Celebrating Student work

This term in writing, year 5 students created advertisements and an autobiography. They researched a variety of current issues and discussed collaboratively reasons to support their opinion prior to developing their own advertisements. The students investigated persuasive devices such as rhetorical questions, images and exaggeration. Students worked on developing an autobiography in chronological order including an introduction to early life, education, a major event in their life and conclusion. Students followed the writing process of planning, drafting, revising, editing, and conferencing. The following are extracts from students' autobiographies.

Frank’s Autobiography

(extract)

Once, me, my dad, and my brother went to a place called Tree Climb (in Adelaide, of course). It looked quite amusing, actually. As we walked towards it, we saw everyone having fun and climbing and zipline-ing (if that’s even a word.) Anyways, we paid up, we put our harnesses on, and we jumped right in. It was so entertaining and my adrenaline was pumping. That is, until I went on the giant zipline… I was over 20 meters in the air, and I was attached to the line, so I jumped. That was a mistake.                                                         

I slowed down in the middle of the zipline, and then stopped. I looked up, feeling fearful and confused and nervous all at the same time, and I saw that the thing attaching me to the zipline was LITERALLY. HALF. OFF.

My heart skipped a beat. Fear struck through me like a bolt of lightning. I was frozen. My dad was saying things like “Don’t worry!” and “You can do it!”, but I couldn’t hear him. Everything was drowned out. Then, suddenly, my instincts kicked in, and I reached up to the wire, and pulled. I kept doing it for like, 20 seconds, and then I was on the other side. But for some reason, my fingers REALLY HURT.

Then I walked back to my hotel with slightly more trauma than when I left.

By Frank

Isabella’s Autobiography

(extract)

When I was born I had a dog, his name was Timmy. I only had him for four years. I still miss him. Losing him had a big impact on me. My brother was two, he didn’t realise that Timmy was gone until it was certain that he was not coming home. The good thing was that I still had my bird William, he was a great help to get through the grief. May they both rest in peace.

By Isabella

Mia’s Autobiography

(extract)

Everybody has memories that they can look back at with a smile. It doesn't even have to be a certain day, you could do something every weekend and it's still a memory. A lot of weekends I go to the lake and I'm either sitting in a biscuit laughing with a smile on my face or stretching my neck out the boat with my hand in the nice cold water, feeling bits of water touch my face. For a lot of people memories and family is everything so why not mix it together go on a boat or perhaps a holiday? A lot of the time I’m with my family making memories. 

On school days I make memories just driving to school singing to music full volume with a big smile on my face. It's easy to make memories so the time you're alive, live your life, and make memories with family and friends.

Everyone has two families, one on their mum’s side and one on their dad’s side. And I make memories with both of them. Like with my Nanna (Dad’s side) she takes me to Fun Fields. I have memories laughing on a waterside and feeling scared on steep drops. And I have memories sleeping at my Nan’s house (Mum’s side) tasting her delicious dinner and staying up late with my cousin playing Roblox.

By Mia