Creative Writing - Two Wire

Having to face your fear in a compulsory activity sounds pretty scary, right? Well, that happened to me on the Year 10 Camp. My group and I were hiking through the forest along wet, muddy trails. The mud squelched under my shoes, which were getting dirtier by the second. The rush of river water got louder and louder as we approached an activity I thought I was prepared for; well, I was wrong.

A big phobia of mine is potamophobia - the fear of bodies of running water. Y’know, like rivers. You could easily get swept away, then who knows what’ll happen to you. At the activity we’d arrived at, we had to cross a large river. Using only a wire for our hands to grip and a wire under our feet. While sure, we were harnessed, it still felt dangerous.

As you can probably guess, I was shaking like a frightened puppy, though a few of my friends reassured me I would be fine. A wave of anxiety crashed over me as I offered to put on one of the first harnesses. Why I thought this was a good idea, I don’t know. I stood upon the wooden platform as the leader clipped my harness to the upper wire.

Don’t look down, I repeated to myself as I started to walk on the wire, don’t look down. The crash of the water against the rocks was overwhelming, as was the smell of fresh water mixed with the forest aroma. Despite my own thoughts, I looked down to see where my feet were - and man was that a long drop. Even though I knew otherwise, I felt like if I fell, the harness would snap clean off and I’d plummet into the water. Well, until I actually fell, that is. I sat there dangling for a moment as I processed what just happened, before doing what the instructors had told me to do if I fell. I sat back upon the cold, rough surface of the lower wire and put up one of my feet. The only problem is that sometimes my feet have a habit of literally dislocating themselves if I put them in the wrong position. Pain like a knife stabbing through my foot hit, and I quickly put my foot down and rose the other one back up to the wire. That one, thankfully, didn’t decide to dislocate on me and I managed to pull myself back up to a standing position.

After what seemed like an hour - in reality, it was only around a minute or two - I finally made it to the other side of the river. An instructor unclipped me, and I waited patiently for my bag to be sent across on the pulley. My gloves were in there, and my hands were icicles at that point from holding onto the cold metal wire for so long. I watched the others come across until a few of my friends had made it, then we began to talk while my hands warmed up. After everyone had made it across, we began on our next trek through the forest.

I handled this situation much better than I thought I would - maybe I’m not so scared of rivers after all. Even so, it felt nice to know that it is possible to conquer fears, no matter the irrationality.

40 Minute Writing Challenge - Are Movies Better Than Books?

Visual media and textual media are often regarded as similar things. When they cross paths, things can get confusing. When a book is turned into a movie or television series, there are often debates on how good the movie is compared to the book/s. My take is that movies are seldom as good as the books. This is because movies tend to leave things out, they don't feed the imagination as much, and you can take as much time as you need to finish a book.

The main downside I can see to a book being made into a movie is that movies can't leave in all the details. For example, in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, quite a few details about the time between Bilbo's birthday party and Frodo's leaving are left out in the movie, such as Frodo selling Bilbo's house. This is because it's very difficult to fit the content of an entire book into between 90 minutes and 2 hours, meaning a lot of minor plot points and scenes must be removed to fit in the time frame. This can cause a few plotholes in the movies that aren't present in the books.

These plotholes can stop the watcher from getting fully immersed in the story. Books let the reader's imagination run wild and let them picture for themselves how characters would look, scenes would play out, and areas would look. It creates an entire movie-like sequence in the reader's head that matches their tastes. An example of this is when I was reading Divergent. Though I haven't watched the movie yet, one part of the book - I won't disclose which, for spoilers - made me stop reading in anxiety for a few moments, something that is very difficult to pull off. I could feel the same feelings as the main character herself, making the entire scene much more engaging.

Sometimes being too engaged in a book can be exhausting, which is why taking a break can be very helpful. Unlike while watching a movie, where it's difficult to bring yourself to pause the movie to do something else, you can read a book for as long as you need, then put it down while keeping your page. No one can sit down and read an entire 150-page novel in one go, right? Unless your mind is completely set to finishing it all at once, which can break the immersion, having a break is crucial to the reading of a book, but a disadvantage to watching a movie.

In conclusion, I believe that books are far better than movies. This is because they're more contentful, immersing, and pausable. So next time you go to watch a movie that was made from a book, read the book afterwards and try to see how much better it is.

