Week 1

“Rachel Delevoryas”

Rachel DelevoryasWith her think eye glasses and her plain Jane faceSat beside me in my 5th grade classLooking so terribly out of placeRachel played the violinAnd classical music was out of styleShe couldn’t control all her wild brown hairHer nervous laughter and her awkward smile and

It was clear that she’d be one of usWith her dowdy clothes And her violinAnd a name like Rachel Delevoryas

But I’d pass by her house in the eveningGoing to play with my best friend RayAnd the music floating from her windowSpoke the things that Rachel Could never say

Rachel DelevoryasWas eating her lunch as the boys walked by “Rachel is ugly” she heard them shoutShe sat on the schoolyard bench and cried and

It was clear that she’d never be one of usWith her dowdy clothesAnd her violinAnd a name like Rachel Delevoryas

And every year the hedge got higherAs it grew around Rachel’s houseLike the secret wall inside herThat she built to keep all the heartache out

Rachel DelevoryasMoved back east with her familyNow she’s dressed in a beautiful gownStanding on stage with the symphonyRachel plays the violinBut every night when the lights go downI wonder if she still remembers those daysAnd cruel little boys in this one horse town and

It was clear that she’d never be one of usWith her dowdy clothes and her violinAnd a name like Rachel DelevoryasA name like Rachel Delevoryas

-Randy Stonehill

Week 2

“Welcome Back to School”"Dear students, the summer has ended.

The school year at last has begun.But this year is totally different.

I promise we'll only have fun.

"We won't study any mathematics,and recess will last all day long.

Instead of the pledge of allegiance,we'll belt out a rock-and-roll song.

"We'll only play games in the classroom.You're welcome to bring in your toys.

It's okay to run in the hallways.It's great if you make lots of noise.

"For homework, you'll play your Nintendo.You'll have to watch lots of T.V.

For field trips we'll go to the moviesand get lots of candy for free.

"The lunchroom will only serve chocolateand triple fudge sundaes supreme."

Yes, that's what I heard from my teacher

before I woke up from my dream.-Kenn Nesbitt

Week 3

"Constitution"

Back in 1787, 39 delegates had their say...Now every September 17, we celebrate Constitution Day!

The U. S. Constitution, is our set of laws and rights...It's designed to keep the peace, and help avoid any fights!

It has 27 amendments, and a lot of articles and sections...It guarantees us certain freedoms, and offers us protections!

The U.S. Constitution, tells you what you can and can't do...And we show our patriotism, by wearing red, white and blue!

So as you salute the flag, on this Constitution Day...You should admire Ole Glory, and wish long may it wave!

-Coach A

Week 4

“Adventures With Books”`Velda Blumhagen

Books are shipsThat sail the seasTo lands of snowOr jungle trees.

And I’m the captain bold and free,Who will decide which place we’ll see.

Come, let us sail the magic ship.

Books are trainsIn many lands,

And I’m the engineer who guidesThe train on its exciting rides.

Come, let us ride the magic train.

Books are zoosThat make a home

For birds and beastsNot free to roam.

And I’m the keeper of the zoo,I choose the things to show to you.

Come, let us visit the zoo.

Books are gardensFairies, elves,

Cowboys and peopleLike ourselves.

And I can find with one good lookJust what I want inside a book.

Come, let us read! For reading’s fun

It can be fun for everyone!

Week 5

“Camping”

Crack! Crack!The fire crackles under the stars.Sizzle! Sizzle!The water sizzles above the fire.Crunch! Crunch!The campers crunching on potato chips.Click! Clack! Click! Clack!The tent poles clicking and clacking together.Rustle! Rustle!As we prepare our sleeping bags to go to sleep.Chirp! Chirp!The crickets say, “good-night”.

“To Grandma’s we Go”

Rumble! Rumble!The thunder roars.Drip! Drip!The rain comes down.Boom! Boom!The thunder shakes the window panes.Run to the car! Run to the car!Splash! Splash!To Grandma’s we goFor hot cocoa.Zoom! Zoom!

Week 6

“I’m all mixed up”

I’m all mixed up.I need help from you.

How do I no / know?Why the sky is blue / blew?

I do not no / know.I wish I new / knew!

Is my sister aged for / four or too / to / two?Eye / I am named Marie

She is named Be / Bee / Bea.We eat red / read berries.

At the water by the sea / see.

I have a lot of work to do / due.I’ll so / sew a button.

On the coat you wear/ where.I’ll sit on that chair.

I’ll weight / wait right over there/ their.

I’m all mixed up.I need help from you.

Can you choose the right words?See what you can do!

Week 7

“Landforms”

When you look at surface of Earth you'll agree

That landforms are interesting features to see

Almost all involve water to some degree

Or from geological activity.

See if you can figure out these landform riddles:

What kind of landform has a vent at the top,

Spews lava and steam and pieces of rock? VOLCANO

What kind of landform has very steep sides

That were cut by a river's erosion and time? CANYON

You get to this landform when oceans run dry.

