New Zealand Song Week

S5 and the Rua Team had great fun singing and twisting to The Toheroa Twist during our school's celebration of New Zealand Song Week.  Didn't Zinaya and Cassia do well leading the team in the dance moves?

Indoor Hockey

S5 had a blast playing an indoor hockey tournament today with the North Canty Sports and Recreation Trust  coaches.  The green team played the blue team in the final. Congratulations to the Blue team who were the overall winners.  

Oxymoron - a contradictory term.

Today S5 learnt about Oxymorons – contradictory terms.  We want to recognise them in our reading, and the expert writers will experiment with using oxymoron’s in their writing. 

The following are the oxymorons S5 wrote together after looking at a list of opposites (antonyms).

The youthful resident in the Pensioner’s Home.

The snail sprinted over the finish line.

The giant ant.

Inside the garden.

My favourite sweets are sour lollies.

A gentle thunder clap.

The snail of cheetahs was at the rear of the pack.

The turbo snail.

A miniature truck.

The watery sun shone down.

The ice burnt me.

The massive marble.

The running skeleton.

The firey moon.

Personification

S5 are really enjoying learning about 'figurative language'.  This lesson was about personification.

Personification – giving an object or thing human traits

The moon shone against me and smiled, glowing.  (Zinaya)

The tree whispered in my ear. (Andrew)

The tree danced from left to right, left to right. (Arwen)

The moon reached down to kiss me.  (Segia)

The tree waved its arms at the moon.  (Lauren)

The chocolate called, “Don’t eat me.” (Riley)

The tree screamed when the lightning struck it.  (Matthew)

The sun was calling to me.  (Caleb)

The wind picked me up and threw me.  (Jonny)

The tree waved its arms at me.  (Maddison)

The wind whispered in the night.  (Monique)

The tree danced in the wind.  (Ella)

The tree put its foot out and made me do a flip.  (Jordan)

The tree waved its arms at the moon and the moon winked back.  (Cassia)

The wind was talking loudly to me.  (Luke)

The moon smiled and said, “Sleepyhead.”  (Addison)

The wind pushed me over.  (Finn)

The tree was reaching its arms to the moon.  (Olivia)

The moon stared at me.  (Bryden)

The moon winked at me then closed its eyes.  (Paige)

'Figurative Language'

S5 have been learning about using 'Figurative Language' to make writing more interesting for the reader.

Hyperboles – exaggerated statements.

I would rather swim with sharks than wear that hat!  (Zinaya)

I am so hungry I could eat a horse. (Andrew)

I would rather eat sticks than do my homework. (Arwen)

I would rather pop worms into my mouth than go to the dentist. (Segia)

I would rather die than do my homework.  (Lauren)

I’d rather run away than do my homework.  (Jonny)

I would rather cut my hand off than go to the dentist.  (Monique)

I would rather flush my head down the toilet than do my homework.  (Jordan)

I’d rather eat a 99 story building than do my homework.  (Cassia)

I’d rather eat my pencil than use it to do my homework.  (Luke)

I would rather jump out the window than do my homework.  (Addison)

I’m so hungry I could eat a whale.  (Finn)

I am so happy I could eat a cheetah.  (Bryden)

I would rather chop my hand off than do my homework.  (Paige)

I would rather go to Zombie Alley than do my homework.  (Josh)

Atlas Work

In S5 we are learning to use an index and locate places around the world. Look at how engaged we are! 

War Poems

As well as writing 'A Soldier's Diary' entries, S5 also wrote some fabulous and very moving poetry using our 'senses'.  I am sure many readers will have a tear in their eye as they read these poems.  (I certainly did as I edited them!)  We published them then used dye to paint a sunset and placed silhouettes of crosses to illustrate our work.  We are very proud of our efforts.

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see bombs, blood, fire and dead bodies.

I hear yelling, fighting guns and bombs.

I smell gunpowder, smoke and fire.

I taste fear and dust.

I feel dirt, sand and fear.

By Zinaya

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I saw soldiers hiding and waiting to jump out.

I could hear the gunpowder and smoke zooming through the air.

I could taste the dry food spread over the ground.

I could smell the blood everywhere.

I could feel the fear and scaredness of my heart.

By Arwen

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I could see dead bodies, guns and grenades

I could hear guns firing at me

I was scared

I could taste my fear.

By Bryden

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see blood rushing out of people’s bodies.

I hear bombs going off.

I taste dry food from yesterday.

I smell blood from dead people.

I can smell smoke.

I feel scared because the guns are shooting.

By Monique

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see blood as red as poppies and enemies as bad as monsters.

I hear stomping as loud as a herd of elephants.

