Happy Leap Year Day!
Period 1--AP 30
We continued with our discussion of the Awakening. This was done through a power point lecture with the students discussing on occassion (Although I certainly wish they would discuss more--who would have thought a teacher would want her kids to talk more?!).
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished looking at the K-W-L chart with what we'd learned about racism, discrimination, and segregation. The kids were then put into groups of 5 for them to come up with 5 questions about the novel that they wanted answered. We shared these questions and were just discussing them when the bell rang to end class. This will pave the way for a question paragraph assignment.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finished correcting our sheet about nations and discrimination in preparation for the novel, April Raintree. We then went to the computer lab for the kids to learn a bit more about Metis culture. They weren't quite finished, so we'll try to finish this up tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was an enegetic group today. They needed to come up with 5 questions about the novel that they had. Once they accomplished this, they were put into groups to share their questions and possibly answer them. Finally, each group was to come up with 4 questions of the novel that they wanted to have answered. We went through all of the questions together as a class and then I directed them to page 50 in their Resource Booklet that shows them what a question paragraph looks like. This will be their assignment to work on tomorrow.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
February 28, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We're gearing up to discuss The Awakening. In order to do this, we examined the concept of Victorial Literature. I showed a power point I had made up about Victorian society and reminding the students that all of these various ideologies filtered throughout the literature of the times regardless of how far removed they were from England. We see many aspects of the paradoxes found in Victorial thinking/literature in this novel. We also reviewed the basics of Creole society before diving right into the novel. We were just looking at Botecelli's "The Birth of Venus" and the connections that Chopin made between the painting and her character of Edna.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We interrupted our study of To Kill A Mockingbird (again) in order for the students to have a look at their timed writes. They were given the folders I made for them that will hold all their timed writes (like a portfolio). The rubric for the AP levels is in the folder as is a sheet that requires them to think about their strengths and weaknesses as a writer. We also went over a handout that I made of theri "Writing Sins" which were common problems that many of them made in their timed writes. This took the majority of the class. We deceided that the student who really wanted to re-write the timed write could do so, those who failed it, had to re-write, but I would also make this timed write count for a bit less than their next several ones will. We did get back to the novel towards the end of class. We went back to the sheet that I had them fill out about racial/social class/gender prejudice and segregation before they read the novel. We'll finish this discussion tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finished discussing the things that surprised them about the novel April Raintree and then what questions they still have left at the end of the novel. Then, I handed out a S-W-L sheet about the Metis people. We discussed the column that looks at what they know (or think they know about Metis People) and what they would like to learn. Tomorrow we will go to the computer lab and do a bit of research about the Metis. We also discussed the concept of a nation--what makes a nation, are the Metis a nation, etc.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We started studying Dracula now that the kids are finished reading the novel. We reviewed the K-W-L sheet that we had done before we started reading and filled in the "Learned" column. Then we quickly discussed connections (text tot text, text to world, text to self) that they may have made while reading the novel. We also discussed various symbols and motifs that the students picked up on in their reading. Finally, we spent the remainder of the class discussing a passage that each student chose from the novel. These discussions take us all over the book, but we did focus on the concept of the "perfect Victorian women" and the idealism behind the men protecting the women in the novel. Inevitably, the discussion also led to conversations between good vs. evil.
We're gearing up to discuss The Awakening. In order to do this, we examined the concept of Victorial Literature. I showed a power point I had made up about Victorian society and reminding the students that all of these various ideologies filtered throughout the literature of the times regardless of how far removed they were from England. We see many aspects of the paradoxes found in Victorial thinking/literature in this novel. We also reviewed the basics of Creole society before diving right into the novel. We were just looking at Botecelli's "The Birth of Venus" and the connections that Chopin made between the painting and her character of Edna.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We interrupted our study of To Kill A Mockingbird (again) in order for the students to have a look at their timed writes. They were given the folders I made for them that will hold all their timed writes (like a portfolio). The rubric for the AP levels is in the folder as is a sheet that requires them to think about their strengths and weaknesses as a writer. We also went over a handout that I made of theri "Writing Sins" which were common problems that many of them made in their timed writes. This took the majority of the class. We deceided that the student who really wanted to re-write the timed write could do so, those who failed it, had to re-write, but I would also make this timed write count for a bit less than their next several ones will. We did get back to the novel towards the end of class. We went back to the sheet that I had them fill out about racial/social class/gender prejudice and segregation before they read the novel. We'll finish this discussion tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finished discussing the things that surprised them about the novel April Raintree and then what questions they still have left at the end of the novel. Then, I handed out a S-W-L sheet about the Metis people. We discussed the column that looks at what they know (or think they know about Metis People) and what they would like to learn. Tomorrow we will go to the computer lab and do a bit of research about the Metis. We also discussed the concept of a nation--what makes a nation, are the Metis a nation, etc.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We started studying Dracula now that the kids are finished reading the novel. We reviewed the K-W-L sheet that we had done before we started reading and filled in the "Learned" column. Then we quickly discussed connections (text tot text, text to world, text to self) that they may have made while reading the novel. We also discussed various symbols and motifs that the students picked up on in their reading. Finally, we spent the remainder of the class discussing a passage that each student chose from the novel. These discussions take us all over the book, but we did focus on the concept of the "perfect Victorian women" and the idealism behind the men protecting the women in the novel. Inevitably, the discussion also led to conversations between good vs. evil.
