Sports activator

On Friday R4 had our first sports activator this year. We met Olivia who taught us some cricket skills. Alesana and Regan took these photos. 

Whack! Ryan hit the ball far far away!

Charlotte hit the ball.

At the end we had a game of non-stop cricket. 

Student of the week - Josie

A super-easy choice for Student of the Week this week....

Mrs O and Mrs May are learning too

Hi Room 4. Here we are on Saturday morning at a brilliant workshop in Mosgiel learning tips from other teachers around NZ about how to make our classroom even more awesome. We have been learning more about blogging, iPad apps, learning websites and heaps more. BE PREPARED for more exciting learning opportunities in Room 4!!!

Student of the week - Imogen

Congratulations to Imogen for being this week's Student of the Week in Room 4.  Imogen always listens carefully, settles to tasks quickly and is super keen to learn.  She is a fabulous role model to others in our class.  Keep up the great work ethic Imogen.

Room 4 continue to write descriptions of things that they see. We talked a lot about all of the things in this picture that we could include in a description. Read some of our descriptions below.

Flames, licking the roof and gutter while chewing down all of the wooden planks. The reddish, orangey flames brightening up the whole of the section. The were windows all shattered since the fire made it so hot it exploded. The blue smoke is burning the paint and the ashes are surrounding the ground. There is charcoal all over the front porch, sitting, still hot. The door had been all burnt down to pieces. Grass is still shining green but the flames have ruined the picture. The smoke is a big cloud heading to the right.  - Josie

Fire bursting out of the house like a dragon breathing fire. There are wooden planks turning into ashes and smoke filling the air. The surroundings are filled with glass poking out from the windows and flames firing out like one thousand fire-flies. The inside is all rusty and rickety. - Arnika

There's a fire burning flames, swishing around smoke, flying into the air like birds soaring. Wooden planks burning, making the fire bigger. Glass from the windows shatters to the ground. The door is open so fire is getting inside the house. The roof is surrounded by burning flames. The grass has glass all over. The fire is getting even bigger and bigger and then blue smoke appears. Then the paint is gone. It was like is disappeared randomly and the smoke is really dark black and the colour of the fire is orange and red. The only thing left is ash and charcoal. - Isla

Boom! A house just set to flames. Meanwhile, the smoke is getting bigger and bigger as it flys to the right. Chunks of ash drop down like a falling waterfall. The glass on the window smashes like an ant getting squashed. The door has been demolished by the flames. The roof caves in likes it is moth eaten. - Alesana.

Crackle, crackle goes the fire as it surns the dry, wooden planks. Juicy green grass does not match the orange and red flames or the dark grey smoke. You can see birds chking from the deadly ash flying through the air. There's glass melting on the ground and the windows are just holes in the walls. The door is burnt down. You can't see any surroundings apart from the grass and the trees. - Samara

There are flames bursting out of the house with smoke filling in arouns them, shading the sun more and more as the wind made the flames grow stronger until the sun was covered. The windows were shattering as glass fell flat on the ground with sharp bits sticking up. Some were so sharp they made holes in the ground. Light blue planks fell to the ground in one million tiny pieces all covered in little holes from all the nails and screws that were in them. The trees around the house started glowing with red sparks and ash fell down to the nice, wet grass. Inside the manky, burnt-down house there were headless dolls, an old persons rocking chair and spider webs everywhere. - Alyssa

Fire spreads around the house like a dragon blowing fire onto it. Wooden planks feed the fire. Charcoal is crumbling off the roof like weet-bix getting crushed up. Glass is smashed from people trying to escape so they didn't get trapped. Blue smoke sneaks around the corner. Clouds of black smoke cover up the air. Glossy, green grass is soon going to turn into black. Tall pine trees only metres away. Bright read and orange fire is still spreading. - Bryce.

CSI Juniors Visit Dunedin

Toby and Samara are a part of a group working with Miss Taylor this term. They have called themselves the CSI Juniors and they are studying forensic science. As a part of this study they went on a trip to Dunedin to find out more about the process of forensics and science. Here is an account of the trip written by Samara and Toby.

 Pathology Museum.

 First of all we went to the pathology museum and we saw heaps of brains, kidneys and hearts and lots more.A man (Doctor Ian)  talked to us and told us how some of the insides had been diseased. 
 

  At the Anatomy Department we weren't allowed to take any photos because we were dealing with actual people's body parts. We got to use actual human bones to re-create a human skeleton.

 The holding cells

At the Dunedin Police Station we were locked in a cell  for about one minute until the policeman unlocked it and let us out.There was  a mens and womans cell, there were also separate cells with a toilet with a sink on the top of it.

