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!