Month: March 2023

Land Wars

Land Wars: The New Zealand wars were a series of mid-19th-century battles between some iwi and government forces, which included British and colonial troops and their Māori allies, who were sometimes known as kūpapa.

Looking at the land wars, they changed the face of New Zealand in the 19th century. Tens of thousands of Māori may have died in the intertribal Musket Wars fought between the 1810s and the 1830s. Muskets reorganize intertribal warfare, decimating some tribes and drastically shifting the boundaries and margin of areas controlled by others. Thousands fled their traditional lands, complicating questions of ownership and opening large areas to potential Pākehā (European) settlement.

Between the 1840s and the 1870s British and colonial forces fought to open up the interior of the North Island for settlement in conflicts that became known collectively as the New Zealand Wars. Sovereignty was contested on the ground despite the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, and Māori became less willing to sell land to the rapidly growing European population. Many Māori died defending their land; many other Māori allied themselves with the colonists for a variety of reasons, sometimes to settle old scores.

Most of the several thousand people killed during the New Zealand Wars were Māori, and the land of many of the survivors was subsequently confiscated.

Aftermath: Both sides of the New Zealand Wars suffered many casualties. After some research, although exact numbers are unknown, most historians agree that Māori lost more than 2,000 fighters. The combined British and colonial governments and their Māori allies most likely lost less than half that number. Although the main fighting was over in 1872, pockets of Māori resistance continued through the end of the 1800s.

After the passage of the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863, the British and colonial governments confiscated more than 2.5 million acres, 1 million hectares of land from Māori tribes. Most of the land was taken in the north, including in Taranaki, Waikato, and South Auckland. Some of the land was eventually returned to Māori control. However, the damage to Māori society, culture, and economy lasted for decades.

The Landlady


Task description: This week during Reading, we are learning to identify Foreshadowing in a text, and connect my prior knowledge to help me make meaning when I infer. We had to correctly Identify where the author has used foreshadowing in a text, and explain how you worked out the hidden meaning of the text. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

🔪🩸HELP🩸🔪

🔪🩸HELP🩸🔪

B . Weaver
June 20, 1942

Mrs . Katerina Petrova,
2010 Cinderella Road, Mangere Bridge, United states of america
New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dear Mrs Katerina

I am writing to express my concern for my living situation… I have been wanting to talk to you for a while now, but due to me needing to move on such short notice, I was able to let you know. I arrived in Bath a couple of hours ago. I spent my time searching for a place to stay. I came across a poster for accommodation called “Bed and Breakfast”.

It was awfully cheap, and of course I didn’t think twice before deciding to stay there. I was just looking for something affordable, and I had found it. One thing I wanted though, was it had to have good living conditions. I don’t understand why but I couldn’t stop thinking about the poster after I had seen it. Every part of my body told me not to go, yet I still had a gut feeling I should.

And as always I did the exact opposite of what I thought. I really am lost without you. Anyways, I made my way to the location of the accommodation, which is a boarding house that is in a large city located in Somerset, England. I had other choices and I think I made the wrong decision, I don’t think I’ll make it, by the time you get this letter who knows what she could do.

You’re probably really confused right now so I’ll explain how it happened. To start off I had choices for places to stay. I was deciding if I wanted to stay at the boarding house, but on the other hand, a pub would be more congenial than a boarding-house. There would be beer and darts in the evenings, and lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a good bit cheaper, too. I have stayed a couple of nights in a pub once before and I had liked it.

I had never stayed in any boarding-houses, and, to be perfectly honest, I was a tiny bit frightened of them. The name itself conjured up images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers in the living-room. After dithering about like this in the cold for two or three minutes, I decided that I would walk on and take a look at The Bell and Dragon before making up my mind. I turned to go.

And then a queer thing happened to me. I was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once my eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there. BED AND BREAKFAST, it said. BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST.

To be forthright with you, each word was like a large black eye staring at me through the glass, holding me, compelling me, forcing me to stay where I was and not to walk away from that house, and the next thing I knew, I was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell.

And I know what you’re thinking, “what the hell is wrong with me,” I know it might have been dumb decision, fine, it was dumb decision but I don’t know why but I had a feeling like I was meant to see that poster, like it was put there for me. I could feel it calling my name, I had grown attached to it in a weird, captivating and spellbinding way, I don’t understand why…

Now that you’re all caught up, we can move on. I still think, and believe, the landlady is a bit odd because she’s very forgetful. I would even refer to her as being slightly dotty, if I’m being honest. She’s also odd because she has a boarding house which has no guests. And I know what’s going through your head right now, and I don’t want to hear it.

