Fagin’s Den by Fin W.

The second Oliver stepped into the den he heard the scuttling of rats jumping out of the way. Next the strong smell of tobacco and burnt sausages overwhelmed him. Handkerchiefs everywhere hanging up, on the table and strewn across the floor. About ten boys sitting at the table all smoking and drinking gin, they were playing some card game. The next thing Oliver noticed was a big presence sitting front of the fire cooking sausage after sausage. The little light the fire was giving was blocked by the man in front of the fire. The boys were laughing together joking about. Everything was rotten. The bricks, the wooden floor creaked under his weight.

Fagin’s Den by Freddie

As the Dodger dragged him up the squeaky rotted stairs like he was a rag doll, there was a strong smell of tobacco going up his wide as peas nostrils, as he he entered a drab dull attic. The room had ripped walls and no windows with sheep and cow skin hanging from the rotted slates like giant bats in a cave.

There was a tall old man with a beard like Santa and a dusty tattered top hat. His brown coat draped down behind him with a silk handkerchief hanging out of his pocket. His coat looked like it had been rolled in the ashes of a roaring fire.

The Highwayman’s Story by Amelia

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The sky was a midnight blue. The stars were scattered among the evening folds like shells on a beach. I rode up the dusty track with clouds of powder streaming up behind me. I saw its windows gleaming with candle light. The old oak door was locked and the shutters were shut as if they were trying to keep out a terrible beast. I cracked my whip on the window and whistled a note but it did not break the still night air.

I wore my burgundy velvet coat and lace like bunches of flowers at my throat and wrists. Soft leather gloves covered my hands. Sturdy boots covered three quarters of my legs. A foreign black hat perched lopsided on my head.

Bess stood at the window, suddenly braiding a scarlet ribbon into her jet black hair. Little did I know that Tim was eavesdropping with an ashen face and a heavy heart. For he loved Bess more than anything else in all the world.

“I’m going for a prize of yellow gold tonight before the morning light. Yet if they press me sharply and harry me through the day I’ll be with you in the moonlight though hell should bar the way,” I announced proudly with my head held up high. On that I rose up on the stirrups so I could hardly touch her hand. I galloped away to the west.

The Landlord’s Story by Libby (based on Alfred Noyes ‘The Highwayman’)

Let me tell you about when my daughter, Bess, met her end. 

One gloomy night my Bess was upstairs in her room while I was in the cellars, looking for some more ale for tomorrow.But then I heard footsteps above me. I thought it must of just been Bess getting a drink, so I carried on dwelling through the cellars. But then I heard more than a couple of footsteps. I tried pushing the trap-door opento get out of the cellars but somebody was standing on it! I banged on the door and shouted “get me out!” But suddenly the wieght lifted off and the trapdoor swung open.

I ran upstairs and there was ale every where, chairs flipped over, mud all over the tables. I immediately grabbed a cloth and cleaned the tables furiously. But then I realised there were boot prints on the table. “Who danced on the table!?” I shouted. But suddenly I heard a gun shot from upstairs in Bess’s room.

I hurried upstairs and what did I see? Bess, covered in her own scarlet blood, slouched on a pillar with rope tied around her waist.

 

The Highwayman according to Luke

This gallery contains 8 photos.

 

The Highwayman according to Freddie

This gallery contains 8 photos.

The Highwayman according to Cerys

This gallery contains 8 photos.

How we SPPIT out new paragraphs in Mounts

When you are writing, use this handy reminder as a prompt for when to start a new paragraph. Just SPPIT out a new paragraph. Take your TIPPS from us:

S – new Speaker or Speech

P – new Person

P – new Place

I- new Idea

T – new Time

Billy Beast’s Wedding by Evie

At the wedding of Billy Beast and Beauty, Slime Castle, Transylvania, the bride looked stunning. She wore a long grey dress with black, yellow and green patches on the armpits. Her veil was made of real life brambles, they must have gone to great expense to get that. She also went for the cockroach style, cockroach bracelets, a cockroach necklace, even the wedding ring had a cockroach on it.