 Processing - Mug shots, finger prints
After that we went to the mug shot and fingerprint room.   The policeman told us to put our right fingers on the ink  and  press them down on an elimination sheet.

 Off to the cells.

 Armed Offenders Squad
The policeman took us into the Armed Defenders Squad room and told Miss Taylor to put on all the gear with  a pistol, balaclava, rammer (like a concrete box) and  kevlar (protective clothing to slow bullets down).

We think we are really lucky to have been chosen to be in the  C.S.I junior.

reported by Toby and Samara ( C.S.I jr)

Welcome to the team

Last week we welcomed our newest team member into Room 4. We are very excited to have Clifton joining us. He has already slotted into Room 4 easily and we are thrilled to have his smiley face and kind nature in our classroom . Welcome Clifton!!!

Hide and Seek - Descriptive writing

Last week Mrs May took us over to the local playcentre to play hide and seek. While we we were hiding we had to use all of our senses, and we had to think about what we could see, what we could hear, what we could feel and what we could smell. Mrs May asked us to imagine why we might be hiding, and to think about how our body reacts to the thought of being found. Then we went back to the classroom and wrote about it. This is what we came up with.

I sprinted off to hide. I ran behind a bush. I could see the person’s shadow walking towards me. I scrunched up like a ball. I could see him through the gaps of the bush. He walked passed me a couple of times.  – Oakley

BANG! There was  a world war. Children ran to find their hiding spot. I hid under the slide. There was concrete and dirty rubbish. I was lying down, as straight as a statue. I was hearing kids yelling “You found me!” I was angry because I didn’t want to be found. – William

Running as fast I could, I did not want the soldier to get me. My heart was pounding with fear. I saw a good spot but I didn’t know if I should go or not. I had to make me decision. It was not good enough. I was so scared that the soldier would get me. I saw somebody hiding as well. I finally found the right hiding spot. It was a good one. I was sure the soldier could not find me. The place I was in was dirty. As I waited so quietly it started to get windier. It started to get dark. I heard footsteps. I saw a shadow. I had to hold my breath. He came closer and closer to me. I was as still as a statue. Suddenly the soldier found me. I said “Please don’t hurt me.” The soldier took me with him. I was so scared when the soldier found me. I was so quiet but he did not kill me as quickly as I thought. – Te Aroha

Ready? GO! Where should I hide? There’s plenty of places to go! Bushes, long grass and plenty of other places….soon after we hide. I still didn’t get found and…

Finally he crept closer and closer, foot by foot, thinking I’m around the area. But…he disappeared into a tunnel in the distance. I said, “That’s strange.” There were bid spider webs everywhere. As Toby slowly crept towards me again I lay flat like a pancake on the sticky cobwebs that hung down from a big bush.

“Found you! Found you! Okay let’s try to find Ryan!” When Toby slowly crept up to me I was like “Yus,” really quietly but he still found me! – Ryan

BANG!!! Roars the dynamite as it makes the ground shiver. I ran straight to the covered up sand pit and I dived straight under the big mat. My heart was beating hard-out because I was trembling with fear. I could see people through the mat. I heard people running into their underground houses. I hear bird’s wings flapping. Argh! My brain cried as someone marched towards our house in Germany. The person marched straight towards my hiding spot. BOOM goes a machine gun spits out bullets on the house. He shot a whole lot of people. I see a whole lot of dead bodies lying on the ground. I see him running to my hiding spot. He opens the mat. BANG! I was dead.  – Bryce

I raced to where I was going to hide at playcentre. Everywhere I went, Regan went. First where I hid was in the bush. My heart beat was beating fast when I we had to go. I was so scared. When we went Alesana had to find us. I was second last because we had to find Toby. I could hear the birds singing. I was waiting and waiting. I was busting because I was nervous. I could hear footsteps coming towards us. I could hear Alesana saying “Found you! Found you!” But then I couldn’t’ hear “Found you.” Then he went around the corner and he found me. – Charlotte.

Marching closer is the biggest war in the world. We ran oll over to hide in the bushes in the cover. They were marching closer and closer. I hid in the bushes. We were all scared. Their leader said “Go.” Everyone stayed as still as they could. I saw a shadow getting closer and closer. I shivered them he went away. My hiding place was all muddy and wet. All I could see was prickles all around. It really hurt. It felt like falling off a cliff and having scratches everywhere. The soldiers found one person and another. I started to get scared. Then it went quiet. I didn’t know if they were gone, or if it has just gone quiet. – Arnika.