Let’s just hope I’m still alive for you to lecture me. Also is it just me or is it freaking weird as hell that she charges very little for her rooms and even includes breakfast. So I’m just going to quickly recap what happened, okay so…

I told her I was on my way to The Bell and Dragon. But the notice in the window just happened to catch my eye. And she responded with “My dear boy, why don’t you come in out of the cold?” But before I did anything I asked “how much do you charge?” “Five and sixpence a night, including breakfast,” she said. And of course, as I said before it was fantastically cheap.

Another thing that has bothered me ever since I had my first cup was, she kept on oftering me tea, and of course I would have said no usually, I didn’t want to hurt the old bird’s feelings. And a weird and preternatural thing happened to me. She said we had something to talk about after I unpacked so this is when we were talking in the living room.

As she’s talking about the men, I describe the tea she’s giving me as tasting of bitter almonds. The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds, and I didn’t care much for it. Until she kept asking, and later I remembered that most know that the taste of bitter almonds is a sign of poison, but I did not pay attention to this fact.

Before I just thought she was slightly dotty, but harmless. But after I figured out the tea really contains POTASSIUM CYANIDE, a poison. I know for a fact I’m going to be joining the other DEAD GUESTS, Christopher Mulholland and Gregory Temple who have never left the BOARDING HOUSE because she killed and stuffed them, like her other pets.

And you are 100% thinking… “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU” and I don’t know how to answer that, but I can do anything but run, she has my full name, and all my information, and of course my dumbass didn’t think twice before handing all of my information over. I’m so lost without you…

I wish I hadn’t left now, I miss everyone, I made so many mistakes in the couple hours I was in Bath, who knows what I will do in a week. I so dumb, please I need help, you’re my go to person. You’re the only person I trust to know what to do when I’m stuck. I’m the dumbest person in the world who signs papers before thinking about it… I really need your help.

When you are not around me, I feel that a part of my soul is missing from my existence. I miss you! Time flies when you are with me and on the other hand, time stops when you are not with me. I miss you so much. Love you tons. I miss you so much, my friend! Nobody can take the place of the love and care you have showered me with! Missing you and not being able to see you is the ugliest feeling ever. I will miss you until you are back.

I love you, and thanks for always being there for me whenever I needed it. You are present in every single one of my thoughts. I hope to see you pretty soon as I miss you way too much, dear. Missing you is just like breathing air, you can’t live without it. I hope you are doing well. Sending you warm wishes. I love you so much. Being away from you has made me think about you more than I used to. I hope you are doing great and miss me more than I do. Bye for now, I hope to hear from you soon…

Your truly, Billy Weaver
Love Billy ♡♡♡

__________________________________________________________

Task description: This week during Writing, we are learning to use foreshadowing in make tension. “Foreshadowing” is a narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted. You can learn more about foreshadowing below. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

Foreshadowing:

Many times authors will give you clues about what might happen next in a story. These clues are called foreshadowing. You need to watch for them as you’re reading because they can help you predict what events will be coming later on in the book.

For example, let’s look at the following passage:

‘The house was so old it looked like nobody had lived there for years. The boards on the side of the house were all cracked. The yard had waist-high, dried-up grass that looked like hay. Bits of it pushed through rotted boards on the porch. All it would take is one spark and the whole thing would go up in flames.

What do you predict might happen next? Notice that the author has mentioned dried-up grass, grass on the porch, the cracked boards on the house… and then he mentions flames. Do you think a fire might happen in this story? This is an example of foreshadowing; the clues the author has given you help you predict that the house will catch fire and burn down.

Sometimes you don’t know what the author was foreshadowing until something happens and then you realize that there were clues in the beginning of the story that hinted at what’s happening. Reading carefully can help you try to figure out if the author is giving you clues.

BMF


Task description: This week during Maths, we are learning to find equivalent fractions. We are also learning to compare 1/2 and 1/3. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

The Landlady – Comprehension questions


Task description: This week during Reading, we are learning to identify Foreshadowing in a text, and connect my prior knowledge to help me make meaning when I infer. We had to correctly Identify where the author has used foreshadowing in a text, and explain how you worked out the hidden meaning of the text. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

Fabulous Fractions


Task description: This week during Maths, we are learning to find equivalent fractions. We are also learning to compare 1/2 and 1/3. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

Is A Fractions Star


Task description: This week during Maths, we are learning to find equivalent fractions. We are also learning to compare 1/2 and 1/3. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

Equivalent Fractions – Step Up!


Task description: This week during Maths, we are learning to find equivalent fractions. We are also learning to compare 1/2 and 1/3. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

Suspense and Tension


Task description: This week during Writing, we are learning to create tension and suspense in our writing. We are also learning to identify features of creating tension and suspense & use them in our writing. After that I completed the task, and I posted it on our blog. I enjoyed this task very much, and I hope to do more like this soon. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment; thank you for visiting my blog.