Billy almost matched his bride, but even he can’t be THAT good looking, no matter what his parents say. He wore a brand new mouldy waistcoat, complete with a worm for his tie. Oh, and to match his fiancée’s style, he had a cockroach on his shoulder.

The castle was decorated beautifully, this perfect venue for two beasts to get married. The walls were already covered in sludge, so they hardly had to do anything for the wedding, apart from adding a few slugs on the floor.

Billy’s dad, Benjamin Beast, insisted on being the minister, on the grounds that if a father should walk the bride down the aisle, then why shouldn’t the father on the other side not be involved?

The vows were incredibly touching and by the time they were over, there was not a dry eye in the house! These vows included the original: “I swear upon this ring that you take a bath, I will desert you and let you starve!” I bet you’re all reading this and crying!

Evie’s writing was inspired by a story from this book by Laurence Anholt

‘All the World’s a Stage’ – William Shakespeare

In Year 5 we’re starting to learn about William Shakespeare in our History lessons. Next week we will be performing some Shakespeare in class. Hastoe have been the most knowledgeable class so far and can name 14 of his plays.

Just look at some of the famous phrases and sayings that he created in his writing career:

 

Some people think Shakespeare is difficult, boring or not relevant to us after 400 years. Do you know anyone who comes with their

“satchel

and shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwilling to school”?

 

Do leave a comment on the blog about what you think.

Ava’s Imaginary Sailing Diary

Today I started work at sea. It is worse than I had expected, yesterday I was sent as press gangs to recruit two more people as we were short. It’s my job to order the barrels of food, but this morning Tim, who works in the galley complained that the barrels are half full of mouldy food! Honestly, the dishonesty of some people astounds me! Today someone was flogged. It was horrible, he had been sentenced to 15 whips for falling asleep on duty at night, I don’t blame him, the work at night is so hard and you can’t help it! Tommorow I am on the emptying poo buckets duty, how I’m dreading it!!!! I don’t like the way our hammocks swing about when your trying to sleep, I didn’t sleep a wink last night. The conditions aboard are dreadful! I say dreadful! Praise the day we get off this ship. The captain of course sis back and does nothing, ths bully, Tim is the Capn’s favourite, so he basicly pusheds us around all the time. The only good thing about this trip is that yesterday we stopped at Africa to get more supplies and it was an extraordinary sight.

 

Melody’s Imaginary Diary of a Tudor Sailor

Dear Diary,

Today started as normal. I woke up at 4am. I job shared with Robert. I had to climb up to the crows nest through a terrible storm. I was very scared. There was one point I nearly fell down into the shark infested sea. The storm lasted for 3 hours and I couldn’t get down, so I was up there for 3 hours.

When I finally got down onto top deck, It was lunch time. For lunch I had a salty biscuit with maggots crawling through it. I ate because there was nothing else to eat. The biscuit was disgusting.

In about 10 minutes I was sick, I really didn’t feel well. But I had to carry on working because I knew that if I didn’t I would get punished.

This time my job was to punish y best friend Thomas. I don’t know what he did wrong, but I had to flog him. I really felt sorry for him.

Finally it was the end of the day and I got into my horrible and smelly hammock.

‘How Thunder Came to the World’ by Evie

When the animal kingdom ruled the world, the gods decided to have a picnic. It was a splendid feast, with platters of food scattered all around the spacious garden.

The king of the gods was serving food to everyone, bringing silver plates ,piled high with all kinds of treats, to those rich in power, and those not.

There was a lot of fruit on the platters: Apples, Oranges, Mangos, Melon, Strawberries, Raspberries, the usual. But there was one fruit, one fateful fruit, which has caused carnage to this day.

Bananas. The King was allergic to bananas. The queen did not know this, and she was peeling one as the king came back, a plate in each hand.