They're broad, flat spaces under the sky. PLAINS

What kind of landform is tallest of all

With a spiky top where snow may fall? MOUNTAINS

What kind of landform always runs downhill

And can be used to turn turbines that power a mill? RIVER

This landform is found at the bottom of mountains

And very tall hills; it's the low land between them. VALLEY

To get to this landform, a boat you may ride

Since water surrounds it on every side. ISLAND

Triangle-shaped landforms like this often sit

Near the ocean where a river finally runs into it. DELTA

Which type of landform stretches into the tides;

Surrounded by water on three of its sides? PENINSULA

This large body of water is surrounded by land.

It's a great place to fish and swim, if you can. LAKE

Which type of landform is just one of seven?

It's a really big place split up into nations. CONTINENTS

When you look at the surface of Earth you'll agree

That landforms are interesting features to see

There are many more out there that you'll want to know

Like mesa and harbor, gulf and plateau,

Fault, fjord and an Archipelago

Week 8

“IN 1492”

In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue .

He had three ships and left from Spain; He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain .

He sailed by night; he sailed by day; He used the stars to find his way .

A compass also helped him know How to find the way to go .

Ninety sailors were on board; Some men worked while others snored .

Then the workers went to sleep; And others watched the ocean deep .

Day after day they looked for land; They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand .

October 12 their dream came true, You never saw a happier crew !

“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried; His heart was filled with joyful pride .

But “India” the land was not; It was the Bahamas, and it was hot .

The Arakawa natives were very nice; They gave the sailors food and spice .

Columbus sailed on to find some gold To bring back home, as he’d been told .

He made the trip again and again, Trading gold to bring to Spain .

The first American? No, not quite. But Columbus was brave, and he was bright .

Week 9

"The House That Built Me"

I know they say you can’t go home again. I just had to come back one last time. Ma'am I know you don't know me from Adam. But these handprints on the front steps are mine. And up those stairs, in that little back bedroom is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar. And I bet you didn't know under that live oak my favorite dog is buried in the yard.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it this brokenness inside me might start healing. Out here it’s like I'm someone else, I thought that maybe I could find myself if I could just come in I swear I'll leave. Won't take nothing but a memory from the house that built me.

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years. From 'Better Homes and Garden' magazines. Plans were drawn, concrete poured, and nail by nail and board by board Daddy gave life to mama's dream.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it this brokenness inside me might start healing. Out here it’s like I'm someone else, I thought that maybe I could find myself. If I could just come in I swear I'll leave. Won't take nothing but a memory from the house that built me.

You leave home, you move on and you do the best you can. I got lost in this whole world and forgot who I am.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it this brokenness inside me might start healing. Out here it’s like I'm someone else, I thought that maybe I could find myself. If I could walk around I swear I'll leave. Won't take nothing but a memory from the house that built me.

Week 10

“Branches of Government”

The government that oversees the land of the freeHas separation of power; it's divided in threeUses checks and balances most responsibly

The balance of the power is what protects you and me

What do the House of Representatives doAlong with one hun-der-ed Senators, too?

They make up new laws for me and youAnd they can override a presidential veto, tooWhich branch of government makes the law?

What's this branch of government called?IT'S THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH!

Nine appointed judges on the Supreme Court's benchThe President picks them out, but the senate votes 'em in

They decide if the laws of our land are still fairThey're the court of last resort; the final interpreter

Which branch of government interprets the law?What's this branch of government called?

IT'S THE JUDICIAL BRANCH!

The leader of the military and the policeIs the president, whose job it is to keep the peaceEnforcing the laws makes him commander in chiefHe'll make difficult choices if it will keep you safeWhich branch of government enforces the law?

What's this branch of government called?IT'S THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH!

Just to be clear; we're not talking about a tree branch!

The Legislative Branch is good at making the lawsAnd the Judicial branch makes sure the laws have no flaws

The Executive Branch is who enforces it all becauseBalanced, but separate powers are good for us all

Legislative, judicial, executiveChecks and balances a good way to live.

Week 11

“Franklin's Kite”

When Franklin flew his famous kite

And drew the lightning's fire,

Coaxing from thunderclouds the bright

Sparks on his "pointed wire,"

I wonder if he visioned how

Electricity

Would be the servant it is now

Of domesticity!

Ben Franklin could not "plug it in"

And get his coffee boiling;

Nor start the toaster with a grin,

Then go back to his toiling'

Good Madame Franklin did not use

The "current" for her cleaning;

Nor dreamed that "Monday Wash Day Blues"

Ben's "find" would rob of meaning.

Wherefore, as we turn on the light

Which sends the shadows fleeting

Or press a button when at night

We feel it's time for eating,

Let's honor early scientist Ben-

His kite amid the thunder-

Since, but for pioneering then,

Would there be an age of wonder?

~Clarence M. Lindsay

Week 12

“The Statue of Liberty”

The Statue of Liberty is150 feet tall.She stands in New York harbour andShe gives out hope to all.

She is the goddess Libertas.She wears a long and flowing gown;Her right hand holds a torch up highAnd on her head, a crown.

The statue was given to usBy all the good people of FranceTo mark 100 years since weDeclared our independence.

She's over a hundred years old,She's really a golden oldie,Made from copper and steel by aSculptor named Bartholdi.

