Narrative Writing

This term, we have been looking at short story writing. I gave the class a challenge - to turn the popular nursery rhyme 'Little Miss Muffet' into a short story. This was quite tricky! Some of the class got carried away with trying to make the story rhyme, and forgot about the five story elements...

The goal was to turn the rhyme into a story with the five story elements: Introduction (setting and character); rise to action - plot; problem; fall to action; resolution/conclusion/cliff-hanger.

This is a sample of what has been created so far...

Miss Muffet and the Fizzy Spider

They called her Little Miss Muffet. The queer little woman who sat on her stool outside the ice-cream parlors. Infamous for her sour curds and whey “Ice Cream”, she was a menace to any passing pedestrian’s health. With her crooked frame bent over, slowly stirring her simmering pot, she would call out to joggers, and if they replied that they had no money, she would hurl the contents of her greasy ladle at them and give them food poisoning for at least two months.

Miss Muffet had been camping outside one particular ice cream parlor on Sweet Street for quite a while now. Long enough for the owner of the parlor to walk outside and complain about her frightening away all of his customers. She never paid any attention to the people she made miserable. So when the man had finished ranting about his family starving, she retorted in a calm manner that “At least you aren’t deadly allergic to lactose!”

That very night the owner had a brainwave. “Deadly allergic to lactose...” He thought to himself.

He crept outside to where the slumbering woman was lying. Carefully replacing her pot’s contents, he choked at the toxicity of the ingredients in the slop. The owner of the parlor slowly filled the cauldron with cola and topped it with his special double-cream ice cream. The perfect deterrence. A spider.

The sound of clanging metal resounded around the brightening street. It would have been a glorious sight, a fabulous ice cream parlor glowing golden from the rising sun, if it wasn’t for the rag-clothed hag nesting outside of it. Dipping her hand into the cauldron and scooping out cupfulls of the liquid, Miss Muffet noticed that the top was lighter than normal. “Mould doesn’t feel like that,” she thought to herself, dipping her hand in and tasting it. Then she realised that it wasn’t mould. It was ice cream.

The next day the space outside the parlor was empty. Miss Muffet was nowhere to be seen, as she had been swept up into a passing garbage truck.

Horatio

Little Miss Alice

Little Miss Alice sat in her palace.

Her house gloomy black as the lights flickered out,

Scared was she, Alice started to shout.

No need for candles, her eyes were so bright.  

They always seemed to light up the night.

Back on came the power,away went the blur.

Now perched upwards, Alice’s stomach started to stir.

Covered in shiny golden hair,

she was wondering what she should wear.

Unable to find her vibrant, violet dress, she was in a state of despair.

She looked in the closet to see if it was there,

But all she could see was her sparkly underwear.

Now she was getting quite annoyed, she felt like a town after a volcano had erupted-utterly destroyed.

Down to the kitchen, little Alice went.

She stretched up to the cupboard at her full extent.  

Losing her balance...down she flipped, how could it get worse?Well, her pants just split!

Distraught, she stood up from the ground.  

She poured her oats into a mound.

Taking a stroll outside, the air was so bitterly cold,

her face scrunched up and everything froze.

As she dropped her oats, Her heart took a trip to her throat.

Alice’s eyes filled with fear,as a spider was there...it was clear!

She took a step back,

and into the wall, her little head went SMACK!

Alice suddenly fainted and fell on the ground,

As she came back around,the evil black spider was laying right beside her.

His sharp prickly legs and his long dangly arms,

Made Alice feel like she was in a place of great harm.

A million eyes all staring at Little Miss,

Subsequently, the spider started to hiss.

Alice ran out of the courtyard,

and slammed that gate

with a mighty old BOOM!

This mighty old BOOM, certainly got the town awake!

She galloped away as fast as she could,

Off into the night, disappearing in the woods.

But did she know what was hiding in those woods,

No,she did not.

It was a nightmare from her childhood.

A man dressed in black,

As slick as a rat.

Cunning, evil and a scam, was this little man.

Little Alice stopped as she was running out of breath.

