ESOL Information Report

The Kea

The kea is a type of parrot that lives in the alpine regions of South Island in New Zealand and they are known as the 'Clown of the Alps'. The kea is currently smartest bird in the world.

Keas are big birds and they are great at flying. Their feathers are greenish and brownish in color but underneath their wings, they have their feathers in scarlet color. They have sharp curvy and black bills. They also have dark brown eyes. A female kea usually weighs in about 800 grams and a male kea weighs in about 920 grams.

Kea birds feed off plants, insects and some animals. This means keas are omnivores. They commonly search for food on trees and sometimes they also make a hole in rotten logs using their strong feet with their sharp toes to scoop for huhu grubs. Some keas feed themselves by eating the remains of dead animals like deers, tahr, chamois, and sheep. In rare cases, there were keas who sit on top of sheeps' back and prod forcefully through the inner of the sheep to obtain their fat.

There have been conflicts between keas and human since then. But the current conflicts that people have on keas are: keas still target high country sheep and keas being ruinous on people's property. The Kea Conservation in New Zealand manages conflicts like these and help people for solutions.

Term 2 Reflection

I am supposed to do this on my journal but since it's about academic and school stuff, might as well share to you my reflection in finishing the 2nd term of this year.

How was term 2?

It was tough and stressful. Actually, it was tough not only in my school life but also in my personal life. I realized that senior year is really different from the junior years that I've had here. I started to face the hardship and difficulties in this first year of my senior years. It is a gratitude that I was able to overcome all of the challenges that term 2 gave me. And it is really a challenge when my chosen subjects were giving assessments at the same time. My brain was really burnt out. But I did my best. I worked hard and everything pays off.

Ya'll I can relate to this HAHAHAHAHA

For those who are reading this especially those upcoming year 11's, I want to say that you should prepare yourselves. Being a year 11 student isn't a joke and it's going to be hard but you shouldn't forget about your well-being. It was one of my mistakes that I did for the past 2 terms. I've told you that my subjects gave me loads of tasks at the same time and that overwhelmed me. I have had a lot of breakdowns to the point where I couldn't reach my laptop anymore because I have nothing to type for my assessments. But the point here is that you shouldn't give up and be persistent. I have goals to achieve and so I need to work hard for those.

Is there anything you want to tell yourself?

There is a lot. The most important thing is a good job and well done. Two more terms to go and you're done wohooooo. I am proud of myself and keep working hard. Continue to get excellences and if you don't get excellences then resubmit. There are lots of opportunities to grab and so don't waste it. If you are getting tired and worn out then rest. You should always keep an eye to your well-being okay?. Always make time for your happiness, family, friends and most especially your services to God. I love you!.

What are the highlights of your term 2?

• Casio Calculator Competition 3rd place (yayyyy!)
• Polyfest 2019
• Musical Theatre Night Performances
• Biology Internal ( of course )
• Linear Algebra Assessment ( not easy but not too hard tho )
• Lots of credits getting in (owyesssss)

What are your goals next term?

• More credits to come ( ehemm excellences)
• Find an effective study strategy.
• More sleep than the last term.
• To study more with my friends ( cause it helps for me)
• Read more ( despite the busy schedule )
• Build good study habits.
• To track my progress ( on whatever like tracking habits, sleep, studying and etc.)
• Enjoy the term.
• Reduce procrastination ( most important)

ESOL RECOUNT

Trip to Willowbank

                    On Tuesday this week, 4th of June, our class in Year 11 ESOL went to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve mainly to learn about the kea. 

It was period 2 at 9:40 am when we gathered together at the ESOL room to prepare for the trip. We rode the bus Ms. Briggs rented and I was seated beside Devie. Behind our back was Roswell and Jhade who were really funny and loud.

When we arrived at the place, we were separated into three groups. Our group started in the river section where the eels are. The eels we saw were so big, bigger than my thighs!. Then we saw different types of ducks roaming around the place. The white swan was so graceful though. After that, we fed the deers that were so kind and friendly. Together with the deers was the cute little rabbit which I think was lost. We also saw the emu, wallabies, silver pheasant, scarlet macaw, lemur and many more. 