40 Minute Writing Challenge: Are Team Sports Better Than Individual Sports?

PLANNING
Argue for both sides
1. Less worry about others' skill levels (Individual)
2. Teamwork makes things easier (Team)
3. Both have similar properties

Sports aren't everyone's cup of tea. However, individual sports and team sports are highly debated over, mainly about which is better. But is one truly better than the other? I don't believe that's the case. Individual sports don't harbor any worry for other team members' skill levels, team sports can be easier due to use of teamwork, and both kinds of sports can have very similar properties when analyzed.

In individual sports, you don't have to worry about lack of skill bringing your 'team' down. In games like golf, you are the only one playing for your side, meaning you only have to think about your skill level and your opponent's. Not having to think about things like that can make individual sports much less mentally taxing, meaning you can just focus on the game. This makes playing solo much more enjoyable.

Although individual sports don't require teamwork, team sports do, which can make playing the game easier. Team sports require everyone to help to get to the objective, whether it be kicking a ball from one side of the field to the other or hitting a ball as hard as you can with a bat. In games like rugby, passing the ball from one player to the next can help to avoid the other team, making a try much easier to get. A range of different skills in one team can help too. For example, evening out a person who's amazing at passing but horrible at shooting with someone who's terrible at passing but a magnificent shooter can bring balance to a team.

So we've covered both kinds of sports, but they are wildly different. Or are they? Both sports have similar properties. Games that are normally team sports, like soccer/football or basketball, can be played as individual sports by themselves, and vice versa for games like tennis or wrestling. Even without that, they can have very similar properties. Tennis and cricket both require hitting a ball with an object, both with similar objectives - don't let the other person or team get the ball. This makes comparing the two seem more pointless.

Conclusively, there is no better type out of team sports and individual sports. They are both easier in different ways - individual sports being less mentally taxing and team sports having more members to make things easier - but either way they're very similar.

40 Minute Essay Challenge - Should Zoos Be Shut Down?

All zoos should be shut down and release animals back into their natural habitat

DISAGREE

Points:

• Breeding endangered animals
• Keeping animals safe
• Educational

Zoos are magical spaces where animals are displayed freely. However, some believe that animals are abused in these places, and these zoos should be shut down. I believe this isn't the case. I hold this belief due to zoos breeding endangered animals back to a healthy population, keeping animals that are in danger due to their natural habitat safe, and providing education about wildlife to children. 

The breeding of endangered animals is a very important aspect of zoos, as otherwise these animals would go extinct. Golden lion tamarins, for example, are a species in danger and have been bred in captivity to ensure they can go up to a safer population before going back to the wild; without this procedure, it's likely that these animals would go extinct due to hunting or predators. Until their habitat is safer to live in and they will be protected, these animals will continue to be bred and trained for the wild in the safety of zoos.

The habitats of some animals are extremely dangerous in their current state, so they are captured and kept safe until the coast is clear. In a similar vein to captive breeding, these species are kept safe in zoos to prevent other animals from being able to hunt them. Many bird species undergo this treatment, as the amount of egg-eating predators on the prowl means their young can never be safe. Unless they are held in captivity safely, they will surely go extinct.

Education about the effects of humans on wildlife is extremely important, and zoos help to provide this. Many zoos have explanations about the reason a certain animal is held there - though sometimes it's not for a too serious reason - and these blurbs have the effects of humans on their habitat if applicable. Orana Wildlife Park is an example of this, having short paragraphs about the habitat of an animal and what can be done to improve their living situations to have a safer future. Children and adults alike can learn a lot from visiting zoos, further providing assistance to a range of different animals.

In conclusion, I believe zoos are beneficial to the diverse range of wildlife on this planet, due to the breeding of endangered animals, the safety of animals in similar situations, and the education they provide. Though people can have their beliefs, sometimes they can be misguided and manipulated into being wrong. This text was to prove that zoos do provide good.

Persuasive Writing: Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons should be compulsory for all students: YES

Points:

• Dangers of not knowing how to swim
• Career opportunities
• Entertainment

The beach is a very popular place to go on a hot day. But if you want to go in the water, what's the point if you don't know how to swim? I think that swimming lessons should be compulsory for every student from Year 3 to Year 7. It can be a very dangerous thing if you don't know how to swim. Knowing how to swim can open up job or sports career opportunities, and it's just plain fun to go swimming with your mates in summer.

