Looking for more Space information – take a look here
Did you know?
NASA astronaut Mike Massimino missed pizza so much he ordered some on his way back to Earth.
Joke:
What is an astronauts favourite key on the keyboard?
The space bar!
Feel free to use the powerpoint to read around your Civil Rights topic.
Do you have any books your think I should add in?
What movies might you include?
What song did you find the most inspiring?
Let me know and I can add in your ideas.
Take care, Mrs Baird
Jack is a footballer and his dream is to play for his country but there is a war going on. Everyone is calling footballers cowards so Jack has no choice but to join the army.
Jack joins the footballer battalion so that maybe he might be able to play again. He does play again and manages to play in a cup game and eventually fulfils his dream and plays and scores for England.
This is a good book because it makes the reader think about the war but also creates a happy atmosphere by saying jack scores for England. The writes used changes of mood to do this – the book is also emotional as Jack’s friends die in the war.
I would recommend this book because it has a very good story and shows you two different parts of the main character’s life. jack is a very determined character and also quite helpful. At the beginning he is quite selfish. I think the lesson from this book is you should never give up hope.
![I Am Thunder by [Khan, Muhammad]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Bz7Jmq3vL.jpg)
Recently I have read the book ” I am Thunder” by Mohammed Khan. I read this book In Modern Studies as we had a book box filled with books specially chosen by our librarian. I can tell you now this book has changed the way I look at reading. It was the best book I had ever read without exaggeration.
This book is about 15-year-old Muzna who wants to become a writer but her controlling parents who have extreme views on culture want her to become a doctor. She is forced to leave school as her best friend is shamed in a scandal, however, she realises that bullies and repulsive people are always there. Muzna stands up for herself but there are prejudices everywhere. Tables are turned when the unpopular and confident Arif show an interest in her. he has a secret with an extreme view of religion. Will Myzna stay quiet and listen to her parents or stand up and agree with Arif?
I really liked this book as I have witnessed cultures forcing decisions on people and this book shows how wrong it is.
I really recommend this book as it is eye-opening and shows the reality of our world.
5 stars
There’s a lot in the news at the moment about refugees and plenty of politicians queuing up to give their opinions but what do you think and how can you be informed?
Fiction can often give us an emotional insight into the lives of others and I suggest taking a look at the following three books.
The Journey by Francesca Sanna,
The Island by Armin Greder,
and
Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird.
The first two books are heavily illustrated using very different styles.
The Journey uses a broad strong palette and unpretentious yet thought provoking images- the symbolism of the animals and the simple language “ We don’t want to leave but our mother tells us it will be a great adventure”. Indeed, on first reading one might think this is a picture book for younger readers ( which of course with guidance it certainly can be used this way) but on completion you realise that the story is not one of a single family but of many families in the most dire of circumstances.
The Island by Armin Greder is grey, very grey – no bright animals or pretty landscapes here; just people and an island and a stranger.
How do we treat those who seek our help and what do our reactions say about us? The Island was my book on the desk for a week and lots of pupils picked it up and commented – many felt moved by the images and the word “powerful” was used time and again in their reviews”.
A longer read is Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird, an author who time and time again picks social issues that we need to know about as the focus of her fiction.
Imagine being 12 and living in Syria when the bombs start to drop. You aren’t political, you didn’t start this but it’s you caught in the middle and it’s your life in danger. The simple sub heading of the novel says it all – “Where do you go if you can’t go home?”
Why not pop in to the library and pick up a copy of any of these titles and let me know what you think.
If you have an idea for a theme you would like explored through fiction or you would like to add your own comments or ideas just let me know,
Mrs B
The new comics/graphic novels and manga club will start on 27 Jan 2017.
Mrs Baird wonders what chocolate bar goes best with destroying villains?
Our first job will be to create Superhero card and check out three web sites:
https://comicsclub.blog/ and brand new site all about comics who just happen to be looking for pupils’ input.
I also want you to look at both Excelsior sites:
http://www.excelsioraward.co.uk/ and
http://www.excelsiorawardjunior.co.uk/
All ages and stages are welcome you only have to look comics to join in the fun.
There may also be a tiny special guest star coming along.
Readers assemble!
For a number of years with the support of History/Mods department we have jointly been running a project to get more pupils reading and thinking about their social subjects.
This manifested itself into the first pass scheme where pupils would read, rate and review fiction and non-fiction relating to their subjects.
Due to the changes made by the local authority to school librarians meaning that I am only at St.Ninian’s 50% of the time I did not want this scheme to fall by the wayside.
In consultation with the wonderful Ms Scroggie we decided to go down the class library route in supporting pupils achieving their First Pass.
This has proved a continuing success in allowing pupils to read and enjoy fiction chosen by me suitable for their age range and appropriate to their areas of study.
As Christmas approaches both Ms Scroggie and I wanted to evaluate the strengths and tackle the weaknesses of the scheme; therefore I will be heading all the way upstairs to Hist/Mods to speak to pupils about what they have and have not enjoyed about the scheme.
I am looking forwards to hearing suggestions from the pupils and to hear which titles have most caught their imagination.
New and relevant titles are coming out all the time and I plan to swap over the class libraries with a refreshed selection; including works by Alex Wheatle (the Brixton Bard), Cathy MacPhail (the Greenock Guru) and congressman John Lewis.
The library plays an integral part in promoting literacy across the curriculum at Saint Ninian’s.
As part of this we often explore texts in more detail.
here are two examples of units of work based on the brilliant books – 15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins and Lucky Star by Cathy Cassidy.
What if you were not the chosen one?
How boring are you? Are you hero, a villain, a creature of the night? Or just the person who cleverly decides to hide in their basement when the zombies, vampires and werewolves come? Then meet Mikey, a young boy who, just like you, wants to live long enough to graduate high school. Cause while some people fight monsters and demons others fight acne and social awkwardness. In Patrick Ness’ new book The Rest of Us Just Live Here we follow not the hero’s but the spectators, dealing with serious issues that face today’s teenagers while incorporating humour into the situation. This is an incredible book that has you laughing from start to finish.
The books are way better than the movies and the movies are brilliant!
Ever wondered why Kronos ate his kids? Why Zeus and Hera got married? Or how Hades got to rule the Underworld? Well the answers to these and many more of your Greek mythological questions are here in this (one of a kind) book all about the Olympians from their rise to their almost falls. Rick Riordan’s book Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods is an epic spin off from his famous Percy Jackson series. In this book Percy Jackson himself goes through the Greek gods and some of the myths and legends surrounding them, clearing up many idiosyncrasies, in a humorous and interesting way that is sure to catch the reader’s attention.
thanks to Toni in S6 for these great reviews
A for Adventure in our review this time –
Great front cover
Great review by Andrew- do it make YOU want to pick it up?
