Blogs and Kensuke's Kingdom
21 Jan 2022
In class 4, we begin each day with morning work, which is a chance to revise skills and be challenged, but also a chance to support others. Supporting others is a real skill, how do you help someone in a meaningful and supportive way? I'm very proud of the way year six in particular help the rest of the class access the tougher questions, in a caring, yet focused manner. Here are some pictures of them in action.
We've been looking at the story, Kensuke's Kingdom, and last week we were looking at writing a balanced argument on whether they were right to go on this around-the-world trip. This week, we wrote it. We tried to be unbiased in the way we presented the arguments and use the relevant features, such as rhetorical questions and emotive phrases with facts.
As many of the class members pointed out, it could be a highly dangerous adventure and perhaps too dangerous to risk. well, they were right; Michael ended up overboard and we left it at the point where he'd just fallen out to sea.
We wrote Haikus, a short, traditional Japanese poem which contains 3 lines. the 1st and 3rd line only having 5 syllables and the middle having 7. In Japan, these poems are considered art and are meant to give a clear image or picture without telling a story but through carefully-selected words.
Here's some of ours.
The sea
everlasting blue
raging waves loom over me
my hope submerged
Vulnerability
A wave of isolation
terror-filled, alone
endless, rippling wave
gently washing on the shore
continuously
And finally, the children have really enjoyed blogging. We've been imagining we were Michael from Kensuke's kingdom (before he fell overboard) blogging about his journey. We've looked at some blogs and the style of writing involved.
That is it for now.
Wishing you happy weekend
With plenty of fun
(see what I did there? #Haiku 
)