Wednesday 20 May 2009

The Last Post - Thanks, S2!

I just wanted to write one last post to let you know how much I have enjoyed being your teacher.

I’ve had a great year and have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of you. I can only hope that I have as nice, as bright, and as funny a class again at my next school – although of course there’ll never be another 2B2!

I hope I’ve managed to teach you a thing or two, and I feel I have to thank you for teaching me rather a lot as well.

I wish you all the best of luck in the future (although of course you don’t need it) and I know you’ll all go on to do fantastic things.

I’ll miss you all, very much.

Miss Galbraith x

Friday 15 May 2009

'The Blackbird of Glanmore'

Mid-Term Break wasn't the only poem that Seamus Heaney wrote about his brother's death.

The Blackbird of Glanmore

On the grass when I arrive,
Filling the stillness with life,
But ready to scare off
At the very first wrong move,
In the ivy when I leave,

It's you, blackbird, I love.

I park, pause, take heed.
Breathe. Just breathe and sit
And lines I once translated
Come back: 'I want away
To the house of death, to my father

Under the low clay roof.'

And I think of one gone to him,
A little stillness dancer -
Haunter-son, lost brother -
Cavorting through the yard,
So glad to see me home,

My homesick first term over.

And think of a neighbour's words
Long after the accident;
'Yon bird on the shed roof,
Up on the ridge for weeks -
I said nothing at the time

But I never liked yon bird'

The automatic lock
Clunks shut, the blackbird's panic
Is shortlived, for a second
I've a bird's eye view of myself,
A shadow on raked gravel

In front of my house of life.

Hedge-hop, I am absolute
For you, your ready talkback,
Your each stand-offish comeback,
Your picky, nervy goldbeak -
On the grass when I arrive,

In the ivy when I leave.

Friday 8 May 2009

The F. conspiracy - Thanks Nico! (and Connor)

Since he was born Jim had always hated fish. He hated the way they looked, smelled and tasted. He thought fish shouldn’t be here, he thought that the fish were up to something. Everyone thought he was just being silly, but he had thought how fish could take over the world.

THE PLAN

First he thought the fish were silly being caught by fisherman, but then he thought that the fish that got caught were fake they were just testing the humans to see how strong they were.

They wouldn’t be able to breath on the surface. AND then it came to him! Aquariums. The fish would break the glass in every aquarium in the world. This would flood a lot but not enough. So the fish would put tsunami generators and explosives near the coasts all over the world. When the signal was sent, the glass would break and the bombs would go off with the tsunamis to help them cover more distance. The majority of humans would drown and a lot of the land would be water thus allowing the fish to breath on land so to speak.

While the fish were plotting, the humans would be none the wiser except for Jim. He’d tried to warn the authorities, but his parents would tell them he was just making up rubbish.

Today Jim decided to check his local aquarium for glass cutters or pieces of equipment that could be used to shatter glass. When he arrived everything was normal. He had been here so many times and not found anything. So he just decided to give it up, it wasn’t going to happen. He turned round and headed for the door.

Then the glass cracked.




THE END

Wednesday 6 May 2009

National Assessments: Mid-Term Break

Seamus Heaney woodcut


Here are a few links to resources for 'Mid-Term Break' on the web. These are all good quality and will help those of you who are revising for your Level F test.


Teachit


mtsn.org


Seamus Heaney on Wikipedia


I also found quite a good video on YouTube to accompany the poem. I find it can be really helpful have visuals as well as the text, and this is a nicely made little video.