Period 1--AP 30
The grade 12s continued to work on their various assignments.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished up Act II today and continued reading Act III of Othello. We will finish this Act up tomorrow. Students should continue to think about what short essay topics they want to write about as we continue to read the play.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We took up the questions from "We Have to Sit Opposite" from yesterday. After this, we switched directions to reading an essay by Chief Dan George called "I am a Native of North America." We finished the discussion of the essay and are working on some questions about the two world views, as seen by Chief Dan George. We will finish up with this tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued the discussion with "The Lady of Shalott" by viewing a power point that I prepared that examines some of the themes and symbols of the poem. Yesterday we focussed on HOW the poet was getting his point across (anaphora, structure, and imagery), and today we focussed on WHAT the poet said and some of the questions that it raised. To end the class, we viewed a number of famous paintings of the Lady of Shalott. I also handed out the next novel for the students to read, which is Farenheit 451. This novel will need to be finished for the begining of May--if not a bit sooner.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
March 28, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The students continued work on their three assignments that are due before the Easter Break.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued with Othello but I prefaced it by discussing some of the content of the story. This is considered one of Shakespeare's "dirtiest" plays, so we spent some time talking about the content and Shakespeare's purpose in including these racy comments and puns. We connected it to modern media today and the audience for the media. It is important for students, particularly, to develop viewing skills that include examining the purpose of media, its effect on society, and their own "threshold" for the content. Once this discussion was over, we tabled it and continued to read Act II, scene ii and iii. We didn't quite finish scene iii, but had a lot of fun imagining Cassio's drunken reactions to Iago's machinations.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We took a new short story today that dealt with Canadian humour. First, we discussed what we think the standard Canadian humour might be. The class decided that Canadians are generally self-deprecating and have a dry, sarcastic humour. We also reminisced about how we react when those from other countries make assumptions about Canadians based on popular stereotypes--many play along, a few correct the stereotype, and lots just uncomfortably endure it! This story deals with a couple of Canadian women in the 1930s who are stuck on a train with some rude companions and they spin a tale of bear-eating, kilt-wearing, Canadians with good teeth due to State Dental Police! Needless to say, the women in "We Have to Sit Opposite" feel very guilty about spinning this tale, and then promptly try to avoid the conflict they created--very Canadian!
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued our study of "The Lady of Shalott" by re-examining each part of the poem by looking for imagery, anaphora, and structure. We cut through the poem quite well and just finished it at the end of the class. We will tie it all up tomorow by looking at a power point with some specific information about the poem, some illustrations, as well as an exit slip to determine whether the Lady of Shalott did the right thing by leaving her tower or not.
The students continued work on their three assignments that are due before the Easter Break.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued with Othello but I prefaced it by discussing some of the content of the story. This is considered one of Shakespeare's "dirtiest" plays, so we spent some time talking about the content and Shakespeare's purpose in including these racy comments and puns. We connected it to modern media today and the audience for the media. It is important for students, particularly, to develop viewing skills that include examining the purpose of media, its effect on society, and their own "threshold" for the content. Once this discussion was over, we tabled it and continued to read Act II, scene ii and iii. We didn't quite finish scene iii, but had a lot of fun imagining Cassio's drunken reactions to Iago's machinations.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We took a new short story today that dealt with Canadian humour. First, we discussed what we think the standard Canadian humour might be. The class decided that Canadians are generally self-deprecating and have a dry, sarcastic humour. We also reminisced about how we react when those from other countries make assumptions about Canadians based on popular stereotypes--many play along, a few correct the stereotype, and lots just uncomfortably endure it! This story deals with a couple of Canadian women in the 1930s who are stuck on a train with some rude companions and they spin a tale of bear-eating, kilt-wearing, Canadians with good teeth due to State Dental Police! Needless to say, the women in "We Have to Sit Opposite" feel very guilty about spinning this tale, and then promptly try to avoid the conflict they created--very Canadian!
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued our study of "The Lady of Shalott" by re-examining each part of the poem by looking for imagery, anaphora, and structure. We cut through the poem quite well and just finished it at the end of the class. We will tie it all up tomorow by looking at a power point with some specific information about the poem, some illustrations, as well as an exit slip to determine whether the Lady of Shalott did the right thing by leaving her tower or not.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
March 27, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We continued working on various assignments in the computer lab. We will continue this for the rest of the week.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued on with Act II of Othello and are now getting deeper into Iago's machinations. We discussed the challenges of not having stage directions in regards to the development of the characters. How do we read Cassio? Is he gullible? Smarmy? Earnest? There is no way to know, but it is fun to play around with the different readings. Likewise we started to see the emergence of Iago's attitude toward women in his exchage with Desdemona as well as his own wife. We will continue tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
In an effort to promote Active Living, two football athletes from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies came to give a brief talk about the importance of staying fit and living a diversified life. After a question and answer period during this school assembly, the entire school trudged out in the slush to walk three square blocks to support the 100 years of Huskie Athletics. Then, the students and staff were treated to a free hot dog lunch.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We moved on from the Inquiry project and continued with the "Mysteries of Life" unit. We examined the legend of Camelot by doing a K-W-L of what we know about the legend. The kids had some very good questions they wanted answered. I pulled off some information from the internet since we didn't have access today and the kids did some group work to fill in the "L" or "learned" column. We discussed their findings. After this, I read the poem "The Lady of Shalott" to them and we discussed the concept of quantity of life vs. quality of life. We'll finish this lesson off tomorrow.
