computer -- Blogmeister

4th grade has been a very fun year. I really enjoyed everything we have done however my 4th grade year is coming to a close. In just a few weeks I will be on summer break and then in fifth grade. In 4th grade there were many fun things that I did and many interesting things I was taught by my fantastic teacher, Mr. La Marr. Just one of the many things I enjoyed were the many exciting field trips including our fun-filled trip to Coloma. Another wonderful part of my 4th grade experience was the many books we read in class. A few of my favorites were The Phantom Tollbooth, Number the Stars, and By the Great Horn Spoon. In addition to all the great books and field trips that we did this year I had a phenomenal time with science. Mr. La Marr let us do a lot of hands on stuff like stacking liquids based on their density, using balloons for learning about static electricity, and even building our own small circuit to learn about current electricity. In addition, our teacher let us hold Science Night where we got to form a group to lead people through our experiment. That was probably the best thing we did all year. Overall, 4th grade has been the best grade ever!!! There are so many great things that I have loved this year, and I hope I never forget all those fabulous things.

My class and I went on a field trip to Old Sacramento and learned about many things including the Pony Express. The Pony Express was very important. It was one of the fastest methods of communication. It involved risks, but was very useful. California was on the western side of the country, separated from the rest, so the Pony Express was created for faster communication.

The Pony Express was extremely helpful to anyone trying to get information across the country. California was in the western United States, but the government was on the east. Before the Pony Express, communication was very slow. The Pony Express allowed information to get from Sacramento, California, to St. Joseph, Missouri, in about ten days.

The Pony Express worked in an interesting way. One man would ride on a horse. This man would have at most twenty pounds of mail that needed to get to a different place in the country. This horse would be ridden ten miles. After these ten miles the man would get onto a different horse. After seventy-five miles, a different person would ride the horse giving the previous person a break. In this manner information could get around the country.

Although the Pony Express was very helpful, it was made clear that the horse rider would be at risk. The rider would be at risk because he would be going through Native American territory. These Natives did not appreciate the riders going through their land. This is why orphans were preferred. They did not have parent who might have to mourn their deaths. In fact, a young rider called Pony Bob Haslam carrying vital information was shot by Native Americans, but still continued on with his seventy-five miles.

The Pony Express was very useful, but it did end after eighteen months. The Pony Express took about 10-14 days to get information across the country. The Pony Express was very expensive and actually lost money for every letter it sent. Telegraphs were much faster and less expensive in getting information around the country almost instantaneously. Telegraphs put the Pony Express out of business the day after telegraphs started.

The Pony Express was eventually reopened during a time that a mudslide closed the freeway blocking mail trucks. This was in the 1980’s. During this time it was extremely famous. People sent their friends mail just to get the Pony Express’s famous stamp. People even sent themselves mail to get the stamp. The Pony Express did not stay open.

The Pony Express was huge a long time ago. There is even a statue dedicated to the Pony Express in Old Sacramento. This method of communication was a big technological advancement. From that time, technology continued to improve. Even though there are things today that are faster than the Pony Express, it is still remembered by many people who admire the riders, bravery.

Sunset
Like a beautiful rainbow of colors
Like a painting with majestic shades
Like a sky filled with fluorescence
Like a gift from Mother Nature
Like a sign that a great night is approaching
Like a mystery of colors
Like part of a world of perfection

River
Flowing, rippling, exhilirating
River

Mountains
Snow-covered, dominating, gorgeous
Mountains

Clouds
Like a great mess in the beautiful sky
Like a pile of the softest cotton
Like a hazy mist blocking the radiant sun
Like a fluffy pillow inviting me to rest
Like a stretch of white on a background of blue
Like a sweet cotton candy spread through the air
Like a light puff fluffing around
Like a ball of smoke coming from the sky
Like some thing crying tears of rain
Like majestic wings covering the bare sky

Wind
Cold, forceful
Blowing, roaring, pounding
Pushing me back and forth
Gust

Ocean
A wave, powerful and mighty
Seagulls flying overhead
The freezing cold water at my feet
The saltiness of the air before me
Water spraying on my face

