Month: May 2012

We had a fantastic time at our Charles Dickens Workshop today. We heard the story of Charles Dicken’s early live before using sound and drama to create our own versions. We also enjoyed finding out some extra information about his life and the life of other Victorian Children at the Cuming Museum.

 

 

We are really proud of the work we put into our Olympic bid presentations on Friday.  We researched features of a good speech such as rhetorical questions, humour and relevant facts and read some examples of the speeches given by Lord Coe and David Beckham during the real London Olympic bid.

One specific focus was how we could demonstrate that our chosen city would reflect and support the Olympic values.  We were pleased to discover that many of the aims and values of the European Union were similar to those of the Olympic values and motto and we used this as a point in our speeches.

Everyone worked hard on their confidence when presenting, focusing on speaking clearly and loudly while looking at the audience.  We also enjoyed researching and learning so much about a range of European and North American cities during international week.

Here are some extracts from some of our speeches.  We hope you enjoy them.

EDINBURGH

Mr President, Members of the IOC

I am here to tell you about a delightful city named Edinburgh and why we should host the important event: the Olympics.

What makes our city so great are the tourist interests like the Royal Botanic Gardens. These lovely gardens have enormous fountains with clear water spraying out. Colourful flowers full the flower beds with glory and healthy trees shade the fresh green grass.

Another beauty of Edinburgh is its castle, Edinburgh castle. It is made of a lovely brown coloured stone. It has four tall turrets and its great hall is beautifully carved with historic pictures.

There are other interests as well like Edinburgh zoo. It is a great zoo to visit for we have all sorts of tropical animals like tigers, pandas and monkeys.

As I said it is not only our city that is perfect but our countryside is beautiful too with its steep mountains and fresh Lochs.

As we are used to tourists, we also have great transport and accommodation.

Not only do we have great tourist attractions but we are part of the European Union so we already follow the same values as the Olympics.

The EU aims match up with the Olympic and Paralympic values for example the EU aim help one another accept everyone as they are. Live according to your own traditions and culture. matches up with equality and friendship. I believe that these aims and values are a VERY important part of our life and I am very proud to be a part of the EU.

Thank-you for listening to my speech about this glorious city which is a pleasure to visit which is also very eager and ready to host the Olympics.

I am Jesse and I am going to tell you a little more about Edinburgh’s sport and why we are the country to host the Olympics.

As a city Edinburgh has a brilliant sporting life. We have 4 stadia for all for sports in the Olympics and for fun.There is a large assortment of swimming pools and big coast with water for water sports.

Our 300 3-5 star hotels provide accommodation for all our tourists and we welcome people with open arms to our cottages in the countryside.

Our bagpipes play music in our highland games. We are in the EU so we share the values of the Olympic spirit like friendship and we are determined to let people live without discrimination. We also work with other s as a family. Our motto is united in diversity so we deserve to host the Olympics. They asked me to compete but I have as much skill as a dead cat walking!

DUBLIN

Our speech
Daniel: Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud and delighted to be here.

I am here to debate and bid for bringing the Olympics to Dublin. Dublin would be a fantastic city to hold the Olympics because it’s popular with tourists; It is safe and secure; it has superb public transport, many tourist attractions, such as, tours, rail trips, Blarney castle, the Cliffs of Moher & The Giants Causeway.
The games would really raise our population and culture.
Already we have welcomed everyone from around the world, every religion and culture. We have always had a passion for sport, rugby, tennis, golf, football and many, many more. And now introducing Chancellor Compton.

Archie:
Top of the mornin’ to ya
it is of the highest honour to stand before you in a bid to bring the Olympics to our lovely city… Dublin. Mr. President, members of the IOC & fellow candidates Dublin is the perfect place. It has acres of land to build on, lakes & loads of locations close enough to create a stadium. We have travel links all around the country so that all of Ireland’s citizens and people from all four corners of the world can reach our magnificent stadium. Now I’m going to keep it short and sweet, please choose Dublin… The love is there. In conclusion Dublin is ready. Were waiting for you ;).

 

BARCELONA

The Speech

Maximus: I would like to start off by saying thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to tell you why you should  host the 2020 olympics.

Emmanuel: We are dedicated and passionate towards the olympics and we really hope you chose us to host such an amazing event.  

Emmanuel: We are very devoted and passionate towards our sports. We have one of the best football clubs in the entire world, and within that club lies one of the best, arguably the best football player, in the world. I am talking about Lionel Messi playing for FC Barcelona.This club has won over 50 different titles and trophies.

Michael: We want to host this Olympics because we are proud of our transport, and we assure you the transport to the Olympics will be great. Our transport will be good, because our transport will go straight into the Olympic Stadium. We promise and assure you that are transport will be reliable and luxurious.