We continued working on various assignments in the computer lab. We will continue this for the rest of the week.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued on with Act II of Othello and are now getting deeper into Iago's machinations. We discussed the challenges of not having stage directions in regards to the development of the characters. How do we read Cassio? Is he gullible? Smarmy? Earnest? There is no way to know, but it is fun to play around with the different readings. Likewise we started to see the emergence of Iago's attitude toward women in his exchage with Desdemona as well as his own wife. We will continue tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
In an effort to promote Active Living, two football athletes from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies came to give a brief talk about the importance of staying fit and living a diversified life. After a question and answer period during this school assembly, the entire school trudged out in the slush to walk three square blocks to support the 100 years of Huskie Athletics. Then, the students and staff were treated to a free hot dog lunch.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We moved on from the Inquiry project and continued with the "Mysteries of Life" unit. We examined the legend of Camelot by doing a K-W-L of what we know about the legend. The kids had some very good questions they wanted answered. I pulled off some information from the internet since we didn't have access today and the kids did some group work to fill in the "L" or "learned" column. We discussed their findings. After this, I read the poem "The Lady of Shalott" to them and we discussed the concept of quantity of life vs. quality of life. We'll finish this lesson off tomorrow.
Monday, 26 March 2012
March 26, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
I introduced two new assignments that are needed to hit some of the other strands in the provincial ELA curriculum today. They have to access my other blog mrstulpapblog.blogspot.com and read the poem that is there and respond to it. It can be a personal response or an academic response. It's entirely up to them. I also showed them the same assignment that the other grade 12s are doing right now...the graphic poem. They need to make a poem of 20 lines using anaphor and it should be about what being a Canadian means to them. Then,, they put pictures to the lines they create. We went to the computer lab to work on their various assignments.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
I went over the line about Shakespearean verse (blank verse in iambic pentametre). We also read through the topics that they will have for Othello when they are writing their four "takes." We just barely got started on reading Act II when the bell rang.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was their last class to work on their graphic poem in the computer lab today. Many are almost finished. We might have another class later on in the week to finish up some of their assignments, but they need to work on their own a bit too. They will begin their presentations for this next Wednesday.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was their last class to work on their Inquiry Project in the computer lab. Some of these look amazing and I am looking forward to seeing the kids presenting them next Tuesday.
I introduced two new assignments that are needed to hit some of the other strands in the provincial ELA curriculum today. They have to access my other blog mrstulpapblog.blogspot.com and read the poem that is there and respond to it. It can be a personal response or an academic response. It's entirely up to them. I also showed them the same assignment that the other grade 12s are doing right now...the graphic poem. They need to make a poem of 20 lines using anaphor and it should be about what being a Canadian means to them. Then,, they put pictures to the lines they create. We went to the computer lab to work on their various assignments.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
I went over the line about Shakespearean verse (blank verse in iambic pentametre). We also read through the topics that they will have for Othello when they are writing their four "takes." We just barely got started on reading Act II when the bell rang.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was their last class to work on their graphic poem in the computer lab today. Many are almost finished. We might have another class later on in the week to finish up some of their assignments, but they need to work on their own a bit too. They will begin their presentations for this next Wednesday.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was their last class to work on their Inquiry Project in the computer lab. Some of these look amazing and I am looking forward to seeing the kids presenting them next Tuesday.
Friday, 23 March 2012
March 23, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The students used this class to continue to work on their Romantic Poetry essay. They will have some more time next week to continue with it as well as some other assignments that we need to do before the Easter Break.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued with and finished Act I of Othello. Iago continues to emerge as a fascinatingly diabolical character. The students were given three handouts that we will look at before we move any further: a "clean" copy of Iago's soliloquy, a handout on the rhyme and rhythm of Shakespeare's plays, and topics for the short essays the kids will be writing about Othello. We only had time to finish going through the soliloquy. We looked at how the literary devices in the passage show Iago's attitude toward Othello. To keep in practice, we created a thesis statement to deal with that prospective prompt.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The grade 12s worked quite well on their graphic poem of what it means to be a Canadian (or Saskatchewanian if they chose). I consented to give them one more class to work on it since they worked so well.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
The planning and building of their inquiry project and presentaion continues. Some of their projects look so interesting. We have power points, prezi presentations, videos, and blogs that students are setting up to chare their information. Because they are working so well and need a bit more time, I've agreed to extend their computer time for another class, so they have Monday to try and finish it all up. If they are finished already, then they can bring their Dracula essays to work on.
