Inside this diary

Inside this diary

Lay the experiences of one mastermind

never forgotten

never lost

they’re hiding

they’re awake

waiting for someone to unravel the secrets

but nobody ever comes

it remains closed for an eternity

Even when ages have passed

they’ll still be there

hiding, waiting

centuries may pass them by

breathe them

be none the wiser

what may lay inside

that will never be  found

in which language

could anybody read it

could it’s purpose ever be understood

to make out the experiences

of everything

maybe there aren’t many

maybe only one remains

but that’s all we need

here in this diary

every diary in the world

is like this.

Desk Inspection

“Desk inspection before lunch!”

As the ancient desk creaked open

It was shocking to see

what I happened upon

a humongous rat

staring right back at me.

Once everyone saw it they

ran and screamed in terror.

Nobody realised that the toxic rat

was made of coloured rubber.

So I put it in my pocket

for another day,

when the rat would come in handy,

to scare my friends, laugh with them.

Oh boy, that would be dandy!

Charge of the Light Brigade

Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Lord Tennyson[14:06:53]

LI: to understand the story behind this narrative poem

Half a league, half a league,

     Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

     Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!' he said:

Into the valley of Death

     Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'

Was there a man dismay'd ?

Not tho' the soldier knew

     Some one had blunder'd:

Their's not to make reply,

Their's not to reason why,

Their's but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

     Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

     Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

     Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,

Flash'd as they turn'd in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army, while

     All the world wonder'd:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro' the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reel'd from the sabre-stroke

     Shatter'd and sunder'd.

Then they rode back, but not

     Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

     Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

While horse and hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro' the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

     Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade ?

O the wild charge they made!

     All the world wonder'd.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

     Noble six hundred!

At the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 during the Crimean War, the ‘Light Brigade’, (a group of British soldiers), charged down a narrow valley to fight the Russian soldiers who had captured British guns. The Russians were at the end of the valley as well as on each side of it. The attack was not a wise choice and happened because of a misunderstanding of an order sent by the commander-in-chief. After following orders less than a third of these men survived.

Answer these questions in full sentences:

1. “If you were in the military and you were given an order, would you obey it – even if it meant your life on the line?  Why or why not?”I  would as it would be for the good of whoever it helps.

2. What is a brigade?A brigade is a group of soldiers, or military

3. “Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die” - What did this mean for the soldiers? That they do what they’re told and listen until they die

4. What makes this a narrative poem?Because the poem tells a story.

Read the poem again and answer these questions about the language used:

LI: To explore the language of a narrative poem

Stanza 1:

1. What does the Valley of Death mean?Because most of the brigade would die.
2. Who is “he” in line 6?The commander
3. What is the six hundred referring to?The 600 soldiers and the horses

Stanza 2:

1. Now that you see it in context, what does the line, “Theirs but to do and die” mean? The do what they’re told and not question them

Stanza 3:

1. What weapons are used against the Light Brigade?Guns and cannons
2. What two things are personified here?The jaws of death, and the mouth of hell

Stanza 6:

1. Did the Light Brigade win or lose?Lose
2. Are they seen as heroes?Yes

Use short answers to answer the following questions.

LI: To show that I am reading for meaning and understanding  

1. About how many soldiers were in the Light Brigade? 600

2. What weapons did they carry?Sabres. (Swords)

 

3. What weapons did they face? Guns and cannons

4. Why did the Light Brigade charge?They were told to, but it was a mistake.

5. How are the members of the Light Brigade survived at the end of the poem? They’ve survived by being honoured

Click on the link on the picture to help you find your information

List 3 facts about the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson

He was born in 1809

He’s buried in Westminster Abbey

His poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade was published in 1854

Friendship

FRIENDSHIP

Friendship sounds like the exciting, loud chatter of a playground filled with me and my friends

Friendship tastes like an unending delectable chocolate pudding when friends come for dinner.

Friendship looks like a beautiful, relaxing beach when my friends and I are on holiday.

Friendship feels like the comfort of a warm fireplace burning when you return from a cold winters day at school

A boy's head

A boy’s head

In it there is a tank

and a project

for making school more fun

And there is

a car,

which shall be first

And there is

an entirely new planet

an entirely new civilisation

an entirely new food

There is food

that eats itself

There is a school

There is anti-suns

And it cannot be contained

I believe

that only what cannot be contained

is a head.

There is much promise

in the circumstance

that so many people have heads.

Michael W

This Is Just To Say

This Is Just To Say

I have devoured
the lollies
that were in
the cupboard.

And which
you were probably
saving
for dessert.

Forgive me
they were delectable,
so sweet,
and so soft.

Michael Watson

I asked the little boy who cannot see

I asked the little boy who cannot see

I asked the little boy who cannot see,
“And what is colour like?”
“Why yellow,” said he,
“Is like the beautiful birds you hear in the great forests of New Zealand,
The pine trees they hide in, they are dark green,
And blue is like the sky as it feels like God is looking upon you,
Pink is as the smell when you are around delicious fruit,
Purple is like tasting fresh berries that I picked from a bush,
White is the the paper on which I write stories,
Yellow is the warmth of fire that burns in the furnace,
And red is the raspberry pie my father makes when he is bored”

Michael

I asked the little boy who cannot see

I asked the little boy who cannot see

I asked the little boy who cannot see,
“And what is colour like?”
“Why yellow,” said he,
“Is like the beautiful birds you hear in the great forests of New Zealand,
The pine trees they hide in, they are dark green,
And blue is like the sky as it feels like God is looking upon you,
Pink is as the smell when you are around delicious fruit,
Purple is like tasting fresh berries that I picked from a bush,
White is the the paper on which I write stories,
Yellow is the warmth of fire that burns in the furnace,
And red is the raspberry pie my father makes when he is bored”

Michael

I know someone who can...

I know someone who can
throw chips in the air and catch them in their mouth.
I know someone who can
juggle tennis balls.
I know someone who can
wiggle their little toe.
I know someone who can
eat 18 pancakes in 20 minutes.
I know someone who can
balance a book on their head.
I know someone who can
pull himself around on the grass or carpet using only his hands.
I know someone who can
make his thumb touch his wrist.
I know someone who can
recite his time tables.
I know someone who can
type without looking.
I know someone who
can perform magic tricks.
I know someone who can
watch a scary movie and not be scared.
I know someone who can
climb tall trees.
and that someone is
me!