Monday, 27 February 2012
February 27, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
I handed back the students' timed writes and we briefly went through some of the common errors in their writing. From there, they were allowed this one last class to work on their satires. We reviewed what a satire is and how they could best write one. They determined that elevated language to lend authenticity was important as well as adding "statistics or proof" to re-inforce the validity of their argument. This "proof" would, of course, be subject to a bit of creative license! From there a conclusion containing some more obvious verbal irony would be important to drive the point home. They chose their due date as March 7th.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
The students were given their ten literary devices words to study up for Friday. They will compete against the grade 10s. The winning class will get either a slush run or a pizza party courtesy of Mrs. Tulp--or something along those lines anyway. Once they copied down the words, I defined them for the kids and made sure they understood them. At this point, we resumed our discussion from before the February break about To Kill A Mockingbird. The students who hasn't shared their chosen quotation from before the break had the opportunity to do so now. This conversation took all through the novel so served as an excellent review of the contents of the novel.
Period 3--ELA A 30
I handed back the proof reading/editing sheet the students did before the break and we corrected them together. From there, we moved into April Raintree. I handed out a 3-2-1 sheet where the kids had to kill out three things they learned, two things that surprised them, and one question that they still have about the novel. As we discussed what they learned, it led into some interesting discussions about the novel itself.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
The students were given their ten literary devices words to study up for Friday. They will compete against the grade 11s. The winning class will get either a slush run or a pizza party courtesy of Mrs. Tulp--or something along those lines anyway. Once they copied down the words, I defined them for the kids and made sure they understood them. They are very confident that they will win! At this point, we needed to finsih the listening activity we started before the break with the poem "The Legend of the Qu'Appelle." They listened to it again, specifically looking for imagery. We shared our understanding of imagery from listening to the poem and discussed various examples. Toward the end of class, they were all given a hard copy of the poem and they had to think about whether they learned better through listening or reading. I was certainly pleased with their listening skills.
I handed back the students' timed writes and we briefly went through some of the common errors in their writing. From there, they were allowed this one last class to work on their satires. We reviewed what a satire is and how they could best write one. They determined that elevated language to lend authenticity was important as well as adding "statistics or proof" to re-inforce the validity of their argument. This "proof" would, of course, be subject to a bit of creative license! From there a conclusion containing some more obvious verbal irony would be important to drive the point home. They chose their due date as March 7th.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
The students were given their ten literary devices words to study up for Friday. They will compete against the grade 10s. The winning class will get either a slush run or a pizza party courtesy of Mrs. Tulp--or something along those lines anyway. Once they copied down the words, I defined them for the kids and made sure they understood them. At this point, we resumed our discussion from before the February break about To Kill A Mockingbird. The students who hasn't shared their chosen quotation from before the break had the opportunity to do so now. This conversation took all through the novel so served as an excellent review of the contents of the novel.
Period 3--ELA A 30
I handed back the proof reading/editing sheet the students did before the break and we corrected them together. From there, we moved into April Raintree. I handed out a 3-2-1 sheet where the kids had to kill out three things they learned, two things that surprised them, and one question that they still have about the novel. As we discussed what they learned, it led into some interesting discussions about the novel itself.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
The students were given their ten literary devices words to study up for Friday. They will compete against the grade 11s. The winning class will get either a slush run or a pizza party courtesy of Mrs. Tulp--or something along those lines anyway. Once they copied down the words, I defined them for the kids and made sure they understood them. They are very confident that they will win! At this point, we needed to finsih the listening activity we started before the break with the poem "The Legend of the Qu'Appelle." They listened to it again, specifically looking for imagery. We shared our understanding of imagery from listening to the poem and discussed various examples. Toward the end of class, they were all given a hard copy of the poem and they had to think about whether they learned better through listening or reading. I was certainly pleased with their listening skills.
Friday, 17 February 2012
February 17, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We backtracked and got the whole essay today and went over it. The students were appropraitely appalled by the idea of eating babies to reduce Ireland's overpopulation and poverty problems! We discussed satire and how this was a good example of it. From there, I introduced the assignment and gave them examples of past years' classes satirical solutions to problems. I told them a bit about some of the things to come in their course before the May exam. No major homework over the holidays but they will have to have the Awakening ready to go for when we're back.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished correcting the little reading quiz that we did on Wednesday. Then I had the students each choose two quotations from the novel that they found to be important to the work. As they shared their chosen quotations, we discussed them and their significance. I always find that this is a great way to review the novel.
Period 3--ELA A 30We did some pre-reading discussion of not fitting in and then got into the essay written by Drew Hayden Taylor called "Pretty Like a White Boy." This is a humourous look at the same theme that the last poem we looked at examined. It was interesting for the students to see the very different approaches to this, both with different genres and different tones. For the last 15 minutes of class, we read April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Since we were missing more than half our class, I allowed them to use the time to catch up on various assignments and continue reading Dracula which is due to be read after the February break!
