Year 10 Writing Portfolio

The "Game of Cards" ESSAY  

Introduction 

The story “A Game of Cards''by Wiiti Ihimaera is about a woman called “Nani Miro” that loves to play card games and she was the kuia of their family(Kuia of a family is the person who runs the family or a leader that everyone looks up to). The mokopuna(grandchildren)always went to Nani Miros house to play card games, especially on Saturdays. As much as Nani Miro loved them and liked enjoying time with them, it wouldn't take her too long to get sick of them. If there was one character that I could relate to from the story it would be Nani Miro. The reason I chose Nani Miro is that she was always trying to have fun and laugh even before her last few breaths and she was super competitive. 

Body paragraph 1

One reason why it was important that I was able to relate to Nani Miro is that she was always trying to enjoy her life by spending time with her family by playing cards and she was always trying to have fun. “Nani was lying very still. Then she looked up, saw Mos leletit and whispered to her ‘Maka... Maka tiko bum ... I want a game of cards”.We see this in the text when Nani Miro wants to play cards just before her few last breaths, This shows that Nani Miro is not scared of death to she doesn't worry much and she just wants to enjoy and spend some more time and play her favorite card games with her family before she leaves this earth. This made me understand the real purpose of life which is being happy and how important having a laugh with friends and family are and this made me- -realize that we shouldn't be scared of death and we should just always try to be as happy as we can till we are alive. This is important because you should always do what you love and do whatever makes you happy and you shouldn't care what other people say or think because it's your life and you deserve to be happy and enjoy your life.

Body paragraph 2

The other reason that I chose Nani Miro as a person that I could relate to was that she is highly competitive and she always wants to be the leader or that she always wants to win even if it's just a little friendly game.”Eee you cheat, Miro! I already have two aces in my hand and there are only four in the game and how come you have three? ” We see this in the text when Nani Miro cheats while they are playing a card game and when she gets caught and she refuses it. This shows that Nani Miro wants to be the winner so badly that she even cheats to win and it also shows how competitive Nani Miro is. This made me realize that we shouldn't give up on things when it gets hard and that cheating is not the right way to win, we should try to win by trying hard and trying our best instead of cheating. This is important because cheating is not a really fair way to win something and that we should avoid cheating no matter how important winning is two you.

Body paragraph 3

The last reason why I chose Nani Miro is that she loved her family and friends and she loved spending time with them. We see this in the story when her grandchildren were going to her house every Saturday to play cards with their grandmother and when just before she died she still wanted to play card games with her family and to spend some time with her family before she leaves them forever. This shows the importance of our family and how important it is to always keep your family together and happy and to spend as much time as you can with them. This made me understand how valuable our family and friends are because they were the people that introduced us to this world and they taught us social skills when we needed them, Family means that you have someone that sticks with you when you need them or someone who is always there for you and always helps you when you need their help. It's also important that you do the same when your family or friends need you and it's important that you show as much respect and love that they show you. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, in the story of “ A Game of Cards” by Wiiti Ihimaera, The character Nani Miro made me understand the importance of family and how important it is to spend time with them, And that we should always try to enjoy life even the little things, and that we shouldn't take life so seriously. Of all of these ideas, the most important is that we should always try to be happy and enjoy life with people that we love Because life is too short to worry about stufFor example caring about what people say about you and you shouldn't care what people think about you because it's your life and you should do whatever that makes you happy, And enjoy life with people that you love and care about.

The Creative Writing

The Flying house 

As I gazed up to the sky I saw a Tiny house swimming around the sky and I was like ‘Wow’. The clouds were nearly touching the roof of the house. For a moment I thought I was dreaming but after I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself I believed that it is real and its actually a house floating with clouds around the sky. The house had 4 windows and a door and one of the windows was so Little. Through the Tiniest window, you could see something shiny as a star but I couldn’t tell what it was. While I was thinking about how a house can just fly and swim in the air, I heard a bird singing and I looked around and I still couldn’t see the bird till I Took a peek at the house. The bird was colourful as a rainbow and I just couldn’t stop looking and listening to it. I stared at the bird for a long time till his friends came and he just flew with them and left the house to float by itself.

It seemed like The house belongs to a woman, a women that love art. Because I could tell by the graffiti around the whole house. And wet clothes were hanging from the balcony.







