A Secret Dream

 A Secret Dream

    For Annie, the most exciting day of the week was Friday because it was the day the stagecoach came to town. As soon as the stagecoach pulled up, the team of tired horses had to be unharnessed. It was Annie's job to take the horses to the stable, while her father harnessed up a fresh team.
    While all this was taking place, the stagecoach passengers got out and headed toward the hotel to wash up and eat a meal. The people were always covered with dust from the rugged trails on which they had been traveling. Although they were tired and dusty, Annie watched and always admired the women in their long, elegant dresses.
    Annie observed them closely and wondered who they were and where they were going. Often, she liked to create little stories in her mind about these women. Later on, she would write the stories down in her journal. "Perhaps that tall, beautiful woman was on her way to meet her handsome fiance," she thought. "Maybe that girl in the emerald green dress was heading for a fancy boarding school in the city."
    Annie hoped that someday, she, too, would travel in a stagecoach and visit interesting, faraway places. While she traveled, she would write about all the fascinating people she met along the way. Annie hadn't yet shared these thoughts with anyone, and for now, it was her secret dream.

What did Annie do as she observed the women that were traveling?

What was Annie's secret dream?

The Fisherman and the Fish

 The Fisherman and the Fish

    A fisherman sat still on the bank of a sparkling stream one bright afternoon. He had arisen before dawn that morning, eaten a healthy breakfast, packed a good lunch, and set out with his pole and other gear just as the sun was creeping up.

    The fisherman sat in the shade of a tree near the cool water. He already had eaten his lunch and taken a small nap. He might have felt completely content, except that he had not caught a single fish all morning and was starting to grow impatient. "Perhaps another spot downstream would be better," He said to himself.

    Suddenly the fisherman felt a tug on his line, and when he pulled the pole out of the water, he saw that he had caught a rather small fish. Removing the fish from the hook, the fisherman was startled to hear the creature speak.

    "Please let me go," the fish pleaded. "I am much too small for you to eat. If you throw me back into the river, I will soon grow to a size that will satisfy your hunger."

    The fisherman began to imagine a great fat fish heaped on a serving plate in the middle of his table. As the fisherman paused to think about this, the little fish thought that he had persuaded the fisherman to let him go.

    However, when the fisherman returned from his daydream, he looked at the fish and said, "But I have you now, and I may not catch you again." With that, he tossed the fish into his bucket, picked up his pole, and made his way toward home.

Hannah's Story

 Hannah's Story

    Hannah was discouraged. She had an assignment for class to write a story about how she had accomplished a goal, but she could not think of anything to write about no matter how hard she tried.
    "I'd better make a list of ideas," she told herself, jotting down some notes about the time she helped her father reorganize his carpentry tools in the woodshed. Then she started another page and made a chart and diagram showing what her aunt had taught her about growing tulips. But neither of these ideas inspired her.
    "Maybe it would be worthwhile just to try writing down every single word that pops into my head," she thought. She sat at her desk in suspense, waiting for some words to come, but nothing came to her. Suddenly the process of developing an idea seemed completely beyond her.
    Hannah's father gave her some good advice. "Why don't you postpone working on the assignment for a few minutes, take a short walk, and entirely clear your mind," he said.
    Hannah went out and walked around the block. "Writing this story is one goal I just cannot seem to accomplish," she mused. Then something clicked. The ideal topic had been hidden within her imagination the whole time, and she had finally found it. What you are reading is the story Hannah wrote, and I am Hannah.

What were some things that Hannah did to help think of a writing idea?

How did Hannah solve her writing problem?

Natural-Born Drummer

 Natural-Born Drummer

    Travis had a habit of drumming on surfaces with his fingers, with pencils, and even chopsticks. Several times a day, Travis's parents, teachers, and friends commented about his constant drumming.