Congratulations to the student hockey team who beat the teachers again this year!
Have a good week off!
We backtracked and got the whole essay today and went over it. The students were appropraitely appalled by the idea of eating babies to reduce Ireland's overpopulation and poverty problems! We discussed satire and how this was a good example of it. From there, I introduced the assignment and gave them examples of past years' classes satirical solutions to problems. I told them a bit about some of the things to come in their course before the May exam. No major homework over the holidays but they will have to have the Awakening ready to go for when we're back.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished correcting the little reading quiz that we did on Wednesday. Then I had the students each choose two quotations from the novel that they found to be important to the work. As they shared their chosen quotations, we discussed them and their significance. I always find that this is a great way to review the novel.
Period 3--ELA A 30We did some pre-reading discussion of not fitting in and then got into the essay written by Drew Hayden Taylor called "Pretty Like a White Boy." This is a humourous look at the same theme that the last poem we looked at examined. It was interesting for the students to see the very different approaches to this, both with different genres and different tones. For the last 15 minutes of class, we read April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Since we were missing more than half our class, I allowed them to use the time to catch up on various assignments and continue reading Dracula which is due to be read after the February break!
Congratulations to the student hockey team who beat the teachers again this year!
Have a good week off!
February 16
I was chaperoning the ski trip today, so I wasn't there, but this is what was left for the teachers covering my class.
Period 1--AP 30
They were to finish reading "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift, and then work on their own satirical solution to any conflict. Unfortunately, there was a photocopying glitch with this, so the students didn't have the entire essay. As a result the class wasn't as productive as it could have been!
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
Mr. Sobkowicz came in to do some guidance stuff with the kids while I was gone.
Period 3--ELA A 30
They were to use this class as a reading class to read their novel April Raintree. This must be read by the end of the February break.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
WE WERE ALL GONE SKIING! It was an awesome day and many of us (especially me) are sore today! There were just a few injuries and very well-behaved students. I learned to snowboard and didn't kill myself, so I could the day on the hill as a success!
Period 1--AP 30
They were to finish reading "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift, and then work on their own satirical solution to any conflict. Unfortunately, there was a photocopying glitch with this, so the students didn't have the entire essay. As a result the class wasn't as productive as it could have been!
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
Mr. Sobkowicz came in to do some guidance stuff with the kids while I was gone.
Period 3--ELA A 30
They were to use this class as a reading class to read their novel April Raintree. This must be read by the end of the February break.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
WE WERE ALL GONE SKIING! It was an awesome day and many of us (especially me) are sore today! There were just a few injuries and very well-behaved students. I learned to snowboard and didn't kill myself, so I could the day on the hill as a success!
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
February 15, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished the prose and free-response portions of the old exam to look at their thesis statements. From there we moved onto "A Modest Proposal." To introduce the idea, we brainstormed a bunch of world problems/issues, or even issues closer to home. Then, I gave them a sticky note and asked them to jot down what a potential solution could be to that problem. We discussed the problems and solutions (as well as the idea that there may not be a reasonable solution to these problems). I set the stage for the essay by explaining about the potatoe famine in Ireland and how dire circumstances were for the majority of people there. We had just started reading the essay when the bell rang, so we'll finish that tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
They had this class to finish their first timed write. Most finished just a bit before the bell, so I gave them a reading quiz for To Kill A Mockingbird. We were just going over it together when the bell rang, so we'll continue it next day.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We continued with the poem "Walking an Invisible Border" which evolved into some good discussion about conflict between First Nations and Euro-Canadian culture and the need for acceptance between the two cultures. Students are reminded to bring their April Raintree novels tomorrow for a reading period.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We did a listening activity today, although we didn't quite finish. We went through the definition of a legend (as opposed to myths) and reviewed events and people that we consider to be legends. From there, we moved to looking at some of the before, during and after listening/reading/viewing posters at the back of the room. We decided that to be a good listener, you must be attentive, make connections, and listen with purpose. They then listened to "The Legend of the Qu'Appelle Valley" by E. Pauline Johnson. They just need to get the gist of the story and analyze how much they understood about the poem. From there, we summarized it together from their memory of what they heard. We will continue our listening activity on Friday since the grade 10s are gone on a ski trip tomorrow.
I won't be here tomorrow as I lucked out and was chosen to be one of the supervisors for the ski-trip. If I don't break all the bones in my body after trying to snowboard for the first time, I'll be back on Friday!
