Task: In several paragraphs, explain your ideas in a logical manner (chronological or order of importance).  Use transitions to help the reader follow your thoughts.

Maine Learning Results:
G4 Write essays that identify a clear topic and reliably support that topic.
G9 Write pieces that use a variety of transitional devices.
 

“So You Want to Be My Friend?”- by C.I.

            The dictionary describes the word friendship as the state of being friends.  This is an extremely simple definition for a very complex relationship.  Friendship is a thing that can have different meanings to different people.
          First of all, some people are just not worth being friends with on any level.  These are the peers in school who talk to you one day and ignore you the next.  They may act as if they’re your friends, but at the same time they don’t have a clue as to what true friendship is all about.  Friendship is not something that can come and go depending on a mood.
          Most importantly, I think that everyone needs a best friend.  Someone who is always there for you and who never (well almost never) lets you down.  Someone who will come over to your house when she hears you’re upset, without even asking why.  Someone who will make you feel good when you’re feeling bad.  A special someone you can tell everything to and do.  For instance, I have a best friend, Abby, and we can talk and laugh about anything and enjoy doing things together.
        Ultimately, a friendship is what you make of it.  If the time is taken to get to know someone that you really care about, then a true friendship can develop.  It also is about give and take and most importantly trust.
         In the end, you need to know that you can trust your friend(s).  It is one of the most important aspects of a true friendship.  If a relationship with someone you thought was a friend doesn’t work out, ask yourself, “Did I really need this person?”

“Sports: All About Winning?” – by J.M.

            To win, by definition, means to achieve victory over others in a competition.  But to me, playing sports isn’t just about winning.  What do you think?  With every winner, there is bound to be a loser.  No one wants to be a loser in any game, so try to focus on the positive things that happen to you or to your team.
           First of all, the reason you play sports is to have fun.  If you don’t want to have fun in sports, then why would you play in the first place and waste all the time and energy?
        For example, you wanted to join the school baseball team, and all you did was sit, wait and listen to the coach tell you how important it is to win.  The coach is not telling you the most important part of being in sports.  If you are doing your best, that’s good enough and the coach should be complimenting you.  Yelling and screaming at the players to learn how to play is not the best method of coaching.  A good coach will help you learn the game, encourage you to practice, and praise you when you do well.
        Some coaches have good people skills and others do not.  When you have a good coach, you will want to work hard for that person and the rewards will be great.  Unfortunately, when you have a bad coach, the opposite is true.  Discouragement and lack of interest usually set in before the season is over.
       Finally, you do not have to be physically fit to play in a sport.  Fitness comes with practice.  If you want to play in a sport, go ahead!  The only thing stopping you is the commitment you have to put into to practice.  To play a sport you have to go to practices and work to improve your performance.  You know what they say, “Practice makes perfect.”
          To win is to achieve victory in a competition.  Perhaps after listening to this, you’ll understand more about the spirit of sports and the affect a good coach can have on you.  Sports isn’t about winning, it’s about having fun, and kicking some serious butt every once in a while.
        

 
“Most Valuable Possession”  by J. D.

         My most valuable possessions are a hat that my sister’s friend gave to me, and a picture of my friend and me when we were little.  These are my most valuable possessions.
         First comes my sister’s friend’s hat.  When I lived in Kentucky he was really good friends with my sister and every now and then he would come to my house and play baseball with me.  He usually got into a water fight with my sister.  EH was the one who taught me how to throw a rocket pitch right overt the plate.  Then we moved to Maine.  He came up with my sister’s friends to visit my sister.  He had a great time and wherever you saw him he had his hat on.  When he was leaving to go back to Kentucky he walked into my house, threw his hat to me and said, “Keep it.” So to this day I will not let anyone touch it.  It had a note inside it that was written in permanent marker.  It said that he hoped that I would not forget him and that I would not forget all the memories that we have.  He is now in college.  I haven’t forgotten. 
             My second most valuable possession is a picture.  This picture is of my friend and me when we were about five and six years old.  This possession is important to me because of all the great memories I have.  I remember all of them when I look at this picture.  I see the memories from when I was three until I was nine years old.  We acted like brothers; we did everything together.
            These are my favorite possessions.  They remind me what it is like in Kentucky and what I have left behind.  They will remind me of the memories I have had in my lifetime.

“A Turning Point in my Life”  by D.S.

      Have you ever been suspended, had an In-School-Suspension, or a detention every other week?  This is how it was for me when I lived in S_______.
       When I lived in S______, I got into a lot of trouble.  Like in fifth grade I got suspended for three weeks.  It really stunk because there was nothing to do when everybody was at school and I was at home.  But I still got to go outside.  My mom was really tired because she had to keep calling the school to see if they would allow me to come back.  I got suspended in the 6^th grade too.  But only for three days.
     I also got detentions a lot.  Mostly for calling out in the middle of class.  That is another thing my mom was tired about.  Sometimes I would get a detention and not tell my mom till the next morning so I could go out the day I got the detention.
       The last thing I used to get was In-School-Suspensions.  An ISS is when you stay in one room for all classes all day.  I didn’t get very many of these.  Maybe two or three.  All this affected my grades.  I didn’t get very good grades until now.  Now that I moved to Kennebunkport I am getting good grades and not getting into as much trouble.  I met better friends and better teachers.
     That is the turning point in my life so far.  Maybe the only one in my life, but maybe not.  Someday I might be a straight A student or become a trouble-maker again.  I don’t know what will happen.

“Grateful: What is it Really?”  by R.F.

            Appreciative of benefit received, or pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated.  This is the definition of grateful in the Collegiate Dictionary.  But I really think that the definition of grateful is being thoughtful for what you have and for what you can do.  In these next paragraphs I will tell you about what I am grateful for such as my life, family, friends, education, and my cute puppy.
          First, my life is the think that I am most grateful for because I have a roof over my head, a loving family, and much more.  People all over the world might not have these things that I have.  In Afghanistan for example, people don’t have food, shelter, and some don’t have complete families because they have suffered through years of war and oppression.  Even here, in Maine some people don’t have things I do.  Sometimes, I wish that I had a different life, but when I think about it, I thank God that I am one of the fortunate people to have all of these things I do have
            Second, my family and my friends are important because without my family and friends I probably would be on the streets with no hope for myself.  They believe in me in good times, or bad, or when I am down on my luck.  They are always there for me and I love them all, and I always will.  I am especially grateful for my sister Emma and my best friend, Kelsey.
           The next asset that I am thankful and grateful for is my education.  This is one of the most important things of all.  When I was in fourth grade I hated school, despised reading, and finally I really disliked myself.  I thought that I was stupid, but my mom, dad, and my friends believed in me and I got better and better.  Then, two years later, I received an award as a finalist in the “Civic Oration.”  My education is everything to me and now I am trying every single day to get even better than before.
         Lastly, I am grateful for having my adorable puppy, Jack.  My family rescued him from the animal shelter.  When we saw his gorgeous eyes staring at us in the kennel, we knew that he was the one that we would bring home.  So we did and from that day on we would do anything so that Jack would stay with us.
         My life, family, friends, education, and my dog are the assets that I care about.  Others my have a different list of those things they are grateful for, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many people’s lists are very similar.