During the time that the house was going higher and higher in peace, it started to get rainy and windier. The gorgeous blue sky turned to a dark and scary black and the wind was pushing the house away from me. At that moment I was nervous and scared and at the same time, I had to do something to help the house from getting destroyed. The house started to fly and move quicker and quicker than I thought it would fly and I tried to run faster to follow the house but Suddenly the house got a stroke by strong and powerful lightning. The house got ruined in pieces. I was shocked I couldn’t believe what I just saw. I felt bad for the Tiny house but at the same time, I was Sad. I looked up to the sky and saw a door on fire falling on me. I start screaming and It was about to hit me that I heard my mum saying Wake up Hasan, Wake up you are always later for school.

Pre reading questions

 

Author witi ihimaera 

1-Where is he from?  he is from New Zealand. 

How many of his works have been adapted into films?

2- what does yellow break road mean for you? have u heard of this expression before/

No, I haven't.

3- what do you predict this story will be about, based on the title?

about someone following a yellow road or something.

Yellow brick road post-reading questions

1- why does the narrator believe they are moving to wellington?

Well, the boy thinks they are moving for money but the dad moves for a better life.

2-On page 1, what big difference between Waituhi and wellington does the narrator mention?

MONEY and a lot of people.

3-On page 3, we find out that dad told uncle sam they were moving to wellington because...?

he wants his children to grow up with everything to have a good life and a better future.

4-How does the narrators attitude towards moving change once they draw nearer to the city?

when they get closer the way they think changes and they will think it might not be the way they thought it will be.

5-Emerald city, yellow brick road, flying monkeys, scarecrow, tinman and cowardly lion, are all allusions to what famous book? why do you think the author made this comparison?

English assignment(short film)

 In the last few weeks, we have been trying to make a similar story movie to the Merchant of Venice, And our story is about two best friends finding a treasure map and when they try to follow the map and get the treasure, two other friends try to steal it from the other two friends that found it first and sadly one of them dies in the movie. 

We did a few additional film techniques but mostly we used close up and midshot in our movie.

Finding the best places to film our movie was challenging and getting all the footage on time and making the movie was super challenging because we only had two periods to film. What I would do differently is this, I would change the story a bit and make it longer by adding more short scenes to the movie and what else I would change is the ending, I would end the movie in a really interesting way.

Here is the movie: 

The Flying house

 

The Flying house 

As I gazed up to the sky I saw a Tiny house swimming around the sky and  I was like ‘Wow’. The clouds were nearly touching the roof of the house. For a moment I thought I was dreaming but after I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself  I believed that it is real and its actually a house floating with clouds around the sky. The house had 4 windows and a door and one of the windows was so Little. Through the Tiniest window, you could see something shiny as a star but I couldn’t tell what it was. While I was thinking about how a house can just fly and swim in the air, I heard a bird singing and I looked around and I still couldn’t see the bird till I Took a peek at the house. The bird was colourful as a rainbow and I just couldn’t stop looking and listening to it. I stared at the bird for a long time till his friends came and he just flew with them and left the house to float by itself.

It seemed like The house belongs to a woman, a women that love art. Because I could tell by the graffiti around the whole house. And wet clothes were hanging from the balcony. 

During the time that the house was going higher and higher in peace, it started to get rainy and windier. The gorgeous blue sky turned to a dark and scary black and the wind was pushing the house away from me. At that moment I was nervous and scared and at the same time, I had to do something to help the house from getting destroyed. The house started to fly and move quicker and quicker than I thought it would fly and I tried to run faster to follow the house but Suddenly the house got a stroke by strong and powerful lightning. The house got ruined in pieces. I was shocked I couldn’t believe what I just saw. I felt bad for the Tiny house but at the same time, I was Sad. I looked up to the sky and saw a door on fire falling on me. I start screaming and It was about to hit me that I heard my mum saying Wake up Hasan, Wake up you are always later for school.

Creative writing( Show don't tell)

 

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

It was early in the morning and the alarm went off and the alarm was loud as lightning. All I saw was fire and I felt the fire on my face, I heard my mum shouting '' Get up and go outside '' as soon as I got up I took my phone and I jumped out of my window. Our house was a two-story house and it was big as a football field and it was the best house we could live in. 

Show dont tell

The buildings were tall.