We finished the prose and free-response portions of the old exam to look at their thesis statements. From there we moved onto "A Modest Proposal." To introduce the idea, we brainstormed a bunch of world problems/issues, or even issues closer to home. Then, I gave them a sticky note and asked them to jot down what a potential solution could be to that problem. We discussed the problems and solutions (as well as the idea that there may not be a reasonable solution to these problems). I set the stage for the essay by explaining about the potatoe famine in Ireland and how dire circumstances were for the majority of people there. We had just started reading the essay when the bell rang, so we'll finish that tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
They had this class to finish their first timed write. Most finished just a bit before the bell, so I gave them a reading quiz for To Kill A Mockingbird. We were just going over it together when the bell rang, so we'll continue it next day.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We continued with the poem "Walking an Invisible Border" which evolved into some good discussion about conflict between First Nations and Euro-Canadian culture and the need for acceptance between the two cultures. Students are reminded to bring their April Raintree novels tomorrow for a reading period.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We did a listening activity today, although we didn't quite finish. We went through the definition of a legend (as opposed to myths) and reviewed events and people that we consider to be legends. From there, we moved to looking at some of the before, during and after listening/reading/viewing posters at the back of the room. We decided that to be a good listener, you must be attentive, make connections, and listen with purpose. They then listened to "The Legend of the Qu'Appelle Valley" by E. Pauline Johnson. They just need to get the gist of the story and analyze how much they understood about the poem. From there, we summarized it together from their memory of what they heard. We will continue our listening activity on Friday since the grade 10s are gone on a ski trip tomorrow.
I won't be here tomorrow as I lucked out and was chosen to be one of the supervisors for the ski-trip. If I don't break all the bones in my body after trying to snowboard for the first time, I'll be back on Friday!
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day! I realized too late, that I should have been doing all kinds of love poetry today! Oh well--maybe next year!
Period 1--AP 30
We corrected their proof-reading and editing worksheets together. From there we moved onto looking at their thesis statement assignments. We went through the poem first. This took up the rest of the class, so we'll finish up with this tomorrow and move onto some satire by Jonathan Swift after that!
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
They had this period to work on their timed write. They were given two sonnets from which to choose to write their in-class essay. They will be able to have time to finish it tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
They had time to complete their proof-reading and editing worksheet as they missed out on it. then, we moved onto a new poem. We did some pre-reading activities by anticipating what kind of "Canadian voices" we might learn about in ELA A 30 and what types of things those voices might write about. This segued nicely into looking at native voices. We discussed some more about the point of contact between First Nations people in Canada and Europeans and the lasting impacts on both parties. The discussion led us to review (for those that have already taken History 30) smallpox, assimilation, treaties, Residential Schools, and acknowledge the societal guilt that many Euro-Canadians feel as a result of these rather brutal aspects of our shared past. Before the bell rang, we just finished reading the poem "Walking Both Sides of an Invisible Border" by Alootook Ipelli. We'll continue this tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We went over their editing/proofreading worksheet together as a class which taught them a few things about WHY some of their writing was ineffective. Yesterday we finished practicing creating thesis statements from an old AP exam. We did this together as a class. Today, they received an "new" old exam and their assignment is to come up with one thesis statement for each of the essay questions. To help them along, I helped them deconstruct/unpack the prompts and read the passages out loud to them. These thesis statements are due on Friday.
Period 1--AP 30
We corrected their proof-reading and editing worksheets together. From there we moved onto looking at their thesis statement assignments. We went through the poem first. This took up the rest of the class, so we'll finish up with this tomorrow and move onto some satire by Jonathan Swift after that!
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
They had this period to work on their timed write. They were given two sonnets from which to choose to write their in-class essay. They will be able to have time to finish it tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
They had time to complete their proof-reading and editing worksheet as they missed out on it. then, we moved onto a new poem. We did some pre-reading activities by anticipating what kind of "Canadian voices" we might learn about in ELA A 30 and what types of things those voices might write about. This segued nicely into looking at native voices. We discussed some more about the point of contact between First Nations people in Canada and Europeans and the lasting impacts on both parties. The discussion led us to review (for those that have already taken History 30) smallpox, assimilation, treaties, Residential Schools, and acknowledge the societal guilt that many Euro-Canadians feel as a result of these rather brutal aspects of our shared past. Before the bell rang, we just finished reading the poem "Walking Both Sides of an Invisible Border" by Alootook Ipelli. We'll continue this tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We went over their editing/proofreading worksheet together as a class which taught them a few things about WHY some of their writing was ineffective. Yesterday we finished practicing creating thesis statements from an old AP exam. We did this together as a class. Today, they received an "new" old exam and their assignment is to come up with one thesis statement for each of the essay questions. To help them along, I helped them deconstruct/unpack the prompts and read the passages out loud to them. These thesis statements are due on Friday.
Monday, 13 February 2012
February 13, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The AP kids had this class period to do a timed write on a John Donne poem. This continues their preparation to speed up their ability to write under time constraints as well as to recognize conceits in poetry.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
I showed these kids this blog, which I had neglected to do (sorry). I'll ensure to get a note home to parents about this as well as set up their email. Once we completed that, we really got down to analyzing Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With us" and made connections to modern society as well as analyzed the various resources of language employed by the poet. We looked at the standard AP question and created a quick thesis for this poem as well. After this, I had them refer to the AP Resource Booklet I made and we went over exactly how to do a Timed Write. They will be doing one tomorrow on a sonnet. It's a low pressure situation as I informed them that they have a choice and they also get to re-do the timed write after I go through their first attempt with them.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finally finished with Al Purdy's poem and then stuck with the same theme of what it means to be a Canadian by looking at the essay written by Al Pittman as he remembers "The Day I Became Canadian." This essay examines when Newfoundland joined confederation. We answered the questions at the end to ensure comprehension and then looked briefly at the tone of the piece.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with the old AP exam--essay portion in our work toward building proper thesis statements. We examined the prompt, read through the prose selection, and then started taking it apart with the prompt in mind. AFter this, we built a solid thesis statement together as a class. The students seem to be starting to understand the process of creating thesis statements. Finally, we looked at the free-response question and did the same (deconstruct the prompt, create a thesis).