Sun and Moon
Sun
Brilliant, luminous
Dazzling, shining, blinding
Radiant, yellow, white, round
Illuminating, brightening, smiling
Glowing, crescent
Moon

My Opinion on the Terrible Wave

The Terrible Wave, by Marden Dahlstedt, is a story about a 15 year old who has to endure the effect of the ghastly Johnstown Flood by working with complete strangers. This is a marvelous book. The author uses her remarkable description to make the reader feel as if he or she is actually at the scene being described in the book. Dahlstedt uses description from all the senses.
Here is one example of Marden Dahlstedt’s fabulous description in the category of sight, “At first all she could see was a sinister black mist. It rolled toward the house like billowing smoke.” This is a quote that describes the wave as it rolls toward the Maxwell’s house. Megan Maxwell was one of the first to see the wave coming. I can imagine how horrible it would be to see the sinister wave. I also like this passage, “Now she could see, filtered through the fog, even at that distance, huge tongues of flames eating at the sky.” This describes the fire on the Cambria Bridge after a lot of piled up debris burned. This is a very unique phrasing.
Another passage I really enjoyed describes how Megan feels, “ Megan felt herself being pushed as if by a mighty hand, through the jagged crack between darkness and light.” This passage interests me because of the part about the mighty hand. I can imagine how Megan would feel. A hand pushing against anyone would be terribly frightening. Another passage I liked was, “With a sickening thud, she landed, sprawling on something horribly squashy.” This is a description of the mattress on which Megan landed. The mattress was not sturdy. Megan must have been incredibly scared to know that the thing supporting her could sink at any moment.
Dahlstedt also mixes some scary noises into The Terrible Wave. Megan hears a din that sounds unhumanly.
“ . . . Cracking, grinding, roaring, together with the dreadful sucking, sloshing noise of the dark sea which surrounded her.” That would scare anyone. Another passage that includes extraordinary writing style describes Stefan who can’t or won’t speak, “The child did not speak. Not the slightest flicker of expression crossed his face.” I find this even more frightening than hearing racking and grinding. The boy seems to not notice anything, and that would be scary. The boy, Stefan, seems not to be disturbed by anything.
Marden Dahlstedt is a very talented author. Her magnificent description causes the reader to gain more interest in every chapter. She uses all the senses to convey what the main character Megan is actually feeling. The Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt is a phenomenal book.

There were several important events in California’s history, but the most important was when Native Californians came to California. Even though this event is most important, I think the event that created the most change in California was Spain getting control of California.
There are several reasons that prove Native Californians coming to California from Asia was most important. One reason this was most important is that these people were the first people to come to California. This started California’s population. For many years, Natives lived in California.
Native Californians came from Asia thousands of years ago. It took a very long time to cross the land bridge, and only after several generations, a person would get to California. Natives came following their food. If their food moved, they would move with it.
Spain coming to California caused many changes in California. First of all, people from Spain created missions. This created further change. Natives were forced to work for the Spanish, change their religion, and even speak a different language. Also, the Spanish brought diseases to which Native Californians weren’t immune. After being released from the missions Natives no longer knew their own culture. That ended the Native Californian culture and is most likely why people do not live the same way as Native Californians did back then.
Also, Spanish explorers changed California. For example, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a great explorer who found San Diego while looking for the Strait of Anian. In addition, Sebastian Rodriguez Cermenho found Monterey, a safe harbor. Someone would have eventually been able to explore these places, but it would have been a lot later. Both of these people did a great thing for California by finding Monterey, a safe harbor and San Diego, the place the first mission was built.
I believe that Native Californians coming to California was the most important event in California’s history, and Spain coming to California created the most change. Native Californians were very important and did many things for California. They basically started the state. Spain coming to California created some very major changes. They changed the Native Californians and Spanish explorers found San Diego and Monterey. These places might not have been found for a long time if it weren’t for Spain.

Conditions of Use • Privacy Policy

Return to Blogmeister