Let's enjoy the birthday party!

On Saturday night my aunty invited my family, friends, cousins and uncles over for a birthday party. When we were getting ready for the party, I took a shower and chose my clothes for the party. I chose my Kobes shoes, a purple shirt and a yellow pair of pants that my dad had bought for me on my birthday.

When we were all ready we had to go in two cars because there were 14 of us. My mum locked up the house before she came out. Then my dad said, “Six people come with me and 5 people go with `mum!”  So my brothers and I got into my mum’s car and the six girls went with my dad.

Mum drove in front and dad followed her in the car. When we got onto the motorway, I brought down the window to feel the wind blowing on my face.  

Then my dad took over the car that we were in and led us all the way to  my aunt's house is because it was dark.

When my family got there, the party was already started and it was really fun because they had invited a lot of people so we could play hide and seek together.

Afterwards my auntie gave us ice blocks and fizzy drinks. After drinking the fizzy drink I felt really dizzy and sick. Then my older brother came and took me to my cousin’s room and left me there. While I was asleep Giovanni’s little brother came and turned on the PS4 and woke me up and so we played together. My little cousin and I chose the game Black Ops 2.

When the game started, he clicked the multiplayer mode and asked me to pressed start to join the game.  When I join, he pressed X to start the game off for us. After the game started, I felt so dizzy that I couldn’t play properly. Fortunately my dizziness went away after 15 minutes and I was so happy. So my cousin and I kept on playing and shooting each other in the game. When game ended,  it was a draw and suddenly my cousin laughed and laughed and said, “Ha ha ha haa, you can’t beat me!”

Before long, my aunt called us to go and eat the cake my cousin and I turned off the game and ran to have some chocolate layered cake. My auntie started cutting the cake and my sisters and brothers served it to my cousin, friends, uncles and aunties. When everyone has a piece, there was one more cake left and my cousin gave it to me and said, “ Thanks for everything!” After that, we all played together.

All of a sudden, I felt dizzy again and I fell down my older brother ran and picked me up and took me to my cousin's room to lay me down on the bed. When it was packing up time, everybody left, my parent left me as well. My cousins and auntie packed everything up by themselves.  When they finished packing up, they went straight to bed and fell asleep straight away because they were so tired.

My favourite part was when I spent my time with my little cousin because he was funny and a very good gamer.

Learning intention: We are learning to understand and use descriptive language in our recount.

Success criteria: I know I can do this when I describe my birthday party recount using action verbs.

Hey, come on let's plant some plants!

On Saturday, my dad and I woke up early and had breakfast together. The we changed into our gardening clothes and got all the equipment needed for planting. We used gardening fork, shovel, trowel, wheelbarrow, hedge clippers, watering can, cultivator, rubber boots and hose.

Then we went to Bunnings and bought nine roses to plant. We chose red, yellow, orange, white, yellow, pink, blue and purple. We also bought strawberries and grapes to plant.  After that we went back home, put on our rubber boots and  gloves to protect our hands from any injury.

Now, we’re ready! So I ran to the car and got out the roses that my dad and I bought and put them in the wheelbarrow that my brother pushed towards the backyard. My dad and I got a shovel and dug a hole in the ground then I grabbed the hose and watered the hole that we dug before we put in our roses. The first rose that my dad and I planted was red, then purple, yellow and blue. Then my dad said, “Go and grab the rest of the roses.” We had a good time planting them all.

A while after my dad and I used the trowel to gather the soil around the plants. When we were planting, I tried to do what Catherine showed us at the botanical garden. I took my time as I gently transferred the plant into the hole in the ground. I did it and I did it well! After that, I planted more and did the exact same thing again and again.

Finally, we’re up to the grapes and strawberries to plant into the the ground. I dug up holes and did the same thing but not forgetting to water the holes first before transferring the seedlings into the holes in the ground.

Eventually, the job was done. I went into the house, took a quick shower then changed into my clean clothes. Then, I felt so sleepy because I was so tired. I climbed into my bed to have a rest and slept. It was night time when I woke up.

