The Scottish Play

Lovely crisp and frosty morning this morning. ( Photos on the way to work this morning)

MacBeth 

I read an abridged version of MacBeth today and I have another one to read tomorrow. We completed a story map and character trait matching task today ( photo below) Tomorrow we'll look into the history of the play and look at the life of Shakespeare ( what we know about him anyway. I'm in the Earl of Oxford camp on this one. Never trust someone who only leaves his wife his second best bed in his will. Nobody like that could ever have written The Taming of the Shrew!) I also found an excellent app for our iPads on MacBeth and one on Medieval warfare. ( below)

Medieval Wars: Strategy & Tactics by HeroCraft Ltd.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/medieval-wars-strategy-tactics/id757752419?mt=8

Thumbnail Theater: Macbeth by Michael Mills Productions
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/thumbnail-theater-macbeth/id480176870?mt=8

( I'll start adding more useful apps I find onto the blog)

There are lots of great apps for Shakespeare's work for secondary students.

We have nearly finished Tales From Moominvalley. They are a bit more esoteric when read aloud and I'm not sure if the grade 4 s really like them? I really enjoy them! ( Maybe I should have chosen a different story, but it is hard to get them here in Asustralia. The comics might have helped. I'll have a look tonight and see if the cartoons are on YouTube.) Today we were responding to the stories in a variety of ways. One of the students is constructing a ghost wagon and another one was writing on bark parchment. ( Refer below) 

Ghost wagon model from chapter 1- not finished yet.

Writing and drawing Hattifatteners with old style ink pens on bark.

Laptops

The AEU laptop case began on July 21 in the Federal Court. The AEU outlined its case on Monday and several witnesses will be heard this week. The court has set aside two weeks to hear the case and, as expected, there has been significant interest from members and the media in this important case looking at the provision of laptops as a "tool of the trade".

Thank-You

A big thank you to Karolina at Little Bendigo, she has not only put together an advertisement promoting small schools for us this week ( under pressure from a ridiculous timeline) but is also putting together a news story to go with it.

I'll add the final draft of it on the blog once she has finished it. It should give you a good idea of what my small school network is all about.