Mullum Writers

Toondoo with The School

2009-03-17T09:27:00.005+11:00

I love Toondoo. You can get some great literacy outcomes happening. It engages the children. We have been creating accounts and "playing" so far. More explicit tasks will follow once we have a familiarity with the tool, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy Oskars "Toon"

Here is another one by Jackson. We published it and discovered some grammatical errors, so jackson's homework is to go to toondoo and repair it. The repaired version will update here as soon as it is saved.

Where are we from?

2008-10-18T14:34:00.004+11:00

We had a multicultural day and we put our placemark on google earth. Our placemark shows where our parents and grandparents came from.

We also did dancing and storytelling and music.

Mr Collinson put the placemarks on google maps and then put it here. We hope you have fun
3B

View Larger Map

Blogs in Schools..presentation in Sydney

2008-05-20T18:00:00.004+10:00

Hello reader...

I have been asked to present to a group of educators in Sydney, regarding the use of blogs in schools.

Here is my presentation (hosted at Zoho). As well as the presentation I'll be showing of the work of the fantastic creative talent of the Mullum students, by demonstrating some of the features of this blog.

Sounds like fun!

How can a blog like this be useful in school?

2008-05-15T09:14:00.004+10:00

Welcome senior classes.

We have had this blog running for about two years now. We have examples of all kinds of student work. Pictures and artwork, writing, programming, presentations and audio.

What ways do you think that a blog like this can be helpful to you in school and class?

What can be done to make it better?

Mr C

Rain

2007-11-29T13:45:00.002+11:00

Rain

Rain is loud, rain is fun

But when it is sunny there is none.

When it rains it sometimes hails

But when it falls it sounds like nails.

When rain is bad it turns into lightning

And when it starts it's very frightening.

Rain fills dams, oceans and creeks,

When it gets on the roof it leaks.

Rain makes puddles and turns dirt into mud

And from the flowers out sprouts a bud.

When the rain comes at night

I get under my covers and pull them up tight.

Kayla

Email for Students

2007-09-26T10:38:00.000+10:00

All children at Mullumbimby PS from yr 2 and up, have been given a user name and password that allows them to access the internet and email from school, and also allows them to access email from home. For those children clever enough to remember their user name and password, and would like to use “the portal” for email during the holidays you will need to type the following address into your browser.
http://portal.det.nsw.edu.au
and then follow the prompts.

Remember to always display courtesy when using your email account. All mail is filtered by DET, and cyber bullying will not be tolerated. Don’t bookmark the site, because each time you log in the site has a will have a slightly different address, (session id cookies), and the bookmark will not work the next time you try to log in.

Hope you enjoy keeping in touch with each other during the holidays. Have fun and stay safe.

Mr Collinson

Cody does Scratch

2007-09-07T10:38:00.000+10:00

I've been working on Scratch for about a month now. Scratch is where you create sprites and tell them what to do with scripts. Its like flash or movie maker. It took me a week to do this movie. When it finishes click it and press the space bar to restart.

Cody

Gallimimus

2007-09-05T10:25:00.000+10:00

Gallimimus

Many people think dinosaurs were huge, slow moving and deadly. Gallimimus were fast on their feet and not very tall for a dinosaur.
Gallimimus means fowl mimic. It was given this name because it was too much like a bird.
If humans existed at the time of the Gallimimus about 70million years ago in the late cretaceous period, you would spot it right away.

The Gallimimus was 10 feet tall or 3m.
It was found in Mongdia.
One of the dinosaurs filmed in the movie Jurassic park was the Gallimimus.

Written by Dylan

Class 2BP presents....

2007-08-24T11:52:00.000+10:00

Our Special Toys

Here is a show we made. First we wrote our story. Then we took picures, then we typed our story. After that we made a show and Mr Collinson put it here for everyone to see.

We hope you like it.

How the Fish Got its Scales

2007-08-07T09:23:00.001+10:00

.Back in the Dreamtime, all of the fish had skin.

One day a father fish went out to look for food. Dad fish was swimming in the reef. Suddenly he saw a shiny shell. He was amazed by the shine. He went closer to the shell and when he touched it, it cut his skin.

He was bleeding, and the blood covered his body. He was trapped in this sack of blood and it slowly dried up. He swam home, but he didn't know that the blood on his body could be spread throughout the oceans. As it dried it formed a hard shell.