Not knowing how to swim can be dangerous in many situations. Swimming is a vital skill to many species, including humans, due to the dangers that lurk in the waters. Going to the beach, for example, and getting out farther than you expected can be deadly if you don't know how to swim. That applies for any body of water you can swim in, although it's not as bad for places like swimming pools as there are typically people that can help you. Not only that, but if you're in danger of getting attacked by an underwater animal and you can't swim, how can you escape without help? This is why swimming is such a vital skill and should be compulsory at schools.

Underwater career opportunities are more abundant than it seems. Professional swimmers for the Commonwealth and Olympic Games are always on hand, and the right skill level for swimming in these events can start at school. There are also normal paying jobs, like underwater conservation or aquatic center jobs. The training for these kinds of jobs and careers starting at school is crucial, as the right level of skill is required by the time they leave, as with any job. Swimming can not only be used to get jobs, but fun ones.

What's better than going swimming with your friends on a hot day? It's always a fun experience to splash around in the cold water during the hot summer. Though it's just as refreshing to sit with your feet dangling in the water, it's nowhere near as fun as swimming around. Beaches, lakes, and swimming centers are all open in the summer, and they're for people to have fun and cool off. What's the point if swimming isn't an option? If swimming is taught in schools, it will help children have more fun later on in life.

In conclusion, every student should undergo compulsory swimming lessons paid for by the school. With these lessons, they will be out of danger, can find more jobs, and will have fun later on. Every child has a right to learn basic life skills, and swimming is one of these skills.

Write That Essay

WALT: Identify Write That Essay (WTE) sentences to improve our writing.

1. The Simple Sentence (Start with your subject)
Swimming is a vital survival skill.

2. Very Short Sentence (Five or fewer words)
Movement means change.

3. The Power Sentence (Twelve or fewer words)
Many dangers lurk under dark waters.

4. Red, White, and Blue (Group of three)
Many high-action sports have risks like this, such as rugby, hockey, and basketball.

5. The Adverb Start (Start sentence with an adverb)
Unsurprisingly, students are excited to enter the new nga kahui.

6. Begin With a Preposition (Start with a preposition)
After the success of the Learning Commons, staff are confident that these new buildings will excite students just as much.

7. The -ing Start (Start with an -ing verb)
Seeing the effect of current classrooms on the students, the new buildings will be a refreshing change.

8. The -ed Start (Start with an -ed verb)
Committed to seeing students happy, Hornby High School staff are putting as much effort as possible into the nga kahui.

9. The Semi-Colon (Replace a conjunction with a semi-colon)
The staff are happy with the progress of the new buildings; the students seem to be as well.

10. The Em-Dash (Phrase in a sentence that is at odds with the rest of the sentence)
Some students - definitely the minority - aren't all that excited about the new buildings.

11. The W-Start Sentence (Start the sentence with a W word)
While the buildings are in their final stages, the students anticipate moving in late term three.

12. Explore the Subject (Explain the subject mid-sentence)
The nga kahui, new classrooms where students will feel more at home, should be ready to move into by the end of term three.

Persuasive Writing - Boxing (Completed)

"Boxing should not be classified as a sport"
Argue against

• Boxing is a physical action sport
• Not all sports have teams
• Require years of training to get pro

There are a wide range of sports for people to choose from while they are still young. One of these is boxing, and while some believe that boxing should not be classified as such, I disagree. Boxing requires years of training, is high-action and can keep a participant fit, and just because there isn't a team on at once doesn't mean it's not a sport.

Years of training is required for any professional sport, including boxing. This is important to remember because while some believe boxing simply requires fighting skills, this isn't the case. Boxing has a certain technique to it to keep the participants safe. For example, there are some parts of the body that boxers are forbidden to hit on another person for their safety, such as the back of the head. The safety precautions on the fighters, boxing gloves, mouth guards, and even padded helmets, are all there so the fighters are not injured if they hit too hard or are hit in the face. They continue training between matches as well, so they're always aware of what not to do in the heat of a match, just like any other sport. Without the right training, boxers can be seriously injured.

Boxing is a high-action sport that can very easily hurt someone. Approximately 8,700 boxing-related injuries happen a year - over a quarter of those being to children and adolescents - yet it is also an effective way to keep someone in a good physique. Many high-action sports have risks like this, such as rugby, hockey, and basketball, but that doesn't deter people from playing it. Physical activity is what makes a physical sport what it is.