He sneezed, a booming sneeze which made everyone look at him, and that sneeze has created thunder to this day.

As he sneezed a great amount of snot came out of his nose and forever after that has been rain. The two plates he was holding crashed together and created sparks, which since then have been lightning

Medusa by Skye

Magic hair that speaks to you

Every day must be careful not to brush her hair

Dread the day  she needs a haircut

Uses her snakes as her friends

Slimy snakes that give you the shivers

Animal mayhem in her hair.

An Acrostic poem

Here is a piece of shared writing from this morning’s English lesson:

THOR

Thunder king

Hammer holder

Ominous being

Ruthless Sky killer

Libby’s Snowy Setting

Speeding faster and faster we were sledging down the snowy crystal-white hill, like a snow leopard chasing a rabbit.  Suddenly we halted and crashed into a stretching tree. I got up and the adrenalin faded, everything became peaceful. Trees whispering to eachother, snow pressing in the frosty air, glistening ground and the sun laying on the horizon. Then I felt something hit my back….

“OK then,” I mumbled “you asked for it…. I scooped up some snow, packed it tight and….. “Snowball fight!” I threw it at my friend and hit him directly in the face, while diving behind a towering snow wall and just missing his snowball. “Ha!” I proudly shouted.

Abi’s Snowy Setting

On the soft fluffy snow there was people was sledging and playing.  The people looked like they was having fun rolling and playing.  The sun is going down and there are shados of the people.  The snow on the trees looks like a Christmas tree.

One day I went to a snowy hill with my family we all had fun on the soft fluffy snow we all had fun on the sledges and in the snow. It was realy windy on my face. The sun was going down as it was going down the shados were reflecting off all of us. The snow on the trees looked like a sparkly Christmas tree after went home.

Amelia’s Snowy Setting

The snow was deep and fluffy like candyfloss layering the ground. Dead thistles waited cunningly to prickle an oncoming behind. Deep sledge tracks striped the hillside making it steeper than ever. The sun shone brightly battling against the icing sugar snow.

Happy faces were flushed with delight. Colourful sledges skidded down the hill under the weight of their riders. Warm winter coats littered the landscape; friendly voices babble  together excitedly. Leafless trees leaned against the chilling blue sky.

Melody’s Snowy Setting writing

I can feel the cold wind on my pale cheeks. I can hear birds chirping a sweet tune. The snow looks like icing on a cake. The sun is creeping over the snowy hills.  I can see people having fun. The trees look like monsters trying to grab food…….

Touching the Void by Cerys

Suddenly I slipped and fell over. My leg had a horrible shooting pain through it. The snow storm had made it impossible to see where we were walking, I hadn’t noticed the edge of the crevasse  I called to Simon “Help. I think I have broken my leg.” Simon ran across to me and yanked a rope out of his backpack. He tied the rope around my waist and pulled me to my feet.

Simon followed behind as I limped in the snow trying to get back to base. As exhausted as I was, I was still trying my best to get back. The pain was unbearable, so I wasn’t concentrating on where I was treading. In a flash I tumbled into a precipice. I was terrified what was going to happen next.

I felt something go loose. I shouted to Simon “What’s happening?” There was no reply…. I tugged on my rope hoping to get Simon’s attention. Then a few seconds later the rope fell down before me.

I tried to find something in the snow to hold on to but I kept on like a distressed bird with a broken wing. Then as I was falling my life flashed before me I kept falling back until my head smashed against a freezing cold ice cave.

[Spellings amended by teacher]

Treasure Hunt Diary by Maddie

Today was a dull day so I decided to go out in the misty weather and collect things, so I went to the rubbish dump. When I got there I saw a teapot, it looked very nice but I had plenty at home. I walked on then something caught my eye, it was next to a couple of golf clubs and had a hat. It was an umbrella and some tin cans, so I decided to put them in my big trolley. I put on my big glasses so I could see the wonderfull things I had collected so far.