Kayode: Visitors are impressed by our fabulous tourist attractions. If you come to this city you will amazed by our beaches and cathedrals such as the Sagrada Familia also known as the unfinished cathedral. We still have the Olympic stadium from 1992 which we plan to use if we host the 2020 olympics,then are country will not have to use our money on a stadium and spend on something else important   We have  lovely accommodation such as hotels and houses for lone. We also have a very popular zoo which has over 100 species of animals and millions of visitors every year.

 Michael: Our country has an ethos which reflects on the European Union motto, ‘United in diversity’, why? Well it is because we are part of the EU. We also share the same values as the olympics such as inspiration, dedication, equality, and courage.

 Maximus: As Well as all of that this country is beautiful. There are evenings on the beach where you would just stay for hours watching it set in the deep blue sea. Or there are days when you watch the heavens open as he rin drips, drops onto your window that is why millions of people have fallen in love with this country.

Maximus:Thank you very much for listening and I hope you will make our heads be held up high, in pride in 2020.  

Shape poems describe something within its shape. We have written some shape poems inspired by the Olympics and the European Union. Click on the poem picture to read it!

We are really enjoying our Olympic themed international week. We have been thinking about the Olympic motto, aims and values and those of the European Union. We have thought about these values might inspire our own. Here are some of our ideas. Click on the picture to read.

We are really enjoying using the Green Screen and ipads to film trailers for an Oliver Twist film. We have been thinking about which parts of the story are the most exciting as well as how to use action and key words to create suspense, tension and draw the audience in. The children have been using their historical knowledge about the Victorians to help them source appropriate props. They are planning to use green screen software to insert historically accurate backgrounds. Check our blog soon for the finished products…we hope you are being kept in suspense!

Class 5 were very excited to be joined today by Maja Sabic, a teacher from St Saviours Secondary school. She gave us some fantastic demonstration which has helped us to understand why night and day happens and how the tilt of the earth influences our seasons. All the children really enjoyed the session and had lots of questions! Many thanks Maja!

We are learning about the Victorians this term and we are especially enjoying reading Oliver Twist and writing our very own pieces of Historical fiction.  We have been investigating how Charles Dickens helped create a picture of the world he lived in through the descriptions in his written words.  We have also identified how he created suspense and tension through imagery, detail and manipulating the speed in which the action develops. Here are some examples of our work.  We hope you like them!

An extract from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

“It was nearly two hours before day-break; that time which in the autumn of the year , may be called the  dead of night; when the streets are silent & deserted; when even sounds appear to slumber, and profligacy & riot have staggered home to dream.”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Ferdinand

“The night was a cold iceberg, melting when the moon came out and the street started to shimmer. The buildings camouflaged next to the fresh night sky. The cobbled road twinkled in the night sky like stars. That was the only source of light there. The other dim, faint lights made no effort in giving light.  The horse-carts looked like faint shadows.

The night was cool, full of breeze; the wind was fierce, pushing the trees.

Suddenly a door burst open and feet clattered. The night grew darker as Bill Sikes approached the street. His teeth gritted as he thought of how Nancy betrayed his clamped soul. Bill Sikes hands coiled up into clenched fists, his vile face crumpled into scrunched paper. Sikes raged through the street with indignation, swiftly twisted his head; left and right, hunting for the honest girl. His breath grunted out like a raging bull. Bill’s patience was losing its strength. THEN!!…”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Rebecca

“Dimly flickering gas lamps glowed creepily, slightly lighting up the windows of the small shops. A lost top hat rolled around, sometimes half flying along the stone paving when a strong breeze picked up. You could just see the twinkling stars, millions and millions of them just hovering there as if hung up as a Christmas decoration. You could also see the moon, the source of the silvery white rays surrounded by shadows.

A rat scurried across the stone cobbles and darted under a fence. Another came padding out of an ally and sniffed at the horse manure dotted all over the road. A bang and the scratching of claws against stone showed there was a cat around and all the rats hid from view.

Suddenly a door burst open and Bill came tearing out wild with fury. He tore down the street franticly looking for Nancy. He stumbled and tripped on the cobblestone his body taut, sweating with rage. His heart was pounding against his chest, his fists clenched tight and his evil face as pale as a sheet. He smashed into a lamp post for he was blinded with tears of anger and then he swiftly turned the corner into an ally way and the terrified cat slinked out. He rushed to the crooked arms when a jagged streak of lightning crossed the sky. A torrential rain soaked Bill as he reached the crooked arms he pushed through the crowd of sleeping drunkards and there she was….”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Michael

“Suddenly a door burst open, Bill looked like a gruesome warrior as he made his way through the narrow, hollow street. He crashed into a gas lamp but he still continued stomping away in the blackened moonlight. His grotesque big toe slowly made its way through his spoilt, filthy shoe and when teeth grinded together hell let loose and thunder and lightning poured like the rain and hail did throughout the stormy night. He clenched his fist the way a polar bear would gnaw on his daily income of fish. He stamped his feet like a horse galloping on the lumpy stone road. His cheeks were as purple as the mixture of the waste pouring out of the ancient windows.

