WT Melon Definition: Upsidedown Math

Upsidedown Math: (noun): The math taught by the crabby teachers during Operation Misteach. Backward Math states that if you can turn a problem upside down and it looks the same, as in 11x11 or 6x9, the answer is backwards. So 6X9 is 54 one way, but turn a flash card around and the answer is 45. What other problems can you think up, that look the same upsied down?

The Homework Load

Not long ago the homework load,
Did Helen little harm.
She walked to school with one notebook,
Tucked in her little arm.

Homework increased until the girl,
Had no choice but to pack,
Binders and texts into a sack,
She strapped onto her back.

When her spine curved, and her back crooked,
Her shoulders apt to sag.
So Helen took to pulling books,
In a wheeled luggage bag.

As Helen grew, homework did too,
And fourth grade marked the start,
Of pushing homework to and fro,
In a large shopping cart.

Soon tractors towed her homework load.
Still Helen found no luck.
Next forklifts hauled her homework home,
And then a pick-up truck.

But still the work load grew and grew,
And the truck overran.
Sixth grade saw Helen driving home,
In a jumbo moving van.

Helen’s homework load reached its height,
When school closed in the fall.
For teachers assigned so much work,
Kids couldn’t move at all.

Twist One: Cold Hands

Barnaby stood on the snowy school playground. He wore a wool coat, wool hat, and rubber boots. But his hands were bare.
“My hands are sooooo cold,” said Barnaby. “My hands are sooooo cold.”
Jessamyn James tossed a snowball at the swings. “Rub your hands together, Barnaby,” she called out. “Your hands will warm up if you rub them fast.”
Barnaby held his hands together. He rubbed them up and down. His hands got warmer, but they soon grew tired.
“My hands are sooooo cold,” said Barnaby. “My hands are sooooo cold.”
Harry Harrison was on the soccer field stomping a giant H in the snow. “Blow on your hands, Barnaby,” he shouted. “If you blow on them, they won’t be cold.”
Barnaby put his hands over his mouth. Smoke poured through his fingers as he blew. His hands got warmer, but he soon ran out of breath.
“My hands are sooooo cold,” said Barnaby. “My hands are sooooo cold.”
“Shake your hands in the air, Barnaby,” called a fifth-grader, who was building a two-headed snowman. “That gets your blood flowing. Just shake your hands.”
Barnaby spread his arms. He flapped them like a penguin. His hands got warmer, but his arms soon wore out.
“My hands are sooooo cold,” said Barnaby. “Oh, my hands are cold.”
The teacher walked over to Barnaby. “Why don’t you stick your hands in your pockets, Barnaby?” he asked. “Your pockets are snug and warm.”
Barnaby sniffed. “I can’t. I can’t put my hands in my pockets,” he said. A tear flowed from his eye and froze on his nose.
The teacher looked puzzled. “Why ever not?” he asked.
“Because my pockets are full,” Barnaby replied. “I have my mittens in there.”

Spot K

Spot K
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Classroom Stew

Add broken crayons, white chalk dust,
Pencil shavings, and scissors rust.
A pinch of paste, a dab of glue,
That’s what goes into Classroom Stew.

Pour in black paint, six drops of ink.
Squeeze the sponge from the classroom sink.
Mix eraser crumbs, and hand soap goo,
That’s what goes into Classroom Stew.

Sprinkle fish food, eight lumps of clay,
Silver glitter, papier-mâché.
Rubber cement, gum off your shoe,
That’s what goes into Classroom Stew.

Stir it all well; dump in a cup,
Toast your teacher, and bottoms up.
Hold your belly before you spew.
Then flood the floor with Classroom Stew.

Travelin'Man

Travelin'Man
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Adam Story in MVP*:The MAGELLAN VOYAGE PROJECT had made it to Lake Taho, California, and was enjoying his bus ride and the seat he had to himself, until a large man sat next to him. Travelin' man was his name and he played jazz around the country.

