The world's best animal is …

Butterflies are the best animal in the world. The best animal in the world should be interesting and beautiful. Butterflies look amazing and they have many features that no other animal has.

Butterflies are beautiful. They have four wings. Every butterfly has a different pattern and colours on its wings. Some butterflies are so special that people travel to places just to see them. The Ulysses butterfly has beautiful bright blue patterns on its wings. People travel to Mossman Gorge near cairns just to see a Ulysses butterfly.

Butterflies have a special life cycle. Most animals hatch out of eggs or are born live but caterpillars hatch from eggs, grow bigger, then change inside a chrysalis into beautiful butterflies. Some animals change as they grow, like a tadpole changes into a frog, but it doesn't change into a chrysalis first. Some insects like bees change from a pupa into a bee, but bees sting you. So they aren't as good as butterflies.

Butterflies don't hurt anyone or anything. They help nature. When they fly from flower to flower, they take pollen from one plant to another. So they are helping the plants.

Butterflies are very pretty and helpful so that is why butterflies are the best animal in nature.

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Use of comparison to establish own point of view, e.g. (i) … have many features that no other animal has and (ii) Most

animals … but butterflies …

•

Explanations describe some similarities between butterflies and other animals but show negative aspects of other

animals, e.g. …

Some insects like bees change from a pupa into a bee, but bees sting you.

Persuasive purpose: Present evidence

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Use of scientific information as evidence for some key points

• Use of personal experience and generalised statements about people to elaborate and provide evidence

Persuasive text layout

An example of persuasive text

Text 2: Persuasive purpose: Appeal to the reader’s emotions

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Use of highly emotive and evaluative vocabulary

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Extensive use of personal “thinking” and “feeling” verbs

• Personal pronouns, I, meaning the author, and, they, referring to butterflies, are used throughout

Grammar - Woodlands Junior Literacy

This website, Woodlands Junior Literacy, has great literacy teaching ideas.

Some of the topics include:

spelling, compounds, plurals, synonyms and homophones.

Who is the suspect?

1. Give a description of your very minor crime.

2. Give a physical description of yourself.

3. List identifying marks.

Vocabulary

sinister, suspect, criminal, crime

identifying marks:
scars, tattoos, birthmarks, mohawk haircut

What is your alias?

For example - Dave the dastardly!

Stephanie the spy!

scar, zits, tattoos, moustache, mohawk haircut, eye patch

3D coloring by YuseiFudo14

Persuasive text - Dragons as Pets

We should be allowed to keep dragons as pets.

Dragons are amazing creatures that can make great pets. Most people have dogs or cats so if you get a dragon everyone will want to come to play at your house so you will be very popular. They are easy to look after and can catch their own food.

Firstly, I think we should be allowed to have dragons as they are easy to catch and they can be very friendly. They are easy to hatch and I believe that they would make great pets.

Secondly, you will be the talk of the town if you get a dragon. You will be on TV and you will get your picture in the newspaper because dragons are rare. There are not very many of them.

Thirdly, dragons are really easy to keep as you don't have to brush them or wash them. You will save a lot of money as they catch and eat their own food.

In conclusion, I believe that we should be allowed to keep dragons as pets as they are very special creatures and everyone likes them. Everyone will save money if they have a dragon as a pet as they won't have to buy any food for them.


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The Essential Classroom

May include:

- a round-robin chess tournament
- an ongoing scrabble game
- a puzzle under construction
- a new challenge/problem solving puzzle published in the class daily doings website
- metaphors and abstract nouns - instead of just similes
- metaphysical poetry, such as The Thought Fox by Ted Hughes
- an exhibition space for student's products
- means of publication for the student to self-publish a novel/poetry anthology

Roman Numerals

Click on the picture to make it larger.

Class rules

1. Use polite speech and good manners.

2. Respect personal space, rights and property of others.

3. Follow directions of all your teachers.

4. Listen quietly while others are speaking.

5. Obey all school rules.

6. Always do your best.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden was written in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The garden at Great Maytham Hall in Kent, England, provided the inspiration for the book. The garden is the book's central symbol. In the book, the secret garden at Misselthwaite Manor is the site of both the near-destruction and the subsequent regeneration of a family.

