Thursday, March 20, 2014

More Big Questions

There are always Big Questions coming up, but we try to give them a little time on Thursdays in 4G. After we'd looked back at one or two of the questions from last time, we had some more to ask:



We discussed Maia's and Tobias' questions, and wondered what it was that made humans so different from other animals, that we have a history, that while our bodies haven't changed much since the time of the cavemen our culture has. Humans are unique like that. Why is that?

Pablo thought it was because of our hands, and there's a lot of sense in that. Animals like cats and dogs can't really hold things because all their four limbs end in feet. We have hands, and so we can use tools!

Of course there's a lot more to it than that. What do you think? How did cavemen learn how to learn? And where does language fit into all this? Any answers?

Frankenstein Teacher by Tony Bradman

It is about a school with a teacher that is gone for some days over a weekend.  So then Frankenstein comes and teaches the children.  The children were terrified and amazed.  They were alright because he was helping the boys and girls and he said thank you and stuff.

One day without any teacher knowing, Frankenstein and the students went to the swimming pool.  When the teachers discovered it they nearly made Frankenstein go away from the school.

In school the class had a hamster.  It was a really cute, fury pet.  The boys and girls took care of the hamster.  One day a car crushed the hamster and he died.  When Frankenstein found it he was really sad and got the hamster to his castle.  He operated on the hamster.  When the operation finished he had scars everywhere but he was still dead.  Frankenstein had an idea, he said "We need to put some electricity" and he did.  Then he saw the hamster started moving.  Frankenstein said "Hip hip hooray!"

By Miguel

Naughty Amelia Jane


I love this book because Amelia has the same name as me.
I like her because I think she’s nice.
We are both the same, she’s naughty and I’m naughty but she’s a doll and I’m not!

Amelia Jane lives in a nursery with other toys. The other toys think she is very very wicked because she is always making trouble.
She put milk down the soldier’s back and she also put a bee into a match box, which stung the sailor’s nose.
One day she found some scissors and cut grandma’s curtains and her favourite handkerchief, which she cut into tiny pieces.
She even cut rabbits tail off!

The story has Pixies and Elves in it which are magical.
The pixies put a spell on Amelia to keep her locked in the cupboard where she cant be naughty.
You will have to read the book to find out what happens!

Les Maleurs de Sophie

This book is all about a little girl that was very naughty all the time and one day she got a doll and if it was put in the sun it would melt and then she always cried. But her parents always said that she shouldn't put it in the sun and she said OK mum, but she never listened. That’s why I loved the book, because sometimes it’s funny or it’s sad because when she does naughty staff she kills animals and I'm sad when she kills animals because I love them, they are just so cute.
The author is call Comtesse de Ségur.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Fantastic Mr Fox

I really like this book because it is about three farmers and one is a chicken farmer and he has 1000  chickens and he is really fat because he eats every day chicken for breakfast, lunch and super and he is called bogies. The other farmer is a duck farmer and he is always eating duck or a disgusting pate that he made and he was called Bunce and he was very little. The last one was a farmer of turkey and apple; he always drinks apple juice so he is so tall like an apple tree and weak. The other characters are Fantastic Mr Fox, Mrs Fox and the 4 little’s Foxes. The story goes like this every day; Mr fox asks Mrs fox what do you want to eat today my wife, she says, well, one chicken for the 4 little foxes and another for us but be careful that the farmer don’t kill you. Don’t worry; I can sniff really well say Mr Fox. Ok says Mrs Fox and so Mr Fox goes out of the hall that he lives in with his family and goes quickly to the farm, he then smells out that the farmer hiding in the house number 4 so Mr Fox changes direction. He returns with 2 chickens to his hall then is to you to read the book and see what’s next.
My favourite character in this book is Mr Fox because he is so cool.

Samuel Whiskers, from Beatrix Potter







Samuel Wiskers is a ver funny story. It talks about the Twitchits, a cat family with three kittens, Tom, Moppet and Mittens. Samuel Whispers and Ana Maria are two rats that want to kidnap Tom.
There are a lot of funny monents but my favourite one is when the two rats try to cook the kitten for dinner and wonder if he would be indigestible.



My favourite character is Samuel Whiskers because he is a very smart rat.

Charlotte's Web


By Ryan

Charlotte's Web is a fantastic book because it demonstrates a lot of friendship. The pig is called Wilbur and the spider is called Charlotte. It made me laugh the beginning and cry at the end when the baby spiders all flew away. Charlotte is my favorite character because she is clever and kind. When Wilbur is lonely Charlotte is a great friend to him. 

Another great friendship is between Fern, the 8 year old girl (pretty much my age) and Wilbur the pig. She saved Wilbur's life by begging her Dad not to kill him. He was a runt and very small. She fed him from a bottle and took good care of him. What I like about this book is that there is kindness every step of the way.

I read this book with my Mom outside in our backyard and I still remember it.

