Worst Similes Ever Written in a High School Essay Contest, Installment #2:

"From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30." (Roy Ashley, DC)

P.S. Who thinks this one is actually an analogy?

Parent Post this week:

"My daughter was so proud of the paper she wrote at SpiderSmart that she read it out loud to me in the car on the way home. WOW! What an interesting paper!"

Another Parent Post this week:

"My daughter loves going to SpiderSmart because you have made it a very special and safe place for her to study. I never have to fight with her to go...which is unusual seeing as it is all about doing school work. :)"

Speaking of high school essay contests...

One of our students just won one!! Thanks, 826DC--you're doing great work with students everywhere!! We're so proud of you, Chris!!!

Worst Similes Ever Written in a High-School Essay Contest, Installment #1:

"Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze." Chuck Smith, Woodbridge, VA

Hey kids! Show off those reading and writing skills!

Check out RIF's latest contests: http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/activitylab/contests.htm

According to College Board, "The best way to get ready for the SAT is to take challenging courses, study hard, and READ AND WRITE IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM."

Here at SpiderSmart, we want you to become lifelong readers and writers! Without out-of-school reading to cultivate your comprehension skills, your verbal ability will also remain underdeveloped. We're here to offer you stimulating academic dialogue every week: an extension of the reading and writing conversation you gain in class!

This is where plagiarism will get you, dear students:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8602674.stm

Use all the resources available to you. Teachers are here to help you avoid plagiarism! We want YOUR original ideas, not someone else’s! And to Mr. Pangilinan, we commend you for your admittance and wish you all the best!