    Therefore, Travis's parents were astonished that on the day before Travis was to try out for the school band, he was uncertain about which instrument he wanted to play. So Travis and his father went to a local music store to generate some ideas. Travis browsed the selection of rental instruments, picking up a flute and handling the keys, then examining a trombone. On impulse, he chose a saxophone and tried blowing into it. But the sound that emerged was a pitiful honk, like a wounded goose. Then Travis asked to try another instrument--the drums. He had never played drums before, but he'd certainly had plenty of drumming practice.

    The next morning at school, Travis appeared at the doorway of Mr. Blees's classroom for the tryout. Mr. Blees called on Travis and pointed to a drum set in the corner of the room. He listened carefully as Travis experimented with different beats and rhythms on the drums. When Travis had finished, Mr. Blees smiled. "You're a natural-born drummer," he said, "and you've got a spot in the school band."

A Fresh Perspective

 A Fresh Perspective

    The students in Ms. Jensen's English class filed into the room and sauntered to their usual seats. Ms. Jensen observed them from her desk in the back corner of the room, and an idea formed. This week's literature contained characters that were experiencing changes, and she thought it was time for an experiment.
    The students typically wrote in their journals for five minutes about a topic written on the board at the front of the room. Today, Ms. Jensen quickly jotted notes of her own while the students wrote, and when the five minutes were up, she walked to the front of the room to address her students.
    With a smile Ms. Jensen began, "Today, we are going to experiment with change. I would like you to gather your things, because it's time to move to a new seat!"
    The students began murmuring to each other and a few looked doubtful. Ms. Jensen directed the students to move to the front of the room and assigned new seats to everyone. Class proceeded as usual, and after a while Ms. Jensen requested that the students open their journals for a second time. Some grumbled about this new direction, but everyone soon complied.
    "Now. I would like you to describe the differences in this room when viewed from a different seat," Ms. Jensen explained.
    From the way the students' pens moved rapidly over the surfaces of their papers, Ms. Jensen could tell that her experiment had been a success.

How did Ms. Jensen change her students' view of the classroom?

Why did Ms. Jensen think her idea was a success?

Live from the X Games

 Live from the X Games

    This is Brad Willis, coming at you live from the scene of this year's Summer X Games. Right now, we're at Huntington Beach, where the finals of a new surfing competition known as "the Game" are being held.

    The game differs from regular surfing competitions because it involves two teams of eight surfers competing in four quarters. Each quarter is broken into two 20-minute heats. Four surfers from one team go first in a heat, followed by four from the second team. The remaining surfers then repeat the cycle, and the top two wave scores are added for a team score.

    Later this afternoon, we'll take you to Woodward West for the qualifying trials of the downhill BMX, the bicycle motocross event that promises to be wild and woolly. You won't want to miss our live coverage.

    Mike Metzger has turned in a fine performance in the Freestyle Moto X. His backflips have wowed the crowds. Metzger joins 300 of the world's best extreme action sports daredevils for this year's games. In a minute, we'll show you some footage of the Brazilian skateboarders. They've put on quite a show at these games.

Tom Sawyer's Fence ADAPTED FROM A STORY BY MARK TWAIN

 Tom Sawyer's Fence
ADAPTED FROM A STORY BY MARK TWAIN

Tom looked at the fence and all gladness left him. Whitewashing it would take his whole day. He sighed and brushed paint along the first board. Soon, Ben stopped to tease. "I'm going fishing, but you'd rather work." Tom burned like fire, but he didn't show it. Instead, he said, "What do you call work?" Ben couldn't believe what he heard! Tom's Brush swept back and forth and Ben grew very interested. He said, "Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little." Tom kept working and told him no. Ben pleaded, "Let me try! I'll give you this apple." Tom made his face look sad, but excitement filled his heart. Slowly, he handed over the brush. So Ben sweated in the sun and Tom munched his apple in the shade. Other boys stopped by and when Ben tired, Tom traded the next chance to Billy for a kite--and so on. By afternoon, Tom had ten marbles, a bit of chalk, a piece of blue grass, a doorknob, and a couple of tadpoles. If he hadn't run out of whitewash, he'd have charged every boy in the village for a chance to paint his fence!