This letter was for a  history assignment.  Katia had to imagine she was a 49er, traveling west for the California gold rush of 1849.  Using that frame of mind, she wrote a letter to her family back home.

Boomtown, CA

July 30, 1849

Dear Daddy,

Out here in Boomtown its quite noisy.  And very crowded too.  I left home for gold so I could help out with the family fortune.  My once neat brown hair is now a mop.  I’m heading off to California in search of yeller.

The journey was rough. I had to take the sea route. No more land wagons were available. Land and sea is too expensive. The ship I was taking always had a soaked deck from high waves. We also went through the Straits of Magellan which was very risky. I’m glad we made it!!!

When I got to Sacramento City, there were rats everywhere! One climbed up my pants!!! I had $500 left. I bought four cans, rope, a tent, and a mountain canary. I set up a claim in Boomtown, using the four cans to form a square, and rope to circle them. I got the nick-name “Tough Rat” because of the rat that was on my pants. I went back to town the next day for a pick ax, shovel, flannel shirt, and pan. Then I was panning for gold, digging coyote holes, and finding yeller!

I struck it rich!! 37 gold nuggets, 5 gold dust bags, and a broken pan. I’m coming home with it all!!!

Your miner,

Tough Rat

Trader Joe the crocodile.

Katia had a homework assignment to write a story about stairs.  The title for her story was inspired by playing Guitar Hero! :)

I was in bed.  Bored.  Tired.  But I couldn’t get to sleep.  I was hot.  So I went to the closet to pull out the fan.  But I didn’t find clothes.  I found stairs.  Stairs that weren’t here before.

Being a very curious and brave person, I put a foot on the first step.  It creaked.  I went to the next one.  Then the next and the next.  Finally, light came out of no where.  It blinded me for a second.  Then my eyes adjusted.

Trees, plants, flowers, animals!  My sight was filled with a jungle scene.  Birds flew over my head.  Jaguars meowed a greeting to me from the trees.  Flies buzzed around my head.  I read about this place.  The Amazon!!!!!

I’ve always been a party animal all the time, so I joined the jungle fun.  I talked to the cheetahs, swung around with the monkeys, and relaxed in the sun.  I drank nectar with the bees, ran with the birds, and took a ride on a crocodile in the Amazon River.

Then, I remembered home.  I told my friends I had to go.  But I just couldn’t leave this life of luxury.  So I sat with the jaguars in the trees, drank nectar with the bees, and ran with the birds one last time.  The crocodiles escorted me home.  I ran down the stairs.  This time I didn’t care if they squeaked.  I had breakfast and went to school.  When I came home, I immediately finished my homework.  Then I rushed and opened the closet door.  Inside was dark.  But I heard a squeak.  It was the stairs.  I ran up the stairs, ready to play in the jungle again.