writing inspiration

this is an interesting site that i found via a fellow twitterer...

ipods can be used to help inspire writing too....

Term Two projects + "managing self"

Hi kidlets - here is the explanation of when work is due and what we will be doing in Term Two:

1. Kakepuku Catastrophe! - draft should be written already. Finished version due Friday week two. Class time will be given every day. No extensions

2. HamiltON inquiry Project - this is mainly (a) the digital story relating your personal story or your promotion of HamiltON. It will be completed as a powerpoint-style [powerpoint, Marvin, or imovie] presentation with your own digital images, narration, text and some use of animated Marvin characters. You will do it in class time.

There is going to be a major competition run my Microsoft Partners inLearning to select a winner for this competition between Rm5 and Rm9 - a VERY EXCITING prize will be up for grabs... [think of a letter from the alphabet and think of a small cubic container]
- the entire HamiltON inquiry project must be completed by WEEK FIVE

(b) Anti-GRaffiti Poster COmpetition - run by HCC and Hamitlon POlice, we have one week to design and create a winning poster, [colour, A4] - prizes include book vouchers.

(c) Extras - design of City Heart features such as Garden Place, Wintec Wall, Claudelands Bridge Clip on walkway, etc. - this part of the project can best be presented as a Google Sketchup type presentation with text. Other ideas welcomed.

3. SciEnce fAIR - compulsory - TIME WILL BE SPENT IN CLASS LEARNINg SCiENTIFIC METHODS, etc, BUT THE SCIeNCE FAIR iTSeLF will be a HOMEWORK PROJECT due week one, Term Three.

P.E. - Football, Netball, Hockey, fitness

Languages - Te Reo, English - grammar, word study, transactional writing

MAths - number stuff using Numeracy project methods [like playing with blocks! COol!!! I love blocks]

Possible project for Term Two - opinions, debates and arguments

TERM TWO is going to be DYNAMIC - your management of time and work habits is going to make or break you. It is a 9 week term. Lots of very important work needs to be done. Reports are being written this term. Candidates for top academic, most diligent, and excellence in science, language and the other curriculum areas will be scrutinised this term....

Kia kAha tamariki ma - you have the skills, intelligence, creativity and time to produce some amazing work this term. You now need to apply the personal work and organisation skills to achieve excellence!

READ THIS CAREFULLY before you ask questions that have already been answered.

Writing our story...

While writing Kakepuku catastrophe, we need to remember some of the rules and regulations of writing, [like using capital letters occasionallyl...mr woody!] as well as ideas to help make our writing less tedious to make an audience suffer through.

the internet being our friend, as it is, i have found official documents made by "the government" to support our understanding of what is required when we write properly...

Level 4b learning intentions:
[level 4b is the level we all want to achieve as a minimum for our reading and writing. many of you are already capable of this or more but reinforcement and revision is useful to help retain knowledge and skills.]

Audience awareness and purpose
Engages audience and sustains reader attention. Language use and writing style enhance the telling. The writer's "voice" may enter the text and invoke a reaction.

Content inclusion
Story includes comprehensive elements (i.e., orientation, complication, resolution, and sometimes coda). Clear focus on and development of specific events, characters, and settings.

Coherence: sequencing ideas and linking
Story element sequencing managed well (e.g., effective plot or development of events). Effective linking is evident through the use of some linking devices (e.g., conjunctions of time - afterwards, next, meanwhile), which make the story flow.

Language resources for achieving the purpose
May use language devices (e.g., figurative language) and descriptors (e.g., adverbials, adjectives) to engage the audience and give detail to and develop characters, actions, and settings. Purposeful use of dialogue (where included).

We will have to discuss this in class to understand it all. By trying to comprehend what is actually being said here and relating it to our writing, we will probably learn something about writing..and it will be a kind of reading lesson too! HOoray!

Let's edit this page together in class [under my login] and make new vocabulary a different colour. transfer these words to your word study list when you have identified them.

Digital Story Telling workshop

Our friend, Elaine ["Her Majesty"] Bliss, came to school to teach us about Digital Story telling. We watched Sasha's digital story called "The Dress", which is about her relationship to Mr Woody's beloved grandmother, Gwendoline Violet Tucker.

Qu. What aspects of her story were effective in drawing us into the story?

Elaine went on to outline for us the important elements of digital story telling. These apply to all our story telling:

1. Point of view - what understanding or realisation are you trying to communicate to your audience?
2. Dramatic question - the hook; something that draws in the audience
3. Emotional Content - love, fear, etc
4. Your Voice - you narrate and you make it personal
5. Economy - these are brief stories with a simple message
6. Personal story, risk taking and emotional safety - we must respect each other

Also, think of the story as a circle or loop - begin somewhere and bring it altogether at the end.

We will use these techniques to create a digital story to explain how we relate to Hamilton.

Everyone's story will be different.

speed writing

free association, speed writing is a way to warm up your brain for further more disciplined writing. sometimes people get stuck finding it difficult to start writing. what we did in class was an exercise, much like warming up before you enter a race.
not all of you would have enjoyed it at first, but could you make comments on how it was for you as a learning experience. i could tell that many of you enjoyed it. was it useful?
[this is where you can give feedback on what you do in class - have your say, share ideas, be interesting and constructive please]
:-)

[and yes, i know i am not using capitals - whoops]