In Class 7 the children are engaged in an English Literature main lesson with Robyn and a Chemistry main lesson with Sam.  Our English main lesson Wish, Wonder and Surprise is a dynamic block of rich literature exposing the students to many variations of prose.  We have studied excerpts from stories such as Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Aladdin by S.J. Perelman, poetry by Robert Frost, Jackie Morris and Kenneth Koch.

The students have enjoyed the many varied tasks and within our practice lessons have been introduced to stronger and more appropriate words.  We have been reminded of metaphors, similes, alliteration and the many forms of grammar to compliment and grow their writing to create a wonderful and personal anthology.

The poem below was inspired by the comical and lyrical prose of Robert Frost’s poem ‘Browns’s Descent’.

‘Carrots the Snowman’ by Sophie Wybenga

Carrots was a jolly soul,

Come wintertime each year.

With children did he laugh and shout,

Which the neighbors all could hear.

 

He had golden bells that jingled,

Glued to his bucket hat.

His mouth was shaped into a smile,

So he never did anything but that.

 

But his favourite of all was his carrot nose.

So orange, so perfect, so bright.

The smell of carrots was around him all day long,

And far into the night.

 

Then one morning carrots awoke,

And saw a pool of snow.

Melting, gathered around his feet,

“Oh dear”, Carrots gasped, “Oh no”

 

And as the sun began its journey,

Over the distant trees.

Poor carrots buttons of stone fell off!

Dropping, one, two, three.

 

What a sight it must have been!

His kindly smile was now a frown.

Tears were melting on his face.

He slipped over, fell upside down.

  

“Oh poor Carrots’, the children cried,

As they watched the dismal scene.

The snow on the ground was different now,

Revealing the grass, glowing green.

 

Carrots was now half his size,

His carrot nose fell down.

His pride, his glory, his only purpose,

To be buried, under the ground.

 

Soon Carrots was a lonely pool,

And soon not even that.

By the time the immense moon rose again,

Not even a sign of his bucket hat.

 

Through the spring, and summer too,

Carrots had seeped into the ground.

But when winter-time arrived again,

He had transformed into a glassy mound.

 

And from that mound was a body,

And on that body a head.

And on that head a carrot nose.

The children laughed and said;

 

“Oh Carrots”,  you're back!  Our long lost friend”,

And they place on his bucket hat.

They added stones for his radiant smile.

Carrots was now back in his habitat!

 

The short story below was inspired by Pippin’s recount of his adventures in the story 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville.

 

‘Lost in the World of a Book’, By Zavier Hosken

One lovely day I was impulsively hacking at a huge tree with a stick.  It was Saturday and I was out in the bush with my young brother building a tree house.  It was a blisteringly hot day as we trudged back home.  I arrived home and decided I would re-read my faourite book.  As I opened the book, flicked through the pages, I felt my body being drawn into another world, a world where I could relax and have no one judging me.  The fantasy creatures, the untamed wilderness and me.  I began to sense that this world was quite real.  I closed the book, only to realize there was no book.

As I stood up, a massive creature flew above me.  I fled in horror as I realized that this majestic beast was indeed a dragon.  I tore into the bush and ran until my legs could no longer carry me.  As I sat at the base of a tree, I listened to the deafening roar of the dragon.  The noise filled the air and I could feel the fear fill my body. Then I saw rustling in the bush next to me, I jumped back and as a tiny head poked out of the bush I stepped back in anticipation.  It was a baby dragon and that meant that there was a mother dragon not too far away…

I was right!  The massive phenomenon came trudging through the forest knocking down trees and stomping bushes flat.  I stared in awe as it reached down and tore the roof off a hut I hadn’t even noticed before.  It casually tossed the roof 5 km away.  I had to get out of here; the fear within me was unbearable.  I focused my mind on returning to my house.  It became suddenly clearer, and I could walk through this world as well as any world.

I decided to never read again!

 

 

The poem below was inspired by an exercise using metaphors.

 

‘Water’, by Kai Taylor

The water was still like a tiger waiting to pounce.

The bank was teaming with life like a thriving city.

The sand is like a ghost gliding gracefully through the under.

Waves are like bulldozers crashing through anything in its path shaping the landscapes.

The lake is like a pane of glass, clear.

The ocean is like a locked treasure chest refusing to yield its secrets.

Water is a goddess, she gives life but also takes it.

 

The students have illustrated their books beautifully to compliment their writing.  I have attached some photos from their main lesson books.

Robyn

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Class 7 Chemistry

Class 7 have been really enjoying their first Chemistry main lesson this term.  Students are introduced to Chemistry through the combustion process which offers children a vivid and alive process to begin to build their chemistry understanding and scientific inquiry skills.  The class loved the hands-on demonstrations and group experiments that have led to rich class discussions.  We have also had a strong emphasis on developing our deep observation and concentration skills with a series of meditation activities to start each lesson.  This has resulted in some quality illustrations and diagrams being produced by the class.  I look forward to completing our final investigation into acids and bases over the next two weeks.