The Most Fabulous Me

We read My Most Fabulous Book by Leonie Young and used it as inspiration to write our own Fabulous Me stories. Here is a selection of some of our favourite lines from our Russley Writers' Club versions:

The most stars I've ever seen was when I went camping with my Dad and he broke the tent so we had to sleep under the stars. (Gabriella)

The most stars I've ever seen was on the catwalk at the talent show. (Mark)

The most stars I've ever seen was when I banged my head on a pole. (Haoyu)

The most exhausted I've ever been was when my team went swimming every day for two weeks. (Gabriella)

The most people I've ever seen was at the A&P Show. (Mitchell)

The most dishes I've ever seen was  on the side of the road where a homeless person was selling plates. (Mitchell)

The most dishes I've ever seen was at my auntie's wedding at Strawberry Fair. (Ava)

The most daring thing I've ever done was when I went to Auckland for Christmas and my cousin dared me to climb through the window and jump into the pool. (Quinton)

The most birds I've ever seen was at the walking forest in Victoria Park. (Ava)

The most water I've ever seen was when I broke the tap off the kitchen drinking fountain. (Haoyu)

The most trouble I ever got into was when I went to the West Coast with my Nana and she never knew I was there, hiding in the back seat of the car. (Gabriella)

The most trouble I ever got into was when I was hitting my brother in the car and my mum was at The Warehouse and someone complained and they called out the car plate number on the microphone and told my mum off. (Mark)

Highlights of 2014

List Poem :

Highlights of 2014  by Brayden, age 10

First day nerves soon disappeared with

taking down Room 5 in tee-ball;

Hanging out with Mrs Koster

at writing club;

Playing never-ending tag at brain break

with Thomas G;

Sad the year is ending,

but can’t wait or Christmas:

No more homework

No working

But I will miss the Year Eights

Highlights of 2014  by Mirette, age 10

On the first day

I had butterflies in my stomach.

Only one person was from my

class last year.

Team singing (Keep Holding On)

Woodend Camp (Aerojump, Go-Cart)

Writing Club (Survival Stories)

Hangi (Eating yummy chicken)

Buddies with Room 15 (Making things with boxes)

Christmas Choir

I really look forward to Christmas!

List Poem

Highlights of 2014   by Kara, age 9

First day nerves faded

Capture the Flag (Halloween edition)

Softball lessons

Hanging with friends

Writing with Mrs Koster

Going on camp and doing activities, like the water slide

and at the end of the year

I am excited for Christmas!

Highlights of 2014 – by Kelly, age 10

First day nerves soon disappeared

with Capture the Flag (Halloween edition)

Getting lost during orienteering at camp

Hanging out with Mrs Koster at Writing Club

Crashing the go-cart at camp

Coming 3rd in discus at Zones

Screaming to the song ‘Without You in Team Singing

I’m very sad the year is ending,

but can’t wait for Christmas!

2014 – by Quinton, age 11

First day: got to choose my desk

- happy  

Dodge ball with Tim

- fun time

Capture the Flag

- determined to win

Go Home Stay Home with Room 7

- awesome

The Ending... Christmas getting closer

- so excited

Sizzling Hangi Poetry

The Hangi – by Elizabeth, age 7

the hangi flames were like Hades’ hair

it smelt like nothing I’d ever smelt before

because it was so good

it felt like warm roasting bones

and sounded like crashing stones

The Hangi – by Catherine D, age 8

Looks like a pit of black bubbles

Smells like Chinese takeaways

Sounds like the Grand Canyon’s rocks crunching

Feels like sponges

Tastes like McDonalds

 

 

Hangi Simile Poem – by Hunter, age 8

the steam flew away like paper

it smelt like mint leaves

on a skinny tree, sleeping in a meadow

it was white hot, cooking our food

 

 

Hangi – by Tom H, age 8

Flames as bright as a spotlight.

Smells like smoke.

Rocks grinding like hadrosaur teeth.

Flames boiling like overboiled soup.

Tastes like a birthday lunch!

 

 

Hangi – by AJ, age 8

Looks like gusty fog

children sound like chattering monkeys

hangi smells like raw chicken

feels like my sweat

tastes like Anzac biscuits.

 

 

Hangi – by Clara Sellier, age 8

flames rose as high as the roof

fire sounded like a hissing snake

children chatted like a herd of elephants

steam floated like a parachute

felt hotter than a hot water bottle

 

 

Hangi Simile Poem – by Oliver C, age 9

The hangi looked like a real kitchen but underground.

It smelt like walking into a takeaway shop, but better.

It sounded like someone cutting my hair.

