Lockie Leonard Thinking Questions

1. I don’t think Lockie is interested in what Vicki has to say about the Greenhouse effect and the Ozone Layer because he is too busy admiring how great Vicki looked.  

2. I think Lockie starts asking Vicki questions about marriage and having kids because he wanted to get answers out of Vicki and find out her opinions.   

3. I think Lockie thought he was ‘outta his depth’ when Vicki mentions her ballet lessons because he thought he didn’t have a chance to be a boyfriend with a ballerina as ballet was totally out of his league.  

4. I think Lockie was ignoring his brother Phillip because he was going on about bed wetting too much and he was thinking about Vicki. Since Lockie made more friends at school I think Lockie and Phillip aren’t as close as they used to be.  

5. I think Phillip would feel upset and would be thinking why Lockie has changed and not paying attention to him as much as he used to.   6. 

6.  I think the narrator stated ‘they believed things’ in the 3^rd  chapter because Vicki and Lockie started talking about matters like politics and things that year eights wouldn’t really talk to each other about and expressing their ideas on subjects which drew a crowd.  

7. I think Vicki asked Lockie if they were serious because so she could know what the next step was and if their relationship was strong.  

8. I think Lockie’s house would be different to Vicki’s because Vicki is rich and it would probably be bigger than Lockie’s house because Lockie isn’t that rich. Lockie’s house would be small and plain. In the chapter ‘Gettin’Serious’ the Streeton house is described as, ‘a big, big joint. Pool, triple garage, landscaped gardens and two storeys full of shagpile carpet’ which Lockie was amazed about.  

Lockie Leonard Questions

   1.    How has the latest chapter contributed to the plot of the story?              In the last couple of chapters the plot of the story has changed a lot. No longer did Lockie feel like an ‘invisible’ student that had just started at a new school but he became important now, having a girlfriend-Vicki Streeton. He also gets his first kiss. The fact that he now had a girlfriend seemed to change his life around. Students start to talk about him. In addition, after Lockie receives a wet suit for his birthday from his family, John East, the guidance officer, suggests that Lockie starts up a surf club which Lockie thinks about, which adds to further the plot.   

2.    What does the title say about where the story is heading?

The title of the first chapter we read was ‘I Should Be So Lockie’. I think the chapter title was very appropriate, since Lockie got teased by Vicki who sang ‘I Should Be So Lockie’ to him, quoting the lyrics of the Kylie Minogue song about love. It was in this chapter that their relationship commenced with Lockie receiving his first kiss from Vicki. The second chapter we read was called ‘Somebody’ which again suggests the fact that by becoming Vicki’s girlfriend he actually becomes someone that can be identified by others and he gets noticed at school. John East also instils the idea that he could become the leader of a new surf club which would give Lockie more exposure and meaning to his life. 

3.    Are there any changes of tense in the chapter?

In the chapter ‘I should be so Lockie’ the chapter starts off in the past tense in the opening paragraph and then is all in present tense as Lockie and Vicki carry out their conversation.In the chapter ‘Somebody’ the tense changes from past to present then past to present again as Lockie’s experience at school is conveyed. 

4. Have any of the characters changed and if so, how have they? 

Yes, Lockie has definitely changed as after these two chapters he feels more important and finds a new identity in the fact that he is Vicki’s boyfriend .The boyfriend of the smartest, prettiest, richest girl in class. 

5.What themes or key ideas are being addressed in the chapter?     

In the chapter ‘I should be so Lockie’ it looks at the stereotypes people create from the look of a person. For example, Vicki identifies Lockie as the typical young surfie stereotype, when in fact Lockie loves surfing but he does not behave in exactly the way one regards a young surfie. The theme would be: that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Even though Vicki recognises Lockie as the surfie type character that she hates, he is different and she likes him. In the chapter ‘Somebody’ it addresses the wonderfulness of love and how it makes you feel. Lockie felt important and noticed. It also carries the theme that you don’t know of how things will turn out unless you try .The suggestion of starting a surf club makes Lockie a little uncertain but in fact, it turns out in the novel to be one of his greatest accomplishments.