WT Melon Definition: Teacher Twist

Teacher Twist (noun) : A short school story with a surprise or "twist" at the end.

Winslow, the Wild Wheelchair Driver

Winslow whirred off in his wheelchair
When lowered from the bus.
He careened up the front door ramp,
And down the hall toward us.

We clapped and cheered as he came near.
Teachers yelled and scattered.
His chair rammed the janitor’s cart,
And ten light bulbs shattered.

He peeled off in his seat of steel.
Through the office he flew.
When he knocked the copy machine,
A thousand papers strew.

He popped a wheelie, twirling twice,
And rolled down twenty stairs.
He took a corner on two wheels,
And bowled down twenty chairs.

His wheelchair was a silver streak,
Speeding across the gym.
He struck the stage and ricocheted,
With teachers chasing him.

Winslow zoomed into his room.
Toward his desk he tore.
He yanked the brake, so tires would make,
Skid marks across the floor.

Running is not allowed in school.
Now one more rule we need.
The next day signs hung in the hall:
10 MPH Maximum Speed.

WT Melon News! 2

New at wtmelon.com!
The WT Melon FAQ/Q&A/OIC Web page
Check it out!

Burp

Burp
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Tanya was a tattle-tale. So when she found a yellow alarm box with her name out it hanging in the hall, she was delighted. Now she could sound the alarm about prolbems she found in the school anytime she wanted to.

John Paul Jellyfish: Men-of-War Invasion 4.

4. Along the Coast
Only the boldest of sea captains would have remained in those threatening waters. But that is what Captain John Paul Jellyfish intended to do. Hugging the shoreline, he caught a fresh land breeze and struck out northward with his fleet.
After a short distance the beach ended. The flat sand gave way to round dunes that turned into grassy bluffs that became high rock cliffs rising straight from the sea. Monstrous breakers burst into white foam upon smacking the tall dark walls.
“Pardon, Cap’n,” hailed the moon jelly. “Our scout discovered a sea cave-o in these cliffs.”
“Excellent, Mr. Brown,” John Paul replied. “I shall go below. Perhaps that’s where I can acquire some information.”
The Captain submerged and found the sea cave. With a tricky bit of seamanship he sailed into the long, winding tunnel. Mosaic patterns of blue barnacles, yellow sea anemone, and orange starfish decorated the walls.
“Good day, lads,” John Paul greeted the colorful creatures. “Begging your pardon, but my fleet is new to these parts. Would any of you be so kind as to answer a few questions concerning our whereabouts?”
The cave dwellers ignored the visitor. The barnacles didn’t budge; the anemone still twiddled their thousands of fingers, and the starfish refused to wave even a single arm.
The Captain came about sharply. “Well, this certainly is a stuck-up crowd,” he huffed and shot from the cave.
A mile farther on, the jellyfish fleet entered a forest of sea kelp. For over an hour the jellies threaded through a jungle of swaying green. More than once they halted for a crewmember to untangle a tentacle from around a kelp stalk.