Thats how the fish got their scales

by Jayden

How The Crab Got His Claws

2007-08-02T14:03:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time lived a crab.

The crab had a friend who was a seagull. The seagull was always being mean to him.

One day Crab was walking along a beach and saw some clams with pretty pearls in them.
The crab went over and tried to get the pearl.
His hands got stuck in them and he couldn’t get them out so Crab thought that he could have pay back to the seagull.
Crab said to seagull "Don’t be mean to me again or I will hurt you!"
" Ok! Ok! I wont be mean to you any more", said the seagull.
"Oh by the way you have pretty Claws on you"
"Thanks" said Crab.

So that’s how crabs got there claws.

by Jay

How the Fish Got Its Scales

2007-08-02T13:21:00.000+10:00

.In the dreamtime, fish had no scales.

One day Foshay the fish had no scales. She was swimming around the coral and her friend, Ellie the eel said “I’ll race you around the coral??” “Okay” said Foshay.

123… GO!!

Foshay and Ellie swam as fast as they could. Foshay swam past some sharp rocks and cut herself. The cuts looked like scales, only there was blood coming out of the gaps.
Eventually the cuts turned into scales.
From then on, every fish had scales.

by Seth

hear me read

Rainforest

2007-07-31T12:36:00.000+10:00

play
The rainforest is a damp, misty, musical place to be. When you wander into a rainforest, you might hear a waterfall gushing rapidly and loudly, like an elephant charging. Further on, as you trek through the undergrowth, you could spy a snake, searching for its prey. Look above at the canopy. You may see strangler vines wrapping itself menacingly around a tree. Perhaps you’ll see some noisy rosellas. Rainforests are colourful places: green lush ferns, white sap dribbling down a tree trunk, red orchids swaying in the breeze. A rainforest can be a tropical extraordinary wonderland.

By Annie

Hear me Read.

Kangaroo

2007-07-31T08:49:00.000+10:00

play
One day, in the middle of summer, I was sitting on the deck, wondering what to eat for lunch. I peered out towards the hills and saw a kangaroo jumping around my yard.
The kangaroo was a reddish colour and its massive tail was magnificent. It had huge, bulgy eyes that looked like shining marbles. I could tell that she was female, because she had a furry pouch and inside it was a fluffy ball. A joey!
The kangaroo was staring at me as if she knew me, so I wandered down to pat it. As I got closer, I saw her jumping up, trying to grab a peach from the tree.
After eating the juicy peach, the kangaroo jumped away and I never saw her again.

by Darcy

Hear me read.

Dolphin

2007-07-31T08:42:00.000+10:00

play
I was swimming at Brunswick Heads one Sunday when a dolphin started swimming amongst the white waves.
The dolphin was as blue as the sky on a hot summer's day and its body glistened like a star at night. It had a smile that made it look friendly. As I swam towards it, I realised that the dolphin was just a baby; so cute, so tiny and so beautiful.
The dolphin looked magnificent. It was happy as it splashed, jumped and played in the water. I felt very special as it inched closer to me.
Eventually the baby dolphin turned around. I felt sad to see the dolphin swim away beyond the horizon.

by Ruby

Hear me read.

Special Guest podcast!

2007-07-26T09:49:00.000+10:00

.
We are privileged this month to have one of our very creative parents contribute to MullumWriters.

Jenni Cargill is a talented storyteller and has kindly allowed us to present her wonderful story Goldenheart.

Listen to Goldenheart

Thanks Jenni. Be sure to check out her site here

from Jenni's site:

Jenni employs a wide repertoire of dramatic skills and a beautiful singing voice to hold her audience. Her training includes a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Queensland, classical singing training and a diploma from the Drama Action Centre in Sydney. There she studied clowning, improvisation, dance, singing, mask, mummers, percussion and workshop facilitation, specialising in storytelling. Her professional experience was gained in over twelve hundred schools in Australia and New Zealand. She has performed for ABC national radio as well as ABC TV’s ‘7.30 Report’. She has performed and presented workshops for the Bennelong Program at the Sydney Opera House, The Powerhouse Museum, the National Storytelling Conference, the Woodford Folk Festival since 1993, Byron Bay Adult Community Education and The Byron Bay Writers Festival 2004.

