On a deserted island in the middle of the world lived an old and curious black mouse. He loved to explore but because of his age he was limited from going many places. Determined to put aside his age, he was going to climb the mountain. On his journey up to mountain he knew he was to face many challenges. His first challenge was to climb the staggered ridges, followed by the evil wizard. This mouse had faced all the challenges and for now, his journey was over, as he reached the village.
Jack (aged 10)
Tag Archives: tuition
The Black Mouse – Jack (aged 10)
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The man who beat the world record – Robby (aged 12)
Back in the 1990’s, a man drove a yellow Lamborghini all around the world to beat a world record. The young man, who wore a yellow beany, was a millionaire because he won the lottery.
Starting at Townsville, he drove to Cape York, then went north to Russia on a private ferry which crossed the Arafura Sea, the Banda Sea, the Celebes Sea, the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea and Sea of Okhotsk. The stop at Okhotsk ferry station was where he drove back onto land before going through Russia to Finland in his yellow Lamborghini on the bumpy roads to beat the world record. The man, back in the 1990’s, broke the world record and destroyed the yellow Lamborghini.
Robby (aged 12)
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The Lizard – Angus (aged 8)
In the morning there was a lizard in the jungle. He had a very long tongue and he could change colours. He went up a tree and he changed to brown. He changed to brown because he wanted to be that colour. He hopped down on the grass and changed to green.
Angus (aged 8)
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Nelly’s and Lucya’s adventure to Mongolia – by Robby (Aged 12)
(Our writing tutor enjoys stretching the abilities of our young writers. Robby is new to these writing exercises and it is surprising how well the young lads take to these tasks once their confidence is up. Today they worked on making complex sentences. How do you think he went?)
Nelly’s and Lucya’s adventure to Mongolia
Thirty years ago, back in the 1980s, in the border between Russia and Mongolia, two sisters had a snow ball fight. Winter made fifteen year old Nelly and thirteen year old Lucya so happy because they both had fun having snow ball fights and building snow men. One day the sisters went on an adventure and crossed the border into Mongolia at the town of Tashanta in an old white truck on the rough rocky track. When girls’ father Olag told them about the Bridge of Death he was smiling but when they got there, they screamed all the way over the old broken bamboo poles that stretched across the river where it had ripped a big hole in the road. When they arrived in Mongolia they told all their new friends about the Bridge of Death and how to fight with snow balls.
Robbie (Aged 12)
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The Mystery – by Oscar (aged 8)
A boy named Dean was walking in the morning on a steep mountain because he was trying to get away from thinking about money. While he walked, he met Major Walnut.
Dean asked Major Walnut ‘Is money good or bad?’
Major Walnut said ‘Money is the main thing.’
Dean and major Walnut saw a pretty girl who was in trouble. She was in danger. Dean said to Major Walnut “What is going on around here? I just met you and now a pretty girl is in trouble and now the bad men are holding on to her?”
The girl was smiling. She had pink cheeks which were very bright. Silently she said “Thank you very much.” She hugged the two blokes, Dean and Major Walnut.
‘We are a pair of heroes!’ laughed the two friends as they said ‘good bye’ to the girl.
Oscar (aged 8)
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The Giant Trap! – by Abbie (aged 10)
Georgina rushed into the veterinary surgery when the sun was rising. The grand-daughter of Uncle Tom, she was a pretty girl but she was always into mischief. Uncle Tom was a good old man who loved his grand-daughter but he had many secrets that he never told people.
With a wild yell, Uncle Tom rushed into the veterinary surgery but he could not see Georgina anywhere. He got out his blue phone and started to call her but he couldn’t get hold of her.
“Thump! Thump! Thump” heard Uncle Tom. He looked behind him and ‘Bang!” he was gone! A little while later he found himself in a black dark room where he found Georgina.
“How did you find me?” said Georgina.
“Well, I heard you scream because I was next door at the sports shop,” he replied. Uncle Tom had something secret in his mind.
Two hours later…
“Who were those people who made me scream?” asked Georgina.
“My boss, the man I work for,” said Uncle Tom.
‘So you knew all along and you did not tell me,” said Georgina in surprise.
“Well I saw you running along the fields and I rang up my boss and said that we should frighten you so I did,” said Uncle Tom, being proud of himself. Just then ‘bang!” Uncle Tom was hit by a frying pan. The person who threw it was Georgina’s mother! Georgina was so proud to see her. Her mother put down the pan and they all went home to bed.