     

  

Reflections on English (Term 1)

   Last term in English the best work I did was my ‘Doctor Who’ review because I spent a lot of time on it and it turned out really good. The most interesting thing I learnt in English last term was the apostrophes work we did. I thought it was really interesting and I learnt things like, what they were, and where to put them. The assignment I most enjoyed was the superhero story because it was fun to come up with a magical power and write a story about it. I didn’t dislike any of the assignments we did in English because they were all really interesting and fun. The book I most enjoyed reading was ‘Holes’. The book was quite easy to read and it had a good story line. Other things I have learnt in English are how to write comic strips, when we looked at a Calvin comic strip and how to write a proper review. I found I learnt  the most when I wasn’t distracted by other class mates. I could have learnt more if I was in a quieter room. The environment I learn most in is a quiet environment that I can concentrate in. What I think I need to work on this term is how to write more and better paragraphs and interesting stories. How I think I can make sure I’m working to the best of my ability  is by concentrating on my work and not getting involved in class destruction. I really enjoyed English last term and hope this term is really good as well.  

My Magic Power

     I woke up and saw the sunlight coming in through my window. Mum was standing at the door and said,”Get up! It’s time for breakfast!” I took about 5 minutes to get up and stretch, it was free dress at school today so I put on my favourite dress that my auntie gave me. It had red and orange stripes and a pink bow in the middle. I walked out of my room and saw Amy, my younger sister running up and down the stairs looking very happy wearing a big smile. ”Look what I got Susie!”, Amy said to me. It was probably her magazine that came in the mail. It was Friday and I had a test so I just ignored her and went down stairs to see mum. Mum had made scrambled eggs and orange juice. I sat down on my favourite chair and ate it. Before I went to school I put a clip in my hair that matched my dress. I got my bag and ran out the door, ready to walk to school, but then I stopped. I saw and envelope on the grass so I picked it up and turned it over to see who it was addressed to, it said: “To Miss Susie Leaf”. It was to me. I was so happy I got a letter that I dropped it without me realizing. I continued walking and finally got to school .

      Everybody I could see was in free dress. It was now 9:40am and the bell went at 9:50 am so the music was already going so I half ran, half walked to my locker. I had German, Sose, Maths and English today so I got my books for the first two periods and then found Emily, my best friend and then went to the classroom and sat down. All of the subjects I seemed to drag on for ages because I was thinking about how fun it would be on the weekend, playing with my dog, Sally and hanging with my friends but I had to get through today first. All my other classes were the same and then finally the bell went. I got all my books and my bag and said goodbye to everyone. On the way home I just remembered that I didn’t have the letter that I got in the mail this morning. I was coming up to my front door and looked next door. In our neighbours backyard, I saw a letter on the grass that looked exactly like mine that I lost. I decided to put my my bag down inside and then go next door.

    I didn’t even know who lived there so I thought it would be nice to see the owner and make friends with them. I knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes. Then an old lady came out and said, “Hello, who are you?” I replied,”My name is Susie Leaf and I live next door!” She gave me a funny look and said, “Oh ,okay come in then!” I went in and everywhere I looked there were stars. It was like I was going into space. She gave me a seat to sit on and then said, “Why have you come?” “I wanted to get my letter from your backyard that I must of dropped and the wind blew it over the fence. “Oh yes! I found it in the garden when I was watering.” She wouldn’t give it back to me and instead she looked at me, her eyes went red and I started to shrink. I ended up as tiny as a pebble. “What are you doing to me?”, I asked sounding very worried. She didn’t reply for a while and then said, “Think of it as a gift! I just gave you a magic power to shink and then grow back your normal size whenever you like.” “How do I grow again?”,I shrieked,now very worried.” You need to touch your head three times and if you want to shrink touch your head two times and spin 360 degrees to your right.” “Okay then, thank you!” I went home with my letter which was a magazine and went up to my room. I tried my magic power out and then I shrank and grew, shrank and grew. I went out of my room to do practical jokes on my family. I went into Amy’s room under the door and then grew and scared her. To Mum, I rolled a little ball around the kitchen and she got really annoyed, and to Dad, I got a hair tie and climbed on top of his head and put his hair in a ponytail. Then when he went to look at himself next he would get a fright. It was really cool, my magic power was with me for the rest of my life!

The End!!!!    

Film Review-Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride

       The Bride  Revisited!!!                                   

   ‘The Runaway Bride’ is one of the episodes in the new season of ’Doctor Who’, a modern day remake of the original long running British science fiction television programme. Unlike the old episodes, produced in the 1960’s, the new format brings the science fiction genre to current  day atmosphere  and characters, giving it a more believable setting and  using characters the audience can relate to in modern day life.

