn’t know if we would have to do solos (which we didn’t really want to do).

On the first day of Drama club, I decided to go. It was a lot of fun because we played a bunch of crazy games. Then later we learned the steps for a really fun song and we learned how to sing three different songs. It was a little hard to memorize but in the end we got it. At the tryouts, we would sing one song and dance the steps to another song. Three of my friends and I all signed up to try out the same day.

The whole day long, the songs were stuck in my head and I was really nervous. I had butterflies in my stomach all day long. When school was over I got my music from my locker and practiced with my friends until it was our turn. When they called our names, we went into the room. I could tell we were very anxious. We all did the dance together and I thought we did it pretty well. Next we all had to sing a song on our own. That was really nerve-wracking.

After our tryouts were over, I was relieved! I thought I did pretty well. I was confident I would get a good part. That night I couldn’t sleep I was so nervous. The next day the cast list went up. I fought my way to the crowd to see who I was going to be. I didn’t get a big part, but I did end up with a great part and had so much fun during all of the practices and the performances. I can’t believe I actually doubted signing up!

In the end I was really glad I decided to try out because I had a blast. I had so much fun on stage and backstage! I learned that if you are unsure about something, you should just try it to see if you like it. You might learn to love it! I’m sure I’ll try out for the play this year too!

John B.
Basketball Traveling Team

It was in the fall of 4th grade that I had a decision to make. My dad told me there were going to be tryouts for the Downers Grove Nomads traveling basketball team. They are one of the more elite travel basketball programs in the area for most age groups. We talked about how I should maybe go to the tryouts since I liked basketball so much and how it could be good to get on a good team like that. I wasn’t really sure at the time.

During the week my dad was encouraging me to maybe try out for the team on Saturday and Sunday night of the upcoming weekend. We talked about it for a little while and then we decided that I would go and see what happens even though I wasn't really sure I should. When Saturday came, I got ready for the tryouts and left with my dad at about 6:30 to be on time for the tryout which was 7:00 to 8:30 P.M.

I was pretty nervous when I got there because it was my first time tryout out for a traveling basketball team. I just put on my basketball shoes and shot around for a few minutes to get loose and warm. The head coach then called us over and said a few things and told us our parents had to fill out a form with our information on it. After that, we started to do some drills that consisted of ball handling, shooting, passing, etc. to show some of our skills. We then scrimmaged against each other on teams near the end of the tryout. After it was over I had thought I did pretty well and the coach asked me to come back tomorrow as he did for the rest of the kids that he was interested in making the team.

On Sunday, I was very nervous for tryouts later that night. My dad and I left at 6:30 again to get there on time for the tryout at 7:00 P.M. We did some basic drills to get warmed up and then moved to more advanced things till we scrimmaged at the end of the night. Then, the head coach called everyone over and thanked us for coming out and for doing a good job whether we made it or not. He then said he would give our parents a call during the week to let us know if we made it or not.

It was Wednesday when my dad got a call from the head coach and was told that I had made the team along with 9 other kids, that practice started in early October, and that there would be a parent meeting in a few weeks.

I am still on this team today along with 7 other kids that made the team with me that year, and we are all good friends. We have won 7 tournaments and have had a winning record every year. This will be my 5th year on the team this upcoming basketball season. This experience has taught me to not be nervous anymore. I have more confidence in myself now, and I realize that if I put my mind to it, I can do anything.

Tony L.
Stitches

It was the fall of fourth grade. There was no homework for the day and the bell was going to ring any second. At exactly 2:25 P.M.; the bell rang and I exited the school to get on the bus. I was talking to my friend about what we should do after school on this glorious, fall afternoon. We decided to go to the park with a couple friends and play cherry-cherry.

I got off the bus and dashed home as fast as possible. I got home and threw down my backpack. I was hungry, so I grabbed a quick sandwich which was my afternoon snack. I gobbled that down in less than a minute with a huge cup of milk. Then, dashed to the garage to get my bike to meet my fellow friends at the park.

When I arrived, we had a race to see who could get to the swings first in order to know who will be the person who is “it.” Unfortunately, I was the person so I had to count to thirty and try to find and tag someone with my eyes close. I successfully tagged my friend Kyle which then he had to count to thirty and find one of us. While he was counting, I had a couple of choices of where I could hide. A couple of the choices were on the of the monkey bars, in the tube slide, under the steps, on top of the swings, or just basically run from him.