As a reminder to all OHS students and parents, we have the Fowl Supper on Sunday, so either come prepared to work or eat, depending on the schedule!
The students used this class to continue to work on their Romantic Poetry essay. They will have some more time next week to continue with it as well as some other assignments that we need to do before the Easter Break.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued with and finished Act I of Othello. Iago continues to emerge as a fascinatingly diabolical character. The students were given three handouts that we will look at before we move any further: a "clean" copy of Iago's soliloquy, a handout on the rhyme and rhythm of Shakespeare's plays, and topics for the short essays the kids will be writing about Othello. We only had time to finish going through the soliloquy. We looked at how the literary devices in the passage show Iago's attitude toward Othello. To keep in practice, we created a thesis statement to deal with that prospective prompt.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The grade 12s worked quite well on their graphic poem of what it means to be a Canadian (or Saskatchewanian if they chose). I consented to give them one more class to work on it since they worked so well.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
The planning and building of their inquiry project and presentaion continues. Some of their projects look so interesting. We have power points, prezi presentations, videos, and blogs that students are setting up to chare their information. Because they are working so well and need a bit more time, I've agreed to extend their computer time for another class, so they have Monday to try and finish it all up. If they are finished already, then they can bring their Dracula essays to work on.
As a reminder to all OHS students and parents, we have the Fowl Supper on Sunday, so either come prepared to work or eat, depending on the schedule!
Thursday, 22 March 2012
March 22, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
This was time for the students to work on their Romantic poetry essay. They will have tomororw to work on it as well.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued working with Othello. We started the class with summarizing what we had read on Tuesday from scene i and ii. We almost finished reading through scene iii, but didn't quite make it, so we'll finish that up tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students continued today with working on their graphic poems. A reminder to them to get their timelines in as well as to continue to work on their formal essays for April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was another class to work on their Inquiry project for "Mysteries of Life." So far, some very interesting things are happening with this class. I look forward to their projects.
This was time for the students to work on their Romantic poetry essay. They will have tomororw to work on it as well.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued working with Othello. We started the class with summarizing what we had read on Tuesday from scene i and ii. We almost finished reading through scene iii, but didn't quite make it, so we'll finish that up tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students continued today with working on their graphic poems. A reminder to them to get their timelines in as well as to continue to work on their formal essays for April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was another class to work on their Inquiry project for "Mysteries of Life." So far, some very interesting things are happening with this class. I look forward to their projects.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
March 20, 2012
Happy First day of Spring!
Period 1--AP 30
We went over the assignment that the students will have to do for Romantic Poetry. It requires them to indicate which is the most "romantic" of the Romantic poets. That is, which poet, in their opinion, adheres to the characteristics of the genre. In arguing their choice, they will have to hold up one other poet as an example, or rather, non-example. It is a persuasive essay done with comparison. We looked at an exemplar from a former student, so the kids had a good idea of what this type of essay looks like. We also briefly went over citation and I directed them to the proper page in the resource booklet for this information. Then, they had some time to work.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We started reading Othello today. Students volunteer to read a part, or I volunteer them, and we go over the dialogue together in class. They are already seeing what an evil manipulator Iago is (yet fascinating, too) and we only finished the first two scenes of Act I. We also discussed evaluation. We will be doing 4 "takes" or short essays on various topics as evaluations on this as opposed to one longer essay. I will wait to give them their topics until we have read all the way through Act I.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We read Duke Redbird's "I Am A Canadian" in class. First we looked at it strictly as a poem. We discussed the literary device of anaphora and how useful it is in guiding the reader in to what the poet wants them to know. Then, we discussed visual media and how adding pictures can deepen the poem and turn it into a graphic poem. We looked at a copy of Redbird's poem turned into a graphic poem. The pictures that coincide with the line of poetry add depth to the meaning for many of these students. At this point, the students were given their assignment to produce a visual or graphic poem. They are to use anaphora to help guide their poem, which has to be 20 lines long. We brainstormed a few "starters" that the kids can use as anaphora. They used the rest of the class to compose their poem and they will have Thursday and Friday to create the visual part of their poem.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This is the first of 3 classes they have to work on their Inquiry Project. Most were compiling their information and many were able to start building their multi-media presentation. I look forward to seeing these creative presenations.
As a reminder...there is no school tomorrow as everyone has it off in lieu of the parent-teacher interview that went on last night and continue tonight! Enjoy your time!