   Set in London in 2006, the episode  is about a lady called Donna who, while walking down the aisle on her wedding day disappears. She meets a man(Dr Who) who is working in a phone booth spaceship  and he is  puzzled to see her. They find out that Donna has some special particles in her. Aliens disguised as Santa’s try to track her down and bring her to a  evil spider called ‘The Racnoss’. Donna explains  that Lance, Donna’s fiance, gave her coffee every day for 6 months. In was in the coffee that the special particles were implanted into Donna so as to make her succumb to the evil intentions of ‘The Racnoss’who was trying to bring to life the ‘Racnoss’ creatures back from extinction. The ‘Racnoss’ creatures eat humans and Lance was eventually found to be in the plan to provide humans to the ‘Racnoss’ so that they could live again. Will the ‘Racnoss’ take over the world? You will just have to see this unpredictable and compelling episode to find out!

   The writer, Russell T Davies, has created a clever and fast paced script. The race is on to get the bride back to her wedding and together with the adventure that develops, it is actually quite entertaining. The director, Euros Lyn compliments the script in the use of spectacular visual effects and creating the illusions of everyday objects not being what they seem, bringing the element of science fiction to the storyline. The flying phone booth, Santa’s diguised as robots and explosive baubles on the Christmas tree, for  example, create an element of the unbelievable and escapism.

   The characters were well cast and I particularily enjoyed the character of the bride and thought the supporting characters, for example, the wedding party, helped tell the story but also added a humorous element to the plot. The character and costume of the evil ‘Racnoss’ spider type character was  stunning and  provided a memorable performance. The theme music has remained basically unchanged from the original episodes which many ’Dr Who’ fans would no doubt appreciate. The only criticism would be the acting, particularly from the main characters, whose acting  looked regimented and unnatural.

   The main character, ‘Dr Who’  is played by David Tennant, a younger doctor than in the original series. David Tennant, is a well repected English actor who began his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has had lead roles in many dramas as well as film roles in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ and ‘Jude’ in which he shared a scene with another modern series ‘Dr Who’, Christopher Eccleston. Donna Noble (the bride) is played by Catherine Tate, an English actress who also began with the Royal Skakespeare Company before entering into stand up comedy and then becoming hugely successful in her sketch show with BBC2 called ‘The Catherine Tate Show’. Recently though she has had parts in more dramatic roles and has appeared in several British feature films.

   Produced as a family viewing Sci-fi, all the extraordinary happenings make it continually interesting and keeps the audience captivated, although the evil  spider character may scare younger viewers. Overall, I was impressed with this episode and interested enough to look forward to seeing more of the modern ‘Doctor Who’ series.

I rate this episode 7.5/10

Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride Questions

1. What are some ordinary objects or events that are used in extraordinary ways in ‘The Runaway Bride’?
• For example, the Doctor’s timespace machine is disguised as a phonebooth; the alien robots are disguised as..? Think of at least five events or objects.

 In the film Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride there are lots of objects that are ordinary but in extraordinary ways. These objects are:

1. In the taxi scene on the freeway the Santa who was driving the car was really a alien robot.

2. In the wedding, Donna was walking down the asle and disappeared.

3. At Donna’s reception, the aliens disguised as Santa’s turned the decorations on the Christmas tree into bombs.

4. The TARDIS, (phonebooth) was a time machine and was bigger than a phonebooth inside.

5. The lift went down to a secret level where a spider waited for Donna.

  2. Why do you think the show uses ordinary objects and everyday things in a strange and surprising way? What effect do you think it has on the viewer/reader to see everyday objects used in such a way? Is it funny? Scary? Exciting?

I think they put extraordinary things in the film because it makes the film very exciting to watch. Lots of people would watch it and if it didn’t have extraordinary things and objects in it, it would be pretty boring.

3.Do you think the scene on the freeway where the TARDIS is chasing the taxi would have been more or less effective if the TARDIS was a typical-looking spaceship? Why do you think this?

I think if the TARDIS was a spaceship it would be less effective because it would be more interesting if there was a phonebooth because not everyday a phonebooth flys in the air. If it was a spaceship people might think it was a practicle joke. Also if it was a spaceship there would be a lot of people that came to look and it might be dangerous. It would be more exciting and disguised if it was a phonebooth.

My Magic Power

1) What will your power be? Explain what you will be able to do but also explain its limitations. Remember what we discussed about needing limitations for drama. If you can do anything, anytime, then any story based around you is going to be pretty boring.

My power is that I can shrink so tiny that no one will be able to see me. A limitation is that I could only be small for 20 minutes and then I will grow big again.    

2) Why do you want this power? What will be some good things about having this power? What benefits will it bring to you/others?

I want this power because then I can get into small parts or cracks that I could of never done. Some good things about my power is that I can play tricks on people, find out magic spells and secrets from slipping through doors and listening and no one will be able to see or hear me.