Halfway through the kelp bed, John Paul came nose to nose with a bigmouth bass.
“This could be trouble, sir,” the yellow sea nettle whispered. “We’d best retreat.”
“Notice if you please, Lieutenant,” John Paul replied coolly. “We jellyfish are too big for this fish to slurp for his dinner. Likewise, this fish is too big for us to snare in our tentacles for our dinner. I say it is a stand off.”
Then, with a polite exchange of nods, the fleet and fish continued their separate ways.
Back on the surface, the Captain spotted a worn out sun disappearing behind the rock cliffs.
“Mr. Brown,” he shouted. “Find somewhere to anchor for the evening, if you will. Our search must continue in the morning.”
“Right-o, Cap’n,” said the moon jelly, who started barking orders.
The fleet had hardly begun to beat out to sea before--Splat! Spunk! --the water exploded. A glance toward shore showed John Paul two boys dancing wildly upon the cliff tops. Each held a rock.
“Hit the jellyfish!” one of them shouted. “Two points for hitting the jellyfish!”
“Ready! Fire!” shouted the other, and their bombs came hurling seaward.
“Bags!” the Captain cursed. “Artillery! All hands! Battle quarters!”
Sploonk! Sploosh! The rocks pounded the ocean. The tremendous splash nearly blasted the Captain out of the water.
“Avast there, lads!” he bellowed, although he knew that boys could not understand a jellyfish. “We’re friends, not foe!”
Plonk! Plunk! Another volley split the waves. It missed its mark by inches.
Although the thought of retreat was detestable to John Paul Jellyfish, this time, caught under fire by surprise, what other choice did he have? A direct hit from that two-pound shot would send any of his crew straight to the bottom.
“Bags!” the Captain repeated, as another salvo whizzed over his jelly sac. “I shall return!”
That said, he turned and led his fleet toward the open ocean. By the time the next round of rocks struck the water, the jellies were safely out of range.
“Lieutenant!” John Paul rasped. “Battle report!”
The yellow sea nettle glided to the Captain ‘s side. “Sir!’ he said. “No casualties, sir. But we thought those hooligans had sent you, sir, to the Jelly’s Graveyard, sir.”
“Those young sparks were just bored,” the Captain sneered. “Since they’re unable to swim and play in the water, what else can they do at the seaside but pitch rocks? Mr. Brown, set a course for the nearest safe anchorage. Tell all hands to keep a sharp lookout for danger.”
“Right-o, Cap’n,” went the moon jelly.
By the time the stars returned that night, the jellyfish fleet had anchored in the calm waters behind a sand bar. They enjoyed their first motionless rest in one hundred days at sea.
On this sweet, starry night, the Captain moored himself apart from the rest of the fleet. He allowed his thoughts to flow back to England, to Plymouth Harbor, and to his home underneath a certain pier there. That is where, he was certain, his true love was waiting for his return. Yes, tonight our hero was thinking about Emma, pink, soft, squishy Emma.
“There’s plenty of jellyfish in the sea,” John Paul sighed before drifting off to sleep. “But sweet Emma is the one for me.”

