Writing Instructions
1. First, add flour, baking powder and salt in a
bowl.
2. Next, mix the ingredients together.
3. Then, pour oil and water into the bowl.
4. Stir everything together.
5. Make a ball of dough.
6. Then, pound the dough.
7. Knead the dough.
8. Next, stretch out the dough.
9. Spread tomato sauce on the dough.
10. Sprinkle some cheese on the dough.
11. Then, put it on a tray.
12. Finally, bake it in the oven for 30 minutes.
I am a dolphin. I am very cute and active. I have a stream-lined
body. I also have a short stiff neck. I am a very active predator. I eat a wide
variety of fishes, squids, and crustaceans such as shrimps and mussels.
I live in the deep blue oceans. When I give birth, my baby, the
cow or bull’s tail will come out first. This will prevent my cow or bull from
drowning. When my cow or bull is fully out of my belly, it will suck my milk
until it can hunt for food on its own. When I sleep, I will sleep with one eye
open. This will prevent my predator from eating me because I will be able to
see my predator coming.
Jaymee Glenys Waters (24); Burgundy 2
An Autobiography of a Giraffe
(by Willa Gibson Frankford Elementary School, Greenbrier County
Teacher: Amber Workman 1st Place Winner (Grades 5-6))
Hello down there! I am a
giraffe. I live in a zoo. I eat lots of plants. All the animals tease me. They
say things like, “How’s the weather up there?” That’s not even the worst part.
They won’t invite me to play sometimes because I’m too tall.
You may think living in a zoo
would be fun. Well, it’s not. The elephants run everywhere because they thought
they saw a mouse. The monkeys scratch places you wouldn’t want to know about.
The zookeeper --- don’t get me started with the zookeeper! First, he never
waters my tree, and he always gives me meat. I’m an herbivore! He thinks he’s a
good dancer. Reality check-He’s NOT! Still think the zoo is fun? This will
change your mind. Little children with grubby little hands always try to touch
me. Then the parents go, “Oh, honey! Don’t touch that…..it may bite!” That’s
very offensive, thank you very much! I have lived here since I was born. I
won’t live in the jungle. I hear the frogs are very aggressive. Also, the
tadpoles will eat you whole. The trees are dead. The water isn’t sparkling. I
can go on for a long time, if you like. Let’s just say I’d rather live in the
zoo.
I just received some news. I am
getting moved to the San Francisco Zoo, the most wonderful place ever! I’ll see
lots of exotic animals like goats---the kind that waddles, zebras, antelope,
and lots more! So, I’m packing my bag! Here comes the zookeeper! Eek! I’m going
to San Francisco!
Hello everyone I am a dolphin. I have long streamlined bodies
designed to travel quickly. We are very cute and smart. Most of us, including
the bottlenose dolphin live in the oceans. Some of us live in freshwater rivers
and streams. We are active predators and eat a large number of fishes and
squids. We, dolphins, usually sleep with one eye open. We do this to avoid
being eaten by sharks. We can hold our breath for about 15 minutes.
I am a Bengal lion. I was born in the jungles of India.
I roamed wild in the forest along with others of my species. I was as free as a
bird. I killed lambs and goats and feasted upon them. I was the master of all I
knew. I feared nobody. All the other animals of the jungle were afraid of me.
Even elephants took to their heels on seeing me. I was proud of my prowess.
One day, a hunter armed with a gun came to the forest.
He fired random shots and struck terror into the heart of one and all. My
parents advised me not to leave my den, but I turned a deaf ear to their
advice. I slipped out of my hiding place and began to roam about quite freely
and fearlessly.
I came upon a young fat lamb tied in a small hut. My
mouth watered at the sight. I sprang upon it and began to eat it up. Suddenly
the door closed in upon me. I was caught in the hunter’s trap. I was allowed to
starve. I became lean and thin. I was reduced to a skeleton. I lost all my
strength and fierceness. I was as meek as a lamb.
I am a stray dog living on the streets. I have a brown body with some black spots. My ears are short and pointed. I have big black eyes and a black nose. When I am happy, I will wag my long bushy tail. I look quite dirty as I have not washed myself for a long time.
I have no name. People call me all sorts of names. Some kind
children try to become friendly with me and offer me bits of bread or other
items of food but their parents don’t encourage them.
I have been living in this place ever since I can remember. I have
to fight with other dogs for food and a place to sleep.
I see many tasty things to eat in shop windows, but I rarely get
to eat them.
What do they
look like?
Sea otters have very thick fur. They have four
legs to move on land. They also have webbed feet and a long
tail to swim in the water.
Where do they
live?
Sea otters spend their entire lives in the sea.
They rest and sleep by floating on their backs in the water.
When they eat, they go on shore.
What do they
eat?
Sea otters eat other smaller creatures such as
crabs, fish, clams and mussels. They use rocks to break open
clam and mussel shells.
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Did You Know? The Orange-Striped Hermit Crab looks for a bigger shell when it grows
bigger. It looks for a shell that is big enough so it can hide deep inside it
for protection. When it is shopping for shells, it can fight with other
hermit crabs over a shell that it wants.