 3) What will some negative things be about your power? How could you power cause problems for you or those around you?

Some negative aspects are: people might step on me, I won’t be able to hear that well because I would have such small ears and a dog or a cat (animal) might try to eat me. I might also not be able to get bigger again and I will be stuck small forever.

Charlotte and Wilbur’s Great Adventure

   I was lying in the big manure pile in my barn and thinking what good friends Charlotte and I were. All of a sudden it occured to me that Charlotte and I never went on an adventure together. So that night when Charlotte was making her web I went over to her and asked if she wanted to go on an adventure. ” I don’t know Wilbur! It would be fun though, maybe we can go near the forest and play games and be free! I will talk to you in the morning”, Charlotte whispered. In the barn all the cows, sheep, horses and geese were sound asleep. I couldn’t wait till morning but I knew that Charlotte would be angry with me if I disturbed her when she was making her beautiful web.   The sun rose and all the cows, sheep, horses and geese were eating their warm sloppy breakfast that Mr Zuckerman had given them. I wasn’t that hungry because I was so excited about Charlotte’s and my adventure that would hopefully happen today. I was looking around in all the corners of the barn but Charlotte wasn’t there. Then I saw her coming out from a crack in the wood in the highest  corner of the barn. She came out with something stuck to the fine hairs of her leg. ” What have you got there?”, I asked Charlotte. ” This is a piece of paper with a plan for escaping the barn to go into the forest for our adventure!”, Charlotte spoke sounding very proud of herself. ” I made it last night when everyone was asleep.”   ”Great!, Thank you Charlotte”, I exclaimed. I was really looking forward to our adventure. “Let me have a look!”, I asked Charlotte. Charlotte came down with her web string and gave me the crumpled paper. “Thank you, but where did you get the piece of paper from?”, I said excitedly.”I got it from Templeton when he looked for words the other day”, Charlotte explained. On the escaping plan I saw a map of the barn and of the forest. It was very detailed. It had lines that went through the loose plank of the fence and in between bushes and trees so Mr Zuckerman wouldn’t be able to see them.      

   We set off. Charlotte was on my back. I pushed the loose plank of the fence  with my snout and we actually took off into the forest. It was about 2:00pm when we set off so we only had a few hours left of the day. The forest was very dark.I got a bit scared. We continued exploring, but then we heard a weird noise. Charlotte got scared and I was really scared as well. Then a big shadow came up behind me. It was a Grizzly bear. I ran as fast as I could. Charlotte was still on my back holding on as tight as ever. It was still chasing us so I ran even faster, we were getting really close to the barn now. We looked behind and the bear had gone. I went through the loose plank and put it back in place. Charlotte and I were safe. I lay down and Charlotte hopped off.  We both laughed together and thought we might not go on an adventure for a long time!                                                                        

                                                                The End!!!!

Fox Assignment

    It really feels like I am flying I thought to myself. Fox was running into the hot blazing desert, it was really exciting. But all of a sudden Fox seemed to slow down. I was getting really afraid and I started to tip off the back of Fox’s furry back. I fell onto the rough sand right on my sore wing. I had enough energy to get up and look around. All I could see was sand right around me. Fox was gone!!!!. I walked a couple of metres but I couldn’t find fox. He probably ran back to the creek in the bush drinking and eating and here I am without any water or food in the middle of the desert in the afternoon sun. In my heart I knew Fox wouldn’t come back for me.

Magpie was exactly right, Fox was drinking out of the creek. He was thinking about Magpie, how silly she was to come with him. “I could of thought better”, he thought to himself.

 Later that afternoon Dog woke up and found Magpie was gone. Dog started to  feel frustrated. Dog began to search. Dog searched everywhere. He searched through the prickly bushes, through the thick shrubs and in the long grass. Then Dog suddenly saw Fox drinking from the creek, so Dog ran as fast as he could, like when running with Magpie and then suddenly stopped. “What have you done with Magpie?”. Fox didn’t answer and kept drinking. Dog was fed up with Fox so he decided to look for Magpie by himself.

 I was still in the hot sun, not a tree in sight. I thought I better go and find my way back to Dog’s den. I started to walk and I could see in the distance a creature that looked exactly like Dog. I started to run to it and it started to run to me. It was Dog. I felt so relieved and happy to see him again. Dog came to me and leaned down so I could hop on  his back. “Thank you so much for saving me”, I said with a tear in my eye. Dog smiled and ran back to the den with me on his back. I was home and I thought to myself, I would never leave Dog again.       

                                                     The End!!!!