Thinking Cap

Thinking Cap
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Why do teachers say put on your Thinking Caps, when hats aren't allowed to be worn in school?
Check out the Thinking Cap at WT Melon.com! Read stories and plays, and view slide shows!

John Paul Jellyfish: Men-of-War Invasion 3.

3. People

Early the next morning, the jellyfish fleet poppled in choppy waters off the coast of the new land. A short distance away lay a stretch of sandy beach carpeted with people.
The Captain ran a trained eye along the crowded shore. “Lieutenant, notice that sign beyond the beach, if you please,” he said to the yellow sea nettle drifting alongside him. “It reads: AMERICA HOT DOGS. That’s what I shall call this new continent.”
“Hot Dogs, sir?” said the Lieutenant.
John Paul’s jelly quivered. “No, America!” he rasped. “I shall call the land America.”
Again the Captain checked the crowded sand. He had seen people before, plenty of them. Each summer they packed the seashores of southern England. Although none had ever done him any harm, they were creatures he cared to avoid.
“But something’s not right about this beach,” John Paul said inwardly. “Something I can’t quite put my tentacle on, Something’s off, and I’d give an ounce of jelly to know what it is.”
The Captain turned. “Mr. Brown!” he cried, and the brawny the moon jelly appeared alongside him. “Prepare the fleet to sail, if you please. We shall prowl the shallows for a closer look at this American beach.”
“Right-o, Cap’n,” replied the First Mate, although he remained floating by his captain’s side.
“Well, what is it, Mr. Brown?”
“Pardon, Cap’n,” the moon jelly ventured to say. “But in all me days at sea-o, I’ve seen miles of beaches covered with people-o.”
John Paul scrutinized the sand some more. “Yes, what about it?”
The First Mate’s short tentacles rippled bow to stern. “You see, Cap’n, I know how the landlubbers like to sometimes splash around in the water-o. Especially the wee ones. They find it clever to float on their backs and belly-os.”
“I’m well aware of the habits of people, Mr. Brown. Please make your point.”
“Well, Cap’n, notice the water around here. Not a single soul is swimmin’ in it.”
Yes, that was it! John Paul thought. Although the air is warm, the water is empty. So what is keeping the people from taking a dip?
“All hands, make ready to sail at once,” came the moon jelly’s command. “And keep it quiet, crew. Not a sound.”
Without further delay, John Paul spread his speckled jelly sac wide open. A quick pucker of the bell forced jets of water from his body, propelling him toward shore. His tentacles fluttered behind him like kite tails.
Closer in, the surf was gentle. Small waves lapped and hissed upon the sand like crooked tongues. John Paul knew better than to venture in farther. Any wave, no matter how small, could sweep his entire fleet ashore and strand it there as lifeless lumps of gel.
Nonetheless, the Captain had a sufficient view of the people sprawled on the sand. He marveled at the variety of shapes, sizes, and colors in which this creature came--short, long, flabby, curvy, white, black, and most shades in between. Plenty of little ones were busy with sand. Still no one entered the water.
“People! Revolting creatures!” John snorted. “Imagine having ghastly furry heads in place of handsome jelly sacs. Imagine having spindly legs and arms in place of splendid tentacles. And few people have enough jelly inside them to wobble whatsoever.”
Spying nothing suspicious here, John Paul led his fleet down the length of beach. He had become bored with people watching when a small girl in a pink bikini suddenly jumped to her feet. Flapping her arms like a bird, she called out, “I’m a pelican! Pelican! Pelican!” and dashed toward the ocean.
The commotion this caused was remarkable. The instant the girl entered the water, grownups from all over sprang off their towels. In one grand chorus they shouted:
“SUSIESTOPSTAYAWAYFROMTHEWATERIT’SNOTSAFETOSWIM!”
Waves rocked the jellies as the girl in the pink bikini splashed back to shore.
“I’m a pelican! Pelican!” she cried, returning to her towel.
John Paul was baffled. Spinning a full circle, he spied nothing in those waters that spelled danger. To be sure, close by swam two genuine pelicans that were eyeing the girl indignantly, but they appeared harmless.
The Lieutenant swam up to the Captain. “Sir, could the people be leery of us sea nettles in the fleet?” he suggested. “You know, sir, what a smart sting we can deliver if provoked.”
“In our present position we are not visible from the beach, Lieutenant,” replied John Paul.
The moon jelly, who had dropped underwater to search the sea bottom, now resurfaced. “Nothing below, Cap’n,” he reported.
“Well something is striking fear into these American people, Mr. Brown,” snapped the Captain. “Something is making these waters off limits to those young ones.”
John Paul turned to address the entire fleet. This marked an historic moment. Years later when old jellyfish tell their young ones the tale of this voyage, they still recite the famous words the Captain spoke that day.
Captain John Paul Jellyfish clenched a tentacle and tucked in his jelly. In a commanding voice, he gave this pledge:
“Fleet company, together we crossed a mighty ocean. We have discovered a new land. However, there is peril here and our task is not complete. Now we must scour the coastline and track down the menace that is terrorizing its subjects. We must fight this scourge, whatever it is, wherever it is, and eliminate it from these shores forever.”

Japan Map

Japan Map
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Here's the Japanese edition of the Apple Island map. Can you find Chalk Mountain? Office palace? The Grand Playground? The Big Book building?

John Paul Jellyfish: Men-of-War Invasion 2.