Abbie (aged 10)
This story was the result of a creative writing game played at our tuition room during the school holidays. The process for the game may be located under Creative Writing Game on our Study Tools page. Our maths Tutor participated with Abbie on this exercise. You can read his story – Caught!
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Caught!
This was the result of a creative writing game we ran at our tuition room. You can see how the game was run on the Study Tools page under Creative Writing Game. The following result was the final product of our maths tutor, Peter.
Neither Uncle Tom nor Georgina were ever able to explain how they got themselves locked in the Veterinary Surgery overnight.
Uncle Tom was a confusing old man who wore round spectacles on a round face on top of a round body. A lot of him moved when he laughed at his own jokes. Georgina had known him all her life and at five years old that was a long time. Her short fuzzy red hair and chubby pink cheeks made them look like a pair of clowns when they walked down the street.
In total terror she now clung to her uncle’s large leg while all around dogs howled, cats hissed and parrots screeched. The room was totally black and smelled of anti-septic. The noise was deafening and would surely wake the dead thought Georgina. Now she had something else to worry about. She squeezed tighter on her uncle’s leg.
‘This is going to be a long night’ thought Uncle Tom, holding Georgina close to him as they huddled under the Vet’s table. This adventure was not going as he had planned. All night long they huddled and shivered and the animals screeched and cried. Not once did they or the animals sleep. Georgina kept vigilant in case any of the dead were also awake.
From somewhere outside the safety of the vet’s table came a loud thump, and the darkness disappeared. Victor the Vet stood in the doorway, ‘That should teach you a lesson not to sneak into the animals sleeping room again Tom!’
‘So you knew all the time!’ cried Tom in amazement.
‘Yes we did.’ Bellowed Margaret, Tom’s wife and Georgina’s aunt. ‘That should cure both of you of sneaking out at night. How do you feel now Thomas?’
‘You better get out a bottle of your parsnip wine mother, I’m going to need it.’
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Lizard Wrangler – by Dardo (aged 7)
At school in my play time I caught a lizard in the garden. Today I caught a lizard that was as big as a goanna with a blue tongue and a giant brown tail. He bit me on the thumb as I was holding him tightly. I jumped and dropped him and he got away. In time I will become a better lizard wrangler.
Dardo (aged 7); (art work by Dardo)
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To Neverland – by Jacko (aged 10)
Late one dark and dingy night soaring high through the clouds above the Indian Ocean was a China baby on a magical carpet with an owl called whisper. The magical carpet worshipped the China baby because this young child was definitely no ordinary child. He was the son of a king and the richest man alive. The baby travelled once a year on the magical a carpet to a land called Neverland. The baby was so happy and could not wait to reach the land. Sparks of joy hit his heart as he reached the island in hope for hours of joy. After he plays he and whisper are back in the sky soaring high through the clouds over the Indian Ocean.
Jacko (aged 10)
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Are Your Expectations Aligned With The Curriculum?
Year 3
“These are the best years of your life.”, self assuring words spruiked by many a parent and teacher to seven-year old students who do not need reassurance after remembering their potty training years. They have just cruised through the first two years of primary school, they know all the numbers, the alphabet and can write their name; what else is there to learn?
Year 3 is where many young students realise their world will never be the same again. It is during this year they discover numbers do not stop at 1,000 but continue all the way to 10,000 and they have to know their order, place value, and be able to recognise if they are odd or even! Not only that but there are numbers smaller than one that no-one told them about as they are introduced to the fractions 1/2, 1/4, 1/3, and 1/5.
When learning the multiplication table by heart for 2, 3, 5 and 10 no-one warned them about having to manage multiplying a two digit number by a single digit number, without a smart phone. In fact, they are expected to develop strategies to perform addition and subtraction in their head (mental maths). Counting on, regrouping and partitioning are all strategies employed to perform mental maths.
It is during this year our students are introduced to metric measurement. I hear very few complaints from students in our tuition centre about learning measurements. I simply remind them that learning 1,000 metres equals one kilometre is much easier than remembering there are 1,760 yards to a mile, 22 yards to a chain, or 16 ounces to a pound.
Yes, there is a lot to learn in Year 3 (and this is only maths) and yes, these may be the best years of their life because Year 5 is ahead of them, but we won’t tell them about that yet.
XtraMile Tuition Strategies (North Brisbane) - 0415 049461 