They say you can't judge a book by it's cover... My Writing Sample

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover.

By Malena Shakespeare

The mismatched eyes stare back at me, burning into my skin. One a fiery yellow, the other a piercing grey. Lines are etched onto the pale white face, just visible beneath the powdery makeup. His cheekbones stick out, making his face look gaunt and strained. The bright pink lipstick, painted ever so carefully on, cracks at the corners. His lips are thin, like a piece of elastic, stretched to the breaking point. What could have been a subtle blush is smeared over the cheeks. A hint of mascara upon the eyelashes, spoiled by the pink macaroon eyeshadow around the unusual eyes. The cotton candy coloured hat perches on top of this man’s bright orange hair, shadowing the pinched face. His collar covers the skinny neck, and his nose is slightly lopsided. Orange eyebrows, blend into the hair. White teeth and a perfect face.

The Mad Hatter. Many have heard the stories, some different to others. But each time they are told, he is not a villain. He’s a character of love and help, well known for his excessive tea parties. His name gets mentioned, and everybody's minds are enveloped in their childhood fairytales. And now I’m face to face, staring up while he is looking down at me.  My childhood dream was to meet him, to meet this man whom everyone has such a high opinion of. But they say you can’t judge a book by its cover. And that’s the thought that whirls in my mind as I notice the smile that isn’t a smile, and the flash of silver glinting in the papery hand. And suddenly, the bright colour on his face doesn’t look as cheery as before...

Back to Blackbrick Quick Write

In class we read the beginning of the book, Back to BlackBrick. We then had to carry on the story in a quick write. So, what happened was Grandad had given cosmo a key and he snuck out in the middle of the night to use it. 

The heavy iron gates creaked open, and before me was a sight I didn’t expect to see. A squat black building crouched in front of me, encased by barbed wire. Broken glass littered the ground, having fallen from the smashed windows above. The gloomy moonlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating the strangely intact front door. As I took a step closer, the smell of death hit me like a forcefield and I stumbled back. Holding my nose, I started forward again and the icy air surrounded me, tugging at my hair and clothes like frosty fingers.

Eventually, I reached the front door and gingerly placed a foot on the step. All at once, the heavy metal key in my hand burst into flames, scalding my hand that had so carefully held my prize. I dropped it, peering around for the source of danger. There was nothing. As I bent down to retrieve the key, I noticed it had something engraved on it. ‘Cosmo’ written in a haunting, floaty script across the handle. ‘OK, this is definitely creeping me out’ I thought.

I reached out and grasped the door knob. As I did so, I heard a piercing scream, and the world around me blurred and dipped, as though I was underwater. I tried to wrench my hand away from it’s place but it wouldn’t budge. The world was dissolving away and the only sound was the haunting whisper of “Cosmo, Cosmo, Cosmo…”

I woke up sweating and shivering in my bed. It was all just a bad dream and now I’m lying safe and sound in my room. Grandad never gave me a key, I never took a taxi to the gates, I never saw that huge ugly building and it’s surroundings. I swung my legs out of bed and stood up. As I did, I felt something in my hand. It was a key.

Wardini books poem

IMAGINE

Imagine

Tropical palm trees,

Swaying to the beat of your heart.

Fine golden sand,

Swirling in the gentle breeze.

The crystal clear water,

Lapping gently at the shore.

Imagine

Dark gloomy mist,

Swirling around your ankles.

Petrified screams,

Wafting slowly out of the blackness.

Quiet scuttling drifts into your head,

And you back away slowly.

Imagine

The tinkling bird calls,

Penetrating the still air.

Long tufts of grass,

Swaying gently in the fields.

Tiny little houses

Planted in the middle of a beautiful nowhere.

Imagine

A world of infinite peace

No war or fighting

Where people can be themselves

Create a better world

Live your life in a world of the best

Imagine your world

This was my poem for the Wardini books poetry comp

Olympic athlete simile poem

As quick as a cheetah

As light as a butterfly

As agile as a jaguar

As happy as a dog

As strong as an alligators jaws

Passionate like a tiger

Nervous like a mouse

Falling through the air like a bird

Determination like an Olympic athlete,

I am a pole vaulter.