Period 1--AP 30
We went over the assignment that the students will have to do for Romantic Poetry. It requires them to indicate which is the most "romantic" of the Romantic poets. That is, which poet, in their opinion, adheres to the characteristics of the genre. In arguing their choice, they will have to hold up one other poet as an example, or rather, non-example. It is a persuasive essay done with comparison. We looked at an exemplar from a former student, so the kids had a good idea of what this type of essay looks like. We also briefly went over citation and I directed them to the proper page in the resource booklet for this information. Then, they had some time to work.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We started reading Othello today. Students volunteer to read a part, or I volunteer them, and we go over the dialogue together in class. They are already seeing what an evil manipulator Iago is (yet fascinating, too) and we only finished the first two scenes of Act I. We also discussed evaluation. We will be doing 4 "takes" or short essays on various topics as evaluations on this as opposed to one longer essay. I will wait to give them their topics until we have read all the way through Act I.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We read Duke Redbird's "I Am A Canadian" in class. First we looked at it strictly as a poem. We discussed the literary device of anaphora and how useful it is in guiding the reader in to what the poet wants them to know. Then, we discussed visual media and how adding pictures can deepen the poem and turn it into a graphic poem. We looked at a copy of Redbird's poem turned into a graphic poem. The pictures that coincide with the line of poetry add depth to the meaning for many of these students. At this point, the students were given their assignment to produce a visual or graphic poem. They are to use anaphora to help guide their poem, which has to be 20 lines long. We brainstormed a few "starters" that the kids can use as anaphora. They used the rest of the class to compose their poem and they will have Thursday and Friday to create the visual part of their poem.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This is the first of 3 classes they have to work on their Inquiry Project. Most were compiling their information and many were able to start building their multi-media presentation. I look forward to seeing these creative presenations.
As a reminder...there is no school tomorrow as everyone has it off in lieu of the parent-teacher interview that went on last night and continue tonight! Enjoy your time!
Monday, 19 March 2012
March 19, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished going through the Romantic Poetry Booklet I made up for the kids with discussions on Keats, Byron, and Shelley. I started to introduce their assignment but the bell rang before we could finish, so we'll address expectations for the assignment for tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished the power point presentation on Shakespeare's Life and Times. We spend considerable time looking at the Globe Theatre and common practices of the actors of the times and how the folios were made. From there, I created a character map of the characters they will be meeting in Othello which allows them a bit of an insight into the story before we start reading.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We started a new piece of literature today. The students will have to finish working on their April Raintree essay on their own time. I did a bit of a pre-reading discussion with the kids by questioning them as to WHEN they think Canada became known as the "nice" country everyone labels us with. There were some interesting ideas including our involvement in the World Wars and with our peace keeping missions throughout the world. I then asked them if we, as Canadians, are really that nice. There was a bit of disagreement, but most thought that we were. We then looked at some of the vocabulary that we'll be dealing with in this essay as well as some events mentioned in it so the students would know what the references meant. After that, we read the essay "The Day Canada Became Nice" by Wil Ferguson together and I reminded them of what a satire is. The bell rang shortly after that. We'll be moving on tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We were in the computer lab today with Mrs. Ballek, one of our Sun West Learning Coaches, guest teaching about the Basics of Efficience Web Searching since the students will be starting in on their Mysteries of Life Inquiry Project tomorrow.
We finished going through the Romantic Poetry Booklet I made up for the kids with discussions on Keats, Byron, and Shelley. I started to introduce their assignment but the bell rang before we could finish, so we'll address expectations for the assignment for tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished the power point presentation on Shakespeare's Life and Times. We spend considerable time looking at the Globe Theatre and common practices of the actors of the times and how the folios were made. From there, I created a character map of the characters they will be meeting in Othello which allows them a bit of an insight into the story before we start reading.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We started a new piece of literature today. The students will have to finish working on their April Raintree essay on their own time. I did a bit of a pre-reading discussion with the kids by questioning them as to WHEN they think Canada became known as the "nice" country everyone labels us with. There were some interesting ideas including our involvement in the World Wars and with our peace keeping missions throughout the world. I then asked them if we, as Canadians, are really that nice. There was a bit of disagreement, but most thought that we were. We then looked at some of the vocabulary that we'll be dealing with in this essay as well as some events mentioned in it so the students would know what the references meant. After that, we read the essay "The Day Canada Became Nice" by Wil Ferguson together and I reminded them of what a satire is. The bell rang shortly after that. We'll be moving on tomorrow.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We were in the computer lab today with Mrs. Ballek, one of our Sun West Learning Coaches, guest teaching about the Basics of Efficience Web Searching since the students will be starting in on their Mysteries of Life Inquiry Project tomorrow.
Friday, 16 March 2012
March 16, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished going over the AP Bulletin and answering any questions they may still have about technicalities with their exam and scores. They should be taking this bulletin home to discuss it with their parents and determine if there are any questions that they may have.
