Possums

We wrote texts about one of New Zealand's most damaging pests - The Possum. We had to listen carefully to a series of facts being read out loud and then re construct the information in our own words. 

Possums by Kristy

New Zealand Native Birds

In writing we wrote about a range of native birds. See more great examples on our individual blogs.

Ruru by Nikhil

Fantail by Jacky

Kotare by Alexus

Kaka by Tariq

Harrier Hawk by Harrison

Black Robin by Brianna L

Kakapo by Charlotte

New Zealand Falcon by Joshua

The Tui by Liam

The Weka by Suyash

What do you call a camel with three humps?

This week we learned about the ship of the desert or as more commonly known the camel. We took notes from a dictogloss and produced information reports.

Camels by Kristy

Camels by Aadi

How to Grow Micro-Herbs

In writing we wrote instructions for planting and growing herbs. We'll keep you posted on our growing efforts.

Charlotte's instructions on growing your own herbs.

Language Features in Songs

In writing we identified language features that can be found in popular songs. Enjoy

Tundra Animals

This week in writing we produced information reports about tundra animals.

The Polar Bear by Joshua

 The Arctic Fox by Tariq

Snowy Owls by Tvisha

The Caribou by Brianna L

Globalisation Poetry

We wrote a range of poems related to our inquiry topic of Globalisation. See more fabulous examples on our individual student blogs.

Half the World Away

Inspired by the advert below we wrote narratives with a message of kindness. Check out our fabulous narratives on our individual blogs.

Half the World Away!

Staring through her telescope Ruby gazed out upon the heavens. Beyond the silhouettes of the trees sat a great luminous pearl in the vast sea of space. A glimmer of light drew Ruby’s attention, focusing her gaze more intently to the surface. Sitting in a crater sat a rather unusual sight, a dilapidated wooden cottage, with a rust tinged roof and a motionless rocking chair. From inside of the cottage ambled the man on the moon.

The man on the moon had a shock of white hair around his balding, mottled scalp. He had a wizened face with wrinkles that bore deeply into his skin. With each movement there was the creak of old bones. He had the resigned look of one who knew that at his age life has stopped giving and only took away.

On seeing the man’s anguish and solitude Ruby decided to make contact to let him know he was not alone. She wrapped a message in an arrow before climbing to the uppermost bedroom window. Fixing the arrow against the bow she pulled back hard before releasing. Nothing. The arrow sprung from the bow but landed limply on the ground only a few feet away from the house.

Ruby tried again to reach the man on the moon, this time though with a paper plane. Disappointedly the plane only managed a single loop de loop before plummeting to earth, along with her hopes.

The man on the moon sat forlornly on his bench when suddenly from out of the corner of his eye he saw a bunch of balloons the colour of summer blooms approaching. Carried by the balloons was a box carefully wrapped in scarlet and silver paper. The gift gently touched down on the surface of the moon before rebounding gently into his waiting arms. Lifting the lid from the box the man saw a beautiful telescope staring back at him. Bringing the telescope up to his eye the man focussed his gaze on the world below. The man’s attention was drawn to a village draped in a blanket of snow and illuminated with blinking lights. He gazed past an enormous tree adorned with glistening ornaments and glowing fairy lights to the upstairs window of a terraced house. Staring back at him was a small bright eyed girl waving enthusiastically. A tear of joy came to his eye as he realised, through that one small act of kindness, that he was no longer alone.

Teacher Poetry

In writing we were inspired by Hillaire Belloc's poem Jim. However instead of writing about terrible things happening to children we wrote about our favourite (?) teachers instead.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Inspired by the advert below, we wrote our very own fairy tales with a twist. Check out more on our individual blogs.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Room 3

Once upon a time there were three bears, who lived together in a house of their own in a wood.

The pines in the wood were several houses tall and reached towards the heavens. Even if there was a moon that night its silvery rays would not penetrate the dense canopy above her. She followed a narrow path, which was made uneven by the knotted roots that crossed it. All the while she listened for wolves but there were only small sounds of rustling bushes and the howl of the wind. Ahead of her in a clearing she saw a cottage.

