Learning in 3/4RG
Holiday Writing
The students in 3/4RG made a wonderful start to Term 2. They arrived on the first day full of excitement, eager to share stories of their Easter holidays with classmates and teachers alike. This enthusiasm provided the perfect segue into our writing focus for the week: recount writing.
Each term, students are asked to write about their holidays. We have noticed that these recounts can sometimes turn into simple lists of events, rather than engaging and interesting pieces of writing. This week, our focus was on supporting students to think like authors and to write in a way that captured the reader’s attention and brought their holiday experiences to life.
Students continued to use “Sizzling Starts” to hook their reader from the beginning. They also used the five senses to add detail, build atmosphere, and create vivid word pictures so the reader could truly imagine the experience.
We began by talking and sharing our holiday stories with one another. Students then drew pictures and created plans for their writing, carefully thinking about what they saw, heard, felt, smelt, and even tasted during their holidays.
From there, they began crafting their own recounts, focusing on making their writing more engaging, descriptive, and enjoyable for their audience.
Below are short snippets of writing from of our brilliant authors in 3/4RG:
Ante - “The ref pursed his lips and blew his high pitched whistle and the second half was on.”
Mary-Elizabeth - “As we all bounded out of the car, we saw some fluffy bulls being fed. Then the smell of manure hit me. A wave of terror struck me as I came face to face with a bull.”
Audrey - “The air was cool and crisp and the grass green. What could possibly go wrong? I was sweating hard and my breath was coming in short bursts.”
Anjali - “Bang! The extremely bright lights turned on and gave me a shock. The curtains rose up and up. Then boom, the magician jumped onto the stage and started doing brilliant tricks.”
Anton - “Time was ticking and running out. My heart was pounding while I swung my arm to the next rock. It was my first time rock climbing.”
Thomas - “When the full time whistle went, all our eyes were filled with tears. After my devastating loss in the semi finals…”
Jasmine B - “Welcome everyone to a mythical place called Harry Potter Land with wands, scarves and much more, let’s explore.”
Patrick - “Suddenly the siren screeched. Carlton got a free kick to win the game. I could smell victory.”
Sienna - “As I bit into the tomato, creamy, cheesy pasta, I felt so happy.
Summer - “A lazy, bluetongue lizard caught my eye and I got to pick it up. It felt scaly and sharp. Its belly was warm but its back was cold.”
Mason - “When I put on the VR headset, I saw lots of people in crazy clothes. With the headset on, it was like I was a real security guard. It was a really cool thing to do.”
Mila - “I hit the ball with my golf club and it swished through the grass.”
Dimitri - “We finally reached the new train station, Anzac Station. My friend and I were bursting with excitement because we were going to the Shrine in the city.”
Isabella - “The flashing lights were bright in my eyes. I was so excited to go to Hijinx Hotel.”
Jasmine F - “A bang happened and colours flashed before my eyes. I started to eat my buttery crunchy popcorn.”
Ilya - “The whipped cream was wickedly white. It looked amazing on my bubble tea.”
We can’t wait to see how our students continue to grow as writers throughout the term.