Period 2--Pre-AP 10
The students did their quiz on literary devices. We are going to start in on Othello next week, so we began looking at the life and times of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was their last class to work on their April Raintree essay. We have set the due date for April 5th. The class was a bit disrupted by teh health nurse who came to give some of the grade 12s their shots! They handled it like troopers and survived their ordeal just in time for the noon bell!
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
I introduced their inquiry assignment to get ready for Mrs. Ballek coming in to guest teach about internet searching on Monday. We did some brainstorming about ideas that they might want to research and discussed many of them. After that, they had a chance to finish up their work from yesterday on "The Tell-Tale Heart." This work is due on Monday.
We finished going over the AP Bulletin and answering any questions they may still have about technicalities with their exam and scores. They should be taking this bulletin home to discuss it with their parents and determine if there are any questions that they may have.
Period 2--Pre-AP 10
The students did their quiz on literary devices. We are going to start in on Othello next week, so we began looking at the life and times of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was their last class to work on their April Raintree essay. We have set the due date for April 5th. The class was a bit disrupted by teh health nurse who came to give some of the grade 12s their shots! They handled it like troopers and survived their ordeal just in time for the noon bell!
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
I introduced their inquiry assignment to get ready for Mrs. Ballek coming in to guest teach about internet searching on Monday. We did some brainstorming about ideas that they might want to research and discussed many of them. After that, they had a chance to finish up their work from yesterday on "The Tell-Tale Heart." This work is due on Monday.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
March 15, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished analyzing Wordsworth's sonnet "The World is too Much With Us" which was a bit of a review as we looked at it last year. Nevertheless, it works well to serve as a representative example of Romantic poetry. After that, I took some time to start going over the AP Bulletin which discusses exam procedures. I felt it was a good time to go over it, as May 10th will come quickly and it might make it more "real" to the kids.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
This is the last work period that the kids had to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird. Most of the kids have had their thesis statements checked over, so they should be well on their way and can work on it at home. It is due April 5th.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This is their second last class to work on their April Raintree essay.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with our assignments from "The Tell-Tale Heart" yesterday. The students had to make connections of: text to text, text to self, and text to the world. They should have a paragraph for each and then they should be handed in. If they were finished with this, they could start in with the police report. This assignment requires them to write an expository report based on what one of the police officers who were called to the old man's house would have experienced/seen. They will get a bit more time to finish this up tomorrow.
We finished analyzing Wordsworth's sonnet "The World is too Much With Us" which was a bit of a review as we looked at it last year. Nevertheless, it works well to serve as a representative example of Romantic poetry. After that, I took some time to start going over the AP Bulletin which discusses exam procedures. I felt it was a good time to go over it, as May 10th will come quickly and it might make it more "real" to the kids.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
This is the last work period that the kids had to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird. Most of the kids have had their thesis statements checked over, so they should be well on their way and can work on it at home. It is due April 5th.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This is their second last class to work on their April Raintree essay.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with our assignments from "The Tell-Tale Heart" yesterday. The students had to make connections of: text to text, text to self, and text to the world. They should have a paragraph for each and then they should be handed in. If they were finished with this, they could start in with the police report. This assignment requires them to write an expository report based on what one of the police officers who were called to the old man's house would have experienced/seen. They will get a bit more time to finish this up tomorrow.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
March 14, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We continued with "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and discussed some of the ways that the poem fit in with the Romantic genre. We started looking at Worsdworth's "The World is Too Much With Us" but we didn't get very far before the bell rang.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
This was another class to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird essay. Tomorrow will be their last class to work on this.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was a work period for the kids to develop their April Raintree essays. We worked together to formulate some generic thesis statements for them to use and most seemed to be on track.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We studied "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe today. To start with, we did some pre-reading discussion about sanity and insanity, what pushes us to the brink, and how we deal with those issues. I read the short story aloud after the discussion after going through some questions that they will have to write about. After I finished reading, we started examining connections that students can make when they are reading (text to text, text to self, and text to the world). We'll finish with that tomorrow.
We continued with "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and discussed some of the ways that the poem fit in with the Romantic genre. We started looking at Worsdworth's "The World is Too Much With Us" but we didn't get very far before the bell rang.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
This was another class to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird essay. Tomorrow will be their last class to work on this.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was a work period for the kids to develop their April Raintree essays. We worked together to formulate some generic thesis statements for them to use and most seemed to be on track.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We studied "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe today. To start with, we did some pre-reading discussion about sanity and insanity, what pushes us to the brink, and how we deal with those issues. I read the short story aloud after the discussion after going through some questions that they will have to write about. After I finished reading, we started examining connections that students can make when they are reading (text to text, text to self, and text to the world). We'll finish with that tomorrow.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
March 13, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The students had the choice whether to dive into Romantic poetry or do some prep work for the exam with multiple choice questions. I confess myself to be surprised when they chose the poetry, but nonetheless, off we went. I showed a power point presentation on the characteristics of Romantic poetry. Then, I handed out a booklet with a few oexamples of poems from the pre-eminent Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, and Shelley. We started reading through "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge. We are just taking a cursory look at this. The real study of Romantic literature will come when the students write a comparative essay between two different Romantic poets.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
This was a work period for the students to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird essays. We set the due date for this to be April 5th but tomorrow will be the last class for them to work on this in class.