Using the garden motif, Burnett uses the garden motif to explore the healing power that exists in living things.

In the book, Mary, a young orphan girl from India, is taken to England to live with her uncle on the Yorkshire Moors. She finds it difficult to adjust to the lonely and unfamiliar life of her uncle's mansion, but she gradually befriends Dickon and her cousin Colin. Together, they begin to restore the Secret Garden, into which she had been forbidden to go, by her uncle. At the end of the book, the garden flourishes again and Mary's cousin is finally able to walk again. The Secret Garden sends a message of hope based on the powerful role of friendship in bringing about a change for the better.


The Secret Garden can be read as an ebook online. We will also watch the DVD.


Here is a site with a viewing guide -

The Secret Garden Study Guide

1. Identify the following Characters:
a) Mary Lennox
b) Mrs. Medlock
c) Martha
d) Archbald Craven
e) Dickon
f) Ben Weatherstaff
g) Colin Craven
2. Why was Mary taken from India to England? Find both countries on a map, and trace her journey.
3. When Mary heard crying during the night, what did she think about her new home?
4. Martha told Mary the crying sound came from the wind on the moor. What is a moor?
5. What is special about Dickon?
6. Mary was very curious and wanted to know about everything. Name two things the Mary's curiosity led her to discover.
a)
b)
7. Why did Mr. Archibald become so sad when Mary asked him for some earth to make a garden?
8. List three (3) problems that Colin had.
a)
b)
c)
9. How did Mary help Colin to solve each of these problems?
a)
b)
c)
10. Ben Weatherstaff said, "Where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow." What do you think he meant by this? Explain how this relates to
a) Mary
b) Colin
11. Explain how Colin's attitude about life changed after he and Mary became friends.
a) Before:
b) After:
12. How does Colin surprise his father?
13. Who is the lady sitting outside the garden at the beginning and at the end of the film version of the story?
14. What happened to Dickon?
15. How does the story end?
16. Compare/contrast the book and the film.

Modigliani's Alice

Study of Modigliani's Alice.

Modigliani was born in 1884 and died in 1920.

He was an Italian artist who worked mainly in France.

His style was called 'figurative' and he became known for his paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form.

Alice was painted in 1915 and is in the National Art Gallery in Copenhagen, in Denmark.

An outdoor fitness game called Bombscare

The words:

round the ocean

bombscare

all clear

swim

great white pointer

octopus

piranha

jellyfish





The equipment - a tree about 25 meters away to run around for around the ocean, and a set of benches to jump up on for the piranha bit.

You all stand in a group. the teacher calls out 'round the ocean'. The students all run up to and around the tree and back towards the teacher.

The teacher will then call out another instruction such as 'octopus'. In this one, the students all link arms in groups. The last student left is out, and goes to stand with the teacher.

With jellyfish, they prance about in slow motion waving and fluttering their arms like jellyfish.

Then call 'round the ocean' again. This time when they are half way there, call out 'bombscare!'. The children all crouch down with their hands protecting their heads. When the teacher calls out 'all clear', they can get up and wait for the next instruction.

This time call out piranha. They all run to the benches and jump up onto them, and the last two to jump up are out or any who fall off are out.

The whole point is to get them out, one or two at a time.


I work it like this:

'Round the ocean', count to five and call out 'bombscare'. Then I call out 'round the ocean' again without saying 'all clear'. Several will get up and run - they are all out. (You talk beforehand about honesty and being a good sport.)

The I will say 'all clear', and then 'round the ocean'. When they are almost back to me I will call out 'piranha'. The last two to jump up on the bench or anyone who falls off is out.

Then I will say 'swim' - and they just mill about and do swimming movements. Then I will say 'bombscare'.They all crouch down with their hands on their heads. So I will say 'great white pointer' without saying 'all clear'. That will get more kids out. Then I'll say 'great white pointer', and they will put a hand up on top of their head like a fin and sing the song - da dum, da dum, da da da dum! We all laugh at this.

Then I'll say 'piranha', then after they do that I will say 'octopus' or 'jellyfish' then 'round the ocean again'. And so on. Throw in a 'bombscare' and 'all clear' once in while until only one child is left to get a class reward.