My Holiday

2007-07-19T09:49:00.000+10:00

click here

In the holidays I got a little puppy.
His name is Velcro.
He runs on this spot.

by Charlie.

hear me read

Holidays

2007-07-19T09:48:00.001+10:00

click here

In the holidays I went to Brisbane and I stayed in a hotel. In the hotel I got a boomerang and my sister got a sheep.

by Louie

hear me read

I like...

2007-05-31T11:46:00.000+10:00

Click here

I like going to the park.
I have fun at the park.
I like going to school.
I have fun.

by Ashlee, Click the picture to see the big version

Click to hear me read.

Orangutans

2007-05-30T14:19:00.000+10:00

sound file
Description
Orangutans have reddish-brown to orange fur colour. Orangutans have long strong arms, they have hook like hands and feet to grasp onto vines. Male Orangutans weigh up to 90kg. Females weigh up to 45 kg. Orangutans can grow to a height of 165cm.

Warning!
An Orangutan's greatest threat is the devolution of farming, and also logging of the forest. Logging leaves fewer places for orangutans to roam and find food.

Facts
Orangutans live in the canopy and also further up near the emergent layer of the forest. Every night they will make a nest to sleep in using leaves and branches..

Food
The Orangutan eats rainforest treats such as rambutan, figs, mango, and durian. They will eat also flowers, bark and insects.

The importance of an Orangutan is that they keep the insect population under control. When orangutans eat the fruits of the forest they go to the toilet and the seeds from the fruit go back into the ground and reproduce.

by Arianne

hear me read

My Machine

2007-05-25T09:27:00.000+10:00

click here
This is my machine.

It is a plough.
It is made for cultivating the earth for planting.
Ploughing helps the seeds grow.
The seeds will grow into plants we can eat.
There are many plants we can eat, such as sunflowers, wheat, and other grains.
Using a plough to dig up the ground is much quicker than using a shovel.

Click the picture to see the big version

by Casey

Click here to hear me read

My Cousin's

2007-04-30T13:45:00.000+10:00

click here
On the holiday I went to my cousin's. We went to the drags and the mud derbies. My sister got mud in her mouth, and after, we went for a little ride on the train.
I enjoyed going to my cousin's.

By Zac

Click here to hear me read the story.

Shipwrecked...(on a lonely island)

2007-04-30T13:41:00.000+10:00

Once there was a girl called Grace and she was a pirate. One day she saw an island, but just as she was approaching the island, her boat scraped on a bit of coral. It took the floorboards off the bottom of the ship. There was a storm and the rest of the ship was ruined. Grace managed to escape in a life boat but the rest of the crew went down with the boat. Grace managed to get to the island.

Grace managed to live on coconuts, fruit and berries that grew on the island. One day she heard bleating outside the hut she had made. Their, standing right in front of her was a nanny goat, a billy goat, and a baby goat. She milked the nanny goat every day and the goats always came back the next day. In return for the milk, she gave the goats fresh water and food.

Grace began to explore the island. She got lots of water from the stream, she found lots more food. Then one day she came to a clearing and there were more goats. She had much more milk and in the end she stayed there forever.

"I love this island" Grace said.

by Aisha

My Brother

2007-04-30T09:48:00.000+10:00

My brother the pain, nothing he gains. Except his sister crying help.

My brother is so apathetic of most things,
But he loves to make me sorrow.
He loves to make me despair; he makes me pull out my hair.
He has no kindness or sometimes no goodness in his heart.
He makes me feel cowardice when he does his stinking fart.
My brother is so abstinent.

So I came up with an idea.
I’ll trick my little brother into drinking my Dad’s beer.
Then when all hope was gone, I came up with a suggestion.
I said “Dad he was bored, he still praises the good lord, and he still has good health so the beer doesn’t affect him”

Then I changed my attitude and said “Dad, he shall be punished shall he not?”
My Dad said: “Be quiet Ruby, or you will be sleeping in the cot.”

My brother the pain, nothing he gains.
Except I still love him with all my heart, even when he does his stinking fart!

by Ruby

Vicious Dragon

2007-03-16T14:41:00.000+11:00

One morning I got up and went into the kitchen for breakfast but when I sat down there was a scary, vicious dragon sitting with me.
I was extraordinarily terrified! The dragon was ruby red with green spots on his head. He was wrinkly, he was naughty, he looked dangerous.