💸The Next Victim💸

💸The Next Victim💸

 

The two coins in my pocket clinked together as I stumbled down the cold pavement, the holes in my shoes turning my feet into blocks of ice. My heart was warmed though in the knowledge that I was rich. A slit smile appeared on my face as I heard a shrill cry echoed in the mist. 

 

I swear I was hearing things but sometimes it was too real… Icy wind slashed at my face, and I felt the rain starting to dance its evil dance upon my head as I tried to get run away from what I had become. I quickened my pace as the clouds began to gather in the sky. 

 

Up to now, the sky had been postcard-perfect, but it was changing. The beautiful cocktail-blue shade was beginning to darken into gravel-grey. Large pillows of cloud were forming, blotting out the old-gold colour of the sun.

 

The hair stood on end, a shiver raced down my spine and a lump came to my throat. It was her… I had felt lightheaded a few hours beforehand. I even bumped into several chairs and tables! My vision went fuzzy and black for a few seconds before… I fell to the ground!?! The air turned black all around me…

 

Everything stopped, people were stood like statues all around me, people in cars, men on bicycles, babies in prams all lifeless, frozen in time. Soon it all disappeared… I saw a woman dressed in white sitting on a bright red couch. It was placed in the most colourful room humanly possible, it was the most supercalifragilisticexpialidocious I had ever seen! 

 

I have lived a long life, in my many years I have gone to millions of places and seen over a million people and things. But the couch wasn’t any ordinary couch… It wasn’t just some random blinding red colour for no reason, because it was once a bright white couch. Over the years people have come and gone, and each time they did, the couch got a little bit more red. Soon there wasn’t any more space to fill…

 

The woman’s name was unknown, the only name people had ever heard to be her name was lily. The woman didn’t like people very much and didn’t talk to a lot of them. There were many different rumours about her, everyone in the neighbourhood thought she was going crazy or sick in the head. She didn’t care what others had to say, all she cared about was herself…

 

The woman stared at the TV as bloody tears rolled down her cheek. She sat on the stained red couch without the knowledge it was once white. The woman picked up the TV remote that was placed next to her, and turned the TV to channel 3… BREAKING NEW!?! 

 

The news reporter spoke in a tone that sent shivers down my spine. My trembling hands hovered just above my skin, afraid to touch myself for fear of getting caught, I felt fear in the hair on the back of my neck. 

 

It is like invisible fingers run along my spine. The reporter spoke as she said “today we are going to talk about some breaking news that is spreading like crazy on the internet. A mother who attempted homicide on her own kids, and is trying to deny it. We have more information about this now…

 

Lillian Salvatore, 36 years old, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on charges of first-degree murder in the death of her 2 year old son Stefan, and an attempted-murder charge related to her 7-year-old son, Damon. 

 

Lillian and her sons were reported missing by her husband, Giuseppe Salvatore, after the boys and their mother reportedly left to go visit relatives in Sumner, Iowa, on June 20, 2010. The next morning, Lillian walked into the home of residents in Littleton, Iowa, and told them that her sons were in danger. 

 

Stefan was found dead outside the family’s van. Autopsy results revealed the boy had died from severe cuts to his neck. His older brother, Damon, was found struggling for his life inside the vehicle and had suffered similar cuts. 

 

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Lillian falsely claimed that her children had been abducted. She stated that she couldn’t explain why she had done it. She stated that she couldn’t face anyone. 

 

She stated that she wanted to die or be locked up where she couldn’t hurt anyone else, the affidavit read. At the trial in October 2012, Lillian pleaded not guilty. Her attorneys argued that she suffered from extreme mental illness.

 

An Iowa jury heard a tape of her surviving son telling police how his mother covered his eyes, nose and mouth with duct tape, slashed his throat, and then did the same to his younger brother. On November 5, 2012, she was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury…”

 

The reporter’s voice drained out… The air around me started to turn black again!?! Footsteps slowly creaked on every step of the stairs. The bedroom door handle turned slowly. Death lurked in every doorway with hell at one dark window. Icy fingers gripped my arm in the darkness… 

 

I didn’t know if I should be scared or confused but either way I didn’t know what to do. BANG!?! The lights flickered and then it went black. My eyes flashed before me, then the sirens started, it was coming, I knew it wouldn’t be the last time… I got up and walked outside to see cops surrounding every corner. 

 

With their blood on my hands, I tried to deny it, but it was too late. A man with a gun spoke “what’s your name?” “Lily, Lillian Salvatore to be exact,” I replied in confidence. “Put your hands up where we can see them and step forward,” said the man! 

I walk towards him with my hand in the sky. I felt thousands of eyes all over me, I sensed a gut feeling of insecurity with each step… I looked at my hands as I lowered them, and whispered to myself “my time is up, goodbye for now…” And I was gone!?! Till this day all that is left is a red stain where I stood…