The AP kids had this class period to do a timed write on a John Donne poem. This continues their preparation to speed up their ability to write under time constraints as well as to recognize conceits in poetry.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
I showed these kids this blog, which I had neglected to do (sorry). I'll ensure to get a note home to parents about this as well as set up their email. Once we completed that, we really got down to analyzing Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With us" and made connections to modern society as well as analyzed the various resources of language employed by the poet. We looked at the standard AP question and created a quick thesis for this poem as well. After this, I had them refer to the AP Resource Booklet I made and we went over exactly how to do a Timed Write. They will be doing one tomorrow on a sonnet. It's a low pressure situation as I informed them that they have a choice and they also get to re-do the timed write after I go through their first attempt with them.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finally finished with Al Purdy's poem and then stuck with the same theme of what it means to be a Canadian by looking at the essay written by Al Pittman as he remembers "The Day I Became Canadian." This essay examines when Newfoundland joined confederation. We answered the questions at the end to ensure comprehension and then looked briefly at the tone of the piece.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with the old AP exam--essay portion in our work toward building proper thesis statements. We examined the prompt, read through the prose selection, and then started taking it apart with the prompt in mind. AFter this, we built a solid thesis statement together as a class. The students seem to be starting to understand the process of creating thesis statements. Finally, we looked at the free-response question and did the same (deconstruct the prompt, create a thesis).
Friday, 10 February 2012
February 10, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished going through "A Valediction Forbidding Morning" and examined the various conceits in the poem. The students also did a diagnostic quiz on proofreading and editing issues so I can see where they may have deficiencies. They will have a timed write on Monday that will be based on a John Donne poem.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
These students also did the diagnostic test on proofreading and editing. From there, we finished the Shakespearean sonnet and moved onto Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With us." Unfortunately, we didn't get too far with this yet, but will exmaine it more closely on Monday.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students had some more time to finish their double entry journal of "Homo Canadensis." We were just discussing it as a class when the bell rang, so we'll finish up the poem on Monday.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
These students also did the diagnostic test on proofreading and editing. We started going through an old AP exam to get the students used to reading these types of prompts and then analyzing the poem or prose response to develop a thesis statement that could provide guidance for a timed write. They don't have to write the essay, but need to develop the thesis.
We finished going through "A Valediction Forbidding Morning" and examined the various conceits in the poem. The students also did a diagnostic quiz on proofreading and editing issues so I can see where they may have deficiencies. They will have a timed write on Monday that will be based on a John Donne poem.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
These students also did the diagnostic test on proofreading and editing. From there, we finished the Shakespearean sonnet and moved onto Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With us." Unfortunately, we didn't get too far with this yet, but will exmaine it more closely on Monday.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students had some more time to finish their double entry journal of "Homo Canadensis." We were just discussing it as a class when the bell rang, so we'll finish up the poem on Monday.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
These students also did the diagnostic test on proofreading and editing. We started going through an old AP exam to get the students used to reading these types of prompts and then analyzing the poem or prose response to develop a thesis statement that could provide guidance for a timed write. They don't have to write the essay, but need to develop the thesis.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
February 9, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We had a fun class looking at John Donne's "The Flea." For the most part, we paraphrased the poem and looked at the structure of the poem to see how that was related to the tone. Of course, no discussion about John Donne is complete without talking about the conceit that is used throughout the poem. We just started in on "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" but the bell rang before we got too far into it. We'll finish it tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
For the first 40 minute of class, Mr. Sobkowicz came in to do some guidance work with the kids. They had a questionaire to fill out that will be coupled with other timed tests to see what some of the students' aptitudes are. Once they were all finished with this, we finished the Shakespearean sonnet we started yesterday and almost finished discussing the second one.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We did a listening activity today that had the students tuning into an old CBC interview of Canadian author and poet, Al Purdy. Before they listened, we looked at how to listen effectively as well as closely looked at the questions they were required to answer in conjunction with the listening. As the students listened, they filled in what questions they could and then they were allowed to listen to the interview one more time to catch what they missed. From there, we moved into a reading activity with one of Purdy's poems, "Homo Canadensis." I read it out loud to the kids and then required them to do a double entry journal. They had to read the poem individually and then respond to it by looking at what the section means, any literary devices they can identify, impressions they have of someone, etc. We will continue with this tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We spent the first 15 minutes or so of class going over exactly what it means to edit. Then the students exchanged the ghost stories they wrote and edited each others' stories. From there, they had to fill out a green sheet that assesses and reflects on their editing experience and abilities. They should have given the newly edited copy back to the originial author and then discuss proposed changes and the reasons for them. We set the due date for the final copy of the ghost story as Wednesday February 15th.