The small cottage was so old and poor that it was surprising it was still standing. And yet it seemed alive and welcoming, a warm ribbon of smoke rose from the crooked old chimney. The walls were made of stone and the roof was thatched together with straw. The cottage was the only thing in the clearing. There were no other houses around it, and this one would have looked abandoned if not for the smoke. A green gate with paint falling off was the entry to the property. Then came a narrow path with small pebbles, a tiny pond with lilypads and maybe even a frog or two. Vines grew up the weathered brown planks of the arched door. She crept cautiously along the path and peered through the frosted glass of a window.

Goldilocks’ famous long golden tresses were bound together tightly in a harsh braid and covered with a jet black beanie. Her eyes the colour of burnt coffee narrowed as she cased the home. Her raven black clothes camouflaged her amongst the shadows as she efficiently opened the latch of the window. Lifting the window skillfully Goldilocks entered the property without a sound.

Goldilocks listened intently for any sound of the inhabitants. Silence. Striding confidently into the kitchen she encountered a large oak table bearing three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks feeling famished picked up a rudimentary carved spoon and dug straight into the largest of the bowls. Finding the porridge unpleasant and far too hot, she tasted the other bowls. Finally settling on the smallest bowl she greedily devoured every last morsel. Goldilocks now made her way into the lounge area where a welcoming fire smoldered in the hearth. The warmth, in combination with her full stomach, made Goldilocks stifle a yawn. Surveying the room Goldilocks was unimpressed with the primitive possessions of the family so decided to try upstairs. She searched through the bedrooms, but they yielded nothing of value either.  Fatigue overcame her and Goldilocks decided to lie down and rest before plotting her next move. Some time later she was startled awake by the sound of a wrought iron key turning in the lock.

Goldilocks threw open the bedroom window in a panic and clambered down the drainpipe before disappearing quickly into the shadows. The family walked into their kitchen “Who's been eating my porridge?” enquired the father, “Never mind that, ring the police I think we’ve been robbed!” responded the mother.

“So as far as you can tell, nothing has been taken?” asked the officer as he took down the details in his leather bound notebook. “No, but our food was eaten, and someone’s been through the cupboards and drawers, and it looks like someone has been sleeping in our bed” responded the mother through muted sobs. “I think we best get forensics in” said the officer.

The white clad forensic team moved cautiously through the house in order to not disturb any possible clues. The sound of the cameras going off was like a bush full of crickets. “Dust that spoon for prints too” the team leader commanded. “Boss, look what I’ve got here” said a figure coming down the stairs. A small plastic bag was held up to the light containing a single golden strand of hair.

Sitting at the bench the Honourable Judge Rumpelstiltskin presided over the court. Goldilocks was flagged by two burly moustached police officers. In the witness box was the forensic expert. “Can you confirm that the strand of hair found at the bear’s residence matches that of the accused” asked the prosecution lawyer draped in a long black robe. “Yes I can conclusively state that the hair found at the residence matches the accused. I am in no doubt that Goldilocks broke into the bear’s home”.

After a short deliberation, the head juror delivered a unanimous verdict of guilty. The right honourable judge banged his gavel to bring order to the court before announcing “Goldilocks you have shown no remorse for the crimes you have been found guilty of committing, you leave me no alternative but to sentence you to ten years without parole, officers take her into custody”.

Goldilocks spent the next decade contemplating the errors she had made and on her release finally understood something we all know ‘you must never steal’.

Big Vs Bigger

The Watchmen used a story starter by Bret McKenzie and collaborated on their own version of Big Vs Bigger.

Sean was the biggest kid on the street. I’m talking huge, as big as a bus. He actually lifted a bus once with his bare hands. Sean ruled the neighbourhood. He was kind of a big deal. That was until big Steve, an even bigger kid, moved in next door.

Big Steve was so huge he couldn’t even fit in a regular sized room. His bedroom was an aircraft hangar, and even then his toes would poke out the end. Big Steve’s face was enormous, his eyes were the size of dinner plates and when he had to blow his nose he had to use a king sized bed sheet.