I hear yelling and screaming as loud as bombs.

I taste smoke in the air.

By Paige

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can see bullets flying, guns going off, shells going off and people getting killed.

I feel scared as I see people running out of trenches.  I see flashes in the distance.

I can hear the enemy coming.

I can smell smoke.

I can see dead bodies as a shell hit by me.

I can see fire in the trenches.

I see soldiers running across the fields.

By Andrew

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can see blood and dead bodies.

I can see fire and explosions

I can see guns.  It’s baron with no trees.

I run in the trenches that I see.

I see the enemy run at me.

I see the ambulance taking the hurt men away and I see the driver’s fear.

I can see people screaming with fear. 

I see a grenade flying towards the enemy and bullets shoot in the enemy’s heart.

I hear bombs blowing up and sizzling.

I hear guns firing.

I hear explosives blowing up on the enemy.

I hear my team running and puffing with fear.

I hear bullets zooming towards the enemy.

I hear cracking of fire, people stomping.

Yelling from the Captain, telling people to go out.

I hear burning.

I taste fear about to come out of my mouth.

I taste dry food for my lunch.

I taste smoke choking me.

I taste dust going into my lungs.

I taste gunpowder choking me.

I smell smoke from exploded bombs.

By Josh

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can see blood as shiny as gold

I can taste my own fear

I smell fear

I feel sick from grenades, bombs and bullets.

By Jonny

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can hear screaming from the people like someone has stolen something special to them.

I can see people lying down on stretchers like they are in hospital.

I can smell smoke from the enemy gunfire.

I can feel the ground shaking from explosions.

By Addison

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see fire exploding like mad.

I could hear screaming with blood in my heart in pain.

I taste dried food sucking into my brain.

I smell smoke coming into my lungs making me die.

I feel the ground shaking like a volcano.

By Olivia

In the War

Hiding in the trenches I see dead bodies falling to the ground next to where bombs exploded.

I hear bombs exploding and screaming people.

I taste dry food like dust.

I smell smoke.

By Matthew

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches I see blood as red as roses.

I hear people screaming as loud as explosions.

I taste fear of death.

I smell smoke flying across.

I feel gunpowder sliding in my hands.

By Maria

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see explosions going off.

By Maddison

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can see explosions as loud as a volcano, blood as red as a ruby, fire as orange as the sun and guns shooting as fast as lightening.

I hear guns firing, people screaming as loud as bombs.

I can taste my own fear, smoke heading into my lungs while it’s choking me.

I can smell flames burning my heart like 100 arrows hitting me.

I can smell blood coming towards me.

I can feel my heart beating like mad.

By Ella

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I could see my teammates ready for battle, my weapons by my feet, my dead mates with flies around them.

I hear explosive sounds coming from the enemy’s trench, booms and bangs from the weapons and guns, screaming coming from the people that are scared, like Tom from Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz.

I taste my own fear and dust going down my throat.

I smell gunpowder, smoke and blood.

I feel sand and dirt.  I feel scared and I’m shaking.

By Cassia

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can see blood from someone who is dead. 

I can see fire burning all around.

I can see grenades blowing up and people dying.

I can see bullets shooting at people.

I can feel people hurting.

I can feel dirt.

By Caleb

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I can see blood running down the

hill like a waterfall.

I hear guns popping like fireworks.

By Riley

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I could hear my Captain shout, “Get up in 10 seconds! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GET UP!”

Around my I could see soldiers get up

as fast as a cheetah

I could see dead bodies everywhere,

Guns were shooting everywhere

Bombs were exploding as loud as elephants.

By Jordan

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see dead bodies, covered in blood, falling

to the ground as they get shot.

I hear the screaming of innocent people.  I hear the bugle with its tune telling us it’s time to fight.

I taste the fear of getting killed, smoke coming out of everything we see.

I smell gunpowder.  Everything smells like blood.

I feel pain burning through my skin as a grenade explodes at my feet.

By Molly

 In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I could see fire and smoke from the explosions,

I hear guns, bombs and stomping of soldiers,

I feel gun smoke choking me.

By Oliver

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I could see blood as red as fire.

I see dead bodies as more and more soldiers get shot.

I could see blazes of gunpowder.

I could hear the tanks rumbling closer.

By Finn

In the War

Hiding in the trenches

I see blood and smoke, people running at me.  People stomping then stop, dead!

People are yelling at people.

I can hear guns resetting and see cannonballs coming at me.

I can see people in the trenches and the enemy running.

I can feel the fear and my heart is beating.

My soldiers are with me.

I feel afraid of getting out of the trench

because I have no food.

By Luke