Class behaviour management plan

Our school motto - Teamwork and Tolerance.

In our classroom we foster the following environment:

- the teacher's right to teach and the student's right to learn
- personal accountability and responsible behaviour
- individual responsibility for behaviour choices and the consequences of irresponsible behaviours
- the development of self-worth and self-confidence
- strong student involvement in the processes of their own learning and decision- making
- a commitment to cooperative relationships
- the non-violent resolution of conflict with confidence
- confidence to ask for help if required

In our classroom we incorporate the nine values for Australian schools:

1. Care and compassion
2. Doing your best
3. Fair go
4. Freedom
5. Honesty and trustworthiness
6. Integrity
7. Respect
8. Responsibility
9. Understanding, tolerance and inclusion

Student Management in the classroom:

We use the following to ensure positive behaviour outcomes:

Step 1 - Time out in class.

Student is removed from group but kept within the class space to reflect on positive behaviours and is returned to class after a short period of time.

Step 2 - Time out in another classroom.

Students are sent to another teacher and will reflect on their behaviours and complete a written plan of future positive behaviours.

Step 3 - Time out with executive.

In this step students are required to spend reflection time with a member of the executive team and may be given a recess or lunch time out. Parents may be informed if this stage of undesirable behaviours are exhibited by students.

Year 4 Maths class times tables test.

Medieval Studies SOSE Term 3 2010

Aim:

The purpose of this SOSE topic is to enable students to gain insight into the daily life of the Medieval society. Students will also gain a deep understanding of how the Medieval castle played an integral part in the daily lives of the various classes of Medieval people. This lesson will help the students gain a superficial understanding of Monarchy, Feudalism, and serfdom.

Spelling - word bank list of castle terms.

Here are some fun Medieval games.

The Knights Templar Quiz.

The Mr Donn Medieval site.

Medieval Games include:

Colf - medieval golf

Game Ball - medieval football

Kubb - medieval bowling

Hopscotch

Quoits

Horseshoes

Curling with balloons

Shut the Box - a dice game

Stool Ball was similar to our modern baseball.


Illustrated list of castles in Scotland.

Illustrated list of castles in England.

Overview of life in Medieval times.

Life in a Medieval Castle.

Siegecraft and Defence - Armour and Weapons

Challenge topics for Term 3:

1. Merlin
2. Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
3. The role of the jester in castle life.
4. Medieval herbs and plants and thier uses.
5. Medieval games.
6. Illuminated script.
7. Weapons
8. Tournaments and jousting


Method: divide the class into 2 countries and hand out roles such as:

knight, jester, queen/king, prince/princess, bard, spy, captured prisoner, farmer, blacksmith, teacher of crafts.

Activities:

word bank
map with location of castle
role play
craft activities
research
design and construction of weapons and
illuminated script
dragon art
stained glass windows mosaic
food of the middle ages
legend of King Arthur
design a clan tartan
make stuffed scottie dogs in tartan
design weapons
design a shield
hold a tournament

Timeline for Middle Ages:

1066 - Battle of --------
1072 - King ------- invaded Scotland
1086 - The -------- Book was written
1215 - Signing of the ----- -----
1312 - Order of the Knights ------- is abolished
1337 - The ------- years war begins
1347 - The B---- D---- ravages Europe
1455 - The War of the -----

Writing Topics:

Education
Clothing
Bathing
Games
Music
Commerce
Festivals
Village Life
City Life
History
Famines
Food
Health
Literature
Chivalry

"Romeo and Juliet" - by William Shakespeare - use the balcony scene to show medieval language.

Activities:

List 4 things you learned about knights.
Describe how heating was accomplished in the Medieval halls.
Describe the kitchen usually found in Medieval castles.

Reflection:

Describe the research techniques you used to discover about Medieval castles.
Would you have liked to live back in the Medieval times? Explain.
Why do we no longer have structures like castles? Why are they no longer necessary?
Do you think castles will ever be needed in the future? Explain.

Send a castle postcard.

Tour a castle in Scotland or in England.

Design a Coat of Arms.