Sean and Big Steve would terrorize the little kids at school. The big boys would pick the little kids up, turn them upside down and hang them from the netball posts until they gave them their lunches. That wasn’t the worst of it though. Big Steve would find the smallest, skinniest kid pick him up and use him like a cotton tip to clean out his ears. The little kid would often be seen walking around stunned with a pointy hat made out of ear wax.

Sick of being terrorized the little kids organised to meet in the basement of the school. The basement was a creepy, scary location but was the one place Sean and Big Steve couldn’t fit. The basement was stuffed with immense spider webs, rusty water tanks, piles of old test papers, dust heaps and rotten old desks. It was here in this dark, dank place that the little kids came up with their plan.

The next day at school Sean and Big Steve approached the little kids as usual. “Give us your lunches, or else!” boomed Big Steve. At this the little kids came together to execute their plan. The kids started climbing up on each others shoulders. One by one they stacked themselves on top of each other to form a tremendously tall tower of kids. The tower of kids now loomed over Sean and Big Steve. The top kids were lowered down until they were waist height to Sean and Big Steve. Many little hands then grabbed onto the waistband of the big boy’s undies and with an almighty pull the little kids hoisted Big Steve and Sean’s underpants up their backs and over their heads.

Some of the little kids who were still on the ground now grabbed the big kids shoelaces, that were the size of tug of war ropes, and tied them together. Sean and Big Steve with their eyes covered by their super stretched undies and their feet tied together screamed out “HELP” as they toppled over and crashed into the school. The buildings were demolished under the sheer weight of the two giants. The hall was demolished, the classrooms were demolished, the office was demolished, the library was demolished and even the toilets were demolished. The principal ran outside to see the chaos and destruction for himself. His face went red with rage as he yelled “SEAN AND BIG STEVE YOU ARE EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL FOREVER!!!” The little kids let out a huge roar ‘YAY!!!!”.

The little kids were overjoyed for not only did they work together to defeat Sean and Big Steve but they had three months off while the school was rebuilt.

Sativa's Speech

A huge congratulations to Sativa on her incredible speech - We're all very proud of your amazing achievement.

In the Jungle, the Mighty jungle

Having watched the work of the great David Attenborough, we went on a safari ourselves and discovered some rather unusual creatures. Can you recognise who we encountered?

Guess Who?

We have been working on our 'show not tell' skills in writing. Can you guess who the people are from our descriptions?

Seeing through Fresh Eyes

We used the video below as inspiration for some descriptive writing.

The Watchmen took on the role of the people in the video who witnessed the Orangutan, they were challenged to use 'Show not Tell' in their description.

Boston

The stranger who entered my kitchen had long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. I was just getting the order ready for table 42 (two steaks one medium rare and the other well done). He sauntered up to my station and stared at the red hot flame. His large chocolate eyes showed that he was frighted of the fire. He started to walk away looking at the other things in the kitchen like knives, busy chefs and bustling waiters carrying plates.

Connor  

I nearly finished my shift I was on my last route before heading back to the depot. It was a successful day I had a full bus, it looked liked the passengers had all been Christmas shopping with bags bursting with toys and wrapping. Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from the extended front limbs of the next passenger. He took a seat. He sauntered closer and closer to me, the closer he got the more adrenaline pumped through my heart. His large cinnamon eyes expressively showed his confusion at his new surroundings. He stared out the bus window and witnessed all the things that a human being would see every day such as the water fountain, the road and the ice cream truck. When my doors next opened the stranger made his way carefully down the steps and onto his next adventure.  

Mizuki

I was at my favourite restaurant with my friend Sam, to celebrate his birthday. I ordered two chicken burgers with chips and tomato sauce. A creature with long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair came up to our table. He had extended front limbs and sauntered like an old man. His large rich chocolate eye expressively showed his curiosity at these new surroundings. He looked confused watching the people in the restaurant eating their food. He strolled with his great arms and legs. He pushed the door gently and went into the kitchen. He went outside to explore the huge beautiful word

Tariq       

I was in the kitchen getting food ready for table 42. The order was chicken and two steaks cooked medium rare. The order was almost ready to be picked up when  a stranger with long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair sauntered in. His large rich cinnamon eyes expressively showed his shock at these new surroundings. He looked close to the flame. The hairy beast was shocked, he ran away like an antelope running away from a fierce tiger.

