Thursday, November 6, 2014

Biology Assignment

Today is the first day of our second quarter. Students had mid-terms Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was a Teacher Workday and here we are...the week is almost over. Rather than begin something new, I decided to have each student write a biology-related word on the board. They then had to use these words (Ms. Pann, biologist, cell, animal, plant, frog, ecosystem, fish, life, omnivore, microscopic) to write a creative story. Here is the one I wrote:

Netherfield was a small village located on an island off the coast of a foggy, misty country. Its borders were a natural barrier of large, sharp boulders which kept the white-capped waves from washing the island away. There were many unusual, eccentric inhabitants of this rugged ecosystem. There was Cell, a biologist who specialized in the study of a microscopic frog found only in the bogs of Netherfield. There was Plant, an omnivore, who found a certain fish, the Yooper trout, to be irresistible. He could often be found on the North Shore, pole in hand and a basket of Yoopers at his feet. He believed they had healing powers as well as being delicious, so he would whisper softly to them, hoping they would reveal their secret to preserving life.

Perhaps the most eccentric resident of Netherfield was a reclusive former teacher, Ms. Pann. Having taught high school students for many years on the mainland, Ms. Pann was driven to near insanity. One evening she packed her bags, begged a ride from Captain Brooks and stole away to the hidden island. Her whereabouts remain a mystery to her students to this day but the residents of Netherfield say that when the moon is high and the wind rages, a lone figure (accompanied by the fanged-animal Ichabod) wanders the hillside, singing to the sky, "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I'm free at last."