Next  found a deck chair which wasn’t much use because I had a comfy chair at home in my tent. I had my big wooly coat for it was frosty out there. And then I saw it, a big cardboard box with a mobile in it that was excellent. I grabbed it and put it in my trolley.

I stomped through the muddy path and found a car, a whole  car! I jumped inside it noticing a green and yellow Christmas tree freshener, I put that in my trolley as well. I lent back on my chair and fell back (I think the chair was broken)……….

Treasure Hunt Diary by Meadow

I was looking for some broken stuff that I could use. I went out with my trolley and started looking in a box. I tossed out a plate a light bulb a cap and a teapot and found an umbrella I looked up and it had holes in all directions so I kept that. I then saw a broken tin can but I had to move a few things to get it.

I walked past some golf clubs and a nice hat and a few records and a broken pram but I made the choice to take or to leave them. I fond a box that had a broken mobile in it so I kept that.

Meanwhile I started looking a bit more and found a car so I needed a rest so I sat down and suddenly the car seat went back and I fell on a music box that worked so I kept that. I took everything back and started making it.

I went back and put the umbrella upside down on the table and put the mobile hanging from the umbrella and the engagement ring on it to. I put the candle down with the holey tin can on top I put the air freshener in front of the candle. All around the room was different shapes.

Touching the Void by Louis

We reached the summit successfully but on the way down an avalanche struck. Siula Grande seemed easy to get up but impossible to get down. Simon kept on encouraging us on but it wasn’t enough. The snow was so slippy I fell.

Now I can tell you that braking your leg is an unpleasant feeling but on a mountain, in the snow, its worse. The pain was so unbearable and impossible to walk on so Simon tied us together for safety. I felt better but I am sure Simon felt a lot worse. We stumbled on munching our chocolate bars for energy.

There was nothing we could do, the avalanche just kept getting heavier. We had to rest. But just before we stopped , disaster, I had a second fall. I slipped and fell off a sudden drop. Simon grabbed onto something and held on. I however  wasn’t so lucky. Before I knew it I was dangling from the rope in mid-air for nearly an hour.

Eventually I fell! It was horrible feeling but even worse when I looked up and saw that Simon wasn’t falling too. He must have cut the rope! That’s when it all went dark. When I finally awoke I realised that I was alive. An ice cave broke my fall. Crawling on my arms I finally reached the camp in the middle of the night 3 days later.

Simon was so apologetic it was hard not to forgive him for what he did.

But in the end it was impossible.

 

 

A strange incident last Thursday….. by Evie

Treasure Hunt Diary by Luke

Today was so amazing. I will tell you why. I was rummaging through some teapots, cups and lightbulbs when I saw an umbrella. It was brilliant it had holes in it then I moved on to the broken cans. I luckily found one with holes in it. I went to the golf clubs. I looked at it from all angles it was no use to me After i went into a car and found a jewellery box with the most beautiful diamond ring also i found an other air freshiner and then I went home and made a nice cosy scene of Christmas. It was lovely and I sat down on my nice chair.

Treasure Hunt Recount by Amelia

First I looked through a huge old box; first I found a chipped plate then a tea cup, next a light bulb, after that a tea pot but my favourite item I found was a broken yellow polka-dot parasol. In the dray, drab sky there was a lifetime of still, crusty clouds singed with gray. I wore my mint-green hat, my glasses. I pushed my trolly that trundled along under my frizzy grey hair and searching blue eyes.

Before I set off for home or my tent, I decided to go the long way round to make final checks. The first thing I came across was some wrecked tins. I chose the one with the most holes. Second I came across a bag of golf clubs in front of a white deck chair but under a mobile of gulls. I took the gulls.

Afterwards I found an old car. I got in but the seat fell back, that’s when I noticed an old jewellery box inside was a beautiful ring…….. Mine! Dangling above the shattered windscreen was an air freshener that now belongs to me. Immediately I scurried home.

