The Shortest Month

Wonderful Ones,
I always feel sorry for February. It's too short. This mean that if a class is writing monthly reports or dueing mothly social studies project, they have a shorter amount of time to do them in in February. For this reason February, although it had Valentine's Day, is not a very popular month in schools.
All the best, WT Melon

Sub Dude

Sub Dude came from a sub stationSub Isle. He sailed to this school in the suburbs to teach his subject any subject from subtraction to sub atomic particles. Read more about Sub Dude in the forthcoming book Mouth Moths, More Classroom Tales.

WT Melon Definition: Eeeny, Meeny, Miny, and Moe

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, and Moe: (noun): Four test testers from ITS the Iowwa Testing Site. Read more about Eenny, Meeny, Miny, and Moe in the forthcoming book Mouth Moths and Other Classroom Tales.

Burp, the School Alarm

Tanya was a tattle-tale. She never minded her own business. So Tanya was delight when one day a yellow alarm box appeared on the hallway wall of WT Melon Elementary School. She pulled this alarm and Burp, the School Alarm appeared. Whenever Burp sounded the alarm all the classes would file out to the playground and Tanya could tattle all she wanted. Read more about Burp, the School Alarm in the forthcoming book Mouth Moths, More Classroom Tales.

WT Melon Classroom Observation 2:

"In every classroom in the world you will hear the word 'cuts' at least two times each day."

2ndGraders #16

WT Melon Alphabet: P

P is for Palindrome: A word or phrase that is spelled the same written forward or backward. Adam Story in thge book MVP: Magellan Voyage Project enjoyed palindromes such as the phrase "Madam, I'm Adam." How many other palindromes can you find in MVP?

Mouth Moths

Paul always forgot to raise his hand before talking out in class. One day he opened his mouth and three moths flew out. On the internet he learned that these were Mouth Moths and they live in the Adam's Apples of many school children. The only way to prevent them from flying out of your mouth is to apply pressure on your throat by raising your hand first. Read more about Mouth Moths in the forthcoming book Mouth Moths, More Classroom Tales.

WT Melon Classroom Observation 1:

"In every classroom in the world, if the class sings the Happy Birthday song, someone will say 'cha, cha, cha."

The Catchiest Tune

When WA Mozart himself taught George the Catchiest tune, George was delighted. When Geroge played the tune on his recorder for the kids on the playground everyone couldn't help dancing.

ANTA CLAUS OF ANTARCTICA XI

Mr. Anta Claus and Carol found the eight yaks waiting patiently in the field at the edge of town. Anta climbed into the front seat of the seat. Carol gave each yak a candy cane and climbed in back. She shot a leery look at the empty sack on the seat beside her.
“Pull out the wool blanket underneath the seat,” Anta told her. “Tuck yourself in good and snug. It gets nippy up in the sky at night.”
“OK, Mac,” Carol replied. She wrapped the blanket around her legs, and looked upward. Luckily on the day her teacher at school talked about stars, Carol had paid attention.
Now she was able to point to the sky and announce, “There’s the Big Dipper, Mac.”
Anta ducked in alarm. “The big what?” he cried.
“The Big Dipper, silly,” said Carol. “It’s a star constellation in the shape of an ice cream scoop. Let’s see now, if you follow the two pointer stars of the Big Dipper, you can find...ah, there it is--the North Star. My teacher said if you want to travel north you should follow the North Star.”
“Mighty handy, that,” said Anta. “I should pin a star like that over the South Pole.”
Crackling his whip in the air, Anta Claus shouted, “North we go again, lads! Northward until there is no more north to go. We’re taking a slight detour to the North Pole. I have some business up there to clear up. So get on Greenback Yak! Get on Yellowback Yak! Oh! Oh! Oh!”
Carol pointed skyward. “Follow that star!”
In seconds the sleigh was aloft. It whizzed through the chilly moonlight, over farm fields as flat and shiny as marshmallow tops; over ominous forests of spiky pine trees that cast ghastly, jagged shadows on the silvery ground.
And there were sounds. Not only could Carol hear the heavy breathing of the yak team and the whistle of wind through the sleigh runners, but every so often came a Dong! Dong! of a church bell or the baying of a worried hound far below.
As the sleigh passed over each village, Mr. Anta Claus talked to his yaks. “Great bother that Santa Claus,” he said. “Look at all the Christmas decorations. He’s been everywhere!”
In the back seat Carol sat exhilarated. She honestly meant to keep still; she meant to keep silent, but that was impossible. As she slid from one side of the sleigh seat to the other she shouted, “Whoopee! Ooo-la-laaaa! Faster, Mac! Faster! Boy, just wait until I tell the kids at school about this, Mac!”
Anta clutched the reins tightly as Carol continued to talk. “You know each Christmas morning my mom and I have a family tradition,” she said. “First I open a present, then she opens a present, and then I open another present. She usually runs out of present to open long before I do, but we still like our family tradition. Every year. After that we sing Christmas carols at the piano.
Jingle bells, jingle bells! Jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride in an eight-yak, open sleigh...Hey!”
From the driver’s seat came a long sigh. “Carol, cut the caroling?” Anta said. “This night has been rough enough.”
“My apologies, Mac,” Carol said in a whisper. “You looked a little glum, that’s all. I just wanted to cheer you up some.”
“Right,” said Anta. “There’s a load on my mind.”
“Well, tell me about it, Mac,” said Carol. “I’m a good listener. I listen to my mom talk about her boring job at the bank and her goofy boyfriends all the time. Come on, Mac; tell me what’s bothering you. Spit it out.”
So Mr. Anta Claus told Carol about his unusual night, beginning with the workshop and trolls.
“I hope there’s enough food in the icebox for them to snack on tonight,” he said. “They get very hungry smashing up all those toys.”
He went on to explain about his long list and about all the things he collected each Christmas Eve.
“And each year there’s more and more stuff and my job gets harder and harder,” he said.
Carol listened attentively. While hearing about Tierra del Fuego, the snowstorm, and the wild ride north, she caught sight of the shaggy yaks ahead. The moon glistened upon their colorful backs. When Anta’s story was over, she waited a minute before remarking, “You know, Mac. I bet those beautiful yaks look like a night rainbow to any person on the ground looking up right now.”
Anta gazed forward and snapped the reins. “I see what you mean,” he said. “Right, I see what you mean.”