Period 3--ELA A 30
They are finished with in-class time to work on their April Raintree timeline, so we've moved on. Their next assignment is for them to write a full, formal essay on this novel. We reviewed the structure of an essay as well as various rules I expect them to follow. At the end of the class, I handed out their essay prompts and we went over each one and brainstromed some ideas as to how they could tackle those questions.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was a work period for their essay on Dracula. Tomorrow will be their last class to work on it in-class. Their due date for this essay is the week of April 2-5.
The students had the choice whether to dive into Romantic poetry or do some prep work for the exam with multiple choice questions. I confess myself to be surprised when they chose the poetry, but nonetheless, off we went. I showed a power point presentation on the characteristics of Romantic poetry. Then, I handed out a booklet with a few oexamples of poems from the pre-eminent Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, and Shelley. We started reading through "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge. We are just taking a cursory look at this. The real study of Romantic literature will come when the students write a comparative essay between two different Romantic poets.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
This was a work period for the students to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird essays. We set the due date for this to be April 5th but tomorrow will be the last class for them to work on this in class.
Period 3--ELA A 30
They are finished with in-class time to work on their April Raintree timeline, so we've moved on. Their next assignment is for them to write a full, formal essay on this novel. We reviewed the structure of an essay as well as various rules I expect them to follow. At the end of the class, I handed out their essay prompts and we went over each one and brainstromed some ideas as to how they could tackle those questions.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
This was a work period for their essay on Dracula. Tomorrow will be their last class to work on it in-class. Their due date for this essay is the week of April 2-5.
Friday, 9 March 2012
March 9, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The kids did their timed write on Paradise Lost (an excerpt) today.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
Mrs. Adleman covered this for me as I was off to Kenaston to investigate some distance learning opportunities. The kids had 5 minutes to review their literary devices that they were going to be tested on. They, they had their quiz. After this, they had time to work on their essay for To Kill A Mockingbird. They will have another class or two to work on this in class next week.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was their last class to work on their graphic timeline for April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
They had five minutes to study their literary devices and then had their weekly quiz. We'll see if they can beat the grade 11s this week. Then, this was a work period for them to work on their Dracula essay.
I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend. I'll be "enjoying" my teachers' convention on Monday!
The kids did their timed write on Paradise Lost (an excerpt) today.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
Mrs. Adleman covered this for me as I was off to Kenaston to investigate some distance learning opportunities. The kids had 5 minutes to review their literary devices that they were going to be tested on. They, they had their quiz. After this, they had time to work on their essay for To Kill A Mockingbird. They will have another class or two to work on this in class next week.
Period 3--ELA A 30
This was their last class to work on their graphic timeline for April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
They had five minutes to study their literary devices and then had their weekly quiz. We'll see if they can beat the grade 11s this week. Then, this was a work period for them to work on their Dracula essay.
I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend. I'll be "enjoying" my teachers' convention on Monday!
Thursday, 8 March 2012
March 8, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We continued to go through Paradise Lost and finished up Book One, which is as far as we'll take this for now. The students will write a timed write on an excerpt from one of the other books in Paradise Lost tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished discussing how to write formal essays and then started to go over the essay prompts. This required us to break down the prompts to ensure that they will address all parts on the prompt in their essay.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We used some of this class to discuss cell phone etiquette, which has been sorely lacking lately. I expressed the reasons why I want phones off limits during my class and allowed them to explain why they might need them. Aside from use when I expressly allow them, they admitted that there aren't really many reasons why they need their phones. As such, they've agreed to have them on their desk, but turned off or put away where they won't be answered. From here, we extended the media conversation into the viral information about Joseph Kony. We discussed who he was and the purpose of the internet video that they could watch on their own time. While we did discuss the message of the video, we approached this more as a study of media and the power of social media, in particular. It will certainly be interesting to see how far the social network can push international foreign policy. We then used the last bit of class for them to work on their April Raintree timeline. They will have one more class to finish this up since I took up much of this class with life lessons instead!
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Like the grade 12 class before lunch, I was able to have just enough time to discuss cell phone etiquette with the grade 10s. We discussed when to answer and when not to answer and what their responsibilities are in my class room about cell phones. We were then called down to the gym for an assembly for students to get recognition for participating in some of our school sports teams, legion poetry, and art awards as well as a few fun activities for the school.
A reminder to all the students and parents that there is no class on Monday due to a teacher convention.