The buildings were touching the clouds.

Sarah was really upset.

As she left the room she slammed the door shut.

She was happy to see him.

she couldn't stop smiling while she was running to give him a big hug.

The lake was beautiful. 

The reflection of the lake was shining like a star.

Slam poetry

 

Slam poetry:

Also, My Favorite was " Im not gay but I'd go gay for Jhon key" by brad McCormick.

I like it because I really enjoyed watching that video and it was super funny and I couldn't stop laughing while watching it and he was saying about Jhon key and here is the link if you want to watch it and have a laugh.

The link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os20Q6TPTM4&feature=emb_title

 

 

Sensory language

 

Sensory language:

It was a really hot day and I was going to the bakery and suddenly a bomb exploded 8-9 km away from where I was and It was so loud that I thought that it was less than 500m away, The wind felt like a storm, I took those salty pieces of bread and walk back home and there were people and kids running away everyone was trying to go to their home or somewhere safe and like 5 minutes later I saw 2 helicopters going to where the bomb exploded when I arrived I saw my mum waiting for in front of the door when I saw her I ran to her and hugged and finally I felt safe and I was only 11 and I couldn't believe what I just saw.

Thanks- by the way, the story was based on a real story.

Similes, metaphor

Hello everyone today I blogged about metaphor and similes and I hope you like it and learn a new thing and here is the slide, thankyou.

Language features

HELLO, Everyone today in English class we blogged about Language features and this is it hope you like and Learn a new thing by reading this blog. 

Here is the slide:

Work shop 3 / English

Atmosphere/Mood-

How we feel watching the scene

Warm-Makes feel comfortable, safe, welcoming.

Cold-feels sterile, clean, futuristic, technological.

• bright- feels more lively, energized, vibrant
• dull- feel calm, quiet, boring, old

Natural- sources are sun/moon, feels like real life 

Artificial- man-made sources feel unnatural

Palette: the colours used in that shot e.g natural palette will have colours found is natural like browns/greens.

* The scene where August cries to his mum about looking different.

-They don't even talk to me     -my face is ugly 

-is it always going to matter?

-Auggies mum goes into his room to checks on him He tells her others makes fun of him and she reassures him.

-Theme- the importance of friends and family.

Shots/Angles- 

• Close-ups used to show Auggie emotions 
• Over the shoulder when mum speaks to show conversation from Auggies point f view.

Lighting/Colors-

• warm dark colours- this is safe and comfortable space for Auggie to cry
• Dull colours- Sad, lonely, sympathetic, calm, quiet 
• natural light- is night time.

Effect on the viewer- sympathetic, sad, sorry, lonely, depressed, miserable, downhearted, forlorn.

Directors purpose-emphasises the sadness of the moment and the importance of Auggie relationships with his family.

In the scene where  Auggie cries to his mother about being bullied, colour and lighting are used to create an atmosphere of sympathy.

We see this through the use of warm and dull colours in the shot.

These make the space feel safe and comfortable for Auggie to express his emotions. makes us understand how Auggie feeling, miserable, oppressed and depressed because he looks different from his peers. 

He asks his mum, will it always matter which is a feeling most in the audience can relate too. This was done to show the theme, importance of friendship and family because Auggie learns resilience by talking issues through with his mum. Combined with this is the use of close up shots to show the emotions and tears on  Auggie face. This reminds the viewer of a moment later in the story where Auggie is upset because his sister Via doesn't want him to go to her play Just like this scene Auggie runs to his mom upset and member of his family comes to reassure him.

English/Wonder movie screen shots

The scene that Via said something to Auggie 

It was the first day of school and Auggie didn’t want to go to school because he thinks that he is different than other kids he was nervous because people would make fun of him and that’s why he put an astronaut helmet on his head.

He didn’t have any friends and he was scared of other boys but his parents and his older sister Via to give spirit to Auggie and don’t let him feel lonely. 

When Auggie was about to go in Via said something to his ear and What she said(If they stare let them stare. You can not blend in when you were born to stand out).

The scene of Jacks and Juliens fight 

Jack walked out of the class and Julien followed him to ask why you didn’t choose me as your partner but he didn’t have him in the right way he said Do you really be a partner with that freak? And then Jack got mad and he punched Julien because he called Auggie a freak and they started fighting until the teacher came to make them stop fighting.

