Report (Fire in Laboratory)

A Report about a Fire in the School Science Laboratory

To: The Principal,
SMK(P) Methodist,
Jalan Tengkera,
75200 Melaka. (F1)

Explosion in the Chemistry Laboratory (F2)

Last Friday, which was the 13th of May 2011 (C12), my friend, Lucinda and I, saw a suspicious man run out of the chemistry laboratory while we were waiting for our parents to pick us up after school. The strange man was dark-skinned, possibly Indian, had black curly hair and was wearing untidy clothes which had patches on them. His hair was unkempt and messy and he had fashioned a beard (C1).

Right after he had run out of the laboratory, there was an explosion in the lab. There were no teachers around at that moment and it seemed as if my friend and I were the only witnesses to the incident. So we headed towards the lab to investigate the explosion.

When we reached the laboratory, we discovered that a terrible fire was raging inside it. We were horrified. Realising that the chemicals in the lab were probably flammable, we decided to attempt to put out the fire (C3). Lucinda grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher and we hurried into the lab (C2) before the fire caused more damage. Suddenly, more explosions occured behind us (C4). We truned around, only to be greeted by a devastating sight. The explosions had caused the flames to spread near the door. We were trapped (C5) and there was no way out.

Lucinda and I frantically looked around for another escape route. We noticed the windows but they were narrow and had metal bars across the window-frames (C6) which barred them and ultimately, we could not get out that way. We were about to search for an alternative exit, but the fumes and smoke were overwhelming and we started to choke (C7). We had no other choice, so we ran to windows and broke the glass panels (C8). Then, we screamed (C9) at the top of our lungs for help. People heard our cries and gathered outside the laboratory (C10). Somebody called the fire brigade and thankfully, the fire fighters arrived in just a few short minutes. My friend and I were mercifully rescued (C11) and were extremely grateful to everyone who helped us.

Not long after, the fire fighters put out the dreadful fire and everyone was filled with relief. However, I can bet that nobody was as relieved as Lucinda and I.

Written by:
Michelle Soon (F3)
Form 4K5
SMK(P) Methodist,
Melaka 

A Difficult Situation

Novel, Step By Wicked Step - A Difficult Situation

Write about
(a)   a difficult situation faced by one of the characters
(b)   how the character managed to resolve the problems in that situation


     Based on the Form 5 novel 'Step by Wicked Step' by Anne Fine, a character that faced a difficult situation is Claudia from the story 'Green Pyjamas'.

     Claudia's difficult situation stemmed from the dissolution of her parents' marriage. Her father then moved out to live with his mother and later, he got a new girlfriend named Stella. Although Claudia knew very well that Stella did not play a part in her parents' divorce, she could not help feeling a sense of loyalty and faithfulness towards her mother. Hence, she rejected all of Stella's warm advances and ignored Stella. She also pretended to hate all the time she spent at her father's place although she knew that her actions would hurt Stella's feelings.

     At a dinner party hosted by her father and Stella, Claudia rudely rejected Stella's invitation for her to join them. However, fueled by her curiosity, she sneaked down and eavesdropped on the guests. To her surprise, she noticed that her father's friends were all ignoring Stella - probably out of loyalty to Claudia's mother whom they had been friends with too. From an outsider's point of view, Claudia realized how unfair they had all been to Stella. All the guests left Stella out of their conversations, leaving her in an awkward state of silence. They did not even seem to appreciate the food that Stella laboured over.

     At that very moment, Claudia decided to resolve the problem that had been plaguing her. She decided to make things right. She changed into the pair of green pyjamas Stella got her, and ran down surprising both Stella and her father's friends. Claudia then exclaimed how much she loved the pyjamas - a simple act but with profound impact - and instantly, her fathers' friends began to warm towards Stella. From that day onwards, Stella and Claudia maintained a warm relationship.

     In a nutshell, Claudia faced a difficult situation in feeling torn between both her parents. In a divorce, it is often hard for a child to accept that his or her parents are not a single entity any longer. However, in the end, Claudia resolved the problem by doing what was right. She understood that it was very mean and unfair to treat someone badly for something that was not their fault. It is something that all of us should take note of in our lives. Our actions might seem minute but the consequences could mean the world to someone else.

The Character That You Dislike

Based on the novel ‘The Curse’ you have read, write about a character that you dislike. Support your answer with information from the novel.

In ‘The Curse’ by Lee Su Ann, the character I dislike is Normala, the village gossiper.

Everyone dislikes her for spreading stories. She is called the ‘slimy cobra with a three-forked tongue’ by Siti and the ‘snake of a woman’ by Asraf. Normala happily spreads stories about Madhuri and claims that she was murdered. Normala is seen as wicked and mean by the villagers. Normala claims that she saw the body of Madhuri and that she saw white blood on her. She tells people about the bad relationship between the two sisters and adds fuel to the burning gossipy issues of the village. All these gossipy tidbits added spice and sauce to the stories that were circulating in the village.

Normala is superstitious and easily frightened by all that she sees and hears. She strongly believes that the village is cursed and that they all will suffer. At the funeral, Normala takes great pains to inform the women folk of all the goings-on in the village. Normala has a group of women hanging on to her every word and absolutely enjoys being the center of attention.

People like Normala can be irresponsible and harmful for they can be malicious with their gossipy words.