Handwriting Exercise:



Once upon a time there was a knight who rode
over the hills,
and killed a dragon,
and set fifteen women free
from an enchanter who kept the prisoners in a tower
and found a castle where they could live,
and rode on to the desert
where two kings were fighting a war that never ended
and waved a magic shield over the battle
so all the soldiers stopped fighting and said,
"What are we here for?"
And then the knight turned and rode back,
through the desert, past the tower, over the hills,
and when she got home
she took off her armour, patted the cat and made
herself a cup of tea.

By Anonymous

A plan for building a model of a castle.

Here is a concentration card game.

Here is an excellent Medieval quiz.

You can Create Your Own Dark Ages Character.

Look here for what is inside and around a castle.

Weekly war - tournament:

Activities:

- balloon and straw race - curling
- crab crawling backwards relay
- scissors, paper, rock - renamed as sword, manuscript, cannon ball.
- who can go longest without blinking
- Shut the Box dice game
- coded message from a bard - England Vs Scotland , or Medieval Whispers
- shot put - throw the sneaker/pencil case.
- toss the caber - use a metre ruler/Vortex
- bowling pin game

Assessment and Evaluation for Medieval Studies will include:

for Medieval Studies:

1. Spelling test of word bank words.
2. List 3 medieval sports and discuss their origins and the rules of each.
3. Name a castle built in your country and describe it in detail.
4. Write a paragraph describing everyday life in a medieval castle.
5. Choose three of the roles you played and write about each them, e.g. Jester, Bard, Knight.
6. List the challenges you participated in during the medieval studies unit.
7. Participation (teamwork and cooperation) in weekly tournament events.
8. Technology activities - were they completed successfully?
a) design and construct a castle
b) design and construct a drawbridge
9) Share art work - illuminated script, shield, medieval paintings.
10. Active participation in drama activities.
11. Completion of Dark Ages Character during computer lab time.
12. Retell of viewing - The Sword in the Stone.

A WRINKLE IN TIME

By Madeline L’Engle


"It was a dark and stormy night in a small village in the United States.
In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patchwork quilt, sat on the foot of her bed and watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the trees, clouds scudded frantically across the sky. Every few moments the moon ripped through them, creating wraith-like shadows that raced across the ground. The house shook."

Activities:

1. Write the word banks neatly into literature book.
2. Use the words in the Chapter 1 word bank in creative sentences.
3. Write a definition of the words in the Time word bank.
4. Draw a family tree of the Murry family.
5. Draw your own family tree.
6. Build a vehicle to travel in space.
7. Draw your own planet world.
8. Do a retell of the story from watching the viewing.
9. Read the book or have it read to you.
10. Watch the movie.
11. Make patchwork squares to make a class blanket.
12. Art activity: newspaper city on a horizon.
13. Using tinfoil and black card, construct a view of a galaxy.
14. Write a science fiction story.


Resources:

1. Libby Hathorn Good To Read 6
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle.
3. The movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290382/


Assessment and Evaluation:
· Participation in all activities will be observed.
· Completed work will be constructively discussed and displayed.


Chapter 1 Word Bank

dark stormy small village watched tossing frenzied
lashing clouds scudding frantically moments wraith shadow night attic bedroom behind across ripped shook patchwork quilt wrapped few

Harry Potter Word Bank

philosopher
tabby
owl
tabby
muggle
imagine
imagination
cloak
stone
lightning
bolt
scar
serial
quidditch
jelly bean
motor bike
Hedwig
Hagrid
Hogwarts
train
sweet shop
portrait
incubator

Narrative Writing

ORIENTATION
Characters – Who are they? What are they like?
Setting – Where is the story? When does it take place?

PROBLEM
What goes wrong? What needs to be solved?

SERIES OF EVENTS
What are the important events?

RESOLUTION
How is the problem solved?
Have any of the characters changed?

Maths pages to make yourself

Year 4 Maths sheets to make - this comes in different levels.

Haiku with Gemma

Haiku is an old form of Japanese poetry. Many Haiku themes include nature, feelings or experiences and usually they use simple words and grammar. The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables.

Haiku doesn’t rhyme! A Haiku must “paint” a mental image in the reader's mind.

We learn how to write Haiku from Gemma.

Here is an example of her work:

Eyes softly searching
Eyes creating dialogue
Eyes that know your soul