Feeding Frenzy

	: Feeding Frenzy	Trend task

Approach: Independent

Level: Year 4 and year 8

Focus: Poetry writing

Resources:Video recording on laptop computer,
4 “Things to think about” cards, 4 individual answer sheets

2.7MB

Plum video

Questions/instructions:

This activity uses the computer.
In this activity you will be writing a poem about seagulls feeding. Before you write your poem you will see a video which will help you to think of some good words and ideas.

Hand out individual answer sheets.
You can write your ideas on the page that says “Ideas” - but this is not your poem.

Point out “Ideas” page.

We’ll watch the video now, and you can try to write down some good words and ideas for your poem.

Click the Feeding Frenzy button.

Now it’s time to write your poem using your own words and ideas. You’ll be writing your poem on the page that says “Write your poem here”.
Point out page. Hand out “Things to Think About” cards.

››	Click here for exemplars

VIDEO SCRIPT: You’re going to start this activity by seeing and hearing some poems. You will notice that the poems have been written in different ways. (Three poems displayed one at a time and read aloud. See poems below.) In this activity you are going to write a poem. To help you get started with your ideas, you’ll see a short video showing seagulls. As you watch the seagulls, try to think of some good words and ideas that you could use in your poem. The video will start now. (Video of seagulls fighting over a parcel of chips.) Now it’s time for you to think about your poem. Here are some things to think about: (“Things to Think About” card read aloud.) Here is the video again. (Seagull video repeated.)
Feet by John Parker We can scratch we can bounce, we can cling and run and pounce. On the ends of our legs, we have hooves and claws, waggling flippers, furry paws – we’re glad our feet don’t look like yours!	Jet-Whales by John Parker I think that jetplanes have tails like whales. Jet-whales surf waves of clouds dive in jet-streams, and swim the huge, high oceans of the sky. Sometimes they trail a white wake as they make their piercing jet-whale song. Even when they’ve gone I hear them singing, singing strong and long, strong and long.	Write a Poem by Desna Wallace Write a poem – make it whistle, make it whisper make it whirl. Write a poem – make it happy, make it hiss, make it howl. Write a poem – make it spooky, make it squirm, make it squawl. Write a poem – make it yodel, make it yelp, make it yours.

% responses
2006 ('02)

Line form:
(followed poetic conventions)

consistently

9 (10)

26 (22)

mostly

16 (12)

26 (35)

somewhat

29 (28)

28 (29)

not at all

46 (50)

20 (14)

Sense of “feeding frenzy” conveyed:

extremely strong

2 (0)

11 (8)

quite strong

8 (6)

23 (24)

moderate

26 (20)

35 (26)

very little or none

64 (74)

31 (42)

Clarity and coherence:

very good

4 (5)

21 (18)

good

26 (18)

41 (39)

moderate

40 (42)

27 (31)

low

30 (35)

11 (12)

Appeal to wider audience:
(appropriate to share, read aloud,
relates to seagulls)

excellent/very good

2 (0)

14 (11)

good

16 (14)

33 (26)

moderate

34 (29)

34 (40)

low

48 (57)

19 (23)

Total score:

8–12

6 (3)

33 (31)

6–7

14 (12)

23 (15)

4–5

16 (17)

19 (25)

2–3

31 (27)

15 (21)

0–1

33 (41)

10 (8)

Subgroup Analysis:

Year 4
Year 8

Commentary:

On average, year 8 students performed much better than year 4 students on this poetry-writing task. There was a slight improvement between 2002 and 2006 at both year levels, and only a modest difference in the performances of boys and girls at year 8 level.