“Hide!” somebody called. As I looked over my shoulder I saw a soldier coming straight towards me, I screamed as I ran to the bush. As I ran I could see all the other kids running to the slide and other kids running to lots of other things. In my hiding place, which was in a bush, it was wet and slushy but I didn’t have a choice. By now the soldier was really close. He was right in front of me. It was scary watching a soldier, especially when he was so close! I was trying to stay really still. I could hear the other children screaming when the soldier found them. I felt like hopping out of my hiding place and running to help them. Soon there was silence and I could only hear the birds. Then I heard some feet going passed me. Then they stopped right in front of me! My heart started thumping. I had a feeling it was my turn to get caught. Then I escaped from the soldier. – Imogen

I feel scared because it is a world battle and I feel like I better hide somewhere before I die. I do not want to die. The soldier will have a gun and try and kill me. I hope he does not come and find me because I do not want to die. I am screaming because what if he comes and finds me and gets his gun. I am sad because my friend is dead because the soldier shot her. Bang went the gun. The soldier is coming. “Be quiet,” I said but I have a spider on my head. It is crawling on my head. – Deija-Lee

Panic. Chaos. Mayhem. My heart raced like an Olympic athlete. I glanced around the area. It was life or death. Then it hit me. I pounced under an old wooden shed. Then I crawled to an old concrete corner.

“Find them NOW!” Crunch, crunch, something went passed. Bang. Bang. Several dead and injured therefore I froze dead still. My heart pounded like it was going to burst. The tweeting of the birds had stopped. I felt like I was in a desert. A soldier peered in, then….BANG! Aaron was dead. “Right let’s go,” bellowed a man. I was one of the sole survivors. - Toby
 

“GO!” As Mrs May yelled, I hid. “Ha!!!!! Found you!” cried William.

“Now where’s Alesana?” As I hid more in the dark I could feel prickly bushes. Then, Bang! A grenade had flown in as everyone else ran. Ryan and I were left in the dark bushes.

“You all right Ryan?” I stuttered.

 “Shh, I can hear someone.” As a tall army man snuck passed with a sniper in his hand and an AK47 on his back I stayed dead still and my heart was pounding 100% faster. When he went passed that’s when me and everyone else knew that it was life or death now. This was not just a game.

“Freeze!” I think that’s Oakley, then toby, then Regan, then Bryce, then Aaron.

“I’m getting out.”

“Same.” So we got up and snuck passed.

“Phew, that was close,” we said in relief.    – Alesana

As I raced to hide with Alyssa we hid in the bush. We stayed very quiet because we were playing hide and seek at playcentre. William scampered over the playground looking for us. We curled up in a ball. As we waited a bee buzzed around my head…

“Found you!” Isla, Charlotte and Arnika had been found and then all the other children had been found and then everyone was shouting “Anna! Alyssa!” and then Charlotte said,

“Found you!” We raced back to class. I heard someone say that I was awesome. – Anna

Creep, creep, as I turn around the corner. ‘They will find me here.’ Heart pounding, children screaming. I went to this place. No, not that place. Yet I only had 5 seconds to go. I had to go in the dirty, webby, damp, log. I wasn’t feeling too good. The kids beside me laughed. I could see spiders and then I saw a hole so I looked through the hole and I saw some people.  There goes William. I stopped, smelling all of the damp bark. I couldn’t hold it in. I had to laugh but I didn’t. I could not stand a stick poking into me. I moved so I didn’t hurt myself. William goes passed me.

“Found you Lanie!” Please don’t find me….phew he walked passed and left me alone. He finds another person. He comes back down but still can’t find me. I am the last person. Mrs May calls

“If you are still hiding come out, we are leaving.” I commando-style crawled out. It was only me. I had won.    – Josie

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!”

I ran to the bush. I sat down. I hear my heart pounding fast. Alesana came. I sprinted off into the bush. I hear the people’s feet. My heart is pounding. I am so nervous. My heart is going to burst. I have Alesana running to me. I hear the people that have been found chattering away. Alesana is coming.