I decided to climb on top of the monkey bars and hide there where I thought Kyle could not reach. He was right below me and then I started laughing which gave away my position. Following that, I quickly jumped up to try to avoid his tag. I did dodge it, but I slipped and hit my mouth on the bars and I started to cry and bleed severely from my mouth and tooth. At the time, I was panicking and blood was all over the playground. Finally, my friends Alvin and Kevin got their moms and brought me back to my house.

They grabbed a wet towel and put it in my mouth to stop the bleeding and then Mrs. Seelander drove me to the hospital. My parents, aunt, uncle, grandma, and grandpa arrived at the hospital to give me company while I was waiting for the doctor. Because I was not brought there by an ambulance; I had to wait three to five hours before I got some medical help. The doctor finally entered and I had to get a couple of Novocaine shots and then approximately six to ten stitches. And after a week, two crowns on two of my teeth.

I learned from this experience that going on top of the monkey bars isn't always the best idea. I felt lots of pain from the fall to the shots, to the stitches, to the exposed tooth nerve, to the tooth treatment, and I do not think I will go back on top of the monkey bars forever. Not only do I have great friends to remind me of this incident, but I have a life long scar and crowns to remind me too. So, basically, I know to always play safe and play smart.

What's happening in class?

The last week of October is going to be a busy one!

This week in language arts, we will be finishing the character sketch essays. Students have been doing a very nice nice job describing the people in their lives who have impacted them in positive ways! Self edit and revision will take place Monday through Wednesday, and final drafts are due on Thursday!

We will also be delving into the exciting world of pronouns! :) Our focus this week will be on personal and possessive pronouns and their antecedents.

In reading, we will be finishing the novel, Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. It is not looking good for Steve right now. The many witnesses for the prosecution have been very detrimental. However, we have not heard Steve's side of the events surrounding the trial. Will things turn around for Steve? Will he be acquitted or spend the next 20 years behind bars?

Thursday of this week will be the review of the novel, and Friday will be the final test. Students have done an excellent job analyzing the information throughout the trial and are anxious to hear the verdict on Wednesday, which will decide the future of the main character, Steve Harmon. Tune in to see what happens............

What's happening in class?

The week of October 20th-24th will be another busy one!

In language arts, we will be writing our first expository essay! This essay is called a character sketch. It consists of drawing a picture of a person through words. Students will be selecting a person whom they know very well, and writing and essay about them. Not only will the essay focus on the person's personality but also it will reflect the relationship between writer and subject. We will be writing the majority of the rough draft together in class, and the final draft will be due on Thursday, October 30th.

In reading, the story of Steve Harmon, the main character of the novel Monster, continues to unfold. We are getting close to the end of the novel, and this week, students will be working in groups, further analyzing the information they have been gathering about the robbery/felony murder, and working towards their determination of Steve's guilt or innocence. Stay tuned!

What's happening in class?

Though short, the week of October 14th through October 17th will be busy!

In language arts last Friday, students took a verb quiz covering all the verb info. we had covered in the the last 2 weeks. They did very well on the quiz!

In language arts this week, we are entering the exciting world of prepositions! :) We will begin review and practice today, and and there will be a preposition quiz on Thursday. I'm hoping this part of speech will also be easily mastered..........Also, I will return final draft narrative essays on Thursday of this week. So far, the essays look good! Revisions have turned several essays into well-written, "A" worthy narratives!

In reading, we continue delving into the world of Steve Harmon, the lead character of our novel, Monster. Things are not looking good for Steve. Several witnesses' testimonies have been quite damaging and we're not even certain Steve's own father believes his innocence. Stay tuned to see if things start turning around for Steve..........

What's happening in class?

***On Tuesday of this week, October 7th, the 8th graders will be taking the EXPLORE test. This is a standardized test required by DGS. It allows DGS to gauge the ability of all incoming freshmen from the various feeder schools. The test will be given at Lakeview by the 8th grade teachers, and the test will run from 1st through 4th hours.

In language arts this week, we will continue with verbs. The verb quiz originally scheduled for last week will now be given this week. I felt the need for some reteaching of subject matter, and believe that students will officially be "verb ready" on Friday, which is the new verb quiz date.

Students will also receive their teacher edited narrative essays back on Wednesday of this week, and the final draft essays will be due on Friday!

In reading, we will continue to read and discuss the novel, Monster.

And......AR book report quizzes are due on or before Thursday, October 16th!