We had a fun class looking at John Donne's "The Flea." For the most part, we paraphrased the poem and looked at the structure of the poem to see how that was related to the tone. Of course, no discussion about John Donne is complete without talking about the conceit that is used throughout the poem. We just started in on "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" but the bell rang before we got too far into it. We'll finish it tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
For the first 40 minute of class, Mr. Sobkowicz came in to do some guidance work with the kids. They had a questionaire to fill out that will be coupled with other timed tests to see what some of the students' aptitudes are. Once they were all finished with this, we finished the Shakespearean sonnet we started yesterday and almost finished discussing the second one.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We did a listening activity today that had the students tuning into an old CBC interview of Canadian author and poet, Al Purdy. Before they listened, we looked at how to listen effectively as well as closely looked at the questions they were required to answer in conjunction with the listening. As the students listened, they filled in what questions they could and then they were allowed to listen to the interview one more time to catch what they missed. From there, we moved into a reading activity with one of Purdy's poems, "Homo Canadensis." I read it out loud to the kids and then required them to do a double entry journal. They had to read the poem individually and then respond to it by looking at what the section means, any literary devices they can identify, impressions they have of someone, etc. We will continue with this tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We spent the first 15 minutes or so of class going over exactly what it means to edit. Then the students exchanged the ghost stories they wrote and edited each others' stories. From there, they had to fill out a green sheet that assesses and reflects on their editing experience and abilities. They should have given the newly edited copy back to the originial author and then discuss proposed changes and the reasons for them. We set the due date for the final copy of the ghost story as Wednesday February 15th.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
February 8, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We completed our discussion of Shakespearean sonnets which took the first half of the class. To round the rest of it off, we started a discussion of John Donne and Metaphysical poetry as well as conceits. We were just starting to look at "The Flea" when the bell rang, so we'll continue that tomorrow. The students will likely have a timed write on Friday. A reminder that their thesis practice is due on Friday and that they have to have The Awakening read for after the break.
Period 2--PreAP 20
We finished our discussion from Monday on "The Bait" by John Donee. Then we looked at the Shakespearean sonnets from yesterday. To clarify some understanding of scansion for them, we examined the rythm of their names. We applied that to Shakespeare's sonnets and illustrated how they are in iambic pentametre. From there, we examined sonnet 29, but the bell rang before we could finish. As a reminder, the students need to have To Kill A Mockingbird read for February 13th.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students had this class to work on their editorial about the Canadian Identity. I went over some examples of editorials and the students had a bit of latitude during the class to interview various people about their opinion of the question. We decided that April Raintree should be read for the second week in March.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This is their last class to work on their rough draft of their ghost story. We will get into the editing tomorrow. As a reminder, the students need to have Dracula read for after the February break.
We completed our discussion of Shakespearean sonnets which took the first half of the class. To round the rest of it off, we started a discussion of John Donne and Metaphysical poetry as well as conceits. We were just starting to look at "The Flea" when the bell rang, so we'll continue that tomorrow. The students will likely have a timed write on Friday. A reminder that their thesis practice is due on Friday and that they have to have The Awakening read for after the break.
Period 2--PreAP 20
We finished our discussion from Monday on "The Bait" by John Donee. Then we looked at the Shakespearean sonnets from yesterday. To clarify some understanding of scansion for them, we examined the rythm of their names. We applied that to Shakespeare's sonnets and illustrated how they are in iambic pentametre. From there, we examined sonnet 29, but the bell rang before we could finish. As a reminder, the students need to have To Kill A Mockingbird read for February 13th.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students had this class to work on their editorial about the Canadian Identity. I went over some examples of editorials and the students had a bit of latitude during the class to interview various people about their opinion of the question. We decided that April Raintree should be read for the second week in March.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This is their last class to work on their rough draft of their ghost story. We will get into the editing tomorrow. As a reminder, the students need to have Dracula read for after the February break.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
February 7, 2012
Once again, I couldn't be at school today due to illness. Hopefully this "sick" season is over soon! The sub plan for my day was as follows:
Period 1--AP 30
The students were given this class to work on their thesis practice. They have to provide three thesis statements (one for each of the 3 essay questions/prompts from an old AP exam). If they finished early, they were to read from their assigned novel The Awakening.
Period 2—Pre-AP 20
The students were to work on Shakespearean sonnets today. There was a handout on sonnets as well as one with information about scansion. There were two sonnets that they could work in partnersto figure out. They should do so by using the SIFTS method and then provide a paraphrase of each of them. We'll have more time to finish it tomorrow if they didn't get through it today.
Period 3—ELA A 30
The studetns were to follow along as Mr. Koop red the essay “Canadian Personality”—this is an essay written from the point of view of an American trying to discover what the Canadian identity is. Their assignment for this is to write their own editorial about what they believe to be the Canadian identity. In order to do this, they must interview at least two other people. ONE of their interviews can be a classmate, but ONE MUST be a responsible adult (and by that I mean someone from at least one generation older than them—like a parent or grandparent). We'll continue working on this tomorrow.
