Animal Defences Summarizing Task- Charli Buick

 In 9MY English with Mr McCartney, we are learning to summarize. We have done activities focusing on summarizing such as, writing short stories and having a set amount of words to narrow it down to, reading text and summarizing it and finding information about animals defenses and writing a short summary on how they do it. 

The summarizing task I'm going to share with you is the animal defenses task. Mr McCartney wrote about a few strange animals with interesting defenses and we had to highlight 6-7 key words that summarize the information about the animal. Next we had to find 3 more of our own animals and summarize information about each. I choose to work with the Sea Cucumber, Red-Lipped Batfish and the Stone fish.

Here is my summary of the Stonefish...

stonefish are the world's most venomous fish that inject venom from their fin spines that can kill an adult person in less than an hour.

From this task I learnt all about the Stonefish and improved on my summarizing ability.

Summarizing Street Art

In English with Mr McCartney, we have been learning to summarize and find meanings in things like poems and art.

My group, Alexia, Kaleb, Jordan and I looked at the art by Kevin Ledo that is located on the Crowne Plaza Building, CBD Christchurch. The artwork is called "Great Taranaki kuia" and is of Whero O Te Rangi Bailey, known to many as Poppy.

We discussed the meaning of the colours, characters, location and more.

Here is a small summary on what we came up with...

The significance of the objects and character/s are?

I believe the significance of the objects and character is to show a lady ( Whero O Te Rangi Bailey ) holding something that is precious to her, its rather small and may be a flower. I think it signifies to not take advantage of the small things.

The significance of the colours used is?

The significance may be to show that she was part of the older generation, using greys, browns and blacks. I also think the yellow circle pattern above her head may symbolize that she's dead and maybe she is watching us from heaven.

What is the location of the Art work and why it's important?

The location is on the Crowne Plaza Building, CBD Christchurch. I think it is important because she was a maori from Parihaka in Taranaki, nz. 

The Magpies- Dennis Glover

In 9MY English, Mr McCartney has got us to read the poem The Magpies by Dennis Glover and summarize it. Here is my summary on the story and what I feel the meaning is...

This poem is about a couple living in a farm a while ago. They got kicked out and the farm did not sell to anyone else so it’s still there. I feel the line “Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle. The magpies say.” represents the birds remaining there and doing the same thing throughout the years. I feel this poem represents how time moves on, some things change and some don't.

Here is the poem itself...

The Magpies

When Tom and Elizabeth took the farm
The bracken made their bed
and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said

Tom's hand was strong to the plough
and Elizabeth's lips were red
and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said

Year in year out they worked
while the pines grew overhead
and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said

But all the beautiful crops soon went
to the mortgage man instead
and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said

Elizabeth is dead now (it's long ago)
Old Tom's gone light in the head
and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said

The farm's still there. Mortgage corporations
couldn't give it away
and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies say.

Bird Mascots- Charli Buick

Bird Mascots - Great Horned Owls 

Resources used:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/overview
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/g/great-horned-owl/

here's a video about the horned owl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt3X8MJgJWo
and here is some sounds they make:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLTCcUwnIGk

Why did I choose this bird?

I chose the Great Horned Owl because Owls are Intelligent, Flexible and Nocturnal kinda like me. I feel like if I was an Owl I'd be the Great Horned Owl because they look intimidating like I apparently do. They can be fierce predators that take out large prey such as Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and other owls. Female Great Horned are normally larger than their mate and I am fairly tall so I feel I relate in that sense.

Why does this bird represent me?
I want this bird to represent me because it is tough, strong, fierce, smart and more. I love all of these qualities and I feel I represent a few of them. They're covered in extremely soft feathers to keep them warm in the winter and fly quietly when pursuing prey.

What countries can you find your bird in?
Great Horned Owls are adaptable birds that can be found from Arctic to South America. They're at home mainly in suburbia as well as in woods and farmlands. Northern populations migrate during winter, but most live permanently in more temperate climes. 

How big is the bird and what special physical features does it have?
The Great Horned Owl's body is 18 to 25 inches on average and the wingspan is normally 3.3 to 4.8 feet. They can weigh 2-5.5 pounds and have a lifespan of around 5-15 years. They're best known for their large tufts of feathers on its head that look like horns. It has big cat-like eyes and brown white, gray, and black markings that look like the bark of a tree. These markings help camouflage it in the woods.

Is your bird Dangerous or Endangered?
Great Horned Owls have a stable global population of 6 million with 14% living in Canada and are protected by law. They are very powerful birds that demand and deserve respect, the most dangerous part of them is their talons. These owls' talons are said to exert 500 pounds per square inch of pressure against your skin.