Treasure Hunt by Libby

It was a damp and gloomy day when something amazing happened. I was snooping around the dumps and a found a bottle yellow umbrella with at least three holes in it. It was perfect for my inventions. So I wandered out and looked at a golf club from different angles and realised it was to hardy solid and bold. But I came across a hanging mobile, the birds from it were the best shape for the job so I took two. I also picked up a cracked peeled tin on the way.

But then the amazing thing happened….. I sat in a rusty car and found a tree shaped air freshener and heard a tiny  airy noise, it played a tune and I looked in the back, and found a jewellery box. I reached for it and opened it, a shimmer glinted at me. I focused at it and stared… a ring sparkled in the morning sun.

Meanwhile I was sorting out my masterpiece. The umbrella upside down, the birds hanging on the cover of the umbrella, the tin on top of a candle and the ring in front, also the trees in front of the candle. Then when it was ready, an image showed up on my walls, trees towering and the birds flying high. It really made my day.

‘Touching the Void’ by Harry

Climbing down the mountain me and Simon were heading back to base camp.

Everything was going well for me and Simon. We had managed to climb to the top of the Siula Grande and we were on the way back down. “Not a long way to go now” but as I said those words the snow slipped from beneath my feet. I fell and broke my leg. It was the most painful experience I’ve ever faced  in my 25 years of climbing.

“I’m OK” but it was as if my words hated me, I slipped and slided over the edge of the precipice. I cannot describe my fear as I fell over the edge. It was not only that, my leg was getting worse. Swinging like a pendulum, I was clutching my leg for warmth. Simon was up there gripping the rope for my life, he looked like he was so worn out, I saw him let go the rope and with one hand, He was going to cut the rope, suddenly I saw a knife appear out of the bag, 5 seconds later I was falling like a dive, towards some ice. CRASH!!!! I hit the ice. I was in the void…..

Cameron’s Recount based on ‘Touching the Void’

Climbing on Siula Grande my fried Simon and I were tracking our way up the mountain. When we got to the sumit I fell and broke my leg. I was tumbling down slowly realising what is happening – I am not going to get off this mountain. Simon came chasing after me. We carried on I was hopping but then I had a second fall.

Hanging off with a broken leg about 1000 metres off the ground was not the greatest thing but it was better than dieing. I called up “pull, pull, can you hear me?” No answer.

Then I heard a rustle like a backpack.

Then it happend I heard a knife slash and the next thing I knew I was falling. The mountain  suddenly chanted ‘DIE, DIE, DIE”

I was now soaring through the sky . Spontaneously my life flashed in front of me, boom, crash, bang. I thought I was dead but my leg was still broken.

I fought against the snowy wind, my head dizzy I could not think. I just crawled on my elbows hoping I won’t hert myself anymore. It took me 12 days to get back to camp. They took me strait to hospital. They said I had to have my leg chopped off.

Two Snowy Settings by William and Evie

Here are two short pieces of writing from this Friday’s lesson. A picture was displayed on the whiteboard and the class were given three minutes to write what came into their heads, paying special attention to the senses. Here is a link to our source picture: http://panoramas.dk/2010/kalovig-denmark.html

A random name picker then selected these two pieces of writing which have not been edited. Would you make any changes?

Example One 

the glimpsing sun is shining on the water bouncing through the distance. With snow almost sieging against the rocks in formation with all the trees shattering you can hear children shouting and looking out at the huge docks with massive masts crowding round the world wide voyaging sea at sun set.

 

Example Two

I slowly swivelled around, taking in every detail of the beautiful landscape. I loved the way the snow gracefully became water as you went further down the beach. The sun glinted off the water in the background, almost making it look like a sheet of platinum. The benches looked like mountains with snowy tops. The trees leant over to each other and had whispered conversations. Stooping down, I picked up a small chunk of powdery snow and allowed it to trickle through my fingers.