Period 4—Pre-AP 10
They are working on their own ghost story. I’d like to see evidence of pre-planning (brainstorming, jot notes, etc.) and then they should be working on building their own story. This is their first of two classes to write this.
Monday, 6 February 2012
February 6, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The students were divided into four groups with each one being given one of Shakespeare's sonnets. They were to read it, and "own" it, so they could teach the class what they discovered about it. They had half the class to prepare and then we finished going through two of the poems together with each other teaching.
Period 2--Pre-AP 10
We did a quick trip down memory lane from Friday when we were discussing examples of allusion possibilities. Of course, as we discussed, we added to what we had already finished, and then completed the rest of the discussion on Norse mythology and looked at other things that might be alluded to such as: Shakespeare, Arthurian legend, famous painters and paintings, and fairy tales. From here, we began looking at some poetry, starting off with John Donne and his elaborate conceits in "The Bait." We're not quite finished this, but will be so tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
Since we've spent some time looking at common misconceptions about Canadian identity (often in comparison to American identity), we're ready to tackle some poetry that deals with that topic. The poem that we're looking at is "Canada: A Case Study 1945" by Earl Birney. This poem follows the extended metaphor comparing Canada to a young teenager.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
As promised, we were able to get into the ghost stories today! The kids shared some of their personal stories and I shared some of mine and then we read from Haunted Canada. With the lights off, a candle lighted, and the blinds drawn, we certainly set the mood! We wrapped up the spooky talk and then got down to the assignment. They have to write a ghost story of their own. In order to do this, we went through the Freytag Pyramid of Plot Development and used stories that they had read in the past to illustrate how they fit into the pyramid. Their story should follow the same general pattern. They will have two class periods to create and write this story and then we will do some reflecting on it with peer editing.
The students were divided into four groups with each one being given one of Shakespeare's sonnets. They were to read it, and "own" it, so they could teach the class what they discovered about it. They had half the class to prepare and then we finished going through two of the poems together with each other teaching.
Period 2--Pre-AP 10
We did a quick trip down memory lane from Friday when we were discussing examples of allusion possibilities. Of course, as we discussed, we added to what we had already finished, and then completed the rest of the discussion on Norse mythology and looked at other things that might be alluded to such as: Shakespeare, Arthurian legend, famous painters and paintings, and fairy tales. From here, we began looking at some poetry, starting off with John Donne and his elaborate conceits in "The Bait." We're not quite finished this, but will be so tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
Since we've spent some time looking at common misconceptions about Canadian identity (often in comparison to American identity), we're ready to tackle some poetry that deals with that topic. The poem that we're looking at is "Canada: A Case Study 1945" by Earl Birney. This poem follows the extended metaphor comparing Canada to a young teenager.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
As promised, we were able to get into the ghost stories today! The kids shared some of their personal stories and I shared some of mine and then we read from Haunted Canada. With the lights off, a candle lighted, and the blinds drawn, we certainly set the mood! We wrapped up the spooky talk and then got down to the assignment. They have to write a ghost story of their own. In order to do this, we went through the Freytag Pyramid of Plot Development and used stories that they had read in the past to illustrate how they fit into the pyramid. Their story should follow the same general pattern. They will have two class periods to create and write this story and then we will do some reflecting on it with peer editing.
Friday, 3 February 2012
February 3, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished going over the prose selection from an old AP exam and looked at the thesis statements students came up with. We followed this by looking at the free-response question prompt and looking at what the prompt meant as well as various pieces of literature that could be used to answer that question. I assigned the novella The Awakening by Kate Chopin. To provide a framework for the story, we looked and information about Creole Society in the 19th century. The students should have this novel read by the end of the February break. Finally, we looked at a power point on sonnets to get us ready for Monday's class--we will be examining Shakespearean sonnets.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We set the due date for their "Benjamin Button" annotations--April 2nd. I encouraged them to be working on this continuously and not to leave it until the last minute. We spent this class period studying the literary devices of allusion. In order to do this, the students first wrote down the definition and then we looked at examples from Greek/Roman mythology, Christian/Biblical references, and Norse mythology. There was a lot of discussion this class as students shared their knowledge of these common roots of allusion.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finally finished going over the handout "Do you speak Canadian?" and then spent some time discussing how the Canadian identity has a tendency to get wrapped up in what it isn't (British/American), rather than what it is. We began looking at a handout that compares the US to Canada as well as some common things from our Canadian experience (Thrills gum, mounties NOT always wearing their red serge, Tim Hortons, the famous--or rather, infamous--"eh," etc.)
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Since more than half the class was missing today, they had the class to read Dracula. Students are reminded that they should have the novel read by the end of the month.
Reminder: Report cards for semester 1 went out today, so parents should be asking for those!