Diary of a wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney
Title: Book 1 

The most important characters are:Greg who tells the story, Manny his little brother, Rodrick his big brother that finished school, his parents and his best friend Rowely.  
My favorite character is Greg, because the way he tells the story is very nice and funny. He told how he lives and what happens in his life.
The best part in this book was for me when Manny has a show and tell at school. He brought in a journal with naked women in. He got it from Rodrick. All the pupils have been ashamed and giggled.
What do you think the teacher did?

How to Train Your Dragon Series

If any of you like the movie How to Train Your Dragon,then you`ll probably like these books because the movie is based on the series but I think it`s even better. It`s about a boy called Hiccup who has a pet dragon called Toothless (although not the same size as the Toothless in the movie) and friends called Camacazi and Fishlegs. Together they have to defeat Hiccup`s arch enemy, Alvin the treacherous, and go on quests which usually end up with lots of treasure, magical dragons and sword fighting (which Hiccup is really good at surprisingly). I think it is also a very funny series for all ages.

The Famous Five ! Number 9


Five Fall Into Adventure!

By Enid Blyton                                                                                                                       Illustrated by Eileen A.Soper

INTRODUCTION

When I went to the Pyrenees with my brother and the Centre de Loisir, my mum put a book in my suitcase. The book was called The Famous Five (Number 9)

When I saw it I wondered “Have I heard about this book?” 
I didn’t remember, but I started reading it.

REVIEW

At the start I thought it was a bit strange because I didn’t really understand the characters eg. “George” is a girl and it wasn’t made clear if Julian, Dick and Anne were brothers and sisters or friends, but then I read a bit more and George is their cousin.L

The story begins when George (Georgina) and Timmy (her dog who is the fifth member of the Famous Five) were waiting at the train station for Julian, Dick and Anne to arrive. The train was very late. When Julian, Dick and Anne finally arrived Timmy was so happy to see them and so was George. Julian, Dick and Anne were visiting George for a fortnight.

I like this book because I like adventure stories and this is a good adventure story with lots of mysteries.

The mystery of this story is that soon after, George and Timmy go missing…
    
If you want to know more READ THE BOOK!


I recommend this book to you but, in my opinion, you will probably have to be a good reader. LJ

Daisy and the Problem with Zoos


product_daisy-and-the-trouble-with-zoos.jpgI love this book because I think the book is really funny. I like the when Daisy goes to feeds the penguins. But then a problem happens Daisy steals a baby penguin. Her Mum is furious so she stops the car  very hard.  So they return to the Zoo. Daisy's Mum says she is extremely sorry. When Daisy and her Mum arrive home Daisy explains why she did it Daisy says because he/she was lonely. I love the series of this books. I have read two other books of this series called Daisy and the problem with Life and Maggots.

The Magic Faraway Tree!

By Enid Blyton

I really like this book because it has lots of adventures but in only one place! I would recommend it to all readers. This book is about three children who's names are Beth, Frannie and Joe. Then they find out they have their cousin around for a while because his mum is sick. This boy is called Rick. Rick is quite a naughty person because in the land of do-as-you-please he wanted to wade out to sea! And then brrrrriiiiinnnngggg! there was the sign to the sea! So Rick decided to wade out up to approximately his shoulders! There is the land of goodies and loads and loads more! I think you should read the collection of them with the faraway tree like The Enchanted wood or The Folk of the Faraway Tree! 

Dustbin Baby Book Review

It just started of when April ( the dustbin baby ) was going home with her 2 best friends Cathy and Hannah just talking. She didn't wan't tomorrow because it was 1st April the day of April's birthday. She just wished she could throw 1st April out the window and miss all her birthday. The next day Marion ( April's foster mother ) brought April a breakfast in bed with a large birthday present. April was sure it was a new phone because she'd been waiting for it for AGES! But the box was inside a box and that box was in a box and it went on till the box was tiny! " It's going on and on, looks like it's never going to STOP!" April groaned. " Just open the last box, then your goin' to see what it is " said Marion cheerfully. She opened the box slowly and carefully and then gasped in horror. " I thought blue moonstone studs would look good on you, matching with your blue eyes..." said Marion then interrupted by April. " I HATE THEM, I thought you were going to bring a phone. Everybody has them in my class except me, I am 14 and I have to have one! " screamed April. " Well April, you know what I think of phones " said Marion firmly. The tantrum started. Finally April decided to bunk of school. She went to the train station to somewhere in England and met all the her favorite people of her past.... When I started reading the book, I just feel I'm the person and I'm just so much in this book, I mean there's something magical in all of Jacqueline Wilson's book. When your half way through there's almost this portal that leads you to the place in the book and I can really imagine ALL the pictures in my head even though there's no pictures in the book! Enjoy reading her 1 day adventure!

Mr Gum and the Goblins.

