Room12sBlog2008

Here are some pics of our gold winners!  Unfortuately there’s no video as I was away sick for much of the actual fair!  I have had feedback from many staff and parents about the high  standard of work!  

Mr Bloggy has had a bath and is now sporting his new trousers.  He’s looking forward to being back in class in the next couple of days. 

I have had a very nasty virus that has knocked me off my feet a bit.  I am having another day off to give the new medication a chance to work, so I won’t be in until Tuesday. 

I am not very happy about this but it just has to be.  I will send in work via email to Wendy to pass on to the relieving teacher.  In the mean time you can be working on your narrative plans and getting the art boards ready for painting.  If anyone has time, you could take the old hessian off the large boards and paint the boards black.

Book Fortnight

You need to think about getting yourselves into teams for the Book Olympics.  Michelle wants teams of 3-4 and only up to 5 if someone is going to be left out.  Remember you will have a much better chance of doing well if you have a mixed girls and boys team.  That way you will be covered for both boys and girls books.  The book parade is on Friday so start thinking about your character.  Stu Duvall is coming again this year.  He is always great value and I love the way he does the art work on the spot.

Homework

I have enjoyed reading your Science Fair reflection on your blogs.  I f you haven’t posted yours on your blog - it would be great if you did because I could read them at home.  If you don’t want to I will read them at the end of the week when you bring your homework book in.

Week 7’s Homework

The usual reading, basic facts and spelling.  Take your spelling from your draft books.  If you have no errors, use some interest words.  Make sure you use words that will challenge you, but that you would actually use!

This week’s special activity

Design and make a poster that encourages children to read.  The poster should be at least A3 in size.  If you need card, ask the relieving teacher or wait until I am in on Tuesday.  The poster is due on Friday and can be entered into the poster competition for Book Fortnight!

Here’s what to do:

Make an eye catching  poster that has a clear message about the benefits of reading.   Really THINK about why reading is so important for learning.

Include a message that will attract the attention of passers by. 

Use paint, crayon, pencil or any other media to create your poster.  You could use a collage of photographs or pictures from magazines perhaps.

Bring it to school on Friday.  We will choose about 4 that we enter into the poster competition.

Here are some notes about story writing.  It’s pretty much what we have talked about and used in class.   I will go through it all with you on Monday!

Purpose

The basic purpose of narrative is to entertain, to gain and hold a readers’ interest. However narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes / social opinions eg soap operas and television dramas that are used to raise topical issues. Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place but differ from recounts in that through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually find a way to be resolved.

Types of Narrative

There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience.

Features

 
• Characters with defined personalities/identities.
• Dialogue often included - tense may change to the present or the future.
• Descriptive language to create images in the reader’s mind and enhance the story.

Structure

In a Traditional Narrative the focus of the text is on a series of actions:

Orientation: (introduction) in which the characters, setting and time of the story are established. Usually answers who? when? where? eg. Mr Wolf went out hunting in the forest one dark gloomy night.

Complication or problem: The complication usually involves the main character(s) (often mirroring the complications in real life).

Resolution: There needs to be a resolution of the complication. The complication may be resolved for better or worse/happily or unhappily. Sometimes there are a number of complications that have to be resolved. These add and sustain interest and suspense for the reader.

To help students plan for writing of narratives, model, focusing on:

• Plot: What is going to happen?
• Setting: Where will the story take place? When will the story take place?
• Characterisation: Who are the main characters? What do they look like?
• Structure: How will the story begin? What will be the problem? How is the problem going to be resolved?
• Theme: What is the theme / message the writer is attempting to communicate?

Language

• Action verbs: Action verbs provide interest to the writing. For example, instead of The old woman was in his way try The old woman barred his path. Instead of She laughed try She cackled.
• Written in the first person (I, we) or the third person (he, she, they).
• Usually past tense.
• Connectives,linking words to do with time.
• Specific nouns: Strong nouns have more specific meanings, eg. oak as opposed to tree.
• Active nouns: Make nouns actually do something, eg. It was raining could become Rain splashed down or There was a large cabinet in the lounge could become A large cabinet seemed to fill the lounge.
• Careful use of adjectives and adverbs: Writing needs judicious use of adjectives and adverbs to bring it alive, qualify the action and provide description and information for the reader.
• Use of the senses: Where appropriate, the senses can be used to describe and develop the experiences, setting and character:
  • What does it smell like?
  • What can be heard?
  • What can be seen - details?
  • What does it taste like?
  • What does it feel like?