MID RANGE EXEMPLARS:
YEAR 4: Title: Frensefedin Secols (Seagulls) fight like cats and dogs Secols fly like Plans (planes). Secols Screch like cats and dogs Swoms (Swarms) of Secols are fun to chas abawt. Secols are fun I saye Seagulls eat eney (any) food that thay see. Title: Feeding Frenzy There are some seagulls fighting Over chips screeting grasping for Their chips eating fast before Others get Theirs scrething, gasping Catching more and more jet planes Coming for lunch. Chasing each other The end Title: thouth the cloud I sort I saw a bird. But it was a seagull down it went thouth the clouds he saw afest but he sort it was a bread thousand of bird flying down like a rocket Title: Yum Fish and Chips Seagulls Enjoying All Gustly Ugly Lumpy Lush Scraps! Title: Seaguls squake Seagulls Squake while eating fish and chips and munching down lunch gulls from far and wide use there beak to peak there lunch, lunch, lunch. learking around for more to eat Seagulls Squake	YEAR 8: Title: Sighting Seagulls Seagulls, Seagulls as far as I can see, Seagulls, Seagulls are stealing food off of me, Seagulls, Seagulls are fighting, Seagulls, Seagulls are ready for sighting Seagulls, Seagulls can be pesky critters, Seagulls, Seagulls ate our fritters! Seagulls, Seagulls were biting my hand, Seagulls, Seagulls are in my band! Title: seagulls Squking seagulls Eating wanting food. Angre seagulls made with eatother Get me food Un pulite Lunch I nead lunch Lashing Seagulls Eating Attacking Tired Intellingince Nastey Eluding Title: Seagulls Flying around like wild beasts of the sky Skauking and screeching all over a warm meal Fighting each other for bigger pieces. Again and again they’ll come back for more Only to find there’s nothing left. Title: Sea guls feeding As loads come flying down Making lots of sound Scraching for some food not to Miss out All just coming in crowding in Grabing a couple of the chips With there orange beaks then scram Off the table then back for more Title: None irritating, hungry, noisy bunch Always wanting a little crunch. cawing, clawing squealing and talking never actually doing much walking Flying creatures in their feature sometimes end up on a T-shirt Tourists try to feed their bellies but this is what happens on Teli.
HIGH RANGE EXEMPLARS:
YEAR 4: Title: Seagulls At Feed Seagulls, Seagulls everywhere, Screeching, Squaking, Squealing A huge white cloud drops down To rest It swirls Soars and Snatches It’s favourite meal is here The noise meter reaches 100 A fight A squabble An argument Then as if the leader called Up up and away They left Licking their lips Title: Seagulls feeding While seagulls are feeding They screach They squak, They scream like hawks While seagulls are feeding It’s nasty work They fight They snach Like opening a hach Title: Feeding Frenzy Squarking constantly Envy is what posesses them Actually deserving of someones dinner Greedy monsters sore and swoop Untrained flyers always hungry Lurking around staring With their beady eyes Lovely but always screaming So demanding Title: Scwoky birds Segals scwork and scwork They fly and dive all around Eating all your lovely food Flapping wings so big and strong Hungry scavangers ripping paper Strong beaks to eat the food Not wipraining but so loud As they weil aroud you head And then get ready to dive and eat your food Title: Seaguls Feeding Seaguls Squaking, Screching Scrambleing trying to get a bite to eat. Seaguls Flapping, Fighting Figuring out the best way to get to the food.	YEAR 8: Title: Sea Gulls A cloud of white rolls in. Lunging down sharply Ruffled feathers attack Gobbling despretely Intense fighting, pleeding to eat Food evaporates Pudgy gulls trudge off. Title: Feeding Frenzy Savaging seagulls sweeping through the sky Were wondering when is the first one gona die. There fighting like mungruels all packed in a bunch. There fighting for survival all over some lunch. Im wondering why can’t they share. But I can tell they don’t even care Oh my gosh they are so rude! Title: Squaking Seagull As I look out towards the beach I see Seagulls fighting for food Fiesty seagulls squirming through trying to get out of the crowd. Seagulls yodelling, singing there ear-piercing songs Whirling round and round and round trying to get the food first. I see seagulls pouncing on each other making the food there own. Swarming through trying to see what the commossion is all about. Visious, angry, hungry seagulls Awaiting something more for there hungry stomachs Embracing the adoring taste of fish + chips. Title: Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! They seem to say As they strike again And again, Bouncing back Like a ball and string Wings flapping, flying In and out, No one wants to miss out. The smell of Fish and Chips Is clear in the air There’s no stopping them now, Now that they have, Grabbed their chance, Food is food, And they want it, Oh, they want it bad. Mine! Mine! Mine! They say, Mine! Mine! Mine! Title: Feeding Frenzy Sitting, flying Swooping diving nipping each other for food Packing, scratching cawing and flapping and being so awfully rude.


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