This was my Olympic athlete poem. We had to use similes that compared us to animals.

Persuasive Speech

WALT: persuade a reader to agree with the writer’s point of view through the presentation of relevant points and supporting evidence.

The effects bullying has on Teenagers

“Get lost freak.” The message pops up on your screen. Anger swirls inside you. This has been happening for a while now. The next day you go to school and start getting taunted by some mean children. Their words are like an arrow, hitting deep down inside you. As the days go on, the bullying gets worse and you get more and more glum. Soon you will end up suffering from depression.

Depression is caused by stress and sadness. This can sometimes be caused by bullying. For those of you who don’t know what depression is, it is when you become very sad, and sink into a hole of loneliness and stress. It can ruin your life, and extreme cases can lead to suicide. It can also lead to being very unhealthy. People can become so depressed they will stop eating and just think, “what’s the point.” That is one of the most common things people say when suffering from this mental disorder. Plenty of  people have been through depression.  You might even know someone! The best thing to do is talk to your friends and family about it. They will help you work through those hard times.

One form of bullying is cyberbullying. This is when a child is receiving messages through their computer from a bully. Say you had a Facebook account.  One day you receive a rude comment on a selfie that you have posted. You think it is a one off. But the nasty comments just keep coming. One thing about Cyberbullying is that it can be concealed. You can hide it from your parents and they will never know. But that is what gets most kids. They hide from it, thinking it will go away soon. In the end, it gets so bad, you could end up suffering from depression. We know that it is a bad idea. You need to share with your family so they can help you get through it. In ways, Cyberbullying is worse than normal bullying.

Bullying can stop your health and education. It sometimes affects people's minds and they can think a bit differently. Say for example, they were getting bullied about their weight. These kids might think that if they stop eating, they will become skinnier. This is true, but it is extremely bad for your health. It can cause you a serious eating disorder called Bulimia. This is when you eat a normal meal and then make yourself sick. It can lead to you being seriously ill. Bullies can also stop you learning. Thousands of kids worldwide wake up not wanting to go to school. Sometimes they pretend to be sick and wag school. They have trouble concentrating on their school work and can fall behind in classes.

Now you see the effects of bullying. Think. Have you ever bullied someone? Maybe you have, but we know it is wrong. For any bullies out there, stop bullying now. Think of what could happen to your victim.


Something I am proud of:
My paragraphs. I had a lot of information in all of them and they were each one point.

Ode To My Ears

Success Criteria For Writing An Ode:

• Choose an ordinary place, object or thing✔
• Give your subject praise or thanks eg. Oh✔
• Speak directly to the object.✔
• Use descriptive vocabulary to bring the object to life (Personification).✔
• Use repeated lines.✔
• New idea, new line. ✔
• Simile??? ✔

ODE TO MY EARS

Oh, my stylish ears,

helping me to hear,

waggling on the side of my head,

waiting for a story to be read.

The music wafts inside you,

like bubbles that once flew,

you’re always listening to the sounds,

to the barking of my hounds.

Oh my, stylish ears,

You’ve been with me for years and years,

eavesdropping on my sister,

talking about someone who kissed her.

Maybe I could pierce you,

decorate with diamonds of blue,

but I’m pretty sure that it would hurt,

and a little bit of blood would spurt.

I thank you ears for helping me,

you’ll probably will die when I’m ninety three!

And I know you will always be there,

hidden underneath my unmanageable hair.


P- It was really simple!
M- It was hard to come up with rhyming words!
I- I had no idea that I could write an ode so easily!

Recount Writing This Term- ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Recently, my class has read The book ‘Boy’, a recount of Roald Dahl’s childhood. Our focus this term has been on recounts. We have written poems, stories and recently read a book called ‘Boy’, by Roald Dahl. It was a recount of his childhood and this was our inspiration for writing in past tense.

Below is a plan, my story and my self reflection

Idea:

Camp Kaitawa, hike to the top.