When it was 11 am, we went to the kea enclosure. A woman had given us a discussion about the behavior of the keas. I learned a piece of interesting information about the keas -the hierarchy between the keas. Keas have this kind of system where someone has either high or low ranking. I think it was Katie who is a female kea that has the highest ranking in the group of keas there.

After the kea session, we were able to go around the zoo. While we were roaming around, we were answering the booklet. There were lots of interesting animals. I can still remember the horse named Sam that I think was the one that Ms. Briggs told us about. I patted her in the head and she was lovely. At 1 pm, we went back to school and we went to our own subjects for the last period.

Overall, my experience for this trip was really amazing and cool. Like what Ms. Briggs said, it is really different when you get to see the animals than just sitting in the room and learning about them.

Year 11 ESOL Class

How to achieve E8 in an English Exam?

Things that I have learned about how to get E8 in an English Exam:

'

• He said in his video that you have to elaborate on things you are writing such as explaining a specific language feature. You have to dig deeper into the text and don't just write what is obvious. 
• You have to add your personal voice. Write how can you link this to yourself and persuade readers that you have understood the text.
• Write an appreciation for the text. You have to persuade readers that the text had an impact on you and it gave you moral lessons.
• Talk about the effect of a language feature.
• Author's purpose of language features/choices.

Achieved vs Merit vs Excellence

 

1. Achieved - You will get an achieve mark on your paper if you have followed the basic instructions and rules. This is like the mark you will get if you have explained and wrote the surface level of the text.
2. Merit - The website says that you will get merit if you have written a text that has a convincing understanding. You have to extend your understanding of the text and add some more details to your text like explaining more about the language feature you chose, clearly giving an impact to an intended audience, writing a conclusion and etc. You will also be needing to put the purpose of the text you are writing about.
3. Excellence -  To get this mark, you have to provide a profound insight into the text. You have to give your perception about the text and link it to a wider world. 

Visual Language Features

After we finished creative writing, we now are learning and recapping film studies. Yesterday, we have assigned to make a slide about Visual Language Features. Devie is my partner and she did slide 2- 13 while I did slide 14-23. Below is our work. Check it out!

Yearly Goals for ESOL

Esol is one of my chosen subjects this year. I chose it because I learn a lot from the subject It is interesting and fun when Ms. Briggs is teaching. For this year, there is plenty to accomplish as my senior year starts. Pressure and responsibilities sitting in my shoulders. But I have set my mind that I will rock this year!

These are my goals for ESOL 2019:

• Adapt to the new environment as new students are added in the class.
• Attain lots of credits 
• Work on merit or excellence credits 
• Be confident in sharing my thoughts to the class
• Be open to other's opinion when discussing
• Accept and acknowledge when I commit to my mistakes
• Improve my mistakes and learn from them
• Be active in class
• Make sure that I really understand the topics we study
• Read more novels in ESOL when it's 'Ako Time'
• Help my classmates when they need me
• Set termly goals
• Improve my writing, speaking, reading and listening skills
• Step onto grade 12 in Reading Theory
• Build more vocabulary this year

Good luck to me!

Writing Creative Places

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Much of Holden’s trek around the city takes place in the Upper West Side—at the Plaza Hotel, the Museum of Natural History and Central Park—and many of his descriptions of New York remain accurate to the way the city looks today. 

Photo by Denis Jr. Tangney via Getty Images

From the book: “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away.”

My continuation of the story:

In every day of my life living there, I frequently tarry near the lagoon. It welcomed me warmly when I first met it. The lively trees, those ducks packed and swim together, the bridge that connects the two surfaces, the buildings behind the view of the lagoon that are feasts to the eyes when the lights shine through the night, all of them creates the simple perfection. People passing by appreciate the beauty of the land and the water that seems to be one. Just like them, that is what I came for. The elegance of the nature that brings comfort to everyone seeing it. Hundreds of steps are worth exchanging for and I'm ready again to meet it.