Bill gradually stormed towards the terrace house; his blood still throbbed through his head like oil in the River Thames. He was like a grumpy Killer Whale devouring everything in its way.

And then there she was, standing still in the moonlight…”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Renee

The lamp posts were dimly lit down the street, flickering. The roads were covered with manure and dusty dirt. The lights of the brick terraced houses went out and the town felt pitch black.

Shutters were shut, doors were locked, and the streets were empty. It was like the world was a vacant box full of air. The shouting and crying stopped just as the moon arrived. It twinkled in the sky like a shiny silver coin.

All the shops and markets closed no one would even dare to go out. The cold winter night, everywhere no one was around to neither talk nor play.

Suddenly a door burst open Bill came out as angry as ever. He stomped all the way down stairs and out into the cold, dark, cruel night off to find Nancy the betrayer. His face was red like blood; he clenched his fists as he stomped to find Nancy.

The sky was full of darting lightning bolts and grey storm clouds shooting down like needles poking you in the face. Bills breath was shown in the air; it looked like a tuft of fog. His hair was wet, his blood was boiling.”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Gabriel

“Silence came back and forth between the cobbled streets, twisting and weaving in and out of dingy lanes and streets, trying to keep people in the force of utter enthrallment and sleep, flying up into the darkness of the atmosphere and beyond the stars.

Suddenly a shadowy figure burst out of a ramshackle cobbled streets and rushed along the cobbles, muttering unspeakable words to himself about the one who betrayed him, Nancy. He dashed in and out in a fit of rage, with his teeth and fists clenched, up the high street during that ferocious thunderstorm down all those little alleys searching for Nancy, the culprit for aiding that boy he hated so much, the little tyke, Oliver Twist. And there Nancy was, hiding in the dark depths of the shadows … “

An extract from “London at night” by Jesse

“The Victoria Regina post boxes were in the shadowy corners of the cobble stone street; the rusty street sign was hanging off one corners dimly lit by the quaint gas lamps, which were as tall as 2 men!

The slimy horse manure covered the street, burying the iron wheels of the empty out of action horse omnibus; there was the smell of manure mixed with the stench of perpetually rising mire. You could hear the drip drip drip of the cholera infested water dripping from the pump.” 

An extract from “London at night” by Archie

“The lamp lighter was trying with no effort to stay as silent as possible in the ankle deep puddles of horse manure which were waiting to be moved to the cesspit. The whisk of the wind circled the now silent church towers threatening to blow them of its stand.

The occasional flicker of the gas lamps made the street dimmer than a chamber in the tower of London.

Suddenly a door burst open and Bill Sikes ran out of the door. Without warning a thunderstorm immediately broke out. Paying no attention, with clenched fists and gritted teeth he ran on through the night.

Raging on to find his betrayer, his face purple with loathing; brushing past lamp posts, jumping over pot holes, fists clenched teeth ground together while a tiny part of his mind wanted to stop ….”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Esther

“Suddenly a door burst open…He sprinted along the peaceful streets, his heart pounding like a tiger, rapidly, his fist were clenched!

He bashed through the hard lamp-posts, passing the oily blackness of the River Thames. His forehead had 3 lines the sign of anger. He looked with his hands above his forehead….”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Megan

“Through the dark, dangerous streets you could hardly see the flickering gas lamps; the street was as quiet as a deserted house.

The ground was thick with mire, the lamps flickered in the moon light; the street was still and silent, there was rubbish everywhere the cobbles were as rough as a tree bark.

The streets were jet black, dirt covered the ground like an old and tattered table cloth covers a filthy table, and the sky was an indigo blue.

Suddenly the door burst open Bill Sikes came bounding out, his heart pounding in his chest. All he heard was BANG, the rain dribbling down his face.

He was bounding as fast as a horse down a deserted street. He could hardly see where he was going; the fog was so thick; his feet bleeding in his tattered and worn shoes.

He was getting closer and closer and there Nancy was………”

An extract from “Bill searches for Nancy” by Mia

“Suddenly a door burst open as Bill rushed out into the empty high street. Bill’s eyes screwed up as he clenched his fist with anger. He searched everywhere for his darling.

The thunder suddenly struck and the rain came pouring down. Bill got drenched as he sprinted though the rain. He ran down the street beside the terraced houses.”

 

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We are very excited to get our hands on the new iPads! What a lot we can do! We have been having fun with photos. How could you edit a photo?

Year 5 have reached the top 50 UK schools on the Mathletics hall of fame! Well done to all those Y5 children who have been working hard (and having fun) on their Mathletics tasks.  Keep up the hard work and let’s try to get to number 1!!