Lesson 35

 

Students learned about first-person, limited omniscient, and omniscient points of view.

We discussed what students remember about paragraphs, and any questions they have about paragraphs in high school.

Students looked at a list of character traits in their new writing package, and highlighted all which they felt applied to Jonas --> then they picked their top three.

Students took the top three character traits and set about associating each trait with a specific event in the story - - > a moment in which it was clear that Jonas is ___________.

We will continue with paragraph work tomorrow - students will leave these packages at school, but are welcome to come into tutorial to have their traits signed off on ahead of class time. 

Lesson 34

 

 Today's was a marathon class!

Since these students do not have their own copy of the text, we pushed through the remaining chapters, before taking the last few minutes to work on project pieces. 

We will begin a 4-day prep + 1-day writing cycle tomorrow, after which students will get a rest to watch the film. 

Students are reminded that all question booklets are due on November 3rd, and their posters are due on November 4th.

Lesson 33

 We talked about  the many good things and positive interactions between folks in our class, and the school - it is good to dwell on the positive sometimes!

We discussed moments students are aware of/connected to, when a group (or individual) stood up to push back and create change in their society - revolutionary resistance - many shared personal connections.

We talked about the protagonist of the novel --> how he has been taking a step forward to push back, then stepping back into line.

We reviewed the back page of the 17-20 package, so students could think about character development in this text -- we followed this by reading chapters 18 & 19. 

Students had the final 15 minutes to work on their Utopia/Dystopia pieces. 

 

Lesson 32

 Students had a lesson in the various types of character today, before receiving a new package for Chapters 17-20.

The different kinds of character are in  the new package - students should study them, and be able to tell the difference between them.

We listened to Chapter 17.

Students had the remainder of the class to work. Some added to their conflict section, using Chapter 17, some did a little more theme work - all ended the block working on their Utopia Ad Projects.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Lesson 31

 

 We have extended the deadline for Utopia (/dystopia) ad work to November 4th, so that students have more time, and are also able to incorporate even more elements from upcoming chapters.

We reviewed types of conflict, and students got some ideas of where to find person vs. self and person vs.society examples in the text. Please note that other examples of conflict will be added as we move forward - examples from chapters 17 onward can go into this booklet.

We reviewed theme briefly, before reading Chapter 16.

Students worked on the theme sections of their booklets for a stretch, followed by partner (or solo) work on their Community Ad pieces. 

Lesson 30

We did a lesson on theme today - specifically, we looked at the contrast between morals and lessons which were so much a part of story work in elementary, and theme. 

Students worked  through a list of events in the story (page 39 of their booklets) and matched them with 1 (or 2 if pushed) of the themes in bold on the previous page.

We listened to Chapter 15, and then students worked for the remainder of the block on their project pieces. 

Some Humanities B students need to check in with themselves and ask if their behaviour is consistent with that of a student interested in learning. 

 

 

Lesson 29

 Students began the class with a quick timeline review (ad work due Tuesday, next week) and check in.

We reviewed the various kinds of conflict, then read Chapter 14.

Students worked on finding at least one example of a conflict in Chapter 14 - They noted the example, found a quotation to illustrate the example, and then explained the kind of conflict.

Students should be looking for a good "Words of Wisdom" quote as they go, as they will need one for this section.

Anyone missing classes should be sure to get on top of the reading, and check in with partners as needed. 

We concluded the block with 20 minutes of time to work on utopia ad assignments.

 Students received the rubrics for their Bio Poem work - there was a lot of wonderful work :)

We discussed Freytag's Pyramid, and the parts of story - as well as why stories follow a particular form.

We then talked specifically about internal and external conflict, and the kinds of conflict. 

Students listened to Chapter 13, and set about looking for a person vs. society conflict to title, quote, and explain in their packages.

We talked again about the project we are working on, and students had 15 minutes or so with their partners - we will continue this work next week!

Lesson 28

 

 Students received the rubrics for their Bio Poem work - there was a lot of wonderful work :)

We discussed Freytag's Pyramid, and the parts of story - as well as why stories follow a particular form.

We then talked specifically about internal and external conflict, and the kinds of conflict. 

Students listened to Chapter 13, and set about looking for a person vs. society conflict to title, quote, and explain in their packages.

We talked again about the project we are working on, and students had 15 minutes or so with their partners - we will continue this work next week!

Lesson 27

 Today's drill made for a discombobulated set of blocks!

***NB A number of students came to tutorial this morning to re-work poster pieces. Whole groups need to meet together (unless someone fails to show up) - Thursday ( a week today) is the last day changes can be made to the poster, or Chapter 1-6 work.

Students should have completed the package for 11/12 (they can continue in Writing Lab, in tutorial, or at home if needed).

If you would like to do review, or deepen your understanding, look up the concept of dystopia. Think about the following questions:

• What would you be willing to give up in order to live in peace?
• Should the rights of the community outweigh the rights of the individual?
• Who has the right to decide what is best for a community?

 BIG QUESTION FROM YOUR PACKAGE: What evidence is there that Jonas has begun ignoring the rules of his community? (what makes him/enables him to do this?).

Students were briefly introduced to an upcoming partner project, and can begin brainstorming!

