Personification

Personification 

In each sentence, an object or idea is personified.  Identify the object or idea that is being personified and explain which human trait or action is applied to the object or idea.

1.The wind whispered through the gloomy forest. 

What is being personified?

The wind.

What human trait or quality has it been given?

The ability to whistle.

2. The gardener lovingly added the manure to his crops believing he was making happy flowers.

What is being personified?

The flowers.

What human trait or quality has it been given?

The capability of feeling emotions, specifically happiness.

3.  As we walked through the scorching desert, the sun beat down on us.

What is being personified?

The sun.

What human trait or quality has it been given?

Beating down on people

4.  The lumberjack levelled the many trees into a clearing and his chainsaw sang its deadly song.

What is being personified?

The lumberjack's chainsaw.

What human trait or quality has it been given?

The ability to sing.

5. As Alice searched for her missing pencil, she said sarcastically, “Well, I guess it just walked off of my desk.”  She looked at her classmates accusingly.  

What is being personified?

Alice's pencil case.

What human trait or quality has it been given?

The ability to walk off a desk.

6. When Monica walked through the shoe store, each shiny pair of high heels called out to her.

What is being personified?

The high heels in the shoe store

What human trait or quality has it been given?

A voice - the ability to call out.

Personification sentences

- The flames danced around the room.

- As the clock strikes midnight, a flash of lightning bounced across the sky.

- The popcorn leapt out of the bowl the longer it was in the microwave.

- The wind howled.

- The trees swung their arms around as the wind whistled through the forest.

- The avalanche devoured everything in it's path.

Alliteration

Alliteration

Highlight the alliterations in each of the following sentences:

1. The sun sizzled the swimmers skin.
2. I accidently ate an awful apple.
3. Beth borrowed Barry’s books before biology. 
4. Slipping and sliding, I stumbled in the snow and slush.
5. Many mysterious men mumbled messages.
6. The gallant goat gobbled gobs of garbage greedily. 
7. The rapidly rising river rushed rampantly.

Finish these sentences with your own alliterations:

1. Red roses… ran round the rim of Ronaldo's remarkably rated resort.
2. While wandering... , Walter wound up walking through Wigram.
3. The tired traveller... took their time.

Similes and Metaphors

Similes and Metaphors

1. My bedroom was as black as a cave in the depths of the earth.
2. The classroom after school became as noisy as a gaggle of gabby geese.
3. The cat capered along the fence top like a tightrope walker on the hire wire. 
4. My anger crashed into me like waves against the shore.

1. The cloth was as black as coal
2. The wet ball was as slippery as an eel
3. My little sister is as playful as a kitten
4. The top of this table is as smooth as silk
5. I've been as busy as a bee
6. The lamb is as white as snow

1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Metaphor

4. Simile

5. Metaphor

6. Metaphor

7. Simile

8. Simile

Similes -

The cat ran as fast as lightning.

Her hair was as black as the night sky.

The sun shone as brightly as a beacon.

Dylan's day is going as horribly as an extended family gathering.

The turbulence threw the plane around like a toddler throwing a fit.

His voice boomed around the room with volume like an explosion

Metaphors -

He had a heart of gold.

The World is your oyster.

After this weeks events, that girl is walking on thin ice.

Jordan was writing out a list of things to do before she kicked the bucket.

Dylan was flooded with emotions.

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

What am I learning?

The concept of similes and metaphors as well as how they are used in sentences.

How does this work show my learning?

I have done a number of activities based around correctly using similes and metaphors, and have also come up with some of my own to show my understanding.

Black Mirror - Nosedive

Black Mirror - Nosedive Critical Literacy

24. Whose views are excluded or privileged in this text?

Throughout this episode of Black Mirror, we never see any children or many elderly people. The people who's views seem to be favoured are adults aged from their early twenties to perhaps mid forties. Are children rated in the same way adults are?

27. What view of the world is the text presenting?

This episode portrays that social media is a negative thing which we rely on more than we should, and that can destroy people's lives. It also shows that the majority of people base their opinions on people off of how they look.

11. How are adults constructed in this text?

In this visual text, adults are perceived as extremely judgemental and over critical. They base their opinions on people off of both stereotypes and how they are rated. People with lower ratings are treated no better than criminals, whereas those with higher ratings are treated like royalty, A person's rating - in a nutshell - is based on their social interactions and the popularity and aesthetic of their social media feed. People with a higher rating also tend to lack the ability to seem genuine. Everyone is scared of saying what they really mean.

What does the term 'nosedive' mean? How do you see this in the story?

The term 'nosedive' refers to going from being at the top to drastically plummeting to rock bottom. We see this throughout the episode - Lacie starts with a rating of 4.3, but by the end her score is below one and she's in a jail cell, no longer having the capability of caring about anything.

What are the positive and negative aspects of this type if rating system?

The negative aspects out-number the positive. Rating someone is brutal, especially based on their looks and social status alone. It will innevitably end in many people being judged unfairly. The only positive aspect of this sort of rating system is the fact that people instantly know other's names and certain things about them without having to ask, which saves having to go through a potentially awkward situation if you forget their name or something.

In this story, what characteristics lead to good ratings for females?

- Marrying/getting together with a rich/popular guy

- Being pretty, super fit, successful

What scenes did you find most uncomfortable/disturbing?

The entire scene where Lacie showed up looking like an absolute mess at her 'friend's' wedding and made her speech was mildly uncomfortable,, but mostly just due to second-hand embarrassment.

How realistic of a future do you think 'nosedive' is?

The obsession with social media and the concept of a rating system isn't all that unrealistic - however I feel that the things in their lives that are controlled by their rating isn't as realistic, e.g; the houses they can buy, where they can work etc.

The Pyramids of Egypt

Mural Planning

This week in art we have been working in groups of four or five to come up with thumbnail sketches we can use to make a mural representing 'whanaungatanga', which somewhat translates to family and togetherness. We also assigned each other positions within our group; colour coordinator, chief painter, director, story supervisor and assistant. 

This is a draft of the ideas we have for our mural so far

Cave Paintings

In Social Studies, we have been looking at technology used and created in the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages - also known as the Stone Age. As a part of this topic, we have also been looking at the artwork they made on the walls of caves.

My drawing includes a guitar, piano keys, a big music note and a bunch of smaller music notes. Music is a huge part of my life, and playing instruments and listening to music is probably the thing I love to do the most. It also has five tiny stick figures (my family).

Although the subjects of the drawing themselves don't entirely fit in with traditional cave drawing,  the colour palette and technique used to paint them does.