2. Land Ho!
Day broke at last. Captain John Paul Jellyfish watched the stars blink out one by one. Before the North Star disappeared, he checked his bearings and determined that the fleet had retained its westerly course.
A blazing white disk rose out of the sea behind the Captain. “A brand new sun,” he observed. “Again I wonder where the new ones come from. Where did the old one go? So many mysteries in the world. So many things I need to know.”
First thing in the order of the day was morning inspection. During his rounds John Paul heard the First Mate dismiss the night watch and call up the morning crew. He watched the Lieutenant lead some hands through morning drills.
“I see slack in your jelly sac, sailor!” the yellow sea nettle barked. “Less wobble! Less wobble there! Don’t let those tentacles droop, or I’ll have the lot of you flogged!”
It was the regular routine of a jellyfish fleet at sea.
“Discipline and drill keeps a sailor’s mind away from mischief,” John Paul assured himself.
Toward noon, the Captain was wondering if this day would be like the others of swaying skies and pitching horizons, when the lookout cried, “Ahoy, Captain! Flotsam spotted off your port bow!”
Privately, John Paul was befuddled by these fancy sailing terms. Why, for instance, did seamen insist on saying bow, stern, port, and starboard, when front, back, left, and right would serve the purpose just as well? And for the life of him, he could not remember what flotsam meant.
Fortunately, the First Mate sang out, “I see it, Cap’n. A bit to your right-o. There’s somethin’ floatin’ in the water-o.”
John Paul saw it too. There, bobbing among the heaving waves, was a beer bottle.
“Lieutenant!” he cried. “Report to the crew that flotsam has been spotted, if you please. That bottle can mean only one thing. Land is near--land where people live and litter!”
Shortly afterward, a frigate bird glided over the fleet. Here was the first non-marine creature the jellies had seen in months, more proof that land was close. They let out a whoop as the bird swooped toward them.
“Avast there!” John Paul bellowed. “Cease that racket or the hungry creature will have you for lunch!”
All afternoon, the fleet sailed past other evidence that their journey was almost over--a patch of seaweed, a plastic spoon, a Styrofoam cup, and a light bulb.
“Smucker, take a sounding, if you please,” John Paul ordered a young mushroom jelly who was part of the regular crew.
Smucker dropped below and came up to report, “By the mark fifteen fathoms, Captain.”
“Excellent,” said John Paul. “We should be sight land by sundown.
Sure enough, toward nightfall the lookout gave the cry all the jellies longed to hear,
“Laaaaaaaaaand ho-o-o-o-o-o!”
The Captain peered northwestward. The horizon, for months a wavy line, now appeared as a pink smudge.
Excitement welled up inside John Paul’s jelly. “Mr. Brown!” he barked. “Alter course! Ready about! Shift the rudder! Down helm! Hard alee and all that! We have crossed the Atlantic at last!”
As the fleet turned in unison, the First Mate led the cry, “Three cheers for the Cap’n-o! Hip! Hip!”
“Hurrah!” sang the entire crew.
“Hip! Hip!’
“Hurrah!”
“Stow it, Mr. Brown,” the Captain broke in. “Kindly return to your station.”
At the moment, John Paul felt anything but a hero. While regarding the approaching coastline, a ripple of fear ran from his red-freckled sac to the tip of his tentacles. In the twilight, he could make out the silhouettes of tall buildings, church steeples, and factory chimneys. As they sailed closer in, gleaming storefronts, cross-crosses of streets, and rows of houses came into focus. Still nearer to shore, he spotted swarms of cars creeping along a freeway.
“Well, this isn’t India,” John Paul admitted. “This must be an entire new world, some uncharted land. I’ve discovered something. But I wonder what on earth it is.”
