Only a movie and a book talk this week as one of our timetabled speakers was away. This week we heard all about the great book called The Thirteen Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths. Our speaker was well organised and he gave a great explanation for why he chose this book. It is funny with great illustrations and hard to put down once you start reading it. We were given a quick introduction to the tree and its various attractions whilst being given a teaser as to what happens when you throw a yellow cat off a balcony. We will need to read the book to find out whether the cat survives. We also found out that the illustrator is Terry Denton. Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton have collaborated on more than 15 books including the Just series.

Our second speaker for the day showed us his chosen video. Our speaker was inspired by seeing how a rising star in the restaurant industry left his job to feed the homeless. His non-profit organisation called Akshaya Trust helps to give dignity and food to the homeless in India.

Please leave a comment on our post to tell us your thoughts about this video. Maybe you have read our featured book and would like to share your favourite part?

Three new speakers today. A change in our times meant that our speakers had to wait until after recess and our daily fitness session before they could share.

Today we heard all about the book by Anthony Horowitz called The Switch. This is a book full of mystery and murder and our speaker recommended it for 11 to 13 year olds. We were given an introduction to the characters and a quick plot summary. We know that two of the characters wish they were someone else and the story is about these characters switching bodies and what happens after that.  It sounds like a fast paced plot and we  heard just enough to make us curious to find out more. Our speaker tried hard to talk to his audience and used his dot point notes to help him.

Next was our word of the moment. Our speaker chose his word because of the work our class had completed last week about maps and atlases. The word was equator and we heard that this noun names an invisible line that runs around the earth dividing it into the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Last of all we were presented with a new video to watch. This was one of many videos that can be found on Youtube about Nick Vujicic. His story is pretty amazing as he was born with no arms and no legs but has managed to become a very vibrant motivational speaker. He does have one foot that he calls his chicken drumstick which helps him with his balance, typing and many other things. He was born in Australia and definitely had some big problems growing up but is now an inspiration to many as he travels the world talking to others.

Have you read any other Anthony Horowitz books? What do you think the weather is like near the equator? What did the video make you think? Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts.

Welcome back to Term 2 and we had three speakers organised with their book talk, word of the moment and inspire us video all ready to share.

First of all we heard about the book called Nocturne by Christine Johnson. This is the second book in a series. Our speaker told us that this book had been given to her because she had enjoyed reading  the Twilight series. This book is from the same genre. We were able to listen to a small excerpt which left us wondering about the twists in the story. The main character, Claire, is a werewolf and we were told that part of this story is about Claire’s secret identity being discovered. Romance, action and friendship conflicts are also part of the plot of this novel. Quite a few of the class feel that they would like to read this story after listening to this book talk.

Next up we were given a new word of the moment to add the the growing collection on our display board. This week’s word was geometry and it was chosen because our class had been working with area and perimeter just before the end of first term. It is a noun and has 4 syllables.

Last was our video. This week our speaker chose to find a video that was related to a newspaper article he had seen. Dave Jacka,a former Paralympian is flying solo around Australia and will be the first quadriplegic to do this when he has finished the trip. You can find out more on the website that is charting his journey. Take a look at the video our speaker chose to share.

Have you read a book like Nocturne? What does the word geometry make you think about? Would you like to fly a plane? Please leave a comment to tell us your thoughts.