The chicken felt as slimy as a squishy snail.

It tasted like the best thing in the world.

           

 

The Hangi – by Noah D

The coal was as black as a tuxedo.

The chicken drumsticks smelt like lovely lion meat.

The hangi sounded like a tigers roar.

It felt like boiling oil.

Flames boiling hot like dragon’s breath.

 

 

Hangi Simile Poem – by Ella S, age 9

Looks like steam

boiling hot as lava

smells like my grandad’s lamb shanks

looks like a spotlight wiggling around

feels like my first present I opened

tastes like pizza

yummy as chips

 

 

Hangi Simile Poem – by Chloe, age 8

Looks like a massive star

transformed into a different shape

It smells like burned fish’n’chips

It sounds like purring cats in the breeze

It feels like a hot summer’s day at the beach

It tastes like air set on fire

 

Hangi Simile Poem – by Riley, age 8

FLAMES as bright as the moon

SMELLS like Mum’s meatballs

CRUNCHES, like when you eat chips

TASTES like fish and chips – yummy!

FEELS Soooooo hot “Wow!”

 

 

Hangi – by Baylee L, age 9

Flames as hot as lava

in Granny’s Sunday roast.

Flames boiling hot like dragon’s breath.

Sounds like an emerald smashing on the ground.

Tastes like heavenly fish and chips.

 

 

Hangi – by Kelly, age 10

Looks like a steam train

sounds like popcorn popping

smells like cigarette smoke

I feel amazed that food can cook

like that

in the ground

and it only took four and a half hours

in a hole

Hangi – by Kara, age 9

looks like heat waves

sounds like flick, pop, crack

smells like a skunk that died

feels like a hot summer’s day

HANGI – by Quinton, age 10

Embers look like crystals in the sky

Sounds like popcorn popping

Smells like beautiful flowers

Feels like hot sand at the beach

Tastes as crispy as pizza crust

Hangi – by Brayden, age 10

looks like a steam train

smells like smoke from cigarettes

feels as hot as a dragon breathing fire

sounds like popcorn popping

and balloons

Russley Writers featured in Christchurch Mail article

The Christchurch Mail has an article in today's issue featuring our wonderful Russley Writers. The article is about the Russley Writers' recent success in the 3rd Fabulous Poetry Competition. Congratulations to all our prize-winning poets.

Find poems here

False Apology Poems

We discovered a form of poetry called False Apology Poems. We read a famous one by American poet William Carlos Williams (see below) and some modern versions by Gail Carson Levine (she wrote Ella Enchanted - you may have seen the movie.)

After studying some of the poems we thought that the first verse describes the action (or offense that has taken place), the second verse gives more detail and description, and the last verse begins "Forgive me," but then goes on to suggest that the author isn't really sorry at all and gives the reader an idea as to why the offender did what they did!

We then had a go at writing our own False Apology Poems. You can read a small selection here...

 

Winning Writing from Years 5 to 8

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Russley School entered 'The Third Fabulous Poetry Competition' which was for a school entry of 25 poems. The competition was judged by Poetry Box's Paula Green, and the director of the NZ Book Council, Catriona Ferguson. Russley School was the winner of the South Island division!

As the winning school, we will receive a two day visit from Paula Green, who will run poetry workshops with Russley children in term 3.

Congratulations and huge thanks to all our poets. Scroll down to read some of the winning writing from our talented Russley authors!

Enjoy the poems from our senior students...

Winter has come again - by Ben M, Year 7

dark, murky skies

raining like a waterfall

deep puddles like mirrors

reflecting

soggy trees

crouching over

RAINDROPS - by Olivia C, year 7

splitter splatter

soggy gumboots

jump over cold puddles

I grip my clear umbrella

I hear splitter

                splatter

                    splitter

                       splatter

                           splash! 

Cutting Cold - by Ben T, year 7

The rain pelting down

like a boulder avalanche

people rushing indoors

shivering with cold

ice shards

even rain jackets do nothing

men and women driving

causing traffic jams

and accidents

in the rain

people indoors

covered in blankets

nearby a fire crackles

clothes turn soggy

soon smelly

everyone curled up

with hot chocolates

trying to forget

the freezing winter

SNOWFALL - by Riley H, year 7

My soggy clothes

were making my blanket wet.

I was rushing through the deep snow,

I even tried jumping through.

Everything I had was wet.

I finally got home

sat next to the fire

and had my hot chocolate.