Tod and Dot

Tod and Dot were two TVP trackers in the book
MVP:Magellan Voyage Project They were twins although Tod talked with an English accent and Dot talked with a French accent. How could this be?

2ndGraders #15

WT Melon Alphabet: O

O is for Prince Olioli Oh:The producer for the MVP team during the Great Global Race. All 24 team producers belonged to LORD: the League of Royalty Without Domain. Read more about Prince Oh in the book MVP: Magellan Voyage Project

Happy Heart Day

The Smallest Valentine

I unpacked my Valentines,
And laid them in a stack.
I found a list of classmates,
To write their names on back.

I made a card for teacher,
Some for a few friends of mine,
But the card I gave to Anne,
Was the smallest Valentine.

A nasty one went to Sam.
A funny one went to Joe,
But I like Anne best of all,
And she must never know.

Elevator Family Musical

Here is the first part of the song OTIS which is the first song in ELEVATOR FAMILY MUSICAL.

WT Melon Definition: Detention Center

Detention Center: (noun): Each timezone during the GGG: the Great Global Game had a DC or Detention Center. When trackers caught players, they took them to the DC they were in for a 72 hour penalty stay. Read more about the 24 DC's in the book MVP: Magellan Voyage Project

2ndGraders #14

ANTA CLAUS OF ANTARCTICA X

“My name is Anta Claus,” Anta explained to the girl on the sofa. “I live on the South Pole with Tis and Twas. I’m rather famous in the lower half of this planet.”
The girl said nothing but continued swinging her legs as she inspected the curious intruder.
“It’s my job to collect Christmas things from every house on Christmas Eve,” Anta went on. “That way, children won’t have to wake up on Christmas morning and find that ridiculous stuff cluttering up their homes.”
The girl cleared her throat and made a weak smile. She said, “Well, Mr. Claus, my name is Carol and I live in this house with my mother. I’m in second grade and my teacher says I’m above average in reading, writing and math, but I have sloppy handwriting. I’m not famous or anything like that, but I do know a thing about children. We love Christmas. We don’t want one thing taken away from our houses. Did you say you lived on the South Pole, Mr. Claus? Maybe that’s why you are doing things backward. Maybe you’ve been living upside-down on the bottom of the earth too long.”
“Great bother, this little girl,” Anta grumbled through his whiskers. Aloud he asked, “But who was that jolly, fat man. Who was that chimney dropper with the mangy animals? You said you knew him.”
“Of course, silly,” Carol replied. “Everyone knows Santa Claus.”
Anta scratched his beard. “Santa Claus?” he echoed. “What an odd name. I’ve never heard of him. Does he live around here?”
“He lives on the North Pole,” Carol told him. “He has a workshop there, where his wonderful elves make the toys he delivers to good girls and boys on Christmas Eve. And those mangy animals you mentioned? Those are his magnificent reindeer who pull the sleigh full of toys throughout the world all in one night.”
Santa Claus? North Pole? Elves? Workshop for making toys? Mr. Anta Claus felt dizzy.
For the next minute he sat by the fireplace, silently thinking. Certainly something big was brewing under that pointy black hat of his, because he kept nodding his head, looking out the window, and scratching his beard. Finally he batted the cotton ball away from his face and spoke these remarkable words. “This Santa Claus fellow, where do you think I could find him?”
Carol’s eyes went toward the clock on the wall. “Tonight, of course, is his busiest night,” she said. “He must finish his work by morning. That’s when children open the presents. I suppose Santa is back at the North Pole by now.”