Suyash

I was working in my office sending an urgent email to the suppliers when I witnessed a mysterious creature climbing the building in front of our office.  The stranger had long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. His large hazel eyes expressively showed his interest at these new surroundings. He climbed slowly with his long arms looking at the lights of the city, amazed. The creature strolled along the city streets and then made his way gingerly onto the 277 bus.

Jacky

Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. The stranger in the dark city sauntered in the restaurant, swung on the light bulb and landed on the floor loudly. It gave me a fright. My mouth hung open wide as I witnessed the beast. My spaghetti fell off my fork and landed in my bowl. His large hazel eyes expressively showed his curiosity at these new surroundings. The stranger walked into the kitchen, the chef was shocked and screamed the furry animal was scared too and quickly strolled out of the restaurant.

Nikhil  

Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. The stranger in the city sauntered like a slow man up to the bus stop. I was driving an enormous 277 bus. I pulled up to the stop, he entered and sat on an old seat made out of wood at the back. His large rich chocolate eyes expressively showed his confusion at these new surroundings. He looked a bit troubled as he stared out of the bus window as we passed wind farms spinning. The curious creature pressed the stop button on the tall yellow handles, I stopped the bus at the next stop and he made his way carefully down the steps and onto his next adventure.  

Rayan

Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. As I was coming home from work I saw the stranger in the city sauntering through the night like a ghost. His large rich chocolate eyes expressively showed his confusion at these new surroundings. He made his way through the street and went inside a restaurant into the kitchen and watched the red hot burning flame curiously.

The Green Lantern Corps took on the role of the Orangutan. The challenge here was to describe the different sights, smells, sounds he would have experienced. However as they were writing from the perspective of an Orangutan they weren’t able to refer to objects by their name.

Alexus

Precariously I swung my way down to the ground. I made my way through the concrete jungle, wondering what was going on? Hesitantly I crept around. I came to a stop where I could smell food. The delicious scent dragged me to a halt. I came face to face with a giant rectangular plank. Tumbling my way through the wooden plank, I came across a strange place. I could hear a lot of noises from the unusual creatures within. I looked around with amazement wondering what things were about?  My eyes caught a glimpse of creatures that were swimming around in water. Looking around I saw hairless apes eating their food. Making my way through, I was looking around at all the puzzled faces. I watched the sun go round and round. The twinkling lights dazzled from above. I returned home where no strange creatures were found.

Charlie

The jagged object wouldn’t stop moving. With hesitation I carefully stepped onto the grey contraption. Stumbling I quickly got back my balance. Looking around there were strange hairless apes who were stood on their hind legs. The hairless apes look confused to see me in their habitat. My feet felt tingly on the moving rectangle. Wondering how I was going up without taking a step I looked up to find little suns spread out on top of white pieces of log that were placed above me. On a slant the mysterious grey track was heading into something new. I stepped off onto the smooth flat ground. Spotting another long peculiar moving object I decided to try going on it again. I stepped onto the strange machine and in front of me stood a pair of strange creatures talking in a language I had never heard before. Looking back at where I had came from the colorful dressed creatures pointed at me and whispered to each other as the moving ground took me further away. Ignoring the stares I looked outside the window to find bright stars brought down from the sky lining the roads.

Kristy

I hesitated for a moment, before I slowly put my foot down on the long moving object. With a slight jolt I stumbled onto it. It kept moving forwards and wouldn’t stop. Turning my head around I could see the hairless apes curiously staring at me, with confused expressions. Whispers came from out of their mouths and they looked at me like I was some sort of stranger. The strange creatures were talking in a complicated language that I had never heard before, and raising their voices at the smaller apes. As the silver rectangular contraption led me up to the top my hands fell off the edge. I jumped up. Looking up I could see many tiny suns watching over me. Walking across the smooth, cold ground my feet tingled and my legs started to shake vigorously. I spotted another moving floor and decided to have another try, this time feeling more relaxed and confident. On an angle the silver rectangle led me down to the bottom. I enjoyed the ride as there was no walking involved. At the end my long, shaggy strands of hair very nearly got stuck in the sharp, grey teeth. Multiple times I went back and forth between the two moving floors. I enjoyed the thrill of it every time. Staring out of the clear square I could see all the stars brighten up the concrete jungle.