We continued to go through Paradise Lost and finished up Book One, which is as far as we'll take this for now. The students will write a timed write on an excerpt from one of the other books in Paradise Lost tomorrow.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished discussing how to write formal essays and then started to go over the essay prompts. This required us to break down the prompts to ensure that they will address all parts on the prompt in their essay.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We used some of this class to discuss cell phone etiquette, which has been sorely lacking lately. I expressed the reasons why I want phones off limits during my class and allowed them to explain why they might need them. Aside from use when I expressly allow them, they admitted that there aren't really many reasons why they need their phones. As such, they've agreed to have them on their desk, but turned off or put away where they won't be answered. From here, we extended the media conversation into the viral information about Joseph Kony. We discussed who he was and the purpose of the internet video that they could watch on their own time. While we did discuss the message of the video, we approached this more as a study of media and the power of social media, in particular. It will certainly be interesting to see how far the social network can push international foreign policy. We then used the last bit of class for them to work on their April Raintree timeline. They will have one more class to finish this up since I took up much of this class with life lessons instead!
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Like the grade 12 class before lunch, I was able to have just enough time to discuss cell phone etiquette with the grade 10s. We discussed when to answer and when not to answer and what their responsibilities are in my class room about cell phones. We were then called down to the gym for an assembly for students to get recognition for participating in some of our school sports teams, legion poetry, and art awards as well as a few fun activities for the school.
A reminder to all the students and parents that there is no class on Monday due to a teacher convention.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
March 7, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We continued with Paradise Lost today. We should finish it up tomorrow and then we'll have a timed write on it by Friday.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finally finished the power point of information on the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. The students have to write a full formal essay on the novel now, so we started going through their AP Resource Booklet in the Essay Writing section. We'll finish this up tomorrow and then get started on going through their prompts.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students had this class to work on their timeline. A lot of kids were able to make some solid progress on this assignment, so we will have one more day to finish it up.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Once again, this was a class for them to work on their Dracula essay. Many were able to get their thesis out of the way and are now into collecting the proof from the novel that they need to prove their thesis. We will continue to work on this tomorrow.
We continued with Paradise Lost today. We should finish it up tomorrow and then we'll have a timed write on it by Friday.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finally finished the power point of information on the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. The students have to write a full formal essay on the novel now, so we started going through their AP Resource Booklet in the Essay Writing section. We'll finish this up tomorrow and then get started on going through their prompts.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students had this class to work on their timeline. A lot of kids were able to make some solid progress on this assignment, so we will have one more day to finish it up.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
Once again, this was a class for them to work on their Dracula essay. Many were able to get their thesis out of the way and are now into collecting the proof from the novel that they need to prove their thesis. We will continue to work on this tomorrow.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
March 6, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We started reading Paradise Lost by John Milton. We'll only read Book 1 of this poem. It certainly creates interesting discussion and we're able to have look at the importance of point of view in writing.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued with the power point of information on the novel. This was mostly just a lecture-style class with some discussion. We should hopefully finish this informational part of the novel tomorrow. The students also received their second set of literary devices for their quiz on Friday.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students went to the computer lab to fill out a survey for Sun West on addictions. Then, they began work on their graphic timeline about April and Cheryl's life. They will have at least one more class for this.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
The students had time to work on their Dracula essays. I went around and helped as many as I could with their thesis statements. They will get a few more classes to work on their essays. At the end of class, they also copied down their next set of 10 literary devices.
We started reading Paradise Lost by John Milton. We'll only read Book 1 of this poem. It certainly creates interesting discussion and we're able to have look at the importance of point of view in writing.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We continued with the power point of information on the novel. This was mostly just a lecture-style class with some discussion. We should hopefully finish this informational part of the novel tomorrow. The students also received their second set of literary devices for their quiz on Friday.
Period 3--ELA A 30
The students went to the computer lab to fill out a survey for Sun West on addictions. Then, they began work on their graphic timeline about April and Cheryl's life. They will have at least one more class for this.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
The students had time to work on their Dracula essays. I went around and helped as many as I could with their thesis statements. They will get a few more classes to work on their essays. At the end of class, they also copied down their next set of 10 literary devices.
Monday, 5 March 2012
March 5, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The students wrote their timed write on The Awakening. Most of them seem to be doing well within a 40 minute time frame, so that's good news for the May exam.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
The students received their literary devices quiz back--as a class average, they scored a 91%, beating the grade 10s in our friendly competition. Then, they were given their proof-reading/editing diagnostic worksheet back and we went over the answers together in class. From here, we continued with the power point. Our discussion focussed on gothic imagery in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We shared our chosen quotations today and discussed various themes in the novel. Then, the students were provided with four theme options from the novel. After a very brief discussion, they had to choose which theme they thought was the most important in the novel. This was to be handed in. I also introduced the assignment that they will be working on for the next couple of days. It's a graphic timeline of sorts that examines events of both Cheryl and April's lives and whether they were positive events or negative.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with our discussion of Dracula and completed our power point. I handed out the essay prompts and we spent the remainder of the class dissecting them. They will have about three class periods to work on their essay.