Do recreational sports need large teams like in rugby or soccer/football? Unsurprisingly, not all of them require large teams of people in-game at once. Indie wrestling - which is very much like boxing in some ways - only requires teams in tag matches; even then it's only ever three people on a team at once. Chess, which is also counted as a recreational sport in some places, is only two people versing over a table. This matters to the argument because being a team doesn't qualify the sport, what qualifies something as a recreational sport is that the players are having fun competing. That's why we play them.

This text proved that there are many reasons for boxing to be considered a sport. Years of training is required, and it's a very high action sport, just like any other. It is also recreational despite the lack of a proper team. However, this text may change in time as the world changes, and boxing may be taken off the list of recreational sports even though there are reasons to keep it on. Every day, new people are being introduced to this incredible sport.

Pathos, Ethos and Logos

Pathos is a Greek word meaning 'suffering'. The words 'empathy' and 'pathetic' are derived from it. In persuasive writing, Pathos is used to appeal to the reader's emotions using stories, language and tone. Eg, saying that your friends would be disappointed if you couldn't use the car.

Ethos is the origin for the word 'Ethical', and is the Greek word for 'character'. Ethos is used in persuasive writing to make the author sound like an expert, stating their title and accomplishments, among other things, to make them sound professional. Eg, saying that you're the moral compass or impulse control for your friends and need to be there in case they do something dumb.

Logos is the Greek word that created the word 'logic', and it means the same thing in Greek. Logos is used to provide facts and logic to strengthen one's argument and use historical and literal analogies as well as theoretical language to make their argument even more effective. Eg, stating facts about why you should be allowed to use the car and convince them.

What are we doing?
We are studying persuasive writing.
Why are we doing it?
To help us with our school work and even real life situations where we may need to argue our point across.
What questions do I have?
None at the moment.

Critical Literacy - Salvation Army Pamphlet

Missing text on the right: 'A survey last year showed that almost
20% of of Kiwis confessed to skipping meals on occasion due
to not having enough money.'

What does the author of the text want us to know?
They want us to know the consequences of living in poverty and how the reader can help.

What kinds of social realities does the text portray?
It shows how some New Zealanders don't even make enough money to live on, leading to poverty.

Who is real in the text?
The girl in the middle, as well as all the people included in the statistics.

Critical Literacy - Adverts

We were asked to answer three questions for two adverts - six in total.

Coca-Cola advert

What is the text about? How do we know?
It is about people coming together over a coke. We can tell due to the implications of the text, and the image of two people clinking their bottles together.

Why is the text written in the way it is?
It's written to attract people to buy their product.

What knowledge does the reader need to bring to this text in order to understand it?
Probably knowing what a 'coke' refers to would help.

Kingdom Hearts III - Final Battle Trailer

Which positions, voices and interests are at play in this text?
The interest falls on people who enjoy fantasy RPG games. The voices and positions of the characters play a core role in the second half of the trailer.

What view of the world and values does the author assume the reader holds? How do we know?
The creator of the trailer assumes that we know about the Kingdom Hearts world. We can tell because the trailer doesn't show any scenes from the previous games.

What is the text about? How do we know?
The text is about an upcoming video game. We can tell from the cutscenes and the clips of gameplay.

Essay Writing in English

1. What have I been learning?
   I've learned how to use enabling words and phrases in an essay. (E.g. This is demonstrated by...)
   I've learned different ways to use em-dashes. (E.g. determination - for power - is...)
   I've learned how to use descriptive words. (E.g. strong and formidable female characters...)
2. How have I been learning it?
   We wrote an essay using all three of these methods.
3. Why have I been learning it?
   To improve our essay writing and answer a question using an essay.

5 Questions About Macbeth

Which factor is most influential: (a) Witches & their prophecy? (b) Vaulting ambition? (c) Lady Macbeth?
The witches. It's because of the witches' prophecies that Macbeth decided to kill King Duncan and Banquo, as well as attempt to murder Fleance.

Why is he obsessed with killing Banquo? (oh yeah, and Fleance too)
He knows from the prophecy that Banquo's children are going to become kings. If he kills Banquo and his only child(Fleance), that can't happen.

He visits the Witches for a second time. Why? How does he react?
He visits them to see whether Banquo's children will become kings like the witches prophecised. When the row of kings shows up lead by Banquo, he starts yelling at the witches. Maybe he feels betrayed?

Has he completely lost it in the Banquet scene? (do you think the Ghost is real or imaginary?)
He's definitely lost it, but not completely. The ghost is imaginary, it's a hallucination.