Day broke at last. Captain John Paul Jellyfish watched the stars blink out one by one. Before the North Star disappeared, he checked his bearings and determined that the fleet had retained its westerly course.
A blazing white disk rose out of the sea behind the Captain. “A brand new sun,” he observed. “Again I wonder where the new ones come from. Where did the old one go? So many mysteries in the world. So many things I need to know.”
First thing in the order of the day was morning inspection. During his rounds John Paul heard the First Mate dismiss the night watch and call up the morning crew. He watched the Lieutenant lead some hands through morning drills.
“I see slack in your jelly sac, sailor!” the yellow sea nettle barked. “Less wobble! Less wobble there! Don’t let those tentacles droop, or I’ll have the lot of you flogged!”
It was the regular routine of a jellyfish fleet at sea.
“Discipline and drill keeps a sailor’s mind away from mischief,” John Paul assured himself.
Toward noon, the Captain was wondering if this day would be like the others of swaying skies and pitching horizons, when the lookout cried, “Ahoy, Captain! Flotsam spotted off your port bow!”
Privately, John Paul was befuddled by these fancy sailing terms. Why, for instance, did seamen insist on saying bow, stern, port, and starboard, when front, back, left, and right would serve the purpose just as well? And for the life of him, he could not remember what flotsam meant.
Fortunately, the First Mate sang out, “I see it, Cap’n. A bit to your right-o. There’s somethin’ floatin’ in the water-o.”
John Paul saw it too. There, bobbing among the heaving waves, was a beer bottle.
“Lieutenant!” he cried. “Report to the crew that flotsam has been spotted, if you please. That bottle can mean only one thing. Land is near--land where people live and litter!”
Shortly afterward, a frigate bird glided over the fleet. Here was the first non-marine creature the jellies had seen in months, more proof that land was close. They let out a whoop as the bird swooped toward them.
“Avast there!” John Paul bellowed. “Cease that racket or the hungry creature will have you for lunch!”
All afternoon, the fleet sailed past other evidence that their journey was almost over--a patch of seaweed, a plastic spoon, a Styrofoam cup, and a light bulb.
“Smucker, take a sounding, if you please,” John Paul ordered a young mushroom jelly who was part of the regular crew.
Smucker dropped below and came up to report, “By the mark fifteen fathoms, Captain.”
“Excellent,” said John Paul. “We should be sight land by sundown.
Sure enough, toward nightfall the lookout gave the cry all the jellies longed to hear,
“Laaaaaaaaaand ho-o-o-o-o-o!”
The Captain peered northwestward. The horizon, for months a wavy line, now appeared as a pink smudge.
Excitement welled up inside John Paul’s jelly. “Mr. Brown!” he barked. “Alter course! Ready about! Shift the rudder! Down helm! Hard alee and all that! We have crossed the Atlantic at last!”
As the fleet turned in unison, the First Mate led the cry, “Three cheers for the Cap’n-o! Hip! Hip!”
“Hurrah!” sang the entire crew.
“Hip! Hip!’
“Hurrah!”
“Stow it, Mr. Brown,” the Captain broke in. “Kindly return to your station.”
At the moment, John Paul felt anything but a hero. While regarding the approaching coastline, a ripple of fear ran from his red-freckled sac to the tip of his tentacles. In the twilight, he could make out the silhouettes of tall buildings, church steeples, and factory chimneys. As they sailed closer in, gleaming storefronts, cross-crosses of streets, and rows of houses came into focus. Still nearer to shore, he spotted swarms of cars creeping along a freeway.
“Well, this isn’t India,” John Paul admitted. “This must be an entire new world, some uncharted land. I’ve discovered something. But I wonder what on earth it is.”

