I'm going to post this here because, HOLY CRAP, I'm still in shock. I went to Owen's class to help out today and got to read a piece he researched last week and has been writing this week. It's on the history of animation in America and this is exactly how it appears in his scrawled handwriting in his notebook:
Silent Shorts
Animated Films in America started in 1906. A short called Humorous Phases of Funny Faces was released. Originally a novelity, some early animated shorts were based on comics. Animation classics grow from Gertie the Dinosaur to Felix the Cat and Koko the Klown.
Sound Cartoons
In 1927 Walt Disney created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Charles Mintz and Walter Lantz of Universal Studios. In 1928, Charles' wife, Margaret Winkler hired away all of Disney's Oswald animators except for Ub Iwerks to start her own studio. Then Disney lost the rights to this cartoon. Then Mickey Mouse was born and Mickey first appeared in a test screening. On November 8, the short, Steam Boat Willy was released with was the first sound cartoon.
This goes on and on. He details the creation of Bugs Bunny and Looney Toons, then onto Gumby and into the 1970s! I've fact checked this and it is all correct. The spelling and punctuation are exactly as he has written them. I know adults that don't write this well.
Cash, that's amazing! Wow.
Will he ghost write my next book? Because that's pretty awesome, right there.
I have an interview in a half hour, and my IBS just decided that it wanted to eat me alive.
WHY?
indeed so That's awsome. What grade is he in?
2nd grade. I looked up some of the stuff on Wikipedia. I thought he might have just copied what he read there--but it doesn't appear to be plagiarized (not that he would have any idea what that is). But the facts are all correct and he has the correct people and the correct time line. It looks like he's cobbled together the facts and distilled it down to a very simple essay on the subject.
Cash, I could use a research assistant! I wonder if I can afford him.
He'll work for gummy worms.
Wow--that's so impressive, Cash!
Nora, sorry about the house stuff.
sumi--I hope the bank can straighten out everything tomorrow. There just isn't enough hatred for those kind of thieves. I wish them blistering boils and festering sores on their nethers.
I'm looking forward to the rest of this essay. He's had a substitute teacher for the last few weeks while his regular teacher has surgery. Both teachers are amazing and work well with him--he's got some advanced curriculum and seems to be learning at a breakneck speed. I'm hoping to find a summer enrichment program for him in either film or animation so he can keep pursuing this passion of his.