The students wrote their timed write on The Awakening. Most of them seem to be doing well within a 40 minute time frame, so that's good news for the May exam.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
The students received their literary devices quiz back--as a class average, they scored a 91%, beating the grade 10s in our friendly competition. Then, they were given their proof-reading/editing diagnostic worksheet back and we went over the answers together in class. From here, we continued with the power point. Our discussion focussed on gothic imagery in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We shared our chosen quotations today and discussed various themes in the novel. Then, the students were provided with four theme options from the novel. After a very brief discussion, they had to choose which theme they thought was the most important in the novel. This was to be handed in. I also introduced the assignment that they will be working on for the next couple of days. It's a graphic timeline of sorts that examines events of both Cheryl and April's lives and whether they were positive events or negative.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with our discussion of Dracula and completed our power point. I handed out the essay prompts and we spent the remainder of the class dissecting them. They will have about three class periods to work on their essay.
Friday, 2 March 2012
March 2, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
We finished going over the power point information I created for the novel, The Awakening, and discussed any questions they may have about the novel. The students will be writing a timed write for this novel on Monday.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
The students wrote their literary devices quiz (in competition with the grade 10s) today. From there, we returned to the novel by examining the temporal setting of the novel by looking at images of the Depression. We looked further into the novel with another power point with important literary information about To Kill A Mockingbird. We looked at the theme, and motifs of the novel and will continue with other aspects of it on Monday.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We went through the students' research on Metis history and culture and tried to make connections to events in the novel that they've read.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with the power point on Dracula. We were interrupted shortly into the class by Mr. McJannet who needed to speak to some of the students about their conduct. After that, we re-grouped and then continued on with the lesson. We finished the class off with their literary devices quiz. We'll see how well they do against the grade 11s!
We finished going over the power point information I created for the novel, The Awakening, and discussed any questions they may have about the novel. The students will be writing a timed write for this novel on Monday.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
The students wrote their literary devices quiz (in competition with the grade 10s) today. From there, we returned to the novel by examining the temporal setting of the novel by looking at images of the Depression. We looked further into the novel with another power point with important literary information about To Kill A Mockingbird. We looked at the theme, and motifs of the novel and will continue with other aspects of it on Monday.
Period 3--ELA A 30
We went through the students' research on Metis history and culture and tried to make connections to events in the novel that they've read.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
We continued with the power point on Dracula. We were interrupted shortly into the class by Mr. McJannet who needed to speak to some of the students about their conduct. After that, we re-grouped and then continued on with the lesson. We finished the class off with their literary devices quiz. We'll see how well they do against the grade 11s!
Thursday, 1 March 2012
March 1, 2012
Period 1--AP 30
The AP 30 kids used this as a work period as I was tied up wtih Mr. McJannet's ELA A 30 class today. They worked on their satires which is due Mar. 7th. I also handed out Lord of the Flies for them to read if they are all caught up on their assignments. They will be having a timed write on The Awakening on Monday.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished going over the questions they developed yesterday in their groups. From here, they worked on developing a question paragraph. This assignment requires them to write an entire paragraph using questions. The trick is to keep it focussed to their topic and provide an answer (in question form) with their concluding question. Most were able to finish this--if they didn't, I want it in tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30We used this class to finish our research on Metis people that will help us understand some of the issues raised in the novel April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
These students were also working on a question paragraph. This assignment requires them to write an entire paragraph using questions. The trick is to keep it focussed to their topic and provide an answer (in question form) with their concluding question.Many were able to finish in class. Those who didn't, need to hand it in tomorrow. Then, we started looking at a power point I developed about Dracula. We went through the concepts of Gothic genre as well as Victorian literature and the time period's effect on the novel itself.
The AP 30 kids used this as a work period as I was tied up wtih Mr. McJannet's ELA A 30 class today. They worked on their satires which is due Mar. 7th. I also handed out Lord of the Flies for them to read if they are all caught up on their assignments. They will be having a timed write on The Awakening on Monday.
Period 2--Pre-AP 20
We finished going over the questions they developed yesterday in their groups. From here, they worked on developing a question paragraph. This assignment requires them to write an entire paragraph using questions. The trick is to keep it focussed to their topic and provide an answer (in question form) with their concluding question. Most were able to finish this--if they didn't, I want it in tomorrow.
Period 3--ELA A 30We used this class to finish our research on Metis people that will help us understand some of the issues raised in the novel April Raintree.
Period 4--Pre-AP 10
These students were also working on a question paragraph. This assignment requires them to write an entire paragraph using questions. The trick is to keep it focussed to their topic and provide an answer (in question form) with their concluding question.Many were able to finish in class. Those who didn't, need to hand it in tomorrow. Then, we started looking at a power point I developed about Dracula. We went through the concepts of Gothic genre as well as Victorian literature and the time period's effect on the novel itself.
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