Peppermints and Diamonds

  Model Essay: Are Books Better Than Movies? (Year 8 – Excellence style) Many people believe that books are better than movies. However , others think movies are more enjoyable because they are easier to watch. In my opinion , books are better than movies, although both have their strengths. Firstly , books allow readers to use their imagination . When reading a book, you can picture the characters, settings, and events in your own way. This makes reading more personal , because everyone imagines the story differently. Unlike movies , books do not show everything for you, which can make the story more interesting. Another reason books are better is that they usually include more detail . Books can explain characters’ thoughts and feelings in depth, which helps readers understand the story better. In comparison , movies often leave out important parts to fit the story into a short time. Because of this , books can feel more complete and meaningful. On the other hand , movies ...

  Model Essay: Are Football Players Paid Too Much? (Year 8 – Excellence style) Many people think football players are paid too much money for playing a sport. However , others believe their high pay is fair . In my opinion , football players are paid a lot, but there are good reasons for this. Firstly , football players help make a huge amount of money for clubs and competitions. Millions of fans watch games on TV, go to stadiums, and buy team shirts. Because of this , football clubs earn large amounts of money, and the players are the main reason people watch. If there were no talented players , football would not be as exciting or popular. Another reason football players are paid so much is because their job is very physical and risky . Players train almost every day and have to stay very fit. Injuries can happen easily and can sometimes end a player’s career early. Most football careers are short , so players need to earn their money while they can. On the other hand ,...

How to Write a Recount What is a recount? A recount is a piece of writing that tells what happened. It tells events in time order (first, next, then, finally). We usually write a recount to: tell a story share an experience explain what we did Structure of a Recount 1. Orientation (Beginning) Tell: Who was there? Where did it happen? When did it happen? 👉 Example: Last Saturday, I went to the park with my family. 2. Events (Middle) Tell what happened in order. Use time words: first next then after that finally 👉 Example: First, we had a picnic. Then we played football. After that, we went home. 3. Ending (Conclusion) Tell how you felt or what you thought. 👉 Example: I felt happy and tired. It was a great day. Language to Use in a Recount ✔ Past tense verbs: went, played, saw, ate, had, enjoyed ✔ Time words: first, next, then, after that, finally ✔ Personal words: I, we, my, our  ✏️ Let’s Practise! 1. Put the sentences in order (1–4) ☐ We ate ice cream. ☐ I went to th...

Simple Homemaking: How to Focus on What Really Matters Inside: There are a million things you could be doing at home, but only a few that you need to be doing. Here’s how to strip away all the fluff and keep your schedule simple. What are those must-dos for homemakers? What are things you do and know that you got enough done? Not the bare minimum, but enough? What if you don’t want a multistep morning routine or a big garden, and you need to focus on foundations? 1. A Load of Laundry, Start to Finish 1. Having a laundry day can be overwhelming because the problem is now huge. And if you miss it…chaos. But doing a load of laundry every single day is simple. When you wake up, start it. After breakfast, move it to the dryer. Before lunch, fold it and put it away. If it’s one of your children’s baskets, have them put it away. Don’t sort into lights and darks. Have everyone keep a basket in their room for dirty clothes. Wash them all as one load. Then you never have to sort by person. They’...

Kozo Kaos

City Mission Op Shop – Sydenham Address: 63 Buchan Street Sydenham, Christchurch 8023 New Zealand Phone: 03 379 8393 Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Sunday: Closed About the Shop The City Mission Op Shop in Sydenham is a charity-run second-hand store operated by the Christchurch City Mission. It sells donated, good-quality items at affordable prices, with all proceeds supporting the Mission’s social services across Christchurch. The shop also serves as a donation drop-off point and provides volunteering and work-experience opportunities for people connected with City Mission programmes. What You’ll Find Pre-loved clothing for all ages Shoes, bags, and accessories Books and homewares Linen, bric-a-brac, and miscellaneous items Occasional vintage or unique finds Stock changes regularly depending on donations. Community Impact Money raised through the Sydenham op shop helps fund essential services provided by Christchurch City Mission, including: Food support and comm...

