Emily-Page Rasmussen

Ms. McGeeAP English 1A

Table of Contents1. Letter to the reader2. Bucket List3. Six word memoir4. Written assignment 15. Written assignment 26. Additional assignment7. My Soul8. Elementary school writing9. Elementary school writing10.Middle school writing

Letter to the ReaderClick the picture, then on “Letter to the

Reader” to hear a magical voice!

don’t worry, it won’t explode.Well, maybe.

Bucket List

1. Meet J.K. Rowling2. Go to Venice and ride in

a gondola3. Fly an airplane4. See the Wimbledon Finals5. Get married and have

kids6. Do the “Duval Crawl” in

Key West7. Visit all 50 states8. Go on a mission trip to a

foreign country9. Own a dog (German

shepherd or a golden retriever)

10. Have pets named Atticus and Mr. Darcy

11. Convince a Brit that I too am British

12. Live in New York City

13. Witness a historical event14. Backpack around Europe15. Put a prayer note in the

Wailing Wall16. Go on a safari17. Have a snowball fight on

the Lawn of UVA18. Take a nap on a park

bench in Paris19. Live in a foreign country20. Be a part of a flash mob

or an ImprovEverywhere skit

21. Have dyed hair or crazy-colored streaks

22. Quit a bad job in the most dramatic fashion possible

23. Be in a play24. Go scuba diving25. Write a novel

Six Word Memoir

Hakuna Matata-it means no

worries!Click The Pic

Written Assignment 1This is just to say

I forgotTo take the dog

For a walkThat is why

He is vibratingFull of energy

Forgive meGlee was onI love you

I love the dogBut they were singing

Written Assignment 2

Click to see document

Written Assignment 2 Cont’d

Click to see document

Additional AssignmentDiscuss something you secretly like but pretend not to, or vice versa.

My dad is a dork.(It had to be said. Sorry, Dad.)He's corny, finds puns hilarious, revels in slapstick humor and delights in wordplay.His jokes are so lame they actually cause physical wincing. As in, "oh my, who

would actually find that funny? Why, why are you laughing so hard?"After almost every joke, every "witticism" Dad throws out, I can usually be seen

rolling my eyes, sighing in exasperation, shaking my head, or burying my face in my hands. The latter is mostly in public, because—big surprise—Dad finds it hilarious to publicly humiliate me.

Dad takes great offense to my disdain for his jokes. It's an off day when I don't get Dad declaring, "That's it! No more jokes for you. You're cut off!" These comedy strikes usually last half an hour, tops. Then it's yet another pun, followed by a delighted, booming Dad laugh, tickled by his own wit.

All of this is undeniably true. My dad is incurably lame. But something else must be admitted: I have the exact same sense of humor.

I love those jokes. Wordplay? Hilarious. Puns? Even better. My dad knows this, I think. He is very aware that I could not go on without his

dorky comedy. After all, my uncontrollable laughing at the various witticisms of The Lion King is proof enough that my sense of humor is that of a seven-year-old. (Really, though, "cheetahs never prosper"? Classic!)

I would never live it down, though, if I admitted outright my love for Dad's offbeat humor. And so he pretends not to see my chuckling, even as I roll my eyes.

My Soul

Elementary School

Elementary School

Elementary School

Elementary School

Elementary SchoolWe used to make books like this all the

time in elementary school; they were bound and everything. This was not one of my more imaginative stories, but I chose it because I admire the simplicity. I named the characters after my parents, and though I actually have no idea how to work a yo-yo, I took creative license and wrote down what was probably random directions. I really, really love these illustrations.

Elementary School

Elementary SchoolI honestly thought that I hadn’t finished the story. I looked on

the next few pages, expecting to find the real end to the story. But no, apparently second chances are not a part of stories with morals. I must have learned my lessons from the Brothers Grimm, because once that leopard turned down help, he was a goner. I’m sure I got my inspiration for this story from the story about the lion with a thorn in his paw, who gets help from a mouse. However, those characters end happily; my leopard dies, while the mouse’s self-esteem is torn down and never restored.

