4th Grade Writing

A Snow Day
Written in Winter, 2004

It's a time for sledding, it's a time for games,
A time for making snowmen with silly, silly names.

It's a time for jumping in the snow and getting covered in some,
A time for making snow angels and wondering if real ones have come.

It's a time for a snowball fight and having lots of fun,
A time for drinking cocoa and thinking of all the things you've done.

My Old, Old Man
Recited at the 4th Grade Poetry Reading in 2003

When I see my Geo Safari Talking Globe Jr., I think of my Grandpa Gene.

When I see its round shape spinning, I think of his big round body.

When I hear it talking, I think of all his knowledge.

When I see Italy, I think of the time I went to an Italian restaurant, and I had a great time with him.

When I see India, I think of all the geography games we played that night.

When I see its beautiful bold colors, I think of my hero, Grandpa Gene.

Big Bad Blizzards
Researched by Greg and his Dad, written and delivered by Greg to his class in February 2004. The next day the school had a snow day. Coincidence?

I bet most of you think you know what blizzards are. Big snow storms, right?

Well, that's pretty good, but it doesn't actually matter how much snow is falling for a storm to be a blizzard. The determination of a true blizzard is how much the wind is blowing and how far you can see through the snow. When there are blizzard conditions, the winds must be at least 35 mph or even faster and you can't see very far at all. You can't even see as far as a quarter of a mile. That's about from the school to Longview Drive. And most blizzards are usually below 20°F.

So the difference between a blizzard and an ordinary snow storm is that a blizzard blows snow and in a snow storm the snow falls to the ground.

Snow storms can be fun. Blizzards can be disastrous.

Blizzard of 1978: February 5-7

• Heavy snow fell along several hundred miles of the Eastern Coast of the United States, from near Washington, DC, almost to Canada, just above New England.
• New York City received 17 inches.
• Central New Jersey had 16 inches.
• Parts of New England received 2 to 3 feet.
• Snow formed drifts as high as 15 feet in New England.
• 54 people lost their lives in New England.
• Caused $1 billion dollars in damage.
• Often called the "Storm of the Century"

The things that happened in the Blizzard of 1978 are pretty bad to hear about, but they were even worse to live through.

Sources: Weather.com (The Weather Channel's Website), United States Search and Rescue Task Force, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.