Write it Right! by Shabnam M.

Are you frustrated trying to write an A+ paper? Here’s help! Learn how to make the perfect school report… or a MAG article!

STEP 1: PREWRITE
Prewriting is gathering all the information. This is the time when you want to do a little research, interviewing, and observing. Listing your ideas is a good way to get them organized.

STEP 2: WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT
Write your paper. Write whatever you want others to know. This is called your first draft, or rough draft. Don’t worry about any mistakes you make. Just write whatever comes to your head. Check the info you gathered during the prewriting time.

STEP 3: EDITING STEP 1-REVISE
Go over your writing. See if you can make a sentence sound better, or make a word more exciting. Fix up some lines to make them clear and easy to understand. Remove things that are off track, or things that don’t stick with the main idea. You can add more things to make it sound better.

STEP 4: EDITING STEP 2-PROOFREAD
This is the time to correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Make sure you try to correct as much as you can!

STEP 5: EDITING STEP 3-LET SOMEONE ELSE READ IT
If you can’t catch all your mistakes, others can! Give your writing to at least 2 other people. Family members, peers, and writing teachers are great people to go to. The other person can point out things that are not clear, things that can be removed, and things that need to be more descriptive. They can also show you spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes.

STEP 6: WRITE THE FINAL DRAFT
You are all done with your editing, so now you can write your clean copy! Write it in your neatest handwriting, or if possible, type it! Your piece is almost ready!

STEP 7: PUBLISH!
Yay! The final step! Say “alhamdulillah”! Allah has helped you write your paper! There’s only one more thing to do, and that’s publishing. You might think publishing is printing a book and selling it, but it’s not! Publishing can be anything from sending it to MAG to reading it in front of the class. Even turning it in to the teacher is a form of publishing! Publishing can the easiest step or the hardest step.

A FEW THINGS TO ADD:
Sometimes writers write many drafts. For example, they do steps 1-5, then they do 2-5 all over again…and again…and again! Sometimes writers prewrite again after they write a draft. You can write as many drafts as you need to until you have the report, story, article, or paper you want!

Send your school reports, essays, and stories to muslimag@gmail.com! We’d love to publish them!

Coffeecake Swirl

This delicious desert is something you will want to eat all the time! Make sure you have an adult to supervise you when you handle the oven.

Ingredients:

CAKE:
-1 cup Pillsbury’s Best All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
-¼ cup sugar
-¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
-½ teaspoon baking soda
-½ teaspoon baking powder
-¼ teaspoon salt
-½ teaspoon cinnamon
-½ cup buttermilk
-1/3 cup shortening
-1 egg
TOPPING:
-2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
-¼ teaspoon cinnamon
-¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
-1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
GLAZE:
-¼ cup powdered sugar
-2 teaspoons milk
-1/8 teaspoon vanilla
UTENSILS:
-Measuring cups (1 cup, ½ cup, ¼ cup)
-Measuring spoons (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, ¼ teaspoon)
-Large mixing bowl
-Hand mixer
-9 inch x 9 inch square cake pan
-Non-stick cooking spray (such as PAM)

WHAT TO DO:
1: Preheat oven to 350°.
2: Spray the bottom of the cake pan thoroughly with the non-stick cooking spray.
3: Lightly put flour into measuring cup (do not pack!). Level off with a straight edge.
4: Combine all cake ingredients in mixing bowl.
5: Blend ingredients with hand mixer at low speed until moist. Then beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Spread in greased pan.
6: Combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan.
7: When the oven is done preheating, bake the cake for 25-30 minutes. Be sure to wear oven mitts while putting the pan in the oven.
8: When the baking time is done, take the cake out wearing oven mitts.
9: Blend glaze ingredients until it becomes smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the coffeecake.
10: Enjoy this special treat with milk (or tea, or coffee!)

