Crescunda 34

28 Merchant Taylors’ Prep School Newsletter - 25.03.2022 MTP English Writing can be a lonely process, so earlier this term Year 5 were challenged to collaborate on an unusual writing project called ‘The Adventures of Tap and Switch.’ The project is based on a trip the Year 8s made three years ago to the Southbank. Using the framework pieced together by the writer Joseph Coelho, the boys were tasked with the job of each writing a particular scene. Mr Knight and Ms Currie then stitched together pieces from each and every boy’s writing to form the whole adventure. The story is set in the robotic world of Amp-Hampton, and features two quirky robots, Tap and Switch. Have a read and explore the weird and wonderful world of hover boards, creepy staircases, strange inventors and wacky professors! The Adventures of Tap and Switch Part 1 It was another glorious day in Amp- Hampton and Tap and Switch were getting ready for school. Tap was a fairly small, friendly, modern robot. He had a sleek, black screen that was always smiling unless he was asleep (then it looked like a mini, rectangular black hole!). Framing his screen, were four slick, white strips of metal. He had a semi-circle shaped light on top of his bed, which was a lush green when he was active, red when he was charging or asleep and flashing a sunny yellow if he was low on battery. His body was polygon shaped, he was as white as a sheet of paper, with a grey Bluetooth sign in an oval on the edge of his chest. His foot was half a sphere and kept him in the air. Tap’s arms hung off his body like branches on a tree and at the end of each one was a claw. Switch was a large old-fashioned robot covered in gears and cogs. Switch was constantly leaking waves of oil. Switch had the same personality as Tap but never managed to keep a normal monotone and couldn’t stop her ear spring waving about and hitting people. Tap’s sensor detected sun fairly quickly and he went downstairs for breakfast. Tap and Switch both had their favourite food: Switch ate blackout bagels and Tap ate CPU chips. Soon after they felt a rumbling noise. You might be thinking: a rumbling noise? They are probably in trouble! But it was just DS 2.0. DS 2.0 stands for Dragon Surfboard 2.0. It is called Dragon Surfboard because it is a robot dragon that shoots escape surfboards from its mouth! Tap and Switch live in it and travel in it too! Switch plugged the charger in to start DS 2.0 up. It roared like a volcano starting to erupt. It wasn’t electring (that means it wasn’t raining electricity), so Tap and Switch used their surfboards. “Slow the dragon surfboards down! I can see school!” shouted Tap. The surfboards slowed down and Tap and Switch parked them outside school. They entered the building. They were searching for Professor Processor’s room. Mr Professor Processor is their school teacher. He is a very smart and generous person. Sometimes he can be angry but mostly he is a good person. A while later they found his room. “Good morning Professor Processor,” said Switch. “Good morning,” said Tap. “The first lesson is how to build a new robot!” shouted Professor Processor. “I have put a tablet with the instructions and some groups on each table.” Luckily for Tap and Switch, they were in the same group. Tap immediately got started, tangling wires and clipping them to hydraulics. Switch bent a sheet of metal as if it was paper until it made hands, then tore it apart and gave the hands to Tap who attached them to the wires. When Switch put the final bit of metal on the robot, Tap placed two eyes on the robot. A few minutes later the bell rang. It was time for break. Tap and Switch finished updating and went outside. Tap and Switch talked together in the playground whilst eating their snack. Tap had charge crackers and Switch had battery bagel. “Come on Tap! Let’s play hide and seek!” exclaimed Switch. Switch counted to thirty while Tap hid. Switch is good at the game, because she has super strength to lift up bushes to see if Tap’s behind them. When they play hide and seek, Tap has to promise not to float up into the sky, otherwise Switch would never find him! Switch found Tap and Tap found Switch (you know how it goes). After a couple of games, they heard a strange noise in the playground and they decided to investigate. Part 2 During break time Tap and Switch head a strange noise in the playground and they decided to investigate. As they were investigating, the noise got louder and louder. At first they thought it was one of the robots making weird noises, but as they got nearer to the sound, they were beginning to doubt it. “I do hope it isn’t something scary,” Tap said. Switch answered, “If it is, run away and never come back to school again.” “Ok,” Tap gulped. As they came to the end, they realised it was coming from a box. Switch opened the box and… “What is it?” said Tap. “I don’t know,” said Switch. Switch stared at it, looking confused. Inside the box sat a thing with wild, red, overgrown hair standing on its pale head. It had a green piece of clothing wrapped around it, with holes for the head, arms and legs. Small, oval shaped, beans spilled from pockets in the vivid green outfit. However, this thing had skin. No cogs leavers or buttons, not even a screen. It wasn’t a robot. “Tap check your search log for this creature,” said Switch. Tap’s thin- orange smile turned irritated. “Really? For this? It’s probably a prank!” “The material is astounding! The pale, white paint on his body and flaming red fuzz on his head is so cool!” exclaimed Switch, enthusiastically. Tap sighed, his