Half Pint Dairy

Apple Island
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Have you ever wondered where the half-pint cartons on milk in your school's cafeteria come from? When Bradley Zimmerman was exploring Apple Island he came upon the Half-Pint Dairy. Hidden in the bushes, he watched two teachers milk cows, one white milk and one chocolate milk, into the familiar half-pint containers students find in their lunchrooms.

John Paul Jellyfish: Men-of-War Invasion 1

1. The Fleet

The jellyfish fleet sailed over the grape-dark sea. Out from England for over three months, the jellied sailors had seen nothing but wrinkled ocean and smooth blue sky. Long Atlantic swells rolled under them. Salt spray stung their jelly sacs. Choppy white-capped waves pitched and tossed them dizzy. Up peak, down valley, up peak, down valley, up, down, up, down, that’s how it was mile after mile, day after day.
With every wave Captain John Paul Jellyfish let out a low groan. His tentacles hung limply beneath him. His stomach turned somersaults. In short, this bold sea captain, the most celebrated jellyfish who ever sailed the seven seas, was seasick.
The Captain turned a full circle. The horizon appeared as a teeter-tottering gray line where ocean met sky.
“Bags! Oh, bags!” John Paul swore, as another wave broke over the bow of his red-speckled jelly sac. “If only something would stand still!”
A shout came from starboard. “Sir! Captain, sir! Over here, sir!”
John Paul turned to find his Lieutenant, a yellow sea nettle jellyfish, cruising beside him.
The Captain, who hated being disturbed in this queasy condition, fumed, “What is it, Lieutenant?”
“More grumbling among the crew, sir,” reported the yellow sea nettle. “There’s more doubt than ever about this voyage, sir. Not one jelly in the lot thinks we’ll reach India by sailing west like this, sir. Begging your pardon, sir, but the crew thinks your jelly’s gone fruity, sir. There’s talk of mutiny.”
More water slipped over John Paul’s jelly sac. His reply came over the howl of the wind and the swish-swash of the waves.
“I’m well aware of the crew’s concerns, Lieutenant. Those jellies still believe the earth is flat. Please remind them, I never said this journey would be a joy ride. But I can guarantee them this, the world is round, and we’ll soon be across this wretched ocean, resting our sacs in some calm, windless cove.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” the Lieutenant answered. “The earth is round like a pancake, you say, sir?”
“Like a beach ball, Lieutenant!” John Paul rasped. “This world is as round as a beach ball! You are dismissed!”
As the sea nettle turned, the Captain noted the wobble of disbelief in his first officer’s sac. Soon after leaving England he realized the Lieutenant was not a jellyfish he could count on.
John Paul rescanned the horizon. “We must make landfall soon,” he said. “Or there will be trouble with the crew.”
The Captain ran a keen eye down the length of his fleet spread out on either side of him. Their number was small. Having scoured through the back coves and under every pier in Plymouth Harbor, he had found only two-dozen jellyfish willing to set sail with him. A slovenly bunch at first, few of the jellies could sail a straight line without getting their tentacles tangled, let alone knew the meaning of trimming your sac or beating jelly bells to windward. Yet over the past weeks the officers had drilled and shaped them into crack sailors. Their umbrella-shaped hulls now floated like silk parachutes in the water. Fine ribbons of tentacles dangled below each one.
Another rolling billow hoisted the string of jellyfish onto a snowy crest, and then dropped them like stones. John Paul Jellyfish thought he left his stomach behind.
“Mornin’-o, Cap’n,” chimed the First Mate, a brawny moon jellyfish, who came sailing up to John Paul’s side. His short tentacles rippled around the rim of his broad, gray jelly sac.
The Captain’s jelly sac puckered. “Good day, Mr. Brown,” he muttered.
“Beggin’ your pardon, Cap’n,” said the First Mate. “But you’re lookin’ a tad green-o around the jelly bell this mornin’.”
John Paul gave the moon jelly an icy stare. “Stow it, Mr. Brown,” he growled. “Attend to your duties, if you please.”
Being a seasick jellyfish and a sea captain at that was something of which John Paul was not particularly proud.
“Right-o, Cap’n,” came the First Mate’s snappy reply, and he hastened away.
This day passed like all others. The sun, a bright buttery ball, followed its usual course across the sky and sunk into the sea ahead of the fleet. As night came on, a stiff easterly wind sprang up. It whisked the jellyfish along at a terrific speed.
The night passed sleepless for the Captain. Not only did the unabating wind keep his jelly wobbling, but self-doubts plagued him as well. According to his stellar observations, he should have reached land weeks ago. Could he be wrong? Would his fleet ever reach India? Could the earth be flat after all, and he was leading his fleet to folly?
To add to his concern the reports from an occasional passing fish were not encouraging. A humpback whale migrating sound described huge chunks of ice afloat in the water to the North, while a swordfish, only yesterday, spoke of warm southern waters infested with teams of sinister hammerhead sharks.
Miserable, John Paul bobbed in the inky-black water. As sea spray slapped his sides, he gazed up at the spinning stars. Rolling a tentacle into a clench, the Captain cursed at the universe,
“Bags! Oh, bags!”

