Students cozied down into their novels for about 15 minutes today, before finally receiving the long-awaited work time for their synthesis pieces.
Those pieces were available to them in the Writing Lab at lunch today.
Most students have the day off tomorrow - We will pick up where we left off on Monday!
Well, we ran out of time again!
The librarian, Ms. Paul, popped in to give us prizes for Monday's work (and bookmarks for the joy of it).
Students did a good job of focusing on their new novels - really impressive.
We worked through the practice quiz collectively.
We closed the class with a brief conversation about the bigger questions around the two stories we are working with.
Tomorrow's class will be reading, followed by an uninterrupted work block for the synthesis pieces.
Make sure to bring those books - it was great to see you reading today!
In today's block, we tried to fit in a bit too much 😅
We started the block with students reading their new library books!
We talked a bit about Thomas King, and the news that came out yesterday regarding his claim to Indigenous ancestry.
We looked at the "Direct and Indirect Object" sheet, before students were given Practice Quiz # 1 (for homework if not yet complete).
We briefly reviewed the Compare/Contrast sheets so students could keep their trains of thought rolling and ready for tomorrow's work!
Library Day!
Ms. Paul did an library orientation and Goosechase for students today - it was great - THEY were great!
Everyone should have a novel ready to go for tomorrow :)
During today's class we did the first two pages of direct and indirect object work. Students filled in the chart on the second page, but we will correct it next week.
We then went back over expectations in terms of the synthesis work we are doing for the two creation stories, and students worked on the projects.
If students are looking for work to do over the weekend, they can think about engaging categories for contrast on their projects, or run back through the simple sentence work we have already done.
Have a great weekend!
Today we talked about comparing and contrasting (finding the similarities between things, as well as the differences).
When thinking about contrast, we considered the idea of categories - broad ideas through which one might compare two things. We looked at Pop and Rap music, and considered the ways in which they might be contrasted, such as melody and rhythm, or origins of the music.
We listened to part of Thomas King's Massey lecture on Sky Woman starting at 17:30 or so of the first section, to about 32 minutes.
Students will be continuing work with Genesis, and The Woman Who Fell from the Sky over the next few classes, but should not be doing extra work on this at home right now.
In today's block, students discussed the examples they found with partners, then in groups, and then as a class.
We looked at some statistics, as well as specific Canadian and Global examples of this issue, and, surprisingly, that took us to the end of the block.
A few astute students began thinking about how these discussions connect to the creation stories we have been looking at --> that line of inquiry will take us through the next several classes.
No homework!
Today we finished the 5th page of the simple sentence work, as well as pages 6 & 7 of the verb work.
Students looked at the terms: agnostic, atheist, theist. monotheistic, and polytheistic.
Last week, students looked at a number of creation stories from all over the world. Today, we read the story of Genesis.
Homework: Students
should answer the first three questions, and the last question on page 8
of the package attached to the Genesis creation story.
Students shared the origins, interesting points, and common ground of the creation stories their group mates chose.
We discussed how much overlap there is in stories from across the globe, in spite of those stories coming from times when populations crossed paths much less frequently.
We spent the last part of the class looking at simple sentences.
HMWRK: Complete pages 1-4 in your grammar package, and have a restful weekend.
Many students arrived with excellent creation stories - ready to share!
Some students did not do their work, and were therefore unprepared - Please do better.
Students shared creation stories in groups, looked for points of interest and common ground, and then made notes for brief presentations tomorrow.
We started a new unit today: World Religions (Through Story)
We talked about the religious makeup of the global population, and that of Canada.
We discussed why our understandings about the size of some groups differed from reality (largely related to history, stories told, and current conflicts).
We looked at images from the James Webb Space Telescope (and one scientist's picture of chorizo passed off as one of those images) and the big questions/thoughts those images bring about.
We moved from these questions to discussing common ground in creation stories. Students selected a region from which they will research a creation story, and then set about working on page 3 and the top half of page 4 in their booklet due for class tomorrow.
The information they should have in their booklets is as follows:
We had a shortened block today, due to the Remembrance Day assembly.
The class finished the movie to close off their unit on The Giver - New things to come on Wednesday!
Students have been working hard on final assignments - packages, utopia/dystopia ads, and paragraphs - and are due for a break.
Today they received their ads, and we did a gallery walk to see all the remarkable work of classmates. Most students took their bio poems home - they have been replaced on the wall with their latest project pieces.
We began watching the 2014 version of The Giver, which we will continue on Monday.
When we return on Wednesday, we will start start something new!
Today was all about putting pencil to paper - getting words on the page - and putting all the thought from the last few classes into written action.
Students were expected to finish their paragraphs in class (those with ELL/AIP/IEP allowances have had extra writing lab/tutorial time if needed).
Onward!
Today's class was the last prep block for paragraph writing. Students were welcomed to tutorial and the writing lab - they are welcome to tomorrow's tutorial too - but whatever is on the paper by class time tomorrow is what they'll have to work with for their in-class paragraph write.
Students will write tomorrow,and on Friday we will celebrate this week's utopia/dystopia work with a gallery walk.
Students looked briefly at what a hook is, and then continued with their outline work. All students had a great deal to do, but many were off-task.
By the end of our next block, students will have to work with what they have in order to complete their paragraphs on Thursday.
The work cannot go home, but it is available during tutorial, and in the Writing Lab tomorrow.
Despite a number of short blocks, and sugar-fuelled afternoons for some, most students are making steady progress in their paragraph planning.
Students have:
While everyone should be at the point of planning their second point by next class, many have not yet been able to get a signature for their character traits/events. Those who do not have their traits decided, or have not yet got an initial from me, are strongly encouraged to come to tutorial to get ahead.
During tomorrow's class we will look at the concept of a hook in depth, and students will continue their planning work.
All students are encouraged to head to the Writing Lab for extra planning time this week.
A number of students handed in the final piece of work, and then we turned toward the holiday. We had a good visit - some word games and a...