“Found you,” he said.    – Regan

As I sprinted to find cover and a hiding spot I could hear screams and cries from children that had been playing in the playground filled with joy and laughter that was now a ghost-town filled with silence. I sat in the bushes waiting, hoping not to be found. It was so squashy and prickly. There was a big spider web and I was hoping that the spider wasn’t home. I could hear the soldier getting closer and closer, scarier and scarier. Just as it felt like he was going to find me he turned and walked in the opposite direction. I could hear children screaming as they were found. I could hear the soldier coming towards me again but this time he was headed straight for me…     - Samara

As I was running to my hiding spot someone was there so I ran to a different hiding place and I hid as still as a tree. My heart was beating so hard that it nearly fell out. I heard the person looking for me. I could hear the footsteps. He was looking very hard for me. I was wrapped up in a tight little space. I hoped a rat wouldn’t jump out of the leaves on me. As I was in my hiding place I could hear other people getting found. They were screaming out loud. Next it was me. I got found. I screamed. He picked me up. I ran away.     – Isla

When she said go I panicked and ran to the wood and hid under. I got very low and then I heard noises but then I heard footsteps. I could see three other people. The dirt was dirty and you had to go down lower. Alyssa and Bryce were hiding with me under the wood.  I bumped my head.

“Ow,” I said. I was very tight in an egg. I heard lots of people getting found. ‘He is near me,’ I say to myself. I get nervous and say ‘Will he find me?’ He gets closer. To me and then he goes away to find some people but then minutes later I hear footsteps coming closer to me. Then he says,

“Found you Lanie.”

 I say “You found me.” Then I go back to the table. - Lanie

I knew that today was the day the most annoying kid at school was coming over. I heard his mother pulling up into our driveway. I hated him just like everyone else. He had to come though because both his parents were away. As soon as I heard the car door slam shut I jumped out of my bedroom window and his in some trees. I was there for about five minutes until he came out looking for me, calling,

“Alyssa! Alyssa! Alyssa!” I started to get scared when a bee landed on me. I screamed. Luckily I was safe, but not for long because I started to get itchy so I had to move. Then the leaves rustled.

“Found you!” he yelled right in my face. I was sort of happy he found me because I was uncomfortable, bored and worried that a spider might jump on me. (Only because that’s already happened to me before at my 5^th birthday, playing hide-and-seek.) I told the annoying boy from school, who was called Craig, that everywhere he looked, like under the slide, in the play hut and behind the bush were the worst places to look, especially in the house. He understood because they are pretty dumb places to hide in. After all that I started to like Craig so we went inside to my bedroom just as his Mum was leaving. Craig finally got a friend.     - Alyssa

Recommended books

This week we used the tellagami app on the iPads for an independent reading activity.  Our task was to create a message recommending a book to other Year 3 and 4 students.  Here are a selection of our recommendations:

Tellagami app

Hi everyone - last week we had our first ever attempt at using the Tellagami app on the iPads to create our own gami.  First we had to create an avatar (character), then include a background and finally record a voice message.  Here we are explaining what we like about Lawrence Area School.

Student of the week - Ryan

Ryan - you truly are a super role model to others in Room 4.  You always know what you are supposed to be doing and are focused on your learning.  Also, Mrs May and Mrs O often spot you helping others get organised and know what they are meant to be doing too.  We appreciate your efforts.

South Otago Primary Athletics

 On Monday we had 5 students from Room 4 competing in the South Otago Athletics event in Balclutha. We had Aaron, Alesana, William, Toby and Ryan competing in running events and long jump.

 They all had a fantastic day and competed to the very best of the ability.

 We are very proud of them for being sleected to compete, and for competing to such a high level on the day.

 What a terrific looking team! Congratulations boys! We are very proud of you all.

Thank you very much to Mr Harrex who took these terrific photos of the boys competing on the day. 

Books are like shoes...

Our first model - Imogen

Room 4 were all rather surprised today when Mrs O brought a bag of shoes with her to the library! But there was an important message that she was teaching us.   We had some student models who volunteered to try on some of the mystery shoes in the bag.  We were soon to discover that not all of the shoes were the right fit!  Some were too big, some were too small.  A pair of shoes that fitted one student, didn't fit all the other students.  This is just the same as BOOKS.

Anna finally finds a shoe to fit!

We have to learn to pick books that are just right for us.  As Josie said "A book has to fit you just like a shoe has to fit you."

Our shoes need to be fit for the purpose too - not high heels
for running!

Here we are finding books that are just the 'right fit

One way we can check if a book is just right for us is to do the five finger test.  We hold our hand up as we read the first page.  Every time we get to a tricky word that we cannot read or understand we put one finger down.  If we put down more than five fingers then the book probably isn't right for us just yet.  We don't want to be trying to read books that are way too hard because then we don't understand what we are reading about.

'
Special thanks to today's photographers - Te Aroha and Arnika

Student of the week - Aaron

Congratulations to Aaron for being Room 4's first student of the week for 2014.  Aaron has had a brilliant start to the school year and in particular has been a great friend and helper to our newest class member.  Top job Aaron.