I said "get away from me".
He just freaked me out so much!
I hated his teeth!
I hated his bulging eyes!
I hated the way he brought so many flies!

I chased him out of the house and he let out a shout. "Aaagghh".

by Lara
Yr 3

On the Weekend I....

2007-03-16T11:47:00.000+11:00

On the Weekend I...went to the Ballina Water slides for my friend's birthday.

Then I...went home and played on the PS2 with my Dad.
We tried to get to the next cliff but we kept on falling into the water.
I felt frustrated.

by Sam

THE HOPKEYWAT

2007-03-15T10:34:00.000+11:00

“OKAY get out your spelling sheets” announced Mrs Bettison. Thanks to Madeline we get to do a 300 word test on Wednesday…TODAY!
I was in great despair that she would change her mind (Mrs B hadn’t got a very good relationship with the class yet,) then Leah had an idea.
“I have a suggestion” she mumbled. Leah was very cowardly!
"Well?”
Bang!!
She was lying on the floor gasping. A weird feeling came over all of us. Our health suddenly went down hill. It was such a tragedy. A strange illness called the “Hopkeywat” was attacking our class.
“Help” screamed someone.
“There is no hope” cried another.
Every one was in great pain. Then Koby with his devotion to the class gained up his courage and stupidly started whacking the air thinking he was beating up the Hopkeywat illness(more people had gone mad by then).
Then “Bella” from 5/6P ran in and jumped up on the table and yelled “WE WILL SURVIVE.... gasp” and fell on the floor.
“1 down 235 to go” said Zac.
SMASH! “2 down 234 to go”
Wack ! 233.
Bang! 232.
Mummy! 231 etc. Every body died
THE END!!
Just kidding. We hadn’t noticed that Mrs B. was gone, but just then she came back in…………WITH 50 HAIR DRYERS. Everyone looked at her in wonder then Sam broke the silence. "Wow she has such beauty I love her "(yep EVERYONE was mad).
Mrs B called the hospital and every one else grabbed a hair dryer and blew the Hopkeywat away and it didn’t bother us again.
THE END!!………
WEEEOORR WEEEOORRR 15 ambulances were going down the road towards Durumble School.
Oops! I think we blew the Hopkeywat too far heh heh heh .

Now this time it really is the end.

by Heddy

Vorgee

2006-12-12T14:42:00.000+11:00

Vorgee Goggles are made of purple rubber with unbreakable plastic lenses. The lenses are crystal clear, they never fog up.

When you put the goggles on.."shink"! They immediately change size so they are perfect for you.

There are little silver knobs on the side of the goggles that let you adjust the magnification and the speed. If you buy them now you get free excellent, elegant earmuffs that allow you to hear peoples voices inside and outside the water! They're only $30 and they're a piece of cake to use.

This deal is simply spiffing, corking, splendiferous, marvelous, spectacular.....

Bryony

Purple Octopus

2006-12-12T14:23:00.000+11:00

Once upon a time there was a purple octopus. he lived in the ocean with his family. Then one day a big boat flew overhead of them.

Then the purple octopus got caught in the rope that was hanging from the boat.
The other octopuses sucked the boat for an hour to try and get the purple octopus back. Then they stopped because they knew the boat would win.

They decided they needed more help. They found an anchor. They thought that it could go through the boat. They swam up with the anchor. They shoved it through the bottom of the boat. It took an hour to get it up to the boat. at last they got it through the bottom of the boat.

The little octopus jumped back through the hole into his mothers hands. then they lived happily ever after.

Mali

Late

2006-12-12T11:07:00.000+11:00

Crack! A blinding flash of lightening, followed by an ear-splitting boom of thunder made me jump. It was late and I should have been home an hour ago but I was walking home from my friends house and a bus dropped me off in the middle of nowhere.

Another boom of lightning came and a tree nearby nearly fell on me. I stood there speechless trying to open my mouth to scream but nothing came out. I ran on and on, then I saw my house but a stranger was running after me. I was nearly there and then I got there. I ran home.

By Shey

Welcome

2006-11-29T10:04:00.000+11:00

This blog is very much in development, but it's anticipated that we will showcase pieces of writing on a regular basis. Ideas at the moment are to have a junior, middle, and senior section. We can choose a representative sample of genres as well.

The senior classes can enter (type) the samples into the blog once a piece of work has been chosen.