Lesson 26

 

A lot happened today!

We opened the block with a review of all of the good things that came out of yesterday's debates.

Students got a look at their "Ceremony of  Twelve" work - many groups have work to do to reach proficiency. This work must be completed, either in tutorial, or in the Writing Lab, by Thursday, the 23rd. Any additional work on the first package must also be done by that date.

We listened to Chapter 11, considered the various "perfect" qualities of the community in the text, and pondered which of those we would keep for our perfect communities. 

We discussed UTOPIA as a concept, then listened to Chapter 12.

Anyone who missed today's class has a great deal of catching up to do BEFORE tomorrow's block. They can come to tutorial, but should also be able to access a text from a local library, or online. 

Lesson 25

 

Students worked for a few minutes ensuring they had their debate points ready to go - then they presented.

Lots of good, well-supported points were made today!

Students received the next booklet for the novel, and are to complete only the reflection write on the front page (choose any topic, and discuss in any way you wish - just be sure to support points with evidence/anecdotes/depth).

If you missed today's class, you need to attend tutorial to make a plan to make up missed work.

Lesson 24

Students began today's class by working on their Chapter 9/10 packages - These should be complete by Tuesday's class - students are welcome to tutorial if they need a text and are unable to find a library copy (or access a pdf online).

 Students then moved into their working groups for debate topics, selected a point for each group member, ensured that the explanation was supported with a clear example, and then handed in all points/sheets for use during Tuesday's class. 

Lesson 23

 

 Students read Chapter 10, then worked on their question sets.

We talked about what the "Yes/No" points on their "Both Sides" sheets need to look like, before students continued their work in pairs. 

Students were moved into groups of 4 to continue work on their debate points - this will continue tomorrow.

Students are invited to continue chapter question work, but there is no specific homework.

Lesson 22

 Students (but for a final five - apologies) received the assessed packages today. They have an idea of what they are doing well, and the competencies that they need to work on.

Students are welcome to come to tutorial to see/work on their packages, or to work on them in the Handsworth Writing Lab.

• a number of students have been using the lab to good effect, but some of those who were encouraged to attend have yet to do so.

Students listened to Chapter 9, and had some time to work on their new question set. Students have these questions with them, and can continue work as needed.

At the end of the block, students took a quick look at their "Seeing Both Sides" sheets, and started work on the "No" side. These were collected, and will be worked on again tomorrow. 

Students are working very hard on skill building right now, and should be pleased with the work they  have done, so long as they did their best.

Lesson 21

 

Check in with yourself - were you on-task today? Did you come ready to work? Were you able to bring something to the table to help your group? 

If you know your behaviour was not what it should have been today, please fix it for tomorrow. 

Students should have finished the Ceremony Quote poster - If your group has polishing to do, you should be in tutorial tomorrow morning. 

Students received a partner (in some cases a trio) and a topic to go with their "Seeing Both Sides" sheet. We are preparing for a debate - much more intro work is needed, but we ran out of time today.

HMWRK: Your topic should be written across the top of your sheet - for homework, please find four "Yes" pieces of evidence to support the statement. (We will discuss what counts as evidence, and the overarching plan for the next few classes tomorrow)

Topics are:

A - Peace and safety of the community are more important than individual rights.

B - Memory and history are an important part of human life.

C - The world would be better off with less technology.

D - Pain is an important part of human life.

Lesson 20

 

 We did a quick "current events" chat, before students had 10-15 to go back through Chapter 7 and look for quotations and descriptions (as per the 7/8 sheet).

We listened to Chapter 8 and students added to their notes.

Students moved into groups, and began work on a  master diagram of the ceremony, with quotations (as per the examples shown, and the 7/8 sheet.

Each group should be ready to come in and get to work -WITH COLOURS - next class. They will only have 20-25 minutes to complete the visuals. 

Lesson 19

 

Today was Bio Poem Celebration Day! 

Students did a wonderful job writing about themselves, and lots of thought and creativity went into the work. 

Each student shared a line from their work, and then classmates took turns offering positive feedback - everyone had something to add :)

Students received a note sheet for Chapters 7&8 - We listened to Chapter 7, and students should have made a very rough sketch, and/or noted key quotes from the chapter.

We will continue this work next class - NO HOMEWORK

Lesson 18

 

 Today was a big day!

We talked about this short reel of Dr. Jane Goodall, specifically with a mind toward tomorrow's Bio Poem celebration.

Students were at varying stages in their chapter 1-6 work, but everyone handed in that work today. 

Tomorrow, students will have finished Bio Poem Projects - Due at the beginning of the block. 

NB - If you are looking for a copy of the assignment, you can find it dropped in the "General" section of your team!

Lesson 17

 

Students received new seats - they aren't permanent, but they will be for a little while. 

Students worked for a stretch on the questions for Chapter 5, then listened to Chapter 6.

While students will have a good deal of tomorrow's class to continue work on the 5/6 package, they will be handing in all three packages by the end of the block.  

Anyone who feels they will need more writing time than the 35-40 minutes in tomorrow's class should do additional work at home tonight, and/or in tutorial tomorrow. The freewrite on the front of the package is an excellent piece to work on - solo - at home, as no text is required.