We finished going over the prose selection from an old AP exam and looked at the thesis statements students came up with. We followed this by looking at the free-response question prompt and looking at what the prompt meant as well as various pieces of literature that could be used to answer that question. I assigned the novella The Awakening by Kate Chopin. To provide a framework for the story, we looked and information about Creole Society in the 19th century. The students should have this novel read by the end of the February break. Finally, we looked at a power point on sonnets to get us ready for Monday's class--we will be examining Shakespearean sonnets.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We set the due date for their "Benjamin Button" annotations--April 2nd. I encouraged them to be working on this continuously and not to leave it until the last minute. We spent this class period studying the literary devices of allusion. In order to do this, the students first wrote down the definition and then we looked at examples from Greek/Roman mythology, Christian/Biblical references, and Norse mythology. There was a lot of discussion this class as students shared their knowledge of these common roots of allusion.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We finally finished going over the handout "Do you speak Canadian?" and then spent some time discussing how the Canadian identity has a tendency to get wrapped up in what it isn't (British/American), rather than what it is. We began looking at a handout that compares the US to Canada as well as some common things from our Canadian experience (Thrills gum, mounties NOT always wearing their red serge, Tim Hortons, the famous--or rather, infamous--"eh," etc.)
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Since more than half the class was missing today, they had the class to read Dracula. Students are reminded that they should have the novel read by the end of the month.
Reminder: Report cards for semester 1 went out today, so parents should be asking for those!
Thursday, 2 February 2012
February 2, 2012
What a day! It was a busy one for me!
Period 1--AP 30
We continued to go over the exam question from their final and had a good look at irony. From there, we tackled their assignment from yesterday by examining the poem "To Paint a Water Lily" and looking at the thesis statements the kids came up with. Tomorrow we will continue with the prose passage and free response questions.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
I went over the expectations for their annotations of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." We discussed the process of active reading and various things that they can look for while reading this novella. Things for them to focus on are: making conncetions, finding symbolism, making predictions, providing impressions, identifying and explaining literary devices, etc. This can be done by highlighting, writing on their copy of the story, adding "sticky notes," or journaling. They had the rest of the class to work on this. It will be due well after the February break, but we won't have any more class time to be working on it.
Period 3--ELA A 30
I had to rush away to take my daughter to the doctor, so Mr. Dingle kindly covered for me. I just allowed the kids to continue to read April Raintree.
Peirod 4--Pre-AP 10
I went over expectations for them in reading Dracula. They need to be able to identify motifs and symbols in the story as well as making connections (text to text, text to self, and text to the world). They should be journaling about this as they read. After this, we went over the big questions of our unit (Mysteries of Life) and spent time discussing such things as imagination, versimilitude, the human brain, and ghosts. Since about half the class will be missing tomorrow for various reasons, the students can have some time to read Dracula. We'll be telling and writing ghost stories on Monday.
Period 1--AP 30
We continued to go over the exam question from their final and had a good look at irony. From there, we tackled their assignment from yesterday by examining the poem "To Paint a Water Lily" and looking at the thesis statements the kids came up with. Tomorrow we will continue with the prose passage and free response questions.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
I went over the expectations for their annotations of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." We discussed the process of active reading and various things that they can look for while reading this novella. Things for them to focus on are: making conncetions, finding symbolism, making predictions, providing impressions, identifying and explaining literary devices, etc. This can be done by highlighting, writing on their copy of the story, adding "sticky notes," or journaling. They had the rest of the class to work on this. It will be due well after the February break, but we won't have any more class time to be working on it.
Period 3--ELA A 30
I had to rush away to take my daughter to the doctor, so Mr. Dingle kindly covered for me. I just allowed the kids to continue to read April Raintree.
Peirod 4--Pre-AP 10
I went over expectations for them in reading Dracula. They need to be able to identify motifs and symbols in the story as well as making connections (text to text, text to self, and text to the world). They should be journaling about this as they read. After this, we went over the big questions of our unit (Mysteries of Life) and spent time discussing such things as imagination, versimilitude, the human brain, and ghosts. Since about half the class will be missing tomorrow for various reasons, the students can have some time to read Dracula. We'll be telling and writing ghost stories on Monday.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
February 1, 2012
Unfortunately, due to illness, I wasn't at school today, so Mr. Read was covering my classes for the day. He reported that everyone worked very well. This was what was on the agenda for today:
Period 1--AP 30
They were given an old AP exam (the 3 essay portion). In partners, I wanted them to get together and examine each of the three questions and create thesis statements for them. This requires them to fully analyze the poem, prose passage and consider their longer fictional works in order to develop a thesis statement that fully answers the prompt.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
In lieu of doing what I had planned for the day, I had the kids begin work on their "Curious Case of Benjamin Button." At this point, they just need to start reading the story. After they have done this, I'll have them go through it and begin annotating the work.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students were assignned the novel April Raintree. They had this class to read the novel.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
They used this class to read their novel, Dracula.
Period 1--AP 30
They were given an old AP exam (the 3 essay portion). In partners, I wanted them to get together and examine each of the three questions and create thesis statements for them. This requires them to fully analyze the poem, prose passage and consider their longer fictional works in order to develop a thesis statement that fully answers the prompt.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
In lieu of doing what I had planned for the day, I had the kids begin work on their "Curious Case of Benjamin Button." At this point, they just need to start reading the story. After they have done this, I'll have them go through it and begin annotating the work.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students were assignned the novel April Raintree. They had this class to read the novel.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
They used this class to read their novel, Dracula.
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