Room 229

Hello everyone,

After some unfortunate delays, we now have the next two installments of Room 229’s Historical Fiction Podcast Series available on iTunes.

Tamara, Emma, Karis and Juliana refer to Goldstone, and teach about building the world of the story in your mind.

Tasha, Helen, and Sophie refer to Esperanza Rising, and teach about walking in the main character’s shoes.

Goldstone Source Esperanza Rising Source

This is our Historical Fiction Podcast. This is episode #3. This is about Historical Fiction strategies. Please listen by clicking on the itunes logo on the blog.         http://www.juliajarman.com/images/STOWAWAY.jpg

Hi all, did you check out our new podcast series?  All you have to do is click on the i tunes picture on the right to listen.

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Please listen to our Podcast, thanks. bye.

Have you seen our new podcast? It totally rocks!!! To listen to it click on the ITunes link. (A big CD with a note on it.) We are working on a series of Historical Fiction podcasts along with the rest of the class. We are introducing different ways to read and think about reading historical fiction. We talked about the book Morning Girl by Michael Dorris.

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We hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as much as we enjoyed making it.

Hi Everyone!

We posted our next writing pieces a little while ago, and now we have finally finished recording all of our podcasts.  Check out the podcast widget on the right side of the page.  If you want to leave a comment about someone’s podcast, it’s best to leave it on the related post.

Great reading!

Here is my first writing podcast. If you want to hear that, click shunsuke1.

FIRST DAY IN BANGKOK

It was cold raining day. Outside was very cold, so we are in home. I was playing TV games in my bedroom. Suddenly my mother said “We will go to Thailand.” First I thought my mother is kidding me, so I asked to her. ”Are you kidding me? Mother said “No.” I shocked about that Because in Korea I had many friends. I didn’t want to go to Thailand.

I didn’t know where is Thailand. I asked to mother again “Where is Thailand?” mother find the map and pointed to place of far to Korea. Mother said “It’s here.” Next day I told to my friends. After 2 month we are go to airport. (In Korea) And we are ready for go to Thailand. We took an airplane.

When I was in the airplane I cried. My family didn’t cry. They were sleep. Because that was night. When we arrived at Thailand I want to back to Korea. And When I looked at the clock, the clock shows one o’ clock. Then we go to new house.

When we arrived at new house I remembered before I move to Bangkok my friend said “I will email for you.” I checked email, there are １email by my friend. I was happy. Now I’m thinking about we move from Bangkok. I don’t want to go to anywhere. I want to stay Bangkok. Because in Bangkok I have many friends.

By Shunsuke

Hi, It’s me Jacob and this is my newest writing piece, soon you will be able to hear it so to do that click on jacob2.

Rollercoaster Rush

My family and I were at Hershey Park and we were looking for a ride, I turned my head and I spotted my first rollercoaster. The big piece of junk towered over me; I knew that this was my first rollercoaster. At the time I was afraid of rollercoaster’s but I took each step with caution towards the rollercoaster called the Comet!
“Ahhhhh” I could hear the people scream rushing over us as we waited in line. Every step made me jump because the wood holding the coaster started to make cracking sounds like they were going to snap. A cart went down the largest drop; the wind was so fast I imagined the cart a being cheetah riding the track instead of a metal block shaped like a comet. I was starting to get scared but there was no turning back now. The line was a huge one right under the rollercoaster so this made me less comfortable. I looked up and I saw the sun glaring down on me, I felt like a fried egg. I looked back down and I saw the steps to our train cart, I felt ready.
I got on the cart “now entering station one” the man at the control panel said. He lowered our bars so tight it felt like he would squish me to death and then smacked the start button. “Cling” was the loudest sound I heard when the bottom of the cart scraped the chain while it pulled us up to the largest drop. “Click” I hate that sound because I knew what it means and I also knew that the next sound I am going to hear is click. I looked over the cart and I saw that the brakes turned on, the next click I knew was going to be big trouble. ”Click” the brakes turned off and I zoomed down and up and down and up and so on. It actually was really fun. A few tight turns and “click” that meant the ride was over so now I really enjoy rollercoasters.

By Jacob William

Here is my post for my second podcast. You can read it and soon you will be able to hear it. Click on

Helen 2 to listen.

The Key

Sometimes, when my mom goes out somewhere, she hands me a key before I leaves for school. I just take the key and put it in my pocket, and wait a moment. I am expecting the amazing thing to happen inside of me, but it just doesn’t.  Then, I remember my first time holding a key experience…

Morning wind felt all chilly and cold, well, maybe because it rained yesterday or because I was so small when I was a pre-k. My mom and I were waiting for the bus to arrive, to pick me up so I could go to the school. Today, the bus did not arrived a long time after we waited. We waited and waited, but still. That’s when I saw my mom, holding a key as it swung side to side.

“Mom…” I said nervously as I tapped on my mom. She turned around, facing toward me.

“Yes?” my mom said.

So I continued.  “ Umm…Can I, I mean may I please hold the key until the bus comes? I will promise I won’t lose it” As I said these words, I got really really worried.  I tried not to show my feelings, but I guess it showed on my face anyway.