Workshop 2: the impact of Angels, Movement & shots/English

Shot 1:

 Jack and Julien are fighting because JAck has chosen to stand up to Julien after called Auggie a freak.

Shots/Angel- Dutch tilt-Something is wrong Low angel- makes the person on the top stronger- jack and person below look weak and vulnerable Julien.

Viewer reaction 

• Shocked, concerned, worried and surprised.
• Jack had never stand up for Auggie before
• Jack usually agrees with Julien.

Direction purpose-

close-up used to make us feel part of the fight to see the emotions and reactions of the characters' emotions and reactions.

uses techniques to build our concern/shots.

Other techniques-

• Slow-motion- used to show us the details in the fight - too fast otherwise
• Music-Minor slow tempo, Dynamics increase from quiet to help us focus and create atmosphere. S- In the fight sense between Julien and jack, camera angles are used effectively to draw the viewer into the scene. (E)This is demonstrative through the use of the angles, close up and Dutch tilt shots. The low angle shot makes Jack look stronger and more aggressive whilst Julien looks weak and vulnerable below him. (X)This makes the audience feel concerned, shocked and surprised because up to this point had always agreed with Julien. (X)The director did this to do draw viewer into the event and highlight Jack's struggle to choose between being right or being popular. (X) Combined with this is the use of slow-motion and music which helps us to see details on the character's faces and recognize the emotional reactions. (Y) This can be compared to the use of close-up shots at the start of the film when we we first meet Auggie. They are both used to show us a small part of a bigger moment.

work shop:unpacking the themes and Ideas/ English

kindness-

variable/physical action is nice, caring, using manners, respect

1- Example: When jack sticks up for Auggie during the fight scene with Julian.

                 -shows kindness- Sliking up for a friend not letting others talk badly about friends jack has previously not been kind talked about Auggie behind his back.

 Important because-helps people make friends 

            -builds a person self-confidence 

            -makes people feel accepted/included 

            -if there was not kindness Auggie wouldn't have made any friends, grown his self-confidence 

             to be able to take off his helmet, feel included at beaker prop.

2- Example: when Amos and other kids help Auggie and jack fight the year 7 Graders.

Importance of friendship and family

trust, trust others, support systems, people you feel safe with, help build resilience 

Example1: When the Pullmans do daisy dies.

      show theme- brings the family together to grieve

                          -show support for one another 

                          -Auggie and Via put aside their argument to look after each other.

Example 2: Fight at the nature Reserve Where Auggie and the other boys come to rescue Jack and Auggie from the 7 Graders.

-Show them- Support because they stand up for each other 

                   - Trust the boys come to help them they don't abandon each other 

                   - Resilience-the boys support each other to move forward they are all friends now.

Important to the Story-

- Good relationships with friends help Auggie build trust and feel safe. He takes the helmet off.

- His friendship with summer teaches him resilience, trust, and forgiveness.

-His family is always there to support him when things go wrong at school.

Struggle between right and popular-

-Being right means showing integrity doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

-Being popular means agreeing with acting in a way others want you to, even you don't agree.

Example1-When Jack chose to stay with Auggie as his science partner instead of Julian.

Shows theme- Jack chose right over popular. Julien wanted to leave Auggie out and Jack not to.

in the past, Jack had picked friendship with Julian over Auggie.

Example 2-

-when summer decides to sit with Auggie instead of the popular girls who were talking behind Auggie back.

-Show Theme: Summer chose right- not to sit and talk nasty with her friends but to go and sit with Auggie who was alone.

-Auggie doesn't trust her a fist because Jack Summer stays anyways and helps Auggie-link to the importance of friendship.

Important to the story 

-The concept is relatable, everyone has to experience this so it helps the viewer to engage with the story.

-makes kindness/relationships more obvious when were seen the person struggle.

Theme guide

Hi, welcome to my blog. I am going to share my work in English. I am doing the Theme Guide.we watched a movie called wonder. we were supposed to make themes.

There were 3 themes:

• kindness
• family
• doing the right thing 

what am I learning?

I am learning to analyze the film"wonder:"

How does this work show my learning?

 by making a poster about the movie.

What am I wondering as a result of this learning?

I'm wondering nothing.


I hope you like my post.