TIPS:
-Instead of buttermilk, mix 1 to 1/2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk to make ½ cup.
-To firmly pack brown sugar, scoop the cup into the brown sugar. When you dump it out, the sugar should retain the cup's shape.
-Buy shortening that comes in 1-cup sticks. Cut the stick where it says “1/3 cup”.

Share Eid, Make Friends by Mariam O., grade 1

Living in America, we are exposed to all kinds of holidays that we usually don't celebrate, but most of us don't get a chance to share the Eid celebration with others around us. I am proud of the Eid traditions, and I really wanted show my school friends how much excitement and fun our holiday brings to us. Last Eid al-Adha, with the help of my teacher, I was able to teach my class about it and also include them in the Eid celebration by passing out a treat.

The morning of Eid, I was prepared to give the speech about Eid. I told them about Hajj, about importance of worshipping Allah and the significance of Ibrahim (PBUH). At the end of the speech, I told them that it was an Islamic tradition to give food to family and friends on Eid and I passed a small treat for everyone.

This was one of my favorite school days. I hope that my friends learned a bit about Islam and that they had fun too. I would really recommend everyone to do a similar thing in their school. It will bring you closer to your friends and hopefully it will erase some of the borders that we have between us.

Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we commit sins. We need to apologize to Allah for these things. This dua is a great dua for forgiveness.

Rabbana zalamna anfusana, wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna la-nakunanna mina-l khasirin.

Our Rabb! we have done wrong to ourselves; and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall surely become of the losers.
(Al-Araf 7:23)

In the Garden, the Shaitan tempted Adam (A) and his wife Hawwa to eat a fruit from a certain tree. Allah had strictly forbidden the fruit of that tree. But still, Adam (A) and Hawwa ate some of the fruit, which was not the right thing to do. The first prophet and his wife realized that they made a mistake, and quickly asked Allah for forgiveness by making this dua.

Allah did forgive them. If He hadn't, Adam (A) and Hawwa would become losers. Allah gave His mercy to them, and the first people became winners.

We make mistakes and commit sins every day, without knowing it. We should make it an everyday practice to pray to Allah with this dua.

It all starts out with the fact that you can’t read the board from the back of the classroom. Or you fail during the nurse’s eye checkups. Or something else. But the only thing that’s certain is that your eyesight is getting worse. And you’ll need glasses.
Glasses.
If you’re getting glasses, MAG is here to rescue you! No, we won’t remove your poor eyesight, but we’ll help you with some frequently asked questions.

FAQ #1: What will happen at the eye doctor’s office?
First, the doctor will check your eyes with a machine. Most likely they’ll put in some eyedrops that will make your pupils very wide. This is to make the eye doctor’s inspection easier. It’s really nothing scary.

FAQ #2: What type of glasses should I get?
This is your choice! There are many types of glasses. There are square glasses, circle glasses, oval glasses, and rectangle glasses. There are also different types of frames, such as thick or skinny frames. The frames come in a variety of colors and patterns too. Try on a few different pairs of glasses and look at yourself in the mirror. Which pair looks the best on you?

FAQ #3: What will people think of me when I get glasses?
Nothing different! Although there is a stereotype that all super-smart computer nerds wear glasses, if you wear glasses, it doesn’t make you a nerd! People will notice it, and most likely compliment you. Keep a smile on your face, and remember that Allah is with you!

FAQ #4: Will my glasses get in the way of the activities I do?
If you play sports or are involved in artistic activities, it’s most likely that your glasses will be a problem. You can buy strings that keep your glasses on your face or you can take them off while you do your hobby. Another option is to get contacts, but only if you think you are very responsible and you aren’t afraid to stick your finger in your eye.

FAQ #5: What should I do to take care of my glasses?
Whenever you aren’t wearing your glasses, make sure to put them in it’s case! From time to time, wipe your glasses with a handkerchief or a glass-cleaning cloth. Spray some special glasses-cleaning liquid onto your lenses at least once a month. Be careful not to drop or crack your glasses, because specs can be expensive!

Getting glasses isn’t something to be afraid of. Now you can see better, see?