Poem Recitation (Rae)

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B-HlyDNBe3bjQUJ1R3h6Vk4yWkU

KWL (Rae)

Learning Logs (Rae)

Learning Log 1

June holidays week 2 

11am - 11.30am 

9 June 2016

Source

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/government-segregating-secure-systems-not-cutting-off-internet-access-for-civil-servants  

What I did

I went onto The Straits Times page to look up on current news to increase my general knowledge. I found an article which I was rather interested in - Government segregating secure systems for civil servants.

What I learnt

Espionage - the practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information.

Segregate - set apart from the rest or from each other; isolate or divide

Summary

Cybercrime and espionage have been an issue for the government. Thus, to solve this issue, they had decided to segregate secure email systems from other activities such as web surfing and transacting. Mr Lee Hsien Loong has clarified that this measure is not to cut off civil servant’s internet access as he understands that having internet access is indispensable in order to access information transact and deliver information to the citizens.

Learning Log 2

June holidays week 2

3pm - 3.30 pm

9 June 2016

Source

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/missing-japanese-boy-found-alive-after-6-days-in-forest

What I did

I looked up the internet for interesting news and I found an article which caught my attention. It was regarding a 7-year-old Japanese boy who survived a whole week without food in a forest 

What I learnt 

Forage - search widely for food or provisions

Summary

A 7-year-old Japanese boy was left in the forest by his parents as a form of punishment for throwing rocks at a car, but after they went back to the forest after some time, he disappeared and could not be found for the next six days. It was only recently when a group of soldiers spotted him in one of a cabins in a forest military base. The boy had survived in the cabin by drinking from a tap and sleeping between two mattresses to keep himself warm at night.

Learning Log 3

June Holidays week 3

2pm - 2.30pm

13 June 2016

Source

http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/man-hurls-explosives-shanghai-airport-injuring-4

What I did

I wanted to find out more about the world’s happenings thus I browsed the web for interesting articles and I found one regarding a terrorist attack in Shanghai.

What I learnt

disgruntle - angry or dissatisfied 

cavernous - like a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.

Summary

A man from Shanghai hurled home-made explosive bombs at the main international Shanghai airport which caused injuries of four people. He later attempted suicide by slashing his neck and is in critical condition. 

Learning Log 4

June Holidays week 3

11pm - 11.30pm

16 June 2016

Source

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/man-jailed-and-banned-for-causing-deaths-of-rider-and-pillion-rider

What I did

I looked up The Straits Times for recent news and found one regarding an accident that took place

What I learnt

Vocational - relating to an occupation or employment

Mitigation - The act of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painful of something

Summary

A 22-year-old full-time national service man caused the death of a couple on a motorcycle when he was driving his friend's minibus. One of the victims, was pronounced dead at 3.15pm on the same day while his wife, who hit her chest on the dashboard, died three days later.  He pleaded guilty to the charge of causing their deaths due to his negligence.The driver was also charged for driving the minibus without a vocational licence. 

Learning Log 5

June holidays week 3

12.30 pm - 1pm

18 June 2016

Source

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/scdf-rescues-11-trapped-in-vehicles-by-flash-flood-in-jurong-west

What I did
I decided to look up the internet for interesting news to increase my general knowledge

What I learnt
Wading - walk with effort through water or another liquid or viscous substance

Summary
The SCDF rescued 11 people trapped in 3 different vehicles by a flash flood along Enterprise Road in Jurong West on 17 June, a Friday. The water level was up to knee-high in the vehicles, with those trapped donning life vests provided by SCDF as they were taken to safety. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Situational writing draft 2 (Rae)

6 Sim Lim Park
Singapore 234234

6 April 2016

Dear Paul

I'm so glad to know that you and your parents are coming to visit Singapore in two weeks time! Singapore is such a beautiful and green city, I'm sure you are going to love it. Since you are unfamiliar with Singapore, I thought I could recommend some places of interest to you.  

I heard that you and Uncle Benson and Auntie Sophia are planning to stay at a hotel located at Orchard, a very vibrant part of Singapore, and Auntie Sophia can do a bit of shopping if she's interested. But of course, you can always travel elsewhere considering how convenient Singapore's public transport is. One cultural place of interest I would recommend is Little India where there are the most colourful districts and there are also gaily painted shophouses which sell traditional Indian apparel, gold bangles, spices and other wares. Apart from that, there is also a 24-hour shopping mall, Mustafa Centre, where you can shop anytime you like. Also , you would not want to miss one of Littles India's specialities - Fish head curry.  Another cultural place is Chinatown, and visit religious landmarks of different faiths. Take a ride back in time by taking trishaw rides offered there, and pop into traditional medicine halls and teahouses. Don't forget to visit the lively street market where you can purchase souvenirs, fashion apparel, leather goods and many more for yourself and your loved ones. A tip for you, you can bargain to lower the prices of the goods you would like to purchase.