Joshua

Strolling through the clean box and sniffing the air, lots of scents travelled through my nose and I leapt onto a short tree without leaves. Looking around me I saw heaps of hairless apes holding silver sticks. They poked the brown and green lumps and then ate them. Many small suns hung from the canopy. Finding a cave, I entered and found myself staring at fires burning on smooth rocks. Hollow rocks that were split in half hung on small, stiff vines. I went over to one of the fires and wondered how it came out of nowhere. The fire licked a rock that one hairless ape held. It then got tipped over and I saw what those things had been eating. Tipped onto a flat slab of rock, it got carried out. I gazed at the fire in wonder. How did they capture suns? How did they make fire out of nowhere? My mind was bursting with hundreds of questions. I sauntered out of the cave and as I did, the things sitting down turned and looked at me.

Shreyas

Roving through a huge cave, thousands of suns beamed brightly at me.  Apes covered in a very strange colourful hair glared at me with a puzzled expression.  Everyone pointed at me.  I felt unnerved because nothing else swang on the vines.  The strange noise made me feel like shaking and moving around.  I saw a moving floor and got frightened.  I shivered as I stepped on the moving floor.  The amazing contraption transported me.  It felt strange moving without putting in any effort.  Soon I entered a dark cave with creatures floating on a wall.  I saw my home. I saw another creature swinging on trees just like me.  I wondered about the strange floating place.  Then unanticipatedly the magical land disappeared. A strange a scent dragged me toward a box filled with small puffy white things.  I tasted one anxiously and it was delicious.  I shoved all the contents of the box into my mouth in one gulp. I went outside with the rest of the crowd.

Tvisha

Anxiously I stumbled through the crowd of tall and short creatures draped in strange materials. I saw a moving floor and nervously put my foot forward, I stumbled around and after a few minutes I caught my balance and roamed on.  I opened two large moving trees without leaves, I walked through and the place suddenly became dark. Was it night time already? Every step I took I seemed to trip over these weird concrete mountains. I saw my home and those creatures in my habitat. Curiously I sat on a soft rock and stared at the moving things for a long, long time.  A creature in front of me pulled out a small glowing rectangle out of their cloth and stared at it. The moving pictures stopped moving so I trooped out of my habitat in a room and slowly followed the crowd. The creatures stared at me with a puzzled expression on their faces as I stared at the small sun's shining straight at me.

Siya

Nervously I crawled through the crowd of tall and short creatures, I had no idea where I was and what I was doing? It was cold but these weird hairless things were wearing these pieces of what looked like colourful leaves. The hairless apes were looking at  me out of the corner of their eyes. I peered into the clear white rectangular hole and saw a roundish thing with a tiny sun. I put my foot on the moving hard rocks and then took it back, it felt funny then suddenly I stumbled on. It felt so weird moving without walking, as I reached the top I saw the creatures  were putting their foot forward so I did too.

Sativa

I sauntered through the concrete jungle, ignoring the weird creatures around me. Thousands of dazzling little stars blinded me. This beautiful, mysterious land had huge pictures that moved. Everything had turned black. It was like I was in a cave but except it was a whole lot different. The strange living things sat down and laid their eyes on the moving picture. Sounds came from every direction. The glow from the moving picture led me to this sky-high metal tree. A twinkling sun from the top of the box shone at me, I raised my arm to touch it. Nothing happened. My arm had just went right through the sun. Square things shimmered in the dark. “crunch” I had stepped on this yellow, golden crunchy fruit. Taking my very first bite into this mystical, crumbly fruit I was astonished.

Where Am I?

Can you guess where we are based on our descriptions using the writing technique of "Show not Tell"? Leave your guesses in comments. Good Luck

Journey to School

The Watchmen collaborated on a descriptive piece of writing.

Describe the children’s journey to school.

WALT - Use Compound and Complex Sentences.