She thought for a moment, and finally said, “Yes, of course you can” and handed me the key.

It was an amazing part. Cautiously, slowly I got the key and put it in my pocket. ‘This, wasn’t what I expected.’ I thought. ‘Not that I don’t want to hold the key, I’m just youngest in my family and I’m just small, people don’t trust for keeping things, especially the keys. But she didn’t. That’s all it needs’ As the confusion disappeared, right away, a feeling of joy rushed at me, like a tide, all quick and easy.

“Thank you,” I finally replied when I understood what was going on. I quickly turned around, to hide my happiness from my mom. I knew it would look weird for adults to see a kid so happy about holding a key. I also knew she tried to trust me.

Just then, the bus came down the road, which I never notice. It stopped right in front and the door slide open; I saw an empty sit next to the window. I stepped forward, and walk toward the bus.

“See you,” my mom said as she waved her hand. I waved back as the door closed.
I sat down, just when it started to move, it stopped in the same time. I felt something was wrong. Then the door slide open again, I look behind and the first thing I saw was my mom first time running.

“The key!” she cried.

‘Oh I forgot all about it ’ I thought. ‘What would happen if the bus kept going?’ I felt all small again like before and sorry for my mom. After all, I didn’t get punished or anything, but I never ask my mom about the key again. Even now, I don’t.

Thank you! By Helen

Hi! I’m Sarah. This is my second major writing piece. You will be able to listen to it soon! I hope you enjoy it!

Japan, Brazil, or Thailand

“We’re going to move”, my dad said during dinner in our apartment in Maryland. “To either Japan, Brazil, or Thailand.” I was shocked. He usually said we’re moving to one place, but three possibilities, that was new. We were in the U.S not even for a year and now we were leaving again. With ten years inside me, I thought I would know where I wanted to go, but I surprised myself. This time I was stumped.

All the countries had something good about them. Thailand would give me lots of sports opportunities, especially at ISB. In Brazil I would see my best friend, Andressa, and would be in a country I love, with the language I love to speak. Japan, well, is Japan; that is where I was born and it was so cool when I visited for Spring break. I loved Japan and everything in it. With the ten years rattling inside me, I couldn’t make a decision. It was like I was three years old, choosing an ice cream flavor.

I also knew it didn’t depend on me; my dad and the companies would decide but my dad wanted me to be happy. I still didn’t have a single clue. So I told my dad I didn’t care, that I liked all three countries and I wanted him to be happy. Even after I told him that, I still wondered how I would react when he told us the final decision. So, the day he told us was an anxious one. He said seriously, “ We’re moving to Thailand.” I didn’t know how to feel, I was neither happy nor sad. I just sat there on the sofa and thought, “We’re moving to Thailand.” my dad’s voice echoing in my ears.

I was happy about all the sports I could do but sad that I wasn’t going to hear my best friend yelling with joy or live where I was born. I was happy and sad, although not for the first time. I was ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one and I was now moving to Thailand.

MY PLANE FLIGHT TO BANGKOK
By Tamara

I got on my first plane in Washington D.C. It was on its way to Chicago. When I got on the plane, I thought to myself “We’re getting closer by the second”. I really didn’t know how to feel. In my thoughts, I realized that we were getting farther away from home to. Thankfully the first plane was only six hours long, because that flight let us get ready for the biggest of them all, Chicago to Tokyo

Yes, we are finally here. We have arrived in Chicago. We waited for about an hour for our next flight. There wasn’t anything fun going on, except me trying to amuse everyone. Yes, our flight was here, finally. We got on our plane and boy did first class look comfy.  We all wished we were the people sitting there. It was nice even though we didn’t get first class. The seats in front of us had a TV/movie player so we could control what we wanted to see. In about the middle of the trip I said to my parents “ This is so cool we are going halfway across the world “. I was so excited that I didn’t fall asleep until the last hour.

Yes, we’re finally in Tokyo. We got off the plane and went straight to our terminal. Next stop Bangkok! We got in our terminal twenty minutes later and grabbed something to eat. We were starving!! After our meal we went to wait for the plane to arrive. I wished it was a two story plane because I’ve never been in one before and they looked so cool (well from the outside of course), but it ended up being longer than taller. It took the total time of four and a half hours for the plane to arrive. It was terrible!! I had enough time to take three naps. Finally, we are getting ready to get on our plane. We’re on and ready to go. We were all full of excitement. For two reasons: one was for – Well we are going halfway across the world and two: We are going to be able to stretch out on a bed, yeah!!

Well we are finally here in Bangkok after a tiring day (or you could say night). It added up to be a whole twenty-two hours. Boy we had bad jet lag. And to this day we still have jet lag. The people my dad works for wanted us all to come in the next day. We all couldn’t believe it. I think all of the tiring flights and going to my daddy’s work before twelve in the after noon was all worth it, well to me.

Soon, you will be able to listen to me read my story, by clicking on my name on the podcast widget.