Poetry free verse, cinquain and limerick

Free verse has no rules about rhyme or punctuation:

Harriet Tubman
clever
scarred
brave
Maryland, 1820's
underground railway
freedom
strong
amazing woman
slaves set free
Chloe Laing

Harriet Tubman
clever
smart
sneaky
had good leadership
nice
kind
small
short
strong
she had sleeping spells
she had a scar on her forehead
she lived in Maryland in the 1820's
organised the underground railway
saved and freed many slaves
amazing woman
escaped from slavery
brave
believed in God
God used her for good
she didn't talk much
very secretive
silent
and she had a gun!
Gracelyn Laing



A Cinquain has 5 un-rhymed lines with 22 syllables
line 1 is the title with 2 syllables
line 2 has adjectives with 4 syllables
line 3 has verbs with 6 syllables
and line 4 is a phrase describing feelings with 8 syllables
line 5 is a summation with 2 syllables

Freedom
Brave and scarred
Secretive and sneaky
Setting slaves free forever
Tubman
Chloe Laing

Freedom
Brave and sneaky
Sleeping spells but strong
Freed many slaves from slavery
Freer
Gracelyn Laing

A Limerick has 5 lines of funny or nonsense verse
lines 1,2 and 5 rhyme while lines 3 and 4 rhyme

There once was a beach with waves
That lapped against a cave
Inside was treasure of gold
That I wanted to hold
Next to a skeleton named Pirate Dave
Chloe Laing

There once was a tree that did sway
one a very very windy day
I climbed up high
To see the sky
Which looked best in the month of May
Gracelyn Laing

The Great Horn Spoon-Californian Gold Rush Friendly Letter

Sacramento
California


Dear Aunt Arabella,

We have just arrived in Sacramento and have done a lot since we have been here.

We have met a man named Pitch Pine Billy who has been very nice and has taught us dry washing [that's looking for gold without water]. He also showed us how to lay a claim to dig gold, live in a tent, drink coffee and eat sow belly and beans.

The trip on the boat took 4 months and the boat almost sunk but I still liked the trip especially sailing through the Straits of Magellan.

We were robbed by Road Agents while on the stagecoach who took our coats and a secret map that one of our friends had given us but we tracked them down and got it back.

While I was panning for gold I found a nugget in the weeds and it was pretty big! In town at Cheap John's auction they had a whole bushel of neckties and while I was talking to Jimmy From Town I told him I had already ate but Cheap John thought I said eight and sold me the neck ties. About 2 weeks later John's wife came to town. There hadn't been a lady in town for such a long time that everyone had a bath and they all wanted to buy a neck tie and paid us 2 pinches of gold each. We got paid lots that day.

We miss you very much and would love to see you but Hangtown is not a place for ladies.


Love from
Jack and Praiseworthy

colonial housing diarama

short story 'The Big Adventure'

There once lived a family in the Amazon Rainforest. They decided to go on an adventure down the Amazon River so they built themselves a boat and packed supplies of food, clothing and fishing gear. At 12:30 the headed off. The water was clear and blue and it was a hot and sunny day The boat almost tipped over at the first raging rapids they got to. As they went further down the river they found a quiet still lagoon and went for a swim and spotted a water wheel just down the river and could hear a cry for help.

Immediately they hopped back onto the raft and went to investigate and could see a young girl who looked to be about 10 yrs old in the water. As they approached Jake reached their paddle out for her to grab and pulled her onto the raft.
Tom asked " Are you ok?'
"Here's a towel" said Lilly.
'What is your name?' asked Jessie.
Yes I'm ok, my name is Patsy replied the girl.
Jake asked, 'how did end up in the water?'
I tripped over and fell in, I live by myself there, she answered pointing to the old house by the water wheel.
"Do you want to come exploring with us everybody asked. '
I would love to she said'

As it got dark they decided to set up camp by a small lagoon. They built a shelter, went fishing and caught Purana's and a small water snake which tasted delicious. When they awoke the next morning they attempted to paddle upsteam to return home but the current was to strong so they had to walk along the bank and left their raft tied to a tree because they were unable to pull it.

About 2 hours later they came across a family of giant, sleeping Boa Constrictors. Tom whispered "We'll will have to go around them'.
Jake replied "That means we'll have to go deeper into the jungle". Lilly and William hesitated but knew that this was the only safe way they could get back home.

As they pushed their way through the jungle they heard a huge creak and suddenly felt themselves falling into a cave beneath them. "What happened!" Jake yelled.
"Ow!" Groaned Jessie. "We fell into a cave, how do we get out of here?"
"This is no cave, look at the hieroglyphs on the wall! replied Jake.
"This must be one of those ancient underground temples, maybe it's one of those lost cities of gold! said Pastsy.
"Look at the sparkling gold on the hieroglyphs, said Lilly.
"We've got to find a way out of here and then we are rich!', said William.

After searching for what felt like ages, they came to a dead end with a jade mask hanging on the wall. Tom tried to pull off the mask and then the room started to shake. They all started to panic.
"What have you done!," yelled Jake. The wall with the jade mask suddenly lifted and behind it was a room filled with all the riches they could imagine and a passage way leading to stairs which opened at the surface.

The End

Areonautics The Wright Brothers

After reading the Wright Brothers and their fascinating story as inventors from a very young age we looked at some plane designs. We also looked at Lift, Thrust and Drag and made a hang-glider, a helicopter, a stunt plane, a kite, a Frisbee and boomerang.. We also looked at air pressure both low and high and the way that cyclones and tornadoes work.

science light

A tissue

Cotton fibre

An ant

We looked at light and the girls made a kaleidoscope, periscope, telescope, gelatin concave and convex lenses, made white light with blue green and red filters and attempted bending light. They also read a book about the microscopic world filled with amazing pictures of everything from viruses, bacteria and mould to plant and animal matter and nano technology. They also used a microscope hooked up to the computer to take photos of differentt things they found around the house.

Civil War Exploration Oregon Trail Slavery 1800's

Rocky Mountains

We watched excepts from 'Gone with the Wind' and played "Oregon Trail' the Computer Game,we also read about Abraham Lincoln, the Wright Brothers, George Washington Carver and Helen Keller through biographies of their life.'The Great Horn Spoon' was an adventure set during the Gold rush in California and "Moccasin Trail" was about the Oregon trail "Harriet Hubman" and her involvement in the underground railroad"Shades of Grey" an incredible book written from the perspective of a conscientious objector who refused to fight for the south during the Civil War. Incredibly thought provoking and "Across Five Aprils ' set during the five years of the civil war.

We also watched the National Geographic film of "Lewis and Clark"as they explored the north west section of continental united states and read" Naya Nuki" about the childhood friend of Sacajawea who was captured and returned to the Shoshoni tribe. We also watched " The Little House On The Prairie"