Huh.I also enjoyed how Amanda Askew made random corrections

that weren’t actually necessary at all. This included changing my mouse from a boy to a girl, correcting “heartily” to “heartilly,” and changing “hour” to “hour,” “minutes” to “minutes,” and “mean” to “mean.”

Middle SchoolBest Friends’ Battle  “George Washington is scum! He couldn’t tell a battle from a party!” Will Harley shouted into George Thomas’ face.“You’re wrong! And at least he’s brave! Your ‘king’ can only sit on his throne in England and bark orders!” George yelled back.They both stomped away, and that was it. Their unbreakable bond had just broke; their eternal friendship come to an end.  “Stay there, George—don’t move!” George’s mother warned him as she dashed outside.George peered out the window, amazed at the sight. George Washington and his troops of the newly formed Continental Army were

marching grandly down the pathway! When he looked outside again, George got even more of a surprise. George Washington, his namesake, had stopped in front of his house and was walking up the steps! There were a few knocks, and then Washington himself strode in.

“Son, are you on our side?” the great man asked in a low, booming voice.“Yes-yes sir!” George stuttered, straightening. “Good. You will join us in the Continental Army,” a man called Lighthorse Harry Lee informed him. He planned to lead a cavalry unit, or a

group of soldiers who fought on horseback. “You’re only a boy--about 14, right?--but we need everyone we can get,” agreed a man by the name of George Rogers Clark, who wanted to

lead a force of riflemen west and capture three British forts. George looked from one man to the next: Lee, Clark, and finally Washington.“I’m coming, sir,” George replied suddenly as a wave of desire to help his country washed over him. Then George turned and hugged his

mom.“Goodbye, mother,” he whispered to her, and followed George Washington out the door to free the land that he loved.  Will had spent the last five months moping around after a huge fight with his best friend, George. But not now—he had just

accepted the proposal of a British officer to join the war! His mother had begged him not to go, but he wanted to help the cause.   George ran around wildly, his mouth dry, looking for the troops he was supposed to be marching with. He was in the middle of a

battle--a battle at Yorktown. Finally he found his group. He stared down at the gun he was holding. Then he looked up at the battle raging around him. Finally he felt his courage start flowing back into him.

“Fire!” Lafayette, George’s general, commanded. And so he did--though he couldn’t see if any damage was done through the smoke. Suddenly a figure emerged from the smoky atmosphere. Scared to death, George aimed his gun.“I’ll shoot!” he cried fearfully.“George?” a weak voice called.George gasped. “Will?” he cried.“You were right! I was wrong! The king only wants to tax us-he-they-ooooohh!” Will groaned.“It’s fine. I have to get you out of here--if the British catch you, you’ll be hanged!” I shouted to Will over the din.And then everything was quiet.George and Will looked around. Then applause spread.“We’re free from England! We’re a free country!” people everywhere started crying. The British soldiers that weren’t dead started to flee in

all directions, amid men whooping and shouted with glee, throwing up their hats. “Come on,” George invited his best friend, Will: “Let’s go home.”

So together they walked home, feeling grand about their free country.

Middle SchoolI’m not positive whether I wrote this for an assignment or on my

own time, but this was obviously in the first stages of my English career. I enjoyed using dramatic diction and apparently had no patience for setting up (or carrying through plots). I switch whimsically from third to first person. I also quickly grow tired of writing and decide that one of my main characters will have a change of heart with no explanation whatsoever. At the time I thought that this story was incredibly long, so I made everything nice and happy so I could wrap it up.

There is not much I can say for this piece, except that I was high-reaching enough to include three historical figures into one scene (because recruiting a 14 year old boy for a war takes George Washington himself, along with his historical cronies). Good job, elementary school me. No way the publishers will turn down this masterpiece.

(Dang, high school me is ruthless.)

The End