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Physical Appearance – What does it look like? The Orange-Striped Hermit Crab has two claws
or pincers that are orange with white bumps. Its four walking legs are brown
with orange stripes. It carries an empty shell everywhere it goes for
protection. Usually, this is an empty snail shell. |
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Habitat – Where does it live? Orange-Striped Hermit Crabs can be found in mangroves, on shores and
among seagrasses. In Singapore, you can find them on the sand bars of Chek
Jawa Wetlands and the seagrass flats of Changi beach. |
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Diet – What does it eat? Orange-Striped Hermit Crabs are not picky eaters. They eat anything
from algae to dead animals! |
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orange-striped, shell, protection, claws, pincers, orange with white
bumps, walking legs, brown with orange stripes, mangroves, shores,
seagrasses, sand bars, seagrass flats, picky eaters, algae, dead animals |
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Orange-Striped Hermit Crabs
can be found in mangroves, on shores and
among seagrasses. In Singapore, you can find them on the sand bars of Chek
Jawa Wetlands and the seagrass
flats on Changi beach. |
What does it look like?
•
Fluted
Giant Clams come in different colours and patterns.
•
It is
15 to 30 cm long.
•
Its
thick shell has two halves. The two halves are like “lips” with a wavy opening.
The “lips” do not close completely, with the shell opening facing the sunlight.
When it is in water,
its “lips” expand.
Where does it live?
•
The Fluted
Giant Clam attaches itself to rocks or pieces of coral that are broken.
•
Due to
over-collection and loss of habitat, the Fluted Giant Clam species now occur in
very low numbers in Singapore and could soon be extinct (no longer exist)
here.
What does it eat?
•
It gets
its food from the algae that live within it.
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Did
you know? • The fluted giant clam got its name
from the rows of deep open flutes on the two halves of its shell. •
It
has both male and female reproductive organs. It therefore produces both eggs
and sperm! •
Its
“lips” are sensitive to light. The “lips” pull back in when divers swim over
it, or when it senses danger. •
It
has a row of eyespots along the edge of its “lips” to help it spot possible
danger. •
It
can squirt a jet of water at a target accurately. This scares away other
animals that want to eat it! Fluted Giant Clams are now
endangered. This is due to their slow rates of growth and reproduction, and
people collecting them for their shells and food. Fluted Giant Clams play an important
role in the sea. They provide food and shelter to other animals and help
clean the seawater. When they die, their shells become part of the coral
reef. |
What does it look like?
A Flower Crab has eight legs and two pincers. Its last pair
of legs is shaped like paddles, helping it to swim well. The male Flower Crabs are very different from the female
ones. The male ones have longer pincers
than the female ones. Their pincers can be two or three times longer than the
width of their bodies. Males are a lot more eye-catching than the females. Male
Flower Crabs have blue markings and attractive patterns on their bodies. Female
Flower Crabs have dull green and brown bodies. (By Group 1)
Where
does it live?
It can be found on many of our shores. It likes to live in shallow waters with muddy
or sandy seabeds. It cannot live long out of water.
What
does it eat?
It mostly eats slow-moving
creatures found at the bottom of the sea, such as snails, clams and worms. It may also eat fish, shrimp and other
smaller crabs.
Did you know?
It
is not easy to spot a Flower Crab. When it senses danger or gets trapped in a
pool of water at low tide, it buries itself in sand or mud. Smaller Flower
Crabs hide among seagrass and seaweed.
When Flower Crabs are in danger, they
spread out their pincers. The red tips on their pincers serve as a warning to
other animals that want to eat it. They use their pincers to fight. Their hard
shells that are covered in spines also protect them from danger.
Like many other crabs, the Flower Crab
can only mate right after the female crab sheds her exoskeleton, before her new
one hardens. Do you know why the male Flower Crab is often seen holding onto
the female? He is waiting for the chance to mate and is preventing other males
from mating with her.
What does it look like?
•
The
Singapore Green Tree Snail has a green shell and pale body.
•
It is
about 3cm to 5cm long.
Where does it live?
•
It
prefers to live within shrubs or trees, and rarely comes down to the
ground.
•
It can
be found in the undisturbed forest areas at certain parts of the Central
Catchment Nature Reserve and some of
our offshore islands.
•
It
exists only in Singapore and nowhere else in
the world!
What does it eat?
•
It
feeds on fungi, algae and other material on the leaves and bark of trees.
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Did
you know? • A Singapore Green Tree Snail has
both male and female reproductive organs, but still needs another snail to
mate. •
When
the Singapore Green Tree snail senses danger, it pulls itself back into its
hard shell. •
It
has a green shell, so it hides itself very well in greenery. To spot one, you
need very good eyesight and a lot of patience! |
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•
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•
It can
also be seen feeding on algae on solid surfaces such as walls and floors.
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•
It
wraps a leaf around its eggs after laying them. This is to prevent them from
drying up. If the eggs dry up, they most likely will not hatch. |
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•
The
Singapore Green Tree Snail may soon no longer exist. It is therefore important for us to
conserve our forest habitats, and not collect their shells. |