My favourite part was when I planted roses, grapes and strawberry. I can’t wait for the roses to flower and for the grapes and strawberries to bear fruits.

Learning intention: We are learning to understand and use descriptive language in our writing.

Success criteria: I know I can do this when I write appropriate verbs and adverbs to describe growing plants in the weekend.

Yay! Finally I did a lay up in the basketball game!

On Friday night,  my uncle, cousins and I went to Manurewa in a van and it took us an hour to get there because of the heavy traffic. We went there for a basketball try-outs. On the way, my uncle bought us some drinks of sprite and coca cola. When we got to the venue, we changed as fast as we could in our red and white shirt, pants and shoes. We were ready just in time for the first basketball game.

After the game, my uncle asked, “What name should we name our team?” My cousin and I jumped up and down saying, “The Slam Dunker Bulls!” Then my uncle agreed and the next game started. Our team and the opposing team met up in the middle of the court and waited for the referee to throw the ball up high into the air.

I jumped  and tried to tap the ball towards my teammates, but the other person from the other team got it and ran to the hoop and did a lay up.

Then we went back to the center and waited for the ball but the referee blew the whistle. This time, the ball was in our team.  I dribbled and dribbled then  passed the ball to my cousin and he ran to the three pointer line and shoot it  into the hoop and scored 2 points! Yes!  Then, it was half-time. My cousins and I ran to the shop next to the basketball court and bought ourselves some drinks and hot dogs.  

When we got back,  we had lots of energy to get ready to play. When the second- half started, my team and I were ready. When the ball got tapped, our teammate jumped up high and swiftly stole the ball then ran to the circle and did a 3 pointer from outside the circle.  The whistle blew and  it was in!

There was 1 more minute left to get the ball in because the scores were a tie.  Our team had the ball and  we had to shoot  it into the hoop before the timer goes off to say, ‘The game is over”. I felt nervous as I was dribbling the ball towards the hoop because I was scared that I might not be able to do a proper lay up to earn a score. I had to focus hard on the ball as I ran to the hoop and finally,  did a lay up!  I can't  believe it! We won the game! We won the game!

Eventually, we went home at past midnight. Luckily, we still had Saturday and Sunday to rest. My favourite part was when I did a layup and scored for our team!


Learning intention: We are learning to write a recount using the correct structure.
Success criteria: I know I  can do this when I write an orientation, followed by events and a conclusion about my basketball game.

Yay! We are going to the movies!

On a sunny Sunday, my aunt, cousins and I went to watch a movie at Sylvia Park Cinema. When we got there we waited for one hour because we were so early for our movie time. While waiting, we went to a store for games. The shop attendant allowed us to play a basketball game where in we had to shoot the ball inside the net and we win a prize. Of a PS4 if we scored 34 shots in 2 minutes.  Immanuel only scored 26 so he did not win the PS4. Instead, he got a Samsung 6 cell phone. He was happy even though he really wanted the ps4.

Then, a man in a suit announced that our movie was starting in 6 minutes. We hurriedly walked out of the shop where our aunty was waiting for us. We asked money from her so we could buy lego blocks before we go inside the movie theater. She bought us 2 boxes of lego blocks and that made us all very happy.

On our way to the theater, we stopped by at the cashier to claim our free popcorn and drinks. I had L&P and my cousins had coke and Sprite.  There was a long queue of people wanting to watch Ice Age Collision Course. I can't wait to watch it!

Finally, the movie started and we also started eating our popcorn and drinking our drinks.  While the movie was on I was thinking of my family especially my baby sister because my mum and her were at home on their own. When my popcorn was finished I went out to buy for more. Luckily, they serve fast there so I went back in right away because i did not want to miss good parts of the movie...

When the movie ended, we went to do some shopping to buy clothes and shoes for my aunty,  cousins and myself. While shopping, we also talked about how we really enjoyed the movie. Then, we focused on our shopping and we decided on what to buy. We bought shoes like Nike, Puma and Adidas shoes and we also bought shirts from the same store.