S. Apple Island

S. Apple Island
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Here's the southern part of the Apple Island, the most trecherous and populated portion of the island. This...is where most of the crabby teachers live. This is where Bradley had to go to rescue his class at the S.C.H.O.O.L.

WT Melon News 1!

New at wtmelon.com!
The MVP*: The Magellan Voyage Project Interactive Map!
Click on places Adam Story stopped in during his journey around the world and read about his adventures there. Go Now!

School's Out!

Spot
Have a hoppy summer!

Last Day

Rah! Rah! Sis-boom-bah!
Hip! Hip! Hip! Hooray!
Ta-daaa! Ooo-la-laaa!
At last, the last day!

Va-va-voom! I’m free!
Adios! Hear! Hear!
Whoopee! Yessiree!
So long, long school year!

Welcome to summer.
Lazy days adored,
But what a bummer.
Already I’m bored.

Miss Tralala

Miss Tralala
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Charlie hated art, because he was so poor at it. then one one a substitute art teacher showed up in the classroom at the end of the hall and asked the class to draw her. Charlie was delighted when Miss Tra La la took off her coat, and he saw that she was a stick person! Charlie drew her with confidence! How many kids have discovered that Tra is art spelled backwards?

Pencil sharpeners

Scientists can put robots on Mars put they have yet to make a quiet pencil sharpener. Be it a hand-crank type or an electric one, the pencil sharpener is the noisiest thing in your classroom. Knowing this, if you want to want to make a fortune before you even reach Grade 5, Wonderful Ones, invent a silent pencil sharpener.

Prince Oh

Prince Oh
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

One afternoon when Adam Story was at After School Club, a mysterious man joined him at the picnic table and made him a challenge. If Adam could travel around the world in forty days, using only surface transportation, not only would he be the youngest human ever to do so, but Prince Oh of MVP*:THE MAGELLAN VOYAGE PROJECT would give him 4 million smackeroos.

Ways to Pass Out Paper

During Teacher Training on Apple Island, teachers learn many ways to pass out paper to students. One of the trickiest ways is the Teacher Spin. It goes like this. As the teacher is about to place a sheet of notebook paper on a student's desk he or she gives the sheet a quick flick of the wrist and sends it spinning like a helicoter blade. If done correctly, the paper spins a few seconds before the student's face before landing on the desktop. The perfect spin leaves the paper facing the student in the right direction. This takes years of practice and only the best teachers can do it. Other ways of passing out paper include The Tobaggan method, The Around-the-Back method, and the Overhand-Underhand method. How does your teacher pass out papers?

Home Sweat Home

Elevator Family
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Home Sweat Home hangs wherever the Wilsons stay. Whitney and Winslow made this needlepoint sampler in second grade before they could spell very well.

Teachers’ Pets

For lunch we ate the hot dogs,
That chased the copy cats,
That caught the computer mouse,
That worried the spelling bee,
That stung the early birds,
That gobbled the book worms,
That they stuffed into the hot dogs,
That we ate for lunch.
Ick!

Adam's Journey

MVP* Map
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Here's a world map showing the major stops Adam Story made during his circumnavigation of the world in forty day. Adam Story didn't realize it, but he was involved in the GGG: the Great Global Game1!

WT Melon Definition: Prince Apple

Prince Apple:(noun)
The leader of Apple Island. Prince Apple lives in Office Place which is located on the Great Hallway. Although Prince Apple is the head of the island, few teachers follow any of his orders. Prince Apple from Apple Island is where the word principalcomes from.

A,B,C Spot Run!: J

Spot
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.