Moral Values

Novel, Step By Wicked Step - Moral Values

Moral values are found in every poem, story or novel. Moral values are values that may be rightor wrong or lessons about life that one can learn. In this novel, Step By Wicked Step, there aremany moral values. Each moral value must be supported by evidence from the text.Below are some examples of moral values:

1.  Appreciate family relationships and try to get along with family members.

2.  Think carefully before one makes a decision.

3.  Being Responsible.

4.  Coping With Change/Adapting To A New Situation

1.  Appreciate family relationships and try to get along with family members. (Pixie’sStory & Claudia’s Story)

•  There must be love in a family. Love brings all the members of the family together.

•  Family relationships break down if there is a lack of understanding.

•  Family member must work together and support each other.

•  Family members must be tolerant towards each other. They must learn to give and take.

•  Family members must be caring towards each other.

•  Family members must be honest and truthful to each other.

•  Family members must appreciate each other.

•  Family members should protect each other

2.  Think Carefully Before Making A Decision. (Richard’s Story)

•  We have to make many decisions in life.

•  When we make any decisions, we must consider others as well.

•  Every decision we make has a consequence (effect) on us or someone else.

•  Sometimes we make right decisions and sometimes we make wrong decisions.

•  The right decisions will bring good results (beneficial) whereas the wrong decisions canbring harm.

•  Right decisions bring positive changes and wrong decisions bring about negativeconsequences.

•  Negative consequences from a wrong decision cannot be reversed. 

3.  Being Responsible (Claudia’s Story & Pixie’s Story)

•  Parents should be responsible for their children.

•  Children should be responsible towards their parents and siblings (brothers and sisters).

•  We have to be responsible for any decisions we make.

•  We have to be responsible for the consequences of the decision that we make.

4.  Coping With Change/Adapting To A New Situation (Pixie’s Story & Claudia’s Story)

•  Change happens all the time.

•  Change disrupts normal routine.

•  Change can cause problems.

•  Adapting to change is better than resisting.

•  We can change things for the better but this requires patience and effort.

The Most Interesting Event

Novel, The Curse – The Most Interesting Event

Based on the novel you have learned, which event is the most interesting event for you . Give reasons for your answer.

I choose The Curse by Lee Su Ann. In my opinion, the most interesting event from the novel is when Azreen first met the Old Lady.

Azreen first met the Old Lady when she was challenged by her friends to go to the Old Lady’s house. The villagers believed that the Old Lady is an evil witch, so they forbade their children to go to the Old Lady ’s house. However, Azreen’s curiosity and bravery led her to the Old Lady’s house. As she called out for the Old Lady, her friends scampered and some even looked very scared. When she met the Old Lady and the Old Lady asked her to go away, she did not think the Old Lady was evil. After that day, Azreen kept going to the house until the Old Lady became friendly with her.

In my opinion, this event is most interesting because after the day they became friends, the Old Lady became the person Azreen talked to or turned to whenever she had problems. For instance, Azreen would go to her house whenever she got into fights with her father. The Old Lady would listen to her problems and calm her.

Apart from that, this event is the most interesting because from the Old Lady, Azreen had learnt to forgive the people who had done her wrong. For instance, Azreen had forgiven her father for murdering her sister, Madhuri after understanding the reason of her father’s action. If Azreen had not met and befriended the Old Lady, she might not have forgiven the people who had done her wrong. As a result, she might not go back to London feeling free and feeling like a new person.

In conclusion, the most interesting event is when Azreen first met the Old Lady because of the above reasons. 

A Terrifying Experience

"If mum finds out that I'm going to the beach, I'll be in big trouble." I muttered to myself softly. 

I crept slowly down the stairs and tried to walk casually into the kitchen. As I was walking towards the back door, mum asked without looking up from her "dish-washing", "Where are you going?" I answered back without hesitation, "I'm going to the garden to play." After I got out of the kitchen, I breathed a sign of relief. My plan had worked out fine so far. I scaled the fence and jumped onto the muddy field next to my house and started running towards the bus-stop at top speed.

After half-an-hour, I was at the beach scanning the crowd for my friends, Jimmy and Bobby. After a while, I spotted them near a coconut tree. I ran towards them and got into my swimming trunk. For about an hour, we played volleyball happily.

Suddenly, Bobby hit the ball too hard and the ball fell into the sea. Just as Bobby was going to pick up the ball, the tide came in and carried the ball further and further away from the shore. I wanted to show off my swimming skills so I decided to get the ball for them.

I dived into the water and started swimming at a steady pace. After swimming for about ten minutes, I became tired but when I saw that the ball was only a few feet away from me, I put in an extra burst of speed. However, just as I was going to grab the ball, a very strong current swept the ball further away from me. At that moment, a string of weed tangled up with my feet and I could not swim properly.

I struggled to keep afloat but it was no use. "If I had listened to mum and dad, this would never have happened," I thought silently.

Finally, after struggling for a minute or two, I had no more energy and got pulled underwater. I tugged at the weed which finally broke. I swam back to the surface, gasping for breath. I saw two young men in canoes, racing each other. I was exhausted but I shouted to the men for help. The two men, instead of helping me, ignored me and raced on. By the time, a lifeguard who was holding a life buoy reached me, I had already fainted.

When I woke up, I was in an empty room lying on a bed. It was not until a doctor came into the room that I realised that I was in a hospital. After a few minutes, my parents with half angry and half worried faces walked in. My parents scolded me for sneaking out of the house but were also glad that I was not seriously injured.

I will never forget that terrifying experience. Neither will I ever want to show off again.