Kyza

“CRACK” the icy path opened ahead of me then I screamed “ahhhh”. The ice was cracking like an earthquake had struck and began to drift down stream. I stepped through the thin slippery ice and my shoe became soaking wet. My heart was pumping as the cold crept up my legs. I was taking the unstable icy path to school with my family.  I felt freezing cold even though I rubbed my arms quickly.

Boston

I was leading the crew although I was taking a risk, I knew it was my responsibility to keep my family safe. “Whoah that was close” I thought as the ice came apart. I was worried about how we would get through the ic it hurt like I was getting a full body tattoo. This was a terrifying journey I would take often to school.y path. The snow was like ice cream melting before me. As I kept on walking I was getting frost bitten,   

Sam

“Slow down please I'm getting tired” I said. My heart was slowing down every second as I crept along the unstable ice. The ice was like the sheets on the top of my bed. I got up and continued walking along the solid floating popsicles. Everybody was loudly telling me to “hurry up”. “Ok Ok I’m moving” My voice echoed around the icy mountains like I was a cartoon character in a cave saying “ECHO echo echo echo”. I looked in front of me to see if I could see the frozen billboard that said school but the billboard I saw said ‘1k to school’. We kept going on the icy path to our destination.

Mizuki

“CRACK” the icy path opened ahead of me as I followed my family’s footsteps carefully. My heartbeat went faster. “Whoa that was close”, it was hard to walk I felt like an old grandad with a walking stick. I was getting tired and my feet were turning to ice. The crunchy sound echoed as I stood in the footsteps before me. The sound was like someone eating a crunchy ice block. The person in front of me had a stick and a thick, purple jacket which made him look like a witch huddled against the wintry winds. This was a frightening trip I would have to take often to school.

Connor  

I carefully chose every step from the worn path in front of  me. I was fearful of falling in the freezing cold water when I took a step and sunk slightly, my heart stopped. I felt the icy water slowly fill my glove and stream up through my fingers, my blood was freezing cold. Every step I took it felt like ice grains compressing together. I carefully tiptoed across the ice chunks. This was something I had to do every single day.

Rayan

As I took steps following my parents the crunchy snow cracked in little shards like glass. The white path looked like some white powdery clothes detergent and the brown mountain looked like burned rock candy. Suddenly the frost bit me like a bee sting and my hands were so numb that I couldn't even feel my fingers.

Nikhil

The icy, freezing path opened ahead of me as I followed my family carefully and slowly on my journey to school. I saw the mountains staring at us while we crept through the cracks ahead of us. The frost bite hurt like a load of mosquitoes piercing my skin. The next step I took “CRUNCH, CRACK’ the ice broke and became unstable but luckily I put my hands on the other side of the crevice to prevent myself from falling. I was fearful that I might fall in the freezing water. I made it to the other side and was relieved. My hands were so painful that I couldn’t even bend them. We had five more kilometres to go until school. This was a journey I would take regularly.

Suyash

The ice split as I walked towards the unstable snow in front of me. The white path cracked as I stepped on it and the ice made a “CRUNCH”. The thin ice cracked like a mirror falling from a wall . The chilled air froze my skin as I walked towards the enormous mountains. The thick snow covered my shoes completely. I was worried that the huge rocks would fall on me like a thousand bricks falling on my head. The leafless trees swung in the air. This was the hardest journey I had ever experienced.

Tariq

The icy path opened ahead of me as I followed my family.  The ice was like shards and my hands were feeling numb. The ice cracked as I trudged past. I was concerned the mountain rocks would fall down like an aircraft crashing into the sea. The snow was as white as a polar bear and the path looked like some white powdery clothes detergent. The frost bit me even though my scarf was like a snake strangling me. My hands were so numb that I couldn't even feel them yet we still had two miles ahead of us. This was a journey I would take often.

Jacky

The icy path opened ahead of me as I followed my family. The ice was as white as rock candy. I stepped on the powdery snow it felt like crushed sugar. The snow crunched underfoot like the sound of crisp, dead leaves. Wind blew into my face and stung like a nettle. My hands were numb and I couldn't even bend my fingers. My clothes were tight as a snake strangling me. I could see my school in the distance. A crack in the ice broke and a small amount of snow rushed down like an avalanche into the frozen stream.

Delivering a Speech

Speech Conclusions

Speech Introductions