   

• Imagery
  • Simile: A direct comparison, using like or as or as though, eg. The sea looked as rumpled as a blue quilted dressing gown. Or The wind wrapped me up like a cloak.
  • Metaphor: An indirect or hidden comparison, eg. She has a heart of stone or He is a stubborn mule or The man barked out the instructions.
  • Onomatopoeia: A suggestion of sound through words, eg. crackle, splat, ooze, squish, boom, eg. The tyres whir on the road. The pitter-patter of soft rain. The mud oozed and squished through my toes.
  • Personification: Giving nonliving things (inanimate) living characteristics, eg. The steel beam clenched its muscles. Clouds limped across the sky. The pebbles on the path were grey with grief.

   

• Rhetorical Questions: Often the author asks the audience questions, knowing of course there will be no direct answer. This is a way of involving the reader in the story at the outset, eg. Have you ever built a tree hut?  
• Variety in sentence beginnings. . 
• Show, Don’t Tell: Students have heard the rule “show, don’t tell” but this principle is often difficult for some writers to master. 
• Personal Voice: It may be described as writing which is honest and convincing. The author is able to ‘put the reader there’. The writer invests something of him/her self in the writing. The writing makes an impact on the reader. It reaches out and touches the reader. A connection is made.

Congratulations everyone!  I was very impressed with the quality of your science fair projects!  You should all feel very proud of yourselves!  Hopefully we will get the opportunity to take some pictures and videos to put on the blogs! 

Well now that Science Fair is almost behind us…….our next big challenge is the Blog Awards.    Take a look back at the post I wrote outlining the learning intentions and success criteria.    Think about how you can use your blog to reflect on your learning and share your ideas and thoughts!   I will start cruising your blogs more regularly to see what you are doing and we will have some whole class nominations in week 8!  It seems that you would like a choice of “bloggys’ to choose from?  I will have to get cracking and make a couple of really special ones and some mini ones too!

The Blog Awards are not compulsory.  I know that blogging is not for everyone - It is a very good way though of sharing your ideas and getting feedback. 

I am looking forward to reading your learning reflections on the Science Fair.  I am always interested in hearing what you think and I learn something every year that I can use the following year, I am learning too remember!

 I can’t remember what we said we were going to call our two new class friends???

Homework Week 6

1.     Read every night for at least 20 minutes.

2.    Practise your basic facts if you need to. 

3.    Write a reflection about the learning that has taken place while you have been working on your science fair project.  This can be done in your homework book or directly on your own blog – your choice!  Make sure you write using proper sentences and really THINK about your learning.  Make an honest assessment of how it all went.  Think about the management and organisation of your project as well as the science you found out about.  Think about whether working with a partner or on your own had been a good decision.  Discuss your thoughts and ideas with someone at home.  Check your work carefully for spelling and punctuation errors.  If you use your blog for this, don’t forget to use the spell check!

Use the following headings to guide you:

What went well?

What would you do differently next time?

What did you find tricky or hard?

What science did you learn?

Did you think like a scientist?

What did you really enjoy?

What advice would you give to students next year before they start their science fair projects?

This piece of work should reflect your ability to think critically about your own work!

Bring your Homework book to school on Friday.

Science Fair starts tomorrow!  Don’t forget to bring your project straight to the Hall before school.  Wendy will help you get set up.  I will be in on Wednesday morning and the judging will take place in the morning.   I am really looking forward to seeing the fruits of all your hard work!   I will video as many of you as I can and we will be able to post pics and videos on our blogs! 

PS don’t forget to bring your log books with your projects.  You will need them tomorrow to do the self assessment!

We have been planning our final piece of art work for about two weeks now.  We are just about ready to paint!   We are painting our  boards black and then covering them in raw hessian.  The hessian will also be painted black. The finished art work will be stunning!

I have had such a busy week I haven’t had a chance to catch up on the blog!  I can’t believe it is already week 6!  Only four weeks to the holidays and half way through the year.

This will be a fun week week with Science Fair from Tuesday to Thursday. John  will come in on Wednesday and judge the exhibits and you will each receive a certificate with feedback from him.

Make sure you have your projects ready for Tuesday morning and take it straight to the Hall before class.  I will be there and will help you get set up.  I can’t wait to see all the fabulous work you have been doing at home!