Chinatown, other than being a cultural place, also has many modern aspects. Apart from what I have mentioned earlier, there are also beautifully restored shophouses, colonial and modern buildings, as well as quirky cafes where you can grab a snack or two to munch on. Next, I plan to bring you to the Singapore Flyer which is the world's biggest observation wheel and you will be able to have a bird's eye view of Singapore's iconic landmarks such as Marina Bay, Merlion Park and Empress Place. Furthermore, what will be more luxurious to be able to dine with your loved once in such a nice and cosy place with panoramic views? Lastly, take on the role of a pilot using the Real Flight Simulator. I would say it's novel and interesting, what are your views?

I believe after a long day of fun, everyone would be tired and hungry. As you know, Singapore is known as a food paradise so you have to try the food. It has such a wide array of food such as Chili Crab, Satay, Laksa, the national dish Hainanese Chicken Rice. My personal favourite is Laksa (noodles in a spicy soup) which I think might be something you are interested in too since you love spicy food, like me. Auntie Sophia and Uncle Benson might like Hainanese Chicken Rice since they like having rice in their meals. 

I hope you will consider my recommendations and will give you a slightly deeper understanding of Singapore. If you have any other queries , feel free to ask me. Looking forward to your arrival!

Your loving cousin, 

Rae

Creative writing task 5 (Rae)

Dear Vanessa

  

   There’s nothing to write about except the torn tablecloth I have in sight. It has been the glass table’s companion for several years, which explains how yellow it had turned and the torns and stains. How much I wish I could have it changed, my parents wouldn’t bear to have it thrown as it was a gift from my uncle and was made of good quality. But haven’t they heard of the phrase ; if the old don’t go, the new won’t come?

  Everything at home is boring except what happened yesterday, when my little brother accidentally hit a vase on the table which caused it to shatter, “haizz…” How many times did I tell him not to run around the house? And in the end, I got blamed for not looking after him, how innocent I was.

 I haven’t been doing much except having to do planking during Sports & Wellness lesson. We had toturous physical training the whole lesson. I don’t see the point in doing all this because all it does is to cause my limbs to hurt so bad. And all of us were panting so heavily and sweating until a whole sheet of sweat had formed at our backs.

My life is boring and tiring, hopefully yours is better. Goodbye!

Your friend,

Rae

Creative writing task 4 (Rae)

  

After a night of howling weather, I went out early just to see if the ground was flooded with brown, murky water and moss growing on logs. Perhaps the trees and buildings would have collapsed as though an earthquake had just happened as well.

 The street was not as dilapidated as I thought. Instead of muddy water flooding the ground, it had small, clear puddles. Clear enough that I could see the reflection of myself. The birds were chirping freely and happily, while trees and buildings were still perfectly fine. They were tall and upright, and the leaves of the trees were rustling.

 As I walked along the neighbourhood, I breathed in the fresh air while enjoying the breeze. There were few people outside, but I could smell french toast and aromatic coffee while strolling. The next sound I heard was a growling and rumbling sound. From my tummy. Most houses still had their curtains drawn, it was expected, it was still so early anyway. I continued my stroll, I walked to the road and saw that a few cafeterias were already open, smelling the fresh vegetables and fried bacons and eggs added on to my hunger.

After about an hour, I decided to go back home, not wanting my parents to worry if they did not see me. Turning around, I walked back home.  

Rae's visual text analysis

Image
This picture depicts someone wanting to light a cigarette which is tied to a ticking clock, resembling a bomb which would explode.

Colour
The dim colour of the photo and the light from the lighter will allow readers to be reminded of a candlelight ceremony, also similarly known as a funeral, expressing that smoking kills.

Layout
The main focus of the picture is the ticking clock and the lighter about to light the cigarette, which many would relate to a bomb. It clearly shows the consequences of smoking, it's like a bomb which could explode anytime and cannot be salvaged if not quickly stopped. What's next would be the text at the bottom, "Every breath you take will eventually destroy your future", summarising the main point of the whole poster.

Word
The sentence "Every breath you take will eventually destroy your future" is to tell readers the consequence of smoking. The text isn't the most eye-catching thing or main point in the poster, but more of to summarise the meaning of the ticking time bomb.

Typographical features
The font used is simple and the text size is also very small as the greater point in the photo is the ticking time bomb.

Purpose : To discourage readers from smoking
Audience : Smokers
Context : To inform readers, especially smokers the danger and consequences of smoking
Culture : It uses a ticking time bomb to express the danger of smoking.

Eng AA_The accidental journey to Mars_Rae Kuan

Name : Rae

Class : S1-04

    

    For a long time, everyone were discussing if a spacecraft which could take human beings from the Earth to another planet would exist, in year 2028, one would.

     Sarah’s father was bringing her to a hangar, his workplace. When they reached, Sarah wandered off who was fascinated by the spacecraft. Climbing in, she looked at it’s incredible mechanisms.

         “Everything ready? Spacecraft ready to take off.” An announcement was made.

    Sarah was busy checking out the spacecraft that she did not hear the announcement.

     “Taking off. 3,2,1..”

     “There was something wrong earlier so i could not see the inside. There is a girl in there! Stop!”

     “My daughter, Sarah!” Her father exclaimed.

      However, it was already several hundred metres off the ground.

     “What’s happening?”  Sarah thought.

     

     “Can you contact Sarah?”

 

     “Sarah did not switch the radio on.”