Bartholdi had drawn up his plans -Copper sheets on a frame of steel.The newspapers ran a campaignTo make his dreams turn real.

Building the huge skeletal frameTurned out to be no mere trifle.They needed help from the engineerAlexandre Eiffel.

350 piecesWere packed in hundreds of crates,The statue was shipped all the wayTo the United States.

She was built on Liberty IslandAnd she stands there still to this day.She represents friendship, freedom,And the American way.

Week 13

“Old Friends”

Old friends, old friends sat on their park bench like bookendsA newspaper blowin' through the grassFalls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends

Old friends, winter companions, the old menLost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunThe sounds of the city sifting through treesSettles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends

Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a parkbench quietlyHow terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years, silently sharing the same fears

By: Simon And Garfunkel

Week 14

“A Pilgrim of Today”

A Pilgrim leaves him homeland

With many thoughts in mind.

Freedom is the first thing

He’s hoping he will find.

It isn’t always easy

To begin your life anew.

In a land where no one speaks

Exactly the same as you.

So when you meet a pilgrim,

A person from far away,

Hold out your hand and smile,

Tell him, “I hope you’ll stay.”

And be proud that America

Offers the chance to be free,

And welcomes pilgrims of today,

People just like you and me.

-Susan Kilpatrick

Week 15

“Dainty Dottie Dee”by Jack Prelutsky

There's no one as immaculateas dainty Dottie Dee,who clearly is the cleanestthat a human being can be,no sooner does she wakenthan she hoses down her bed,than hurries to the kitchen, and disinfects the bread.

She spends the morning sweepingevery inch of every room,when all the floors are spotless,Dottie polishes the broom,she mops the walls and ceilings, she scrubs beneath the rug,and should a bug meander by,she tidies up that bug.

Dottie boils the phone and toaster,Dottie rinses the shampoo,she waxes the salami,and she vacuums the stew,she dusts the cheese and crackers,and she sponges down the pie,she lathers the spaghetti,then hangs it up to dry.

Dottie scours the locks and keyholes,and she soaps the bathroom scale,she launders every light bulbshe bathes the morning mail,but her oddest habit ever(and of this there's little doubt),is washing all the garbagebefore she throws it out.

Week 16

“Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout”Would not take the garbage out.She'd wash the dishes and scrub the pansCook the yams and spice the hams,And though her parents would scream and shout,She simply would not take the garbage out.And so it piled up to the ceiling:Coffee grounds, potato peelings,Brown bananas and rotten peas,Chunks of sour cottage cheese.It filled the can, it covered the floor,It cracked the windows and blocked the door,With bacon rinds and chicken bones,Drippy ends of ice cream cones,Prune pits, peach pits, orange peels,Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,Pizza crusts and withered greens,Soggy beans, and tangerines,Crusts of black-burned buttered toast,Grisly bits of beefy roast.The garbage rolled on down the halls,It raised the roof, it broke the walls,I mean, greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,Blobs of gooey bubble gum,Cellophane from old bologna,Rubbery, blubbery macaroni,Peanut butter, caked and dry,Curdled milk, and crusts of pie,Rotting melons, dried-up mustard,Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,Cold French fries and rancid meat,Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.At last the garbage reached so highThat finally it touched the sky,And none of her friends would come to play,And all of her neighbors moved away;And finally, Sarah Cynthia StoutSaid, "Okay, I'll take the garbage out!"But then, of course it was too late,The garbage reached across the state,From New York to the Golden Gate;And there in the garbage she did hatePoor Sarah met an awful fateThat I cannot right now relateBecause the hour is much too lateBut children, remember Sarah Stout,And always take the garbage out.

By: : Jack Prelutsky

Week 17

“You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss), from How the Grinch Stole Christmas

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch You really are a heel, You're as cuddly as a cactus, You're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch.

You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch, Your heart's an empty hole, Your brain is full of spiders You have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch. I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch, You have termites in your smile, You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch, Given a choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch, You're a nasty wasty skunk, Your heart is full of unwashed socks, Your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch.

The three words that best describe you are, and I quote, "Stink, stank, stunk"!

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch, You're the king of sinful sots, Your heart's a dead tomato splot With moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch.

Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled-up knots!

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch, With a nauseous super "naus", You're a crooked jerky jockey And you drive a crooked horse, Mr. Grinch.

You're a three-decker sauerkraut-and-toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!

Week 18

“A Tiger's Tale”

by John Bennett

There was an ancient Grecian boyWho played upon the fiddle,Sometimes high, sometimes low,Sometimes in the middle;And all day long beneath the shadeHe lunched on prunes and marmalade;But what the tunes were which he playedIs certainly a riddle.

Three tigers, gaunt and ravenous,Came from the gloomy wood,Intent to slay the fiddler,But his music was too good;So round about him once they filed,Till by the melody beguiled,They sat them softly down and smiled,As only tigers could.

And thus beguiled, the tigers smiledThroughout the livelong dayUntil, at length, there was not leftAnother tune to play.

What happened then I do not know;I was not there to see.But when a man runs short on tunes,Can tigers be appeased with prunes,Or marmalade and silver spoons?That's what perplexes me.