The night frost - by Mitchell F, year 7

chilling cold

rain sounds like bullets

on my roof

drinking my hot chocolate

by the blazing fire

me and my family

snuggled in a blanket

WINTER - by Kaitlin C, year 7

soggy shoes

umbrella dripping

hurrying through

puddles

Splash!

the white sky

goes away

turning grey

JESSICA’S WINTER - by Jessica Y, age 7

soggy socks on the heater

drinking hot chocolate near the fire

snuggling into warm blankets

freezing winter air blows

                                  and blows

I grab my gumboots and jump

into the nearest puddle

                                  Splash!

hoping winter comes back again

The Painting - by Monica, year 7

a blank piece of paper

a polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

a mountain looms over

the polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

lush green grass

a mountain looms over

the polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

a tree in the

lush green grass

a mountain looms over

the polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

The winning entries from our Year 5 and 6 students:

I AM UNSTOPPABLE - by Quinton O, year 6

I am fantastic

I like cookies and cream milkshakes

I don’t like art

I’m afraid of spiders

I wish I could fly

I dream of going to Candyland

I pretend I’m listening to the teacher

I can eat twenty-one hotdogs at once

I am unstoppable

WET FEET

by Azryn C, year 6

my wet cold feet

flakes fall

as the sun comes up

drips drop down

the ferocious wind

will ease to a breeze

my wet cold feet

Winter Freeze

by Brayden D, year 5

My hands were freezing

like dripping ice.

I got wet and cold

like Jack Frost.

My family were playing

snowball fighting games.

I got Dad...

it hit him in the chest!

Ow!

WINTRY NIGHT - by Holly S, year 6

On a stormy, thundery,

wintry night

water trickles

onto the wet ground

the windy breeze blows

right through me.

The Curioseum

The Russley Writers' Club discovered a brilliant new book, The Curioseum, which is a collection of short stories and poems by New Zealand authors. The writers each chose an item from Te Papa museum and used it to inspire a story or a poem. You can listen to some of them read their work here: The Curioseum

Our Russley Writers took up the challenge to write their own creative piece of poetry or prose, inspired by a curious object. I took in an old pocket-watch, a book of poetry, a florin (coin) and a German dictionary which was given to my grandfather while he was in a Prisoner of War Camp during World War 2.

Here are the imaginative pieces from some of our writers...

Russley Writers' Curious Objects

Bang! Clatter!

I’m made.

1962 has a new florin in town

I’ve met up with my million relatives.

I’m thrown in a big sack.

The top opens

thousands of my relatives

start screaming.

As they go away from me

tears start to roll down

my surface.

As 46 years have passed

I’ve nearly been around every shop

but one

antique store.

I see a person walking in

through a small crack

in the cash register

He purchases a pound of butter

he hands over five dollars

the register opens

I’m handed over to the man.

He walks straight over the road

and into the antique store.

He looks at me and I look back

I’m put on the shelf

as an antique.

by Riley G

* * *

I AM THE GREAT OLD BOOK

I’m old

a great old book

I’m thin

the front of me is bent

I was published in Great Britain

my spine is getting wrecked

and turning light green

edges coloured with pinky purple

and cream

by Holly

* * *

I was born in 1962

in a factory

sent to the queen

then a boy

who happened to be skipping along

past a dairy

he handed me in

to a black container

Ding!

It was dark and cold

finally I was brought into the light

then put into a cosy

leather wallet.

by Quinton

* * *

THE COIN

Born 1962.

Queen Elizabeth the second on the side.

A kiwi on the other.

One florin

1962 New Zealand.

Which side is tails?

Which side is heads?

The bird is tails.

The head is the Queen.

The coin belongs to

New Zealand.

It has been to England.

The coin was once

glistening.

Now the coin is

very, very old

and drab.

by Brayden

* * *

The soldier’s watch

looks like a circle

the back is green

with silver sparkles

sounds like guns

banging very loud

feels sad in the heart

missing family

smells like gunpowder

by Mitchell

* * *

There once was a silver coin

born 1962

in New Zealand.

He was one in a million

a florin.

Every time it passed a new object

he would suck it in

to his picture

on the side.

The picture would come to life.

by Ben M

* * *

Understanding German

The old tattered spine

has string falling out.

Nowhere to go but on a book shelf. 

Should it be in a museum or

should it be in a house?

My prisoner of war number will

always will be remembered .

by Azryn 

I am unstoppable

I am fantastic 
I like cookies and cream milkshakes 
I don’t like art 

I’m afraid of spiders 
I wish I could fly 
I dream of going to Candyland 

I pretend I’m listening to the teacher 
I can eat twenty-one hotdogs at once 
I am unstoppable 

                                      by Quinton