   Sarah was in the spacecraft for a while, still soaring up, kilometres from the ground. Sarah knew something was wrong.

   “Anyone?” Sarah burst out, sweat dripping from her forehead.

   Soon, she could only see clouds. Sarah started feeling nauseous and soon fell asleep.  A night passed. After Sarah woke up, she found herself in space. She could find some liquid food, which she ate.

  A week passed. Then a month. Then almost 6 months.Every day was a nightmare.

 She suddenly saw some light.

  The place looked weird, it was anywhere but Earth. It had a yellow sky, without living things, and the whole area looked very dry. All there was was a land with aliens. When it landed, she walked out, petrified. The aliens looked at her, then started discussing in an alien language. Shaken, Sarah slowly walked.

   The aliens had a plan. The aliens tried to grab her. Before she could react, she was placed in a machine. The aliens were about to inject a substance, with a some others in their hands. Sarah had watched movies about aliens before, and suddenly struck to her that they might be using her as an experiment, a lot of chemicals were poisonous. Experimenting on her could kill her!

  She got up, trying to pour the chemicals away, and kicked the aliens. She ran, she hid… All this running and hiding had lasted for about 2 days , Sarah had no energy. It was then when she found something familiar. The spacecraft! Hope!

 No longer could she think, without second thoughts, she boarded it, pressed a few buttons and it took off.

  She randomly turned left. She was in space, without Mars in sight. She was weak, little food was left, and knew that going back to Earth was nearly impossible.About a month passed. Light was seen, she recognised the planet, Earth! Her cheeks flushed and she tried to make the spacecraft stop.

 The best thing was that she landed somewhere she was familiar with, her country, she was soon back at the hangar.

   “Sarah? You’re back!” everyone cheered.

    Everyone was so relieved knowing that Sarah had survived and she immediately gave her father a big hug.

    Sarah told everyone about her encounter and how she realised travelling to Mars could take just about a month. She was really lucky that she took this route otherwise she would probably have died.

  Though Sarah is the first human to travel to Mars, everything was still a nightmare.

Writing task 3_Rae

    When I was a child, i well remembered being very cheeky. While my mother was making cookies, i switched sugar with salt. They are as alike as two peas in a pod, how could my mother tell? I giggled mischievously. She did not realise that the sugar had been swapped until she tasted the ready-baked cookies. Who else would it be? She knew it was me. Since i was so hyper, sending me to bed would be the most boring and torturous punishment. She scolded me, whose eyes were already swollen. I clinged onto my mother, not letting go, but she did not give in either.

    Trudging to my room, i sighed. It was only 4pm! I was trapped within four walls, no different from prison. I took my own sweet time to get into bed and slowly drew the curtains, to kill time. The whole room was so quiet, quiet until i could hear the birds outside chirping

    It took me a while to sleep, and the next time i woke up was at night, when the whole room was pitched dark. I suddenly heard someone humming my favourite nursery rhyme. I slowly closed my eyes again, humming the same tune in my heart. Along with the humming, it did not take me long to fall into a deep sleep.

    The next morning when i woke up, i vividly remembered about what happened the previous night. Until now, i still did not know who was the one humming to me in the room.

Creative writing task 2 (Rae)

 The dark street lay before her. It was like ghost town, with no other living things in sight except the tall and bushy trees. The lights from the street lamps were shining dimly. “This is like those haunted houses i visit at amusement parks,” she told herself. But she mustered up her courage and continued walking.

     Then she heard a faint noise, a spooky and eerie one, it was whistling. She turned her head, left, right and back, but there was not a single soul. So where could the whistling sound come from, if it was not from a human being? Her heart started pounding, she quickened her steps, hoping that her home would quickly be in her sight.

    The whistling becomes louder, louder than ever. It was as though someone was whistling right before her, and she could recognise the song of the whistling, it was the song played in the horror movie. She screamed and started to run, not knowing where she wanted to go already, as long as she could go somewhere that had a few people, and not a cold, dark and creepy street.

  She knew, she would never walk on this street again, never.

Creative writing task 1 (Rae)

                                 

My earliest memories

   One of my earliest memories was my mother. She was still pretty young when I was a young child. Her hair, solid black, was smooths, shiny, at shoulder length, with her fringe touching her eyes. Her face, with rosy cheeks, was not extremely smooth but was not full of wrinkles either. She loved listening to old Chinese and Cantonese songs, and would sometimes hum the tune of it when she was doing housework.

    A place i used to play in was my uncle’s house. It was a terrace house, 3 stories high. At the gate, was a metal swing. It was old, with the white paint chipping off, but my cousins and I still enjoyed playing with it. Of course, as young, active kids, we loved climbing up and down on the staircase, our steps making loud, irritating noises. We would play until we were exhausted and out of breath, but would only be satisfied if we were.

   A place in my earliest memory is my home. I grew up there, so it gives me a sense of security. I remember, the kitchen, was the place i was most interested in. When my father was baking cookies, i would always try to help. The kitchen always had a smell of appetising food when someone was cooking, and even if no one was, i would always rummage the cupboard for titbits, and would never leave empty handed.

   This were my earliest memories