Monday 28 January 2013

Recent Words of the Week


Discovery Library:

Discombobulated
Verb: To be in a state of confusion
chosen by Katie-Rose 8CT

Intrigued
Verb:  Being interested in something that you find kind of mysterious
chosen by Scott 7LC

Excruciating
Adjective: Extremely painful, agony
Chosen by Oliver 7KE

Futuristic
Adjective: To do with a vision of the future; being ahead of the times, innovative or revolutionary
chosen by Tate 7SA

Impenitent
Adjective: Not regretting something you have done wrong.
chosen by Callum 8CM

Hypochondriac
Noun: Someone who is abnormally anxious about their health.
chosen by Tyrone 7BC

Homozygous
Noun: Refers to having two identical alleles for a single trait.
chosen by Frankie 9MP

Benevolent
Adjective:  Someone kind and helpful.  Something formed for charitable purposes.
chosen by Lisa 8MB

Odious
Adjective: Very horrible or unpleasant
Chosen by William 7CB

Spaghettification
Noun: the process by which (in some theories) an object would be stretched and ripped apart by gravitational forces on falling into a black hole
Chosen by Edward 7GE

Execute
Verb: To put a condemned person to death, to carry out or accomplish.
Chosen by Zihao 7RN

War Memorial Library:

Pneumatic
Adjective: Operated by compressed air or by a vacuum.
chosen by Joshua 10CL

Archaeopteryx
Noun: The first bird, or the earliest form of a bird we know.  It could only fly short distances but it had wings and feathers.
chosen by Jonah 13RY

Ardent
Adjective: To be enthusiastic or passionate about something
chosen by Alexei 13MO

Landlubber
Noun: A person who is not experienced at sea
chosen by Chloe 10SY

Procrastination
Noun: Putting off or delaying an action to a later time
chosen by Ishmayl 13RF

Diagonal
Verb: Connecting two nonconsecutive verticals in a polygon; slanting line
chosen by Max 10CE

Extemporise                  
Verb: To improvise; perform without preparation
chosen by Dr Garrido, Science

Pythagoras’ Theorem
Noun: Theorem presented by Pythagoras, a Greek mathematician, about angles, triangles and their values using algebra.
chosen by Anthony KS4MI

Ephemeral             
Adjective:  Short-lived, momentary.
chosen by Mrs Nolan (librarian)

Ethereally
Adjective: Magically/whimsically/from another realm.
chosen by Keira 13HR

Friday 18 January 2013

Winners of the 'Take a Risk' free prize draw

Over 200 students took a risk and borrowed a ‘take a risk’ book at the end of last term. 192 Questionnaires were successfully completed and prizes given, as well as 68 spot prizes.  All entries were then put forward for the free prize draw.  

The following prize draw winners were presented with their prizes at the KS3 Assembly on Monday 14th January: 

1.     Heather 7KE

2.     Elliot 7LC

3.     Angelique 7GE

4.     Phebe 7SA

5.     Samuel 7RN

 We had a great response and thanks to everyone who took part.


Books of Blood!


In the Discovery Library we have a horrifying display of books about vampires!



Lights, Camera, Read!



We have a new display in the WML of books that have been made into movies. From The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter toThe Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Rebecca, there is something for everyone. Let us know if you prefer the book or the film?


 
 

Friday 11 January 2013

Book Reviews


Image from Amazon.com
The following reviews are by some of the Year 7 students. Why not read these books and see if you agree and maybe write a review too? You can find them and other great books in our libraries.

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Reviewed by Shannon 7BE


The book is about a close family who lives in the middle of a big town and want some peace and quiet. Luckily their father is offered a new job which allows them to move to the country side. Once they arrive, there is a lot of work to be done, before they can go and explore the woods opposite the house.

I loved everything about the book but the special moment for me was when three small children enter the enchanted forest for the first time. This was a magical but spooky part because they get a bad warning not to go in by a gnome … but they choose to still go in …

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Reviewed by Athena 7GE

 
Image from http://theladylovesbooks.com

‘The Help’ is a book about racism in Mississippi. It tells us about a typical family and how they live their lives with racism being a ‘big thing’.

They go through many dilemmas especially when a different race of people tries to help someone else. Also it tells us that life in those days was harsh and rather petrifying.

The story is extremely fascinating and interesting as it tells you the different points of view of each character at every chapter. I would recommend this book to an age range of twelve and above despite the fact it is interesting it can be gruesome!

Black Beauty by Anne Sewell
Reviewed by Louise 7KE


The story is about a horse named Beauty who was born in a meadow with his mother, then got sold to a man named Squire Gordon. Beauty grew up, then had a riding accident and it caused his knees to be ruined! Sadly he got sold again and again. New homes, different families, good and bad. Will he ever find the right home?

Image from www.siobhan-gallagher.com

 

I found this book exciting. The best part was reading the chapters, leaving it on cliff hangers, wondering “would Beauty ever find the right home?” I recommend this book for 9-10 year olds as some parts may be quite sad for younger children.

Welcome back!


Hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed reading lots of good books!

Look out for news of the winners of our Take a Risk competition - to be announced soon. We have moved the launch of new books to March to coincide with World Book Day.