The little guy was waiting, all evil and sly, caught Alice so quick and pushed her right to her death.

Alice fell tumbling down, down into this whole,

the spider had accomplished his evil little goal.

By Grace and Genevieve

Little Miss Muffet-Poem

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey.

There came a great spider,

Which sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss

Muffet away!

Little Miss Muffet- Short Story

There once was a little old lady, short in size, with a big old tummy.  This little lady was named: Miss Muffet. Miss Muffet was hungry, so she sat on a tuffet, opening her purse and eating the unhealthy choice of Ice-Cream-Soda, and Pepperoni Pizza.

She was chugging the soda, when something landed on her shoulder, and she looked straight away. There stood a great spider, her organs shook inside her. So she wielded her hand as a weapon, and slapped the great spider off her body, letting out a great screech. But the spider wasn’t done yet. The great, hairy, Spider charged at Miss Muffet and jumped on her leg, Miss Muffet ran, and ran, but it was no use. The spider wasn’t coming off…

Miss Muffet fell down, scraping her knee, and the spider in the process. The spider was vanquished! Miss Muffet was victorious!

But to this day, there is still a stain left from the Ice-Cream-Soda and Pepperoni pizza on the ground, lying next to the deceased corpse of The Great Spider.

Lucy M

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

We are spending the last four weeks of this term exploring science and conducting a range of different science experiments. Children will then be asked to come up with their own science question (hypothesis) to conduct a fair test on and present their findings as a display. (This is like a typical science fair project).

For some of the class experiments over the next few weeks, can your child please bring the following items to class:

• A mug (with a handle for hot water)
• A small mixing bowl or container (with or without a lid)
• Two eggs
• 2 cups of white vinegar (just in a bottle to share among two cups in class)
• 1 lemon
• 1 potato
• 1 AA battery

Many thanks,

Welcome to Term 3!

We can't believe that we are already halfway through the teaching year! Welcome to Term 3.

Homework - as a syndicate, the homework set is a weekly quiz designed to support children in developing their researching skills, locating appropriate information, and their ability to skim, scan, and select information. The expectation is that children will use the internet to locate their answers, and provide some extra information on each question. In our class economy, each correct answer is worth $1. For extra research provided on each question as evidence of research, children will receive $9 further...so the potential earnings are $10 per question!

We expect that our children will read for at least 20 minutes a day outside of school hours. This supports all literacy learning and is statistically proven to support future success. We have the school library that they can access at lunchtimes and during some class hours. Magazines, online articles, the newspaper, books, comics...read anything!

Sumdog - this is a Maths site that parents have paid a subscription for. We have some class time for this but as a syndicate we expect that children will spend time on this site after school hours for maths stamina and maintenance.

Spelling - this is optional. The words are on our homework tab and is run as an opt-in or out. There is a prize for each winning speller in each of the three sections.

This term, children will be bringing home all unfinished classwork to complete in their own time.

Show, Don't Tell...

Check out our writing from term 2. The goal was to use all of the techniques we know to up-level our work, and describe a character feeling through their actions/facial expressions/voice...

The theme was war and conflict...

Dead Soldier's

Fatigue/Tiredness

His last shot echoes out. Not long to go now, he thinks to himself. The eerie silence around him is occasionally fractured by the screams of men or a barrage of gunfire. Shots ring through his ears, he hauls his legs behind him, tripping over his friends lying on the hard ground, quiet. He envies them. Dragging himself upright, he slowly unclips the magazine, legarthic from long nights of broken sleep.

Wearily nudging his rifle over the edge of the trench, he takes aim, unconcerned by the multiple mangled corpses dangling off the barbed wire. A sharp pain pulls him out of his dreary world. The words barely escape his lips before the darkness consumes him.

“Not long to go now”.

Horatio

Good bye..."defeat"

Tears dripping off my face into my open wound. It hurts but I've had to many close calls. I don't care. I think about my family and more tears drip down but this time they fall on my friend. I get onto my knees and I carefully take his dog tag. I think to myself “I might as well take mine off” too... we’re all dead anyway.