When we were done, our aunty took us all home. Then, we played a game called of duty black ops 2. It was all about the army shooting the bad guys. A while later we had dinner of KFC, okra, fried rice, chicken wings and chop suey.  After dinner we went back to our room and played different games  like Gta 5, black ops 2 and 1, world war 2, minecraft, Gran turismo 6, need for speed and Ps4. Eventually, we all felt tired so we all went to bed and said, “goodnight to each other!”

My favourite part is when we went shopping because we bought some shirt and shoes.

Learning intention: We are learning to write a recount using appropriate language features.
Success criteria: I know I can do this when I use punctuations correctly to show the beginning and end of sentences.

Yes, my baby sister is part of the St Patrick's parish!

On Sunday my family and I went to mass for my baby sister's baptism. My dad and my mum sat at the front pew so father Michael could easily see them together with the godparents. My baby sister's name was Pina Linda Stowers.

After the readings and the homily, Father said that it was time to baptise my baby sister Linda.. My uncle, aunty and parents went and stood by the altar. While they were standing, Father Michael welcomed my baby sister Linda to the St Patrick’s Parish. Then it was time to “ Light the candle!” Father Michael baptised Linda by putting his hand and making the sign of the cross on my sister’s forehead as he said, “ I baptise you, in the name of the father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!” Soon, it was finished and we carried on with the holy mass. When it was communion time I went with my brothers and sisters to receive the body and blood of Jesus.

After the holy communion, Father Michael said, “ The confirmation class starts in October!” Finally, he said, “The mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. “May God bless you all and have a good day!”. We all went back home and watched TV while Dad cooked the food for us to celebrate my baby sister’s baptism.


My favourite part was when my baby sister Linda got baptised and she is now a Christian and a part of Jesus’ family.

Learning intention: We are learning to understand and use descriptive language in our writing.

Success criteria: I know I can do this when I write appropriate verbs and adverbs to describe going to church in the weekend.

Come on! Let's plant some vegetables!

On a cold and cloudy Saturday, my brother, dad and I ate breakfast early so we can be ready to plant our vegetables, fruit trees and some other plants. We got our tools from the shed at the back of our house. We used a shovel, trowel, wheelbarrow, gardening forks and rakes. I started using the rake to clean the back yard before we started planting.

First, my brother and I mowed the grass. It took us one whole hour to mow it because we have a big section. While I was cutting the grass, an idea came to my mind to make compost out of the cut grass for my garden. Then I hurried and collected up the grass and put it into a big container to decompose.

Then, it was planting time. We used a shovel to dig 2 holes to plant  2 orange plants in. Then we watered around them.  When my  dad was digging holes for the plants and vegetables, he said to me, “Get a trowel and I will teach you how to transplant new plants into the garden!’  I quickly grabbed a trowel and then he gave me a plant. I transplanted 4 plants but I was not sure if I did it alright. I hope that they will grow well.

Transferring a new plant into a garden bed was a bit challenging for me but I tried my very best.  My dad told me to squeeze the container, gently smack the bottom then place the plant gently into the hole. My dad was happy because I learned fast. Then he said, “Keep on going, you are doing great!” While I was transplanting,  I became tired but I didn’t give up because I only have a few left to plant.

When I was done, I helped my brother to plant the vegetables.  He was tired because he needed to do ten more seedlings to plant. I took five  and he had five as well. A few minutes later, my brother and I finished at the same time. Then we went into the house, took a shower and a rest  afterwards by watching Avengers 2 on TV.

I had a lot of fun planting vegetables and fruit trees with my dad and brother. I hope that we get out fruit trees will bear fruits soon for us to enjoy!

Learning intention: We are learning to understand the structure of a recount.

Success criteria: I know I can do this when I write an introduction, followed by the events and then a conclusion about my weekend planting plants in my garden.

Yay! We won the basketball game!

On a partly cloudy Saturday, my uncle, cousin and I went to the Otahuhu basketball competition. We travelled there in the car. It took us nearly 50 minutes to get there. We named our team Tigers. We versed a team called ‘Leopard’  and they had a lot of good players.  I was scared because I didn’t think we could beat them.

