Stories By Zachary

Part of Zachary's Five in a Row education this year has been writing (well, dictating to me) stories and book reports.  I have them written in a journal, but want to record them online as well as share them with family and friends, so I thought I would type them out here.  These are all of the stories and book reports he has written this school year. :)

September 12, 2012
Daddy Was Ice Skating - A Fiction Story

Once upon a time, the pond was not strong enough for ice skating.  A long time ago, it was strong enough for ice skating, but now it's not.  Daddy ice skated on the pond when it was not strong enough.  The ice broke and he drowned into the water below.  Then the lifeguard, Jon, was there, and he saved him.  It was swim time.  Then he tried ice skating on the basketball court while it was ice, too, and then for the last thing, he tried ice skating on the lake.  Well, it was strong enough on the lake.  He stayed up, the ice was strong enough.  When he was done ice skating, he went to dinner.  The End.

September 13, 2012
Elmo Rollerblades and Daddy Rollerskates - A Fiction Story

Elmo is six and he is rollerblading on a basketball court near a hill.  It's okay because he's six.  Daddy was there to rollerskate, and then he saw Elmo rollerblading and said, "Who's that?"  Then Daddy went rollerskating and he was just fine while he was rollerskating, but then he went down a hill and fell down.  But he was okay.  The End.

September 15, 2012
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack, retold by Zachary

Once upon a time, Ping swam underwater.  He came up with little rice cake crumbs.  He got stolen by a boy.  He had a basket and he was trapped by it.  The boy took it off and dropped him in the water.  He went up the bridge the next time, and he got spanked because he was the last.

September 15, 2012
Cookie Monster Rollerskates and Daddy Rollerblades

Cookie Monster went to the basketball court to rollerskate.  And then Daddy went to the basketball court to rollerblade.  And he said, "Who's that?"  Daddy went home, and he went on the porch, and the porch fell down and broke his Cub.

September 26, 2012
A Humorous Story

Elmo was in America, and nobody could find him on Sesame Street.  They have looked everywhere on Sesame Street, but they did not find Elmo, because Elmo was in America.  He was swimming at the camp pond, and he went down the waterslide, and he had fun.  He was riding Daddy's Cub and he went off the road, but he did not crash.  He was in our house.  He said, "Where am I?"  I said to him, "You're at the Hart's house!"  The End.

September 26, 2012
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman Book Report

I like the apple pie that we made.  And I like the Apple Pie and See the World book.  I liked everything - the words, the pictures, the people, the names, the houses, and the dogs.  I liked it when we drew and acted out the book.  My favorite ingredient was sugar cane.  My favorite place that she went was Vermont.  I liked the post office picture.  I don't like when we write stories, because it's boring because you have to sit.

October 12, 2012
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans Action Book Report

Crying - Madeline had the appendix and everyone cried.
Frowning - When they were solemn, and at the bad.
Sitting - on their beds.
Walking - at half past nine, to visit Madeline.
Eating - broke their bread.

October 27, 2012
Papa Piccolo by Carol Talley Book Report

He walks in the shoe store.  To have a talk to Sophia.  He wants her to take the kittens.  I don't know where their moms are.  They were in a cardboard box near Canal Tolentini.  Then the kittens were going to adopt him.  He thought the kittens adopted him.  Sophie did not take the kittens.  He took the kittens.  They went everywhere he went.  They went on Luigi's gondola to China.  One of them was called Marco, and the other was called Polo.  They came back.  A regatta is a party in Venice.  The kittens (Marco and Polo) and Piccolo rode on a gondola.  I liked the book.  My favorite part was when they went to the shoe store.

November 13, 2012
Short Story Settings

Daddy lived at Bethany Camp, a place where you eat food, right here next to us.

Zachary lived at a bouncy house, which had a basketball net and ball.  You didn't have to bring your own.  You could play with bikes there, too.

Natalie lived in a different bouncy house, where you can just bounce in it and it has little cars to ride in and you don't have to pedal your feet, they go automatically.

November 15, 2012
Similes

Mommy took me out of the water (at the waterpark pool) like a superhero.

Beary slept with me at bedtime like he was my best friend.  He is actually my best friend.  He is four like me. And he's almost five.  He has the same birthday as me.

Natalie just stood still like a statue.

December 7, 2012
Sparky Saves the Day!

Sparky is a white and black dog with a fire hat.  He has a black nose and a little teeny tail.  Jack is Sparky's assistant - he is a fireman.  There is a fire in Popperville.  They were in Sinclairville.  First they ran all the way there.  Then they used their hose to squirt out out the fire.  The fire was all out.  So they ran home.  The End.

December 8, 2012
Zachary Hart - Last Performed in Russia - Another Celebrated Dancing Bear (By Gladys Scheffrin-Falk) - Now here in the United States, in New York.

Dancing, Bowing at the End, Hussar's Dance, Feeling Glum when he was the poster, Crying, Drinking Tea, Eating Preserves.

Boris felt jealous because he wished he could dance.  Everybody's jealous sometimes.  I think I've never felt jealous.

January 12, 2012
The Rag Coat by Lauren A. Mills, retold by Zachary Hart

In one part, a character feels bad.  The book is starring Minna.  Because her classmates were making fun about her coat.  She went far away into the woods.  She took her lesson at school.  She learned her lesson.  She said that the coat was full of stories.  The quilting mothers made the coat.  It had warm colors.  The warm colors were stories.  She almost heard her Papa when she was wearing the coat.  The feed sack and piece of her Papa's work jacket.  I liked this book.  The End.

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I love the part about 'writing stories is boring because you have to sit still'. :) :)  He was really excited at first to come up with stories and see me write them down, but he does hate to sit still!!  And I try to mix up the book reports (hence the action ones) so he won't get bored but he still dreads them. But he did a great job with our last one!!

Writing these out, I was reminded of each book we studied together, how much I loved each book, and how much fun we have had studying them together!! I LOVE Five in a Row!!! :)  As of now, the plan is to do FIAR again next year for Kindergarten (along with A Beka Phonics, Math & Handwriting supplements - and possibly All About Spelling? I think he's ready...he's always asking how to spell things so he can write them!)

Oh, and an update on his future plans - he told Joel tonight that he wants to be a comedian, a football player, an artist, a fireman, a policeman, AND a dentist.  Joel said usually people just choose one of those things, so he said he would like most to be a professional football player. :)