Nathan

The rampaging war

I slam on the ground while my heart’s pounding, like a herd of elephants. Boom, Crash, Bang. My feelings rush out my head like a river unceremoniously rushing down the riverbed. Eyes wide, face red hot, and I think I’ve gone deaf from the shouting gun shots. Glaring in shock at the sky, as bits of shrapnel and bullet shells land right beside my hip. Dropping like flies as the sound of gunfire surrounds my ears. The thought of getting shot is unbearable. I try to stand up, but fail. All my muscles feel as weak as a struggling baby horse, as I silently lie in the thick long grass.

Jaike

I’m Zoning Out

"Pain"

The glass window of my mind was being shot at by my heart below.  My head pounding with something abnormal.

Thud, thud, thud, my boots trek along the stony dirt.  

I can’t capture any thoughts, as my heart tears apart.  

Slowly,  my vision zones out.

Agonizing and continuous, my skin feels as though it’s burning while by bones ache.  Head so tender, mind so down.

A dark cloud captures and gathers over my mind.

My head throbbing as the glass window of my mind is being shot at by my heart below.

Grace

War Poetry

We are learning about War and Conflict. This is a very interesting topic where we are able to form our own opinions, learn about different perspectives, and learn about world history. Below is a sample of some of our writing from week 3. We watch a video about WW1 and have written a response to this as poetry. We wrote about war in general, and could write as an observer, from the perspective of a soldier, a nurse, family left behind...

Enjoy!

Down in the Dirt

By James

They said it would be helping, saving the lives of others while being protected at the back...But they were wrong...

Bullets whizzing through the air, one skimmed through my hair

Clambering snipers scattered the hills, with patients oh so very ill

Bomb’s crashing across the coast, while soldiers were manning every post

Soldiers lying face down in the dirt, while living soldiers were on high alert

Soldiers running as fast as they could, this whole war is a bit misunderstood

The medical team saving lives, dying soldiers trying to write to their wives

Tanks crawling across the sand, it’s like there's a big game of chess at hand

Living soldiers coming and going, young soldiers with their hearts glowing

Everyone frantically digging trenches, troubled soldiers drawing sketches

The war is finishing, all soldiers are grinning...

It’s all over boys! It’s all over!

A Letter From My Heart

by Grace

War is like a game of chess.People taking over others and attempting to keep their territories.

As I stand in my trench, I hear grenades landing in the window of my mind.

Our men frozen with the realization that it’s not the great adventure thought before.

“Climb those ladders-invade Germany’s territories, and do it now!”

Adrenaline surging through my body.  This is just the start.

We can’t lose without putting up a fight.

The air is so humid, but the sky is so grey.  Beads of sweat fall from my face and neck and trickle down my back.

I turn around to face my troop but it’s not what I expected-my mind must have blocked their voices out.  They lie on the ground spluttering and covering their mouths.  I smell something faint but I know it’s getting stronger.  I must abandon the fellowship around me.  A mustard gas attack is running towards us.

I advance up the ladders but the gas is on my tail.  I can’t get rid of it.  I trip and lose my footing.  I lose ground but I need to get back up.

It mustn't take me, not now.  I’m too young.

I can hear my allies coming on to help.  

I take my last breath and yell out.

“Noooooo, don’t come near.

You must fight on without me.”

Then all light and life fades away.

I have been captured, taken fortress, the life drained out of me.

This isn’t how I wanted this to end.  I put up a fight with all my heart, I wanted to return to my nation. Be a hero to my nation.

The Still Fog

Low fog cruises

Grey clouds sway

Loud bangs and crashes

As lives slowly fade away

Many take cover

Covering their heads

As many lay frozen

Face down in the sand beds

But still the brave men

Stay hopeful and strong

While the rest of the soldiers

Didn't last for long

All of the soldiers

Still fighting for their lives

Hungry and tired

Hoping not one more dies

Suddenly it turns silent

As if all the gunshots ended

This experience truly didn't go

Quite as intended.                                  C.J.W