Mr Gum is a nasty man he has an orange beard and wears old clothes and worst of all he loves wine! He is friends with the Goblin King. I like Mr Gum and the Goblins because it's funny. Polly, Friday and Mrs Lovely live in the same village as Mr. Gum. Mrs. Lovely needed some special herbs from Goblin Mountain, but when she got there, she was attacked by something strange. Polly and Friday decided to investigate, could it be badgers that attacked Mrs Lovely or something much worse?
On Goblin Moutain they saw Mr Gum with the Goblin King so they know now, that he is friends with the Goblin King! There are witches , trolls and more....
At the start of the story Polly , Friday O'Lear and Alan Talor whent to see if Mr Gum has come back and ...
I wish that I had the collection of Mr Gum!

Read the book and you will see what will happen!

The writing is a bit crazy but it keeps it interesting.

Dr Who


This book is about the stories of the tenth doctor in 2010. For example there is: Total Eclipse of the Heart and there is also: The End of the Rainbow. This book is very interesting especially the stories. My favorite story is: Scared Stiff. It is quite creepy and it is very exciting and AWESOME! I also like The End of the Rainbow.
The story of the End of the Rainbow is about a rainbow that stretches across the country and infects people with a disease. Whoever catches it, their skin will change colour and in a couple of hours you die. The tenth doctor has to climb on the rainbow to find the end of it. He finds out that it is activated by a gold rock. He destroys the golden rock with his sonic screwdriver and surprise surprise the doctor wins again!

Junie B. Jones and the End of Term Party

I recommend this book if you like funny books!

Junie B. Jones is really funny. The first book I read is called Junie B. Jones is a Bigmouth. 
In this book what I like is when she tries to have an idea, so the blackberry juice doesn’t show. One of my favourite characters is Claudia. She is my favourite character because she has got the same name as me! I also like when all the people from her class do spots on their dresses and hats to make her happy and not the only one to where the hat and dresses it must be really nice, and she said that she loved everyone and all the boys said puajjjjj!
Picture of the front cover
Picture of the back cover

And if you read it I hope you like it!   

By Claudia

Pippi Longstocking

By Maia
Introduction:
Pippi Longstocking is an amazing girl.
She has a very useful monkey from her dad.
About her mum and dad:
Her mum died when Pippi was born. She believes that her  mother is up in heaven and always looking down at her and guiding her. Pippi’s dad  was a sailor. He was ship wrecked. Pippi is a unique girl, so she says that her dad swam to an island and became king of that island!!!
She also has a horse.
She becomes friends with her neighbours after she moves in.
It’s a boy and a girl and they do exciting and funny things together.
I like this book because I can relate to Pippi.
                  For example:
She’s got red hair and I have blonde hair, we both REALLY like adventures,
it’s part of our life we could not live without it !
Well anyway back where I’m supposed to be…
I love this book and I really recommend it, it is very funny, I think it is really good for all the family to read it.
This book is like Mr.Gum because it makes you laugh, but it is not disgusting and has different sorts of jokes.
A part of it that I’ll never forget:
At the circus she is a spectator but she becomes a performer…! Because she’s an amazing girl she can even carry a house so there is a really heavy thing and she picks it up. The adult has difficulty pulling it up himself!!! She also does other funny things for you to find out.
The things that Pippi is amazing at and the original things she does:
1.      She can catch burglars in the night.
2.      She’s super strong.
3.      She’s got a horse in her little garden.
4.      She makes pancakes on the floor!
5.      She walks backwards so that on the way back she is the right way round!


Hope you enjoyed. Maia

Fractions

We've been revisiting fractions this week.

We all had a go at folding a piece of A4 paper into thirds, to get it into a standard envelope:


... not quite right...

Will it go in?



After this, we created "Fraction Flags" that had stripes of different colours:





Here are some of them:




These helped us have a clear idea of what we meant when we talked about fractions of numbers:



Hour of Code

In Year 4 we've been working on the Hour of Code. Anyone can have a go, and if you haven't yet, you might like to!

It's all explained very clearly by Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, and a host of other famous people. And now that we can do these a few really important things, all our other computer programming is going to be a lot easier.


Loops

One of the most important thing we learnt to do was to create repeat loops:



If...

The next really important thing involved if:

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Book review: Las vacaciones del pequeño Nicolas


"Las vacaciones del pequeño Nicolas" means :Little Nicolas vacations which is the book that I'm going to write about.
The main character in the book is Nicolas who is a boy that is about 8 years old an he does such as funny things.



The story is about Nicolas' family choosing were to go. Then it tells their holidays of were they've chosen to go and what happened those days. Nicolas father gets super cross at the end of his holidays an you would see why if you read the book. My favourite character is Nicolas because he always said "This is formidable".


There are more books about little Nicolas like "Nicolas' play times" or "Nicolas is ill"

They are really old because my parents red them when they were  little. And we still like them!

There are many books about Nicolas that you might like too. So you might say, let's give it a go!