• Windy
• Rickety Platform
• Hats
• High
• Huge Valley
• Trees
• Leaves
• Scary
• Wooden platform
• Glow worms
• 6 people max

Vocabulary:

• Scattering
• Creaking
• Whipped
• Glowed

Success Criteria:

Hook the reader in.

Include the important information for the reader.

Includes the details so that the reader knows how we feel.

Past tense.

On top of the world

Have you ever stood on top of the world?

One dark and windy night, my class piled out of the cars and stood around, waiting for instructions. A person covered in multiple rain coats and beanies, emerged from the van.

“Number Off!” She yelled. A range of voices echoed through the night air.

“Perfect. Off we go!”  Trooping towards the bush, I stared upwards at the towering trees. My friend and I chatted while looking ahead to make sure we didn’t fall over. Tramping on, tiny pinpoints of light appeared before us. A hush fell over the group.

Then, the night exploded around as as the torches turned off. Glow worms covered the rock walls beside us. The stars spread across the night sky like glitter. I stared around in wonder, pondering how something could look so pretty. Caves of darkness would have looked menacing if not for the glow worms. The beautiful scene didn’t last long though. The teachers ushered us further up the track.

We were at the top. A warning sign loomed in front of us. ‘SIX PEOPLE MAX’. Everyone was in a line, staring at the old steps that led up to the rickety wooden platform. My friend and I shivered, not wanting to step onto it. Chatting, we watched the line dwindle down till we were almost at the front.

“Up you come!” Yelled Miss Hill. ‘Oh No! Please don’t let me fall off!’ I thought, gingerly putting a foot on the platform. I heaved myself up.

Boom! The wind smashed into me like bull. I grabbed my beanie just as it started to slip from my head. The platform was wobbling dangerously beneath my shaking legs. Slowly, I crept towards the edge. Grabbing the barrier to steady myself I peeked over the side. ‘No!’ I thought, ‘We can’t be this high up!’

Below me, all was a swirling, twirling mass of green trees. Thousands and thousands of bushes and plants waved wildly, a couple of hundred metres below me. The monstrous lake stretched out at the very bottom, whipped up the by the wind. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I backed away, scared out of my wits. I bumped into someone. I heard a voice say, “It’s O.K. You're not going over the edge.” Miss Hill must’ve sensed my fear. I decided not to look down again.

After getting down, my joints were still quivering with shock. It had been an amazing experience but it was definitely, the scariest part of my life!

Self Reflection

⭐  I think I did well doing my Introduction, Paragraphs, Conclusion.

⭐ I added lots of details and personal reactions.

💭 Challenge myself to use more advanced vocabulary.

Quirky Quick Writes!

W.A.L.T Use our imagination to write on a variety of topics for 10 minutes each day.

22/2/16

Adding Detail

It was a stormy day, with fast winds rushing round me. The ground was almost a river and even my raincoat was soaked through. I pulled my hood down tighter as I struggled on. Thunder boomed overhead and my cat clawed me inside my coat. Lightning illuminated the sky, showing off the angry, grey clouds. Glancing behind, me I saw the funnel of extreme wind was gaining. Hopefully, it didn’t catch me.

29/2/16

Around The Corner

The trees swayed in the gentle breeze and ferns tickled the edge of the path. Crunchy gravel formed a line towards the best view I had ever seen.The path dropped steeply down a sheer cliff. Beyond that cliff was paradise. Waterfalls glistening in the sunlight. Small lakes reflected a giant rainbow in the sky. Mud huts decorated with flowers dotted the landscape and wooden bridges formed over tiny streams.

15/2/16

First person Moment

I bumped out of the truck, my leaves scattering beside me. What was happening? Why was I being dumped on the side of the road? Thump! I was dropped into a shallow hole and someone covered my legs with soil. I tried to move but I couldn’t. The truck drove off. Sighing, I looked around me. And stopped. There on the other side of the road was another young tree. He turned his to look at me. Our eyes were so wide, I thought they would pop. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever. It was like there where to invisible beams, shooting out from our eyes and entwining around each other. My arm started to reach across the road and so did his. We were both grinning, and just as we were about to touch, I felt the ground tug me back. No! Those stupid humans had prevented me from reaching the one and only thing I wanted. Love.