Explain his decision to murder Lady Macduff & children (increasingly erratic & illogical behaviour)
After Macduff's betrayl, he said he wouldn't think before he acts anymore. He immediately says to kill his family as revenge, despite Lady Macbeth's opposition.

Critical Literacy Matrix Questions - The Outsiders (Movie)

I will be doing three critical literacy questions on the movie The Outsiders.

What kinds of social realities does the text portray?
It portrays the reality of discrimination - rich vs poor. It also paints us a view of the inside lives of gangs that their enemies don't bother to see.

What view of the world and values does the author assume the reader holds? How do we know?
If Ponyboy - the protagonist of the movie - is the author, he assumes that the reader/viewer holds equal value to people. He assumes that they know that everyone sees the same sunset and everyone is the same deep down.

What is the text about? How do we know?
The text follows the adventure of Ponyboy Curtis, a young Greaser boy who's in a gang with his two older brothers, Darrel 'Darry' Curtis and Sodapop Curtis, and their friends, such as Johnny Cade, Dallas 'Dally' Winston, and Keith 'Two-Bit' Matthews. The text shows Ponyboy's relationship with his brothers, his gang members, and his opposing gang, the Socs.

(Left to right) Darrel 'Darry' Curtis, Sodapop Curtis, Ponyboy Curtis

(Left to right) Ponyboy, Johnny Cade,
Dallas 'Dally' Winston

Macbeth: Critical Literacy

I will be answering three Critical Literacy questions about Macbeth.

1. What genre does this text belong to?
Debatably, tragedy. Although some would say it's historical fiction.

2. Who is the most likely audience of this text and why?

I would say teens and young adults. It would appeal to them due to the themes of death and betrayal, as well as the depiction of witches and sorcery.

3. Why are you reading this text?

It will raise our understanding of Shakespeare, and improve our reading comprehension. Not only that, but it contains themes and subjects that are still relevant in the present day.

Introduction to Macbeth

The Learning Outcome of this will be to summarise key points about the history of Macbeth.

What am I learning?

I am learning about the themes of Macbeth and how it relates to the current day.

How does this show my learning?

I can show that I can put the information I have learned about Macbeth into my own words and present it in an appropriate manner.

The Life of William Shakespeare

Shakespeare meme...?

We were asked to make three main points from the four subjects we researched in a slideshow.

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare

1. Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford Upon Avon. He died on his birthday in 1616.
2. Shakespeare had six siblings, three brothers and three siblings.
3. He had three children, two daughters and a son that died at age eleven.

Elizabethan England

1. Buildings in England were made of timber and thatch, and people threw their waste in muckheaps away from the town. 
2. Market Days were on Thursdays, and there were shops such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, and bakers.
3. Most poor folk only had bread for breakfast, but others had wheat porridge or boiled oatmeal.

Elizabethan Theatre

1. The Globe Theatre held 2500 people, the cheapest seats going to the standing ones on the ground. People who sat here were titled 'groundlings'. If someone important, such as the Queen, were to watch a play, they would watch in the gentleman's rooms, a place in the galleries.
2. Shakespeare's theatre group was originally called The Lord Chamberlain's Men. King James I sponsored the company, and it became The King's Men.
3. Many different things were made for effects, for example, when a person got stabbed, the bleeding was a bladder of pig's blood, or the sound of thunder was made by rolling a cannonball across the ground.

Shakespeare's Works

1. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets (long poems). His longest play was Hamlet and his shortest was The Comedy of Errors.
2. His works have been translated into over 80 languages.
3. One of his most famous monologues is from As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII. The speech has been titled "All the World's a Stage."

What am I learning?

I'm learning about the works of William Shakespeare.

Why am I learning this?

His works are still relevant today, and he's had a massive influence on the English language as we know it.

What am I wondering?

Nothing, really.

Critical Literacy

In English, we are learning about Critical Literacy and what it can be used for.

Critical Literacy is looking at the unseen side of texts and videos and determining what is real and what is false. There can be many pointers about what this can be used for, from simple wording in texts to deciphering what an advert is implying with a single object.

What am I learning?
I am learning about Critical Literacy.

How does this work show my learning?
I am explaining what Critical Literacy does and what it can be used for.

Introducing Me (Yr 10)

This is a Piktochart I made to introduce myself. It's similar to one I made last year. Fun fact: that photo was taken by Raevynstorm Media at Armageddon Expo last year!