“So where is this North Pole?”
“Smack on top of the world,” said the girl. “Let me show you.”
Carol slid off the sofa and stepped over to the cupboard. This cupboard was the place she shoved all her school papers and books when she got home each day. After rummaging through the crumpled math sheets, spelling tests, and forgotten homework assignments, she pulled out a thin book entitled A Beginner’s School Atlas.
With the book in hand she plopped down on the floor next to Anta Claus. “Let’s see now,” she said, thumbing through the pages. “Ah, here it is...a map off the Northern Hemisphere.”
Anta leaned over. Carol’s finger lay on a chunk of green next to a large area of blue.
“Here is where we are now,” she said. “This is Virginia.”
“Are we anywhere near Usa, or the United States, or America?” Anta asked.
“Well you see, Mr. Claus, Virginia is a state in the country called the United States of America,” Carol explained. “In other words the U.S.A. It is all the same place.”
“Right,” Anta murmured.
Carol glided her finger to the top of the map. “Now look. Way up here in this white area is the North Pole.”
Anta Claus raked his beard with his fingers. “That doesn’t appear to be too far away as the sleigh flies,” he said. “I could be there in two shakes of a yak’s tail.”
Carol slapped the atlas shut. She eyed Anta meaningfully. “You mean you might go there tonight?”
“Right. I’d like to chat with this other Mr. Claus.”
“Then perhaps...maybe...possibly...is there any chance I could come?” she asked. “I mean you will need someone to help find the way, won’t you? My teacher at school says I’m great at finding ways to do things. And really, I’m not a bad kid when it comes to traveling. I mean, I’ll sit very still and always whisper and not bug you while you’re driving. I never get car sick, and I promise I’ll never ask you to make a toilet stop. Oh, please can I come with you? Oh, please. Pleeeeeeeeeese!”
This had been a been a tremendous performance by Carol. With all the hand wringing, painful expressions, and just the right amount of whining she added, how could Anta Claus refuse her.
“Perhaps we could make room for you in the back seat,” he said. “And I certainly could use some company in this strange land.”
“Yippee!” Carol shouted. But instantly she slapped her hand over her mouth. Through her fingers she whispered, “Oh, thank you, Mr. Claus. Thank you.”
“Mac, my friends call me, Mac,” said Anta.
“All right, Mac,” said Carol. She rushed to the coat closet and returned wearing a puffy, red down jacket. “All set.”
Anta chuckled to himself. He thought the girl resembled a big apple. “Right. Now one more thing,” he said. “Do you have something for my eight yaks to nibble on? They have been flying all night and must be famished.”
“I know just the thing,” said Carol, and she marched to the Christmas tree to pull off eight candy canes. “OK, Mac. Let’s go! If we could get to the North Pole and back in two hours my mother won’t ever know I was gone.”
Mr. Anta Claus glanced toward the kitchen, then toward the fireplace. Baffled, he asked, “How do little girls enter and exit houses?”
“Through the front door, silly,” Carol replied. She tucked the atlas under her arm and held the candy canes like a bouquet of flowers. As if leading a parade, she swung the door open and marched out of the house.
“Great bother, this,” Anta Claus muttered, and he followed the girl outside, out into the enormous night.

Mimi

Mimi kept losing her pencils. One day she discovered that a slender, side-sided yellow fellow has been stealing them and grinding them up into pencil shavings to give the to the great chefs of Pennsylvania. Mimi finally caught this fellow named Ti-2 short for Ticonderoga 2.

