Clever Dick - Amethysts

Written By Geoffrey Summerfield

Once upon a time  a king was walking all over the world  looking for a wise man but he couldn't find one. One day he came to the yorkshire  moors and there he meet a little boy named Dick and he was looking after his fathers pigs and the king asked him if he wanted to be a wise man and he said that he was fine where  he was but he changed his mind and he said yes so the king told him that he would wait until Dick was a man and he changed his mind again.

We rated this book a 2-3 because it wasn't really interesting to us and it didn't give us enough information and we thought it was good.

Riots And Looting In London, England

Wide-spread riots broke out in London, England last week.

People ran into the streets, breaking store windows and stealing merchandise (known as

Wide-spread riots broke out in London, England last week.

People ran into the streets, breaking store windows and stealing merchandise (known as “looting”), and setting fires to buildings and cars.

Hundreds of people have been arrested and at least five people died in the riots.

There are many different reasons people joined the riots. Some people looted because they thought they could get away with it in the crowds. Some rioted because everyone else around them was doing it or they considered it fun. Others rioted because they have lived for a long time without enough money and it was a way to express their frustration. Many people rioted because they are angry with the police and the British government.

The riots began after police shot and killed a young black man named Mark Duggan, on Aug. 6, in a town called Tottenham, just north of London.

The incident sparked anger and resentment that had been building, particularly by young people. But it quickly spread beyond young, black people to people of nearly all ages, races and walks of life in England’s capital city and suburbs.

The rioting went on for days, as police tried–but were unable–to contain it.

It has been a very complicated and troubling time for one of the world’s best-loved cities.

London is slated to host next summer’s Olympic Games.
Writing/Discussion Prompt:

The article poses several suggestions as to why people in London, England rioted. What are some other reasons that you can think of as to why they would act in this destructive way?
One reason that is widely believed is that many young people in London are angry because they have a lack of money and jobs. Instead of rioting, in what other ways could they get out their frustrations and try to change their situation?

Reading Prompt:

Both London, England and Vancouver, Canada are well-known cities and are well-loved. However, both of these cities took a turn for the worse this year when people rioted in the streets, breaking into stores, stealing from shops and setting cars on fire.
TKN featured a story on the Vancouver riot on June 20, 2011 (http://bit.ly/pjBbjH).
Read both of the articles and compare these two riots. How are they similar and how are they different?

Grammar Feature: Commas in a list

When more than two items are written in a list, each item needs to be separated by a comma.
For example: “People ran into the streets, breaking store windows and stealing merchandise (known as “looting”), and setting fires to buildings and cars.”

Read the sentences below and insert commas where needed.

1. When Sally went to the grocery store, she bought cereal bread milk eggs and oranges.
2. The sports that students play in gym class are basketball volleyball soccer and baseball.
3. Eric Mohammed Jessica Taylor and Eden went to the community center to go swimming.
4. English Math History Science and Social Studies are learned by all students in Elementary and Middle School.
5. The rainbow revealed itself after the storm and shone indigo purple green yellow orange and red.

Redbeard's Kingdom - Amethytis

Written by Anthony Holcroft

Redbeard is greedy for power and land and after he has conquered his brother  he becomes even more greedier he thinks everything belongs to him because he is king.

We gave this book 5-5 because we thought it was interesting.

Written by Bronwyn Dezia William and Rebecca 

The Bag Of Flower - Amethysts

Written By Geoffrey Summerfield

One Day there was a woman walking to get some flour to bake some bread  then a witch walked past and turned the flour into manure.

I rated the book 3/5 because it wasn't really interesting for me.

By Dezia & Bronwyn 

Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters… Arrrr!

 

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the pirates who terrorized the high seas from the 17th to 19th centuries? Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters, an incredible interactive exhibit in Quebec City, Quebec, invites you to climb aboard a historically accurate reproduction of a pirate ship (complete with pirates) and experience the life and living conditions of these treasure-seeking scoundrels.

Unlike what Hollywood movies would have you believe, women were not permitted on pirate ships. Pirates considered them bad luck – along with dice, rabbits and whistling.
But superstition did not stop adventurous females from disguising themselves as men and living the pirate life. Two of the most successful were Anne Bonney and Mary Read.
Both were fierce fighters who spent years sailing with the infamous Calico Jack – who was the model for the Jack Sparrow character in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Bonny and Read managed to keep their gender a secret until the ship was captured by the British navy. They avoided hanging by “pleading their bellies” (meaning they were going to have a baby).
Like the fictional Jack Sparrow, real pirates certainly drank a lot of rum. This was because plain water became contaminated after just a few days of being stored in the ship’s barrels. The ‘tastes and smells’ part of the exhibit shows how pirates received nutrition from meat and fish preserved in salt.
It’s also true pirates robbed or looted treasure from the ships they attacked, but they were even more interested in stealing weapons and medication. These were the two things they needed to win battles and treat injuries. The exhibit’s display of medical tools – which includes saws for cutting off limbs and wooden pegs and metal hooks for replacing them – suggests that being a doctor on the high seas was a terrible job.
Although known for being ruthless, pirate crews thought of themselves as brothers and were very democratic about how they did things.
They voted on everything including who got to be captain, how the booty or treasure would be divided, and even how people would be punished.
Punishments were cruel and inventive. A captain who refused to attack another ship, for example, would be abandoned on a barren island with no food or water. A man who killed someone would be tied to his victim and the two would be thrown overboard together.
Although pirates preferred warmer climates, the cold waters of the St. Lawrence River and North Atlantic Ocean were visited by privateers, citizens whom the government allowed to attack enemy ships in times of war and freebooters, independent soldiers who did the same but without the government’s official consent.
Oliver ‘La Buse’ Levasseur is one example of a respected naval officer who turned pirate while serving as a privateer for King Louis XIV. He plundered the seas for eight years before being captured by the French.
As he was about to be hanged, La Buse threw a cryptogram (word puzzle) into the crowd and cried, “My fortune to he who can understand!” To this day, the puzzle remains unsolved and the treasure is still waiting to be found. Maybe even by you.
Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters runs from July 1 to Sept. 5 at the Brown Basin “interpretive centre”, 615 E Champlain Blvd. (at the foot of the Cap Blanc stairs) in Quebec City.