Before the game got started, my uncle said, “Put on your basketball shoes and clothes!” Soon the whistle blew and the game started. When the ball came down, I ran fast as I could to grab the ball. I quickly pass it to my cousin. He bounced the ball and sprinted to the hoop and took a shot. Yay, it went in.

Then the whistle blew and we got one point and the other team didn't score any points. I was jumping up and down because I was so excited about my team scoring a point.

After that the whistle blew again it was half time. While we were resting, my uncle said to my cousins and I, “Try your best to defend the person next to you and get the ball off them.”

A few minutes later, the referee blew the whistle and we are back on the court. When the other team was dribbling the ball, my cousin was defending him and he got the ball off him and that made me very happy. When he stole the ball off the person, he pass it to me and I shot the ball into the hoop to score two points. My uncle called out to me and said, “Good shot Vaughan!” After that, we had to check the ball, when the referee tossed the ball up, my cousin jumped up and got the ball and pass it to me. I ran so fast that a speeding train couldn't catch me. However the other team got the ball off me and they ran and shot the ball in.

After that, the game started and my cousin and I worked together as a team to get the ball from the other team. When I was defending the person beside me, my cousin Immanuel passed the ball to me and I sprinted while my cousin blocked the person next to him. He ran to me and I passed ball to him. He ran to the hoop and took his best dunk. All my uncle and friends were surprised that my cousin Matthew just dunked the ball into the hoop.

A while later, the whistle blew and I was jumping up and down because we had won the basketball game. After that, my team shaked hands with the Leopard team and we all said, “Good game!” to the

other team. After that, my uncle bought us some hot dogs and coca cola from the shop in Otara, then he took my friend and I home.

I had a lot of fun playing basketball with the other team and I hope I can do a slam dunk like Lebron James next time.

Learning intention: We are learning to write a recount using appropriate language features.
Success criteria: I know I can do this when I use punctuations correctly to show the beginning and end of sentences.

Finally, we have another baby sister!

On a rainy Saturday,  my dad and I went to Middlemore Hospital to pick up my mum and the newborn baby girl. She is the 11th member of our family and her name is Linda. When we got  back home, my sisters and brothers welcomed Baby Linda into our family. They also gave my mum big hugs and  kisses on the cheek.

 

Then our big sisters, Malaea and Miriama made sandwiches with mayonnaise, lettuce and chicken for lunch for mum and dad.  They looked delicious! But the rest of us had  toast with marmite and cucumber  for lunch. After lunch,  my second oldest brother arrived and gave mum a present for the new baby. It was a beautiful pink and purple pair of  shoes.

We all again gathered together to give our presents to the baby just like what my second oldest brother just did.  We had some cool presents like pink and yellow clothes, sparkly pink shoes,  rainbow coloured beanie and purple gloves with stars on them. Then my mum said, “ Thank you!” She was very proud of all of us because we cleaned the house while she was giving birth at the hospital and we were all well-behaved except for my little brother Alex and Blessing who argued a lot.

Then we all watched a movie on  TV. It was very interesting because it was about a lion that wanted to be a king of the animals.  The movie was called the Lion King.  It was very familiar to me because it tells me that I have to take care of our home and my loved ones. After that my family and I all went to our rooms to sleep.

My favourite part was when my brothers and sisters and I gave presents to welcome the newborn baby to the family.
learning intention: We are learning to write a recount.
Success criteria: I know I can do this when I writ an orientation, followed by events and a conclusion about welcoming my newborn baby sister. 

Yay! Let's make some sculptures!

On Thursday the 12th of May, Salome came and taught us another interesting lesson about sculpture art. We got a paper and picked our insect. Before I started drawing, I sharpened my pencil. My insect was a beetle and I carefully drew my beetle. Soon Salome told us that we only have ten more minutes left.

After that she told us to bring some recycled materials so that we could build up some cool sculpture art. After a little while, she told us to stop and put our pieces of paper on the table. She told us that next week we will have some more exciting activities to do. Then my class and I said, “Thank you to Salome for teaching us about sculpture art.”

I had a lot of fun learning about sculpture art. I can’t wait until next week.  

Learning intention: We are learning to write a recount. 

Success criteria: I know I can do this when I follow the structure of a recount.