ANTA CLAUS OF ANTARCTICA lX

Mr. Anta Claus stood as still as a snowman outside the strange house, in the strange village, in the strange half of the world. What strange behavior had he just witnessed?
He peered through the window a second time. Yes, it was all there; the fir tree, the packages, the ridiculous stocking, and something he had missed before.
Peeking out from behind the sofa, was a girl dressed in a long pink nightie. She knelt like an angel, hands tucked under her chin, her lips pressed tight. Her brown eyes were open as wide as checkers.
“Poor little darling,” Anta said softly. “She appears to have been spooked by that man who dropped down her chimney. Indeed, what a shocking sight that was. I bet she needs someone comfort her. I must get inside this house at once.
Now, you may wonder, how does Mr. Anta Claus enter a house? You would never catch him using a door. Dropping down a chimney was something new to him. Instead, he tramped to the backyard of the house and searched for the drainpipe. Finding it, he made himself as thin as a snake and plopped down the narrow opening. As quick as a blink he popped up inside the house, in the kitchen sink.
Anta Claus climbed to the floor. Driving his shoulder against the kitchen door, he burst into the living room waving his arms.
“Don’t worry, little darling,” he cried. “That nasty man is gone. I’m here to help you.”
When the girl saw the black-bearded man spring into the room, she dropped on her bottom. You could have stuck a snowball into her gaping mouth.
Anta headed for the Christmas tree and began scooping up the presents. “Just leave everything to me, little darling,” he said. “You’ve had quite a fright, haven’t you? The nerve of that man to leave this Christmas stuff here. I’ll have it cleaned out in a jiffy.”
The little girl, who up to this moment had been unable to move a muscle, now rose to her feet. Her mouth bobbed up and down until one word peeped out. “Stop.”
Anta Claus halted, unsure of what he had heard.
“Stop!” repeated the girl, more boldly this time. “Put down those presents. Santa just brought them.”
Now it was Anta’s turn to look puzzled. Scratching he beard, he said, “You’re telling me you don’t want me to haul these things away.”
Seeing that the skinny man in the black suit meant no immediate harm, the girl slipped out from behind the sofa. Cautiously she sat on the front edge.
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “Why would anyone want to take these great things away?”
Anta dropped the package in his hand. “Well, you see,” he said weakly. “It’s--it’s my job.”
The girl pulled her nightie over her knees. She swiped a strand of brown hair out of her eyes. “Well, sir, your job sounds rather peculiar to me,” she said.
Mr. Anta Claus sat down on a short stool by the fireplace. This night, he realized, was a long way from being over.

Sand Sandwich

I bit it.
I spit grit.

Moominpappa

Here is the boat Adam Story sailed across the Gulf of Finland to get to Russia in the book MVP*:Magellan Voyage Project. Do you know where the name Moominpappa comes from?

ANTA CLAUS OF ANTARCTICA VIII

Chapter VIII
In the sky above Mr. Anta Claus’s head flew eight brown animals about the size of bicycles. Each animal had antlers as big as tree branches. The creatures pulled a large sleigh that looked remarkably like Anta’s own sleigh, although it was red instead of black. What bothered Anta Claus the most, however, was the man standing in the sleigh. He was fat and had a white beard. What is more he wore a suit that also resembled Anta’s although it was red as well.
The animals, sleigh and fat man descended into the village. They landed right on the snowy roof of a nearby house.
“Great bother, this!” Anta Claus cried. “What a crazy thing to do! Why would anyone park on a roof?” And he bolted toward the house.
Up on the housetop the eight animals stood. The man in the red suit had climbed from the sleigh. From the back seat he hauled a large sack--a sack that was full!
Anta Claus hid behind a lamppost and continued to watch. “What is that character up to?” he wondered. “He sure is a jolly fellow. But those animals! Poor drab and puny creatures. It’s a wonder they can pull a large sleigh like that, especially with a fat guy and a loaded sack riding inside it.”
The man on the roof swung his load over his shoulder and stepped to the chimney.
“What now?” Anta said under his breath. “He’s not going to climb that chimney, is he?”
But that is precisely what the mysterious man did. One moment he was scrambling up the brick chimney and the next he was gone.
Horrorstruck, Anta Claus rushed to the house. He peered through the front window. The man in red was stepping out of the fireplace. After placing his sack on the carpet, he started pulling out armloads of Christmas trappings. In a second and a half, a candy cane covered fir tree stood in the corner of the room and dozens of packages lay under it. A second later a stocking--size XL--that had been drooping over the fireplace, bulged with toys and candy.
All this happened so quickly that Mr. Anta Claus had no time to protest. “For a fat fellow he can sure move fast,” he remarked.
The man in red now returned to the fireplace. There he paused. His twinkling eyes flickered side to side as a smile pushed up his red cheeks. Had he spied something? Perhaps. But all at once he placed a finger under his nose and ...A...A...Achooo! He let out a noisy sneeze.
Outside the window Anta shook his head. “Poor fellow has a cold,” he muttered to himself. “Yet he’s the culprit who has been making all the work for me year after year. He’s the one who’s been leaving all the Christmas clutter in southern houses for me to clean up. Great bother, him!”
The man in red rose up the chimney and sprang to his sleigh. With a crack of a whip, the eight tiny animals leaped into the sky.
Grumbling under his breath, Mr. Anta Claus watched them go. Again he heard the racket of bells, and when the sleigh was far above the village, he heard something else. He held a hand to his ear. Did he hear what he thought he heard? Yes, the shout came again.
“Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas one and all!”

2ndGraders #13

Ground Hog Day

Wonderful Ones,
Happy Groundhog Day tomorrow. Legend has it, that if a student goes out to the playground during recess and sees his or her shadow, there will be six weeks left to the school year. Try it.
All the Best, WT Melon