1. Avatar (2009) Jake Sully, a former Marine, travels to the alien planet Pandora where humans want to mine a valuable resource. Using an avatar body , he lives among the native Na’vi people and learns their way of life. Jake falls in love with Neytiri and begins to see that humans are destroying Pandora. In the end, he chooses to fight alongside the Na’vi to protect their land and becomes one of them permanently. 2. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Years later, Jake and Neytiri have a family, but humans return to Pandora to take it over again. To protect their children, they flee to the ocean and live with the Metkayina , a sea-dwelling Na’vi clan. The movie focuses on family, survival, and the ocean , while Jake faces a dangerous human enemy from his past. The story ends with the family stronger but still at war. 3. Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) The third movie expands Pandora even further and introduces a new Na’vi group linked to fire rather than nature or wat...

PART ONE: UNIT PLAN Unit Title: Year 10 ELL Writing Foundations  Curriculum area: English (ESOL) Length of time 4 weeks Number of Lessons 6 Context:  I will be doing my placement in the first 4 weeks of Term 2, 2026 at Hillmorton High School in Christchurch Hillmorton High has a diverse range of language backgrounds.  The school's Year 10 ELL class is studying Writing Styles and Formats in Term 2 . As, I will only be at Hillmorton High School for four weeks, I will need to: settle the learners into the topic of writing and outline what the expectations are for this level.  I will need to teach foundational writing skills and set writing assignments  that will produce writing for their portfolios. Another goal is to help prepare students for  week 4's co requisite literacy requirements in week 4.  A final goal is to be sure that what I have taught is helpful for the teacher who follows on after me. CLEAR DESCRIPTION OF THE TOPIC: (2 Marks) D...

Visiting Turanga 📚 Mini Lesson: Visiting Tūranga Library Level: A2 Time: 40–45 minutes 1️⃣ Warm-up: Talking About Libraries (5 minutes) Teacher prompts: “What is a library?” “What can you do in a library?” Write answers on the board: read books study use a computer borrow books Pair talk (A2): “Do you go to the library?” “What do you do there?” 2️⃣ Vocabulary Focus (10 minutes) Places & Things library shelves librarian computers study area Actions read borrow return look for ask for help Rules be quiet walk inside no food or drink 👉 Quick check: “What does borrow mean?” “When do we return a book?” 3️⃣ Library Rules – Discussion (5 minutes) Write on the board: “You must be quiet.” “You must walk.” “You must look after the books.” Ask: “Why must we be quiet?” “Is food allowed?” A2 speaking: Students complete the sentence: “In the library, you must ______.” 4️⃣ Useful Sentences at Tūranga (10 minutes) Practice these together: “Can you help me, please?” “Where can I find this book?” ...

Upwords – Very Easy Rules Goal Make words. Start Take 7 letters  Your turn You can: Put letters on the board, or Put a letter on another letter Words Words go across or down  Use real English words Words must touch other words Stacking You can put a letter on top You can stack up to 5 letters  Points 1 point = 1 letter Extra point for letters on top End No more moves = stop Most points wins MuJun starting to play Upwords

The tortoise and the hare Many years ago there was a very fast hare. His name was Hare. Hare was always talking about how fast he could run. He talked about himself so much that all the other animals got tired of his talking. There was a very slow tortoise too. The tortoise’s name was Slow and Steady. One day Slow and Steady got tired of Hare’s talking and said to him, “Let’s have a race.” Then Hare said, “How can you run faster than me? I am the fastest animal. It will be nothing for me to win the race.” Slow and Steady said, “I will do my best.” On the day of the race, all the animals came to watch. They were interested to see who would win the race. Hare and Slow and Steady stood in line and somebody said, “Go!” Hare started running very fast. He ran hard and soon he couldn’t see the tortoise. After a short time, Hare started to get sleepy so he stopped. He said to himself, “I can run much faster than Slow and Steady. I’m going to have a sleep.” He lay down and went to s...

  13 Rules on How to Be a Good and Effective ESL Teacher 1. Don’t Be a Dictator When Teaching ESL As a teacher, the classroom is never about you, but only the students. This is not to imply that you should let students walk over you or that they shouldn’t conduct themselves respectfully. What it means is that you should create a classroom environment where the students feel comfortable to speak, ask questions, be creative and engage not only with you but with their fellow classmates. It is not your job to get up there and lecture and talk down to the students. If you are a person with control issues, then you ought not to be teaching ESL or any subject for that matter. If you are teaching adults, remember that your students are adults and never treat them like children. Just because they speak English at a low-level doesn’t mean they aren’t well-educated and dignified in their own language. If you are teaching adults at a private language school, the reality is that if they can aff...