Related Link
The website for Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters.
Basin Brown interpretive centre (website in French).

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Today’s story is not really a news article. News articles almost always explain significant events that are happening. Today’s article doesn’t do that. Instead, it tells about a museum exhibit in Quebec. Articles that give you an idea of what an art exhibit, theatre piece or movie is about are called “reviews.” Take another look at today’s article and think about all the ways that news articles are different from reviews.


Reading Prompt
Having read today’s article, would you want to go on a trip to Quebec City to see this exhibit? If yes, what things would you say to convince your parents/guardians it’s a good idea? If not, what reasons would you give your parents for staying home?

Grammar Feature: Onomatopeia
Onomatopeia isn’t just a fun word to say, it’s a pretty nifty word, too. Onomatopeia is a type of word that is spelled like a sound that we hear. For example, today’s article includes the onomatopeia word “Arrrr” in the headline. ”Arrrr” isn’t a verb, or a noun, or any other part of speech for that matter, so it doesn’t mean something the way that other words mean something. It’s just a sound. But don’t overlook these kinds of words just because of that. Comic books, for example, are able to communicate lots of different things by using onomatopeia, from a speeding train to a massive explosion!

Attach an onomatopeia word to each of the examples below: 


1. A powerful punch: _____________________________.
2. A furious hurricane: ____________________________.
3. A mouse scurrying away: ________________________.
4. Raindrops falling in a puddle: _____________________.
5. A dazzling fireworks display: ______________________.

The Wishing Stone

BY Steve Smallman Illustrated by Rebecca Elliott   

Key points A Flamingo, Monkey and a Mouse find a Armadillo which they thought was a wishing stone.
 
William;  thought it was funny because the three friend's kicked the armadillo in the water.                          
William;3/5

 Aidan:  

Aidan;4/5

TuTu;5/5

Newspaper Article - Week 2, Term 3 2011

“Extinct” Rainbow Toad Found In Borneo

A colourful, spindly-legged toad was recently spotted by scientists in Borneo. The last time anyone had seen it was 1924, when it was reported by European explorers.

The bright green, purple and red toad is known as the Sambas Stream Toad, or Borneo 

A colourful, spindly-legged toad was recently spotted by scientists in Borneo. The last time anyone had seen it was 1924, when it was reported by European explorers.

The bright green, purple and red toad is known as the Sambas Stream Toad, or Borneo Rainbow Toad. Many people had assumed it was extinct.

In July, three of the toads were found on three separate trees in Borneo, Indonesia which is an island off the coast of Southeast Asia. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world.

A professor at the Sarawak Malaysia University led the expedition to look for the toads.

They only had a black-and-white sketch to go by; no photographs were available.

The team of scientists had looked for the toads before, using the same route the explorers had taken, but they hadn’t found any. This time, they went higher up the Penrissen mountain range and found the specimens.

The scientists had to be very fit, because there was a lot of climbing involved. And the expedition, which took many months, was very expensive because the team had to stay at an expensive golf resort while they were searching.

The toads are about five centimetres long. They are a male and a female adult and a younger toad.

The team won’t say exactly where they found the toads, because they’re worried about someone illegally capturing the stunning looking amphibians. The beautiful toads are in great demand as pets.

The researchers have been given a two-year grant from the University of Malaysia to continue studying the toads to learn more about them.

Writing/Discussion Prompt

The expedition to search for and study the toad is very expensive. Do you think that this is money well-spent?
How could the information that the scientists gather impact our understanding of our environment?

Reading PromptThe article explains that when the scientists went to look for the rainbow toad, they didn’t have photographs to look at; they only had a black-and-white sketch.  

Why do you think this was the case?

Use information from the text and your own ideas to answer this question.

Grammar Feature: AdjectivesAdjectives are describing words.  Some adjectives that were used to describe the frog are: colourful, beautiful, bright green, purple and red.  After reading the article and looking at the picture of the toad, can you think of 10 more adjectives to describe it?

The wishing stone

 by Steve Smallman and  Illustrated by Rebbecca Elliott
Armadillo was walking around looking for friends. Whenever someone near
him he would roll up into a ball.  Some friends where running along the pond
 and the little mouse found a funny stone. They all made a wish and at night
the mouse and flamingos wish came true.
i rate this book as a
Brody 3
Teegan 4



by Teegan and Brody

the wishing stone

by Steve Smallman illustrated by Rebecca Elliott
key points 3 friends find a wishing stone witch turns out to be an armadilo.
I thought the story was funny because the armadilo thought the flamingo the monkey and the mouse liked bugs.  
We rate this book 3.

The wishing stone

By Steve Smallman. Illustrated by Rebecca Elliott.
Write some key points about the story.
The Mouse,flamingo and the monkey thought that the Armadillo was a wishing stone.
Write your personal thoughts.
Theissen thought it was sad when they kicked the Armadillo in the water.
Mia thought it funny because the mouse and the flamingo got what they wanted and the monkey did but got the wrong food.
Ratings.
Theissen 5 out of 5
Mia 5 out of 5

Book review by Theissen and Mia.