Thanks to Mr. Spence for coming in for me today while I took my sick little girl to the doctor!
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
The kids could use this class to work on their TKAM essay. If they were unprepared for this, they were to go to the library and choose a children's book so they could prepare to do theri reading to the kindergarten kids next week.
Period 2--AP 30
They had class time to work on their Frankenstein essay.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
There were some comprehension questions for the kids to do on Act II of Macbeth. If they finished that in good time, Mr. Spence would lead them through some reading of Act III.
Period 4--History 10
They are familiarizing themselves with the Industrial Revolution. They have a handout with various blanks in it and they have to read through the textbook chapter on the Industrial Revolution to try to find the blanks. They will get more time to do this next week.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Thursday, 27 September 2012
September 27, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
Today we finished going over all the requirements of a formal essay. They need to apply these rules to their essay on To Kill A Mockingbird.
Period 2--AP 30
They had time to work on their Frankenstien essay today.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We finished reading Act II today. We viewed the Porter's scene so they could see the comic aspects of it and how it juxtaposes the "heaviness" of the previous scene where Duncan is killed.
Period 4--History 10
We finished discussing the standard of living for the Iroquois Confederacy before contact. Then we moved onto a comparison between current standards of living and the standard of living in 16-18 century Europe.
Today we finished going over all the requirements of a formal essay. They need to apply these rules to their essay on To Kill A Mockingbird.
Period 2--AP 30
They had time to work on their Frankenstien essay today.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We finished reading Act II today. We viewed the Porter's scene so they could see the comic aspects of it and how it juxtaposes the "heaviness" of the previous scene where Duncan is killed.
Period 4--History 10
We finished discussing the standard of living for the Iroquois Confederacy before contact. Then we moved onto a comparison between current standards of living and the standard of living in 16-18 century Europe.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
September 26, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
This class was stolen from me today as the school started in on its three-way conference building to replace the old style of Parent Techer interview. The students were put into groups with a specific teacher who will act as their mentor for this process. From there, I explained this change throughout all of Sun West that will require students, the mentor teacher, and the parents to get together in November as well as the spring to view a portfolio prepared by their students and listen as that student speaks about their academic and non-academic goals. For today, we just built our goals and came up with some ideas of how to meet those goals.
Period 2--AP 30
I finished reviewing some essay writing rules and skills the kids need to have. They will have the next few days to work on their essay in class and then they will be on their own to finish it up for October 22.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
I gave them 15 minutes or so to finish up their timed writes from yesterday. After this, we got back into Macbeth (finally!). I gave them a summary of Act I since it's been awhile since we've had a chance to read. We quickly back-tracked to the last scene and then jumped right back into Act II of the play.
Period 4--History 10
The students were writing their History 10 exam for this class.
This class was stolen from me today as the school started in on its three-way conference building to replace the old style of Parent Techer interview. The students were put into groups with a specific teacher who will act as their mentor for this process. From there, I explained this change throughout all of Sun West that will require students, the mentor teacher, and the parents to get together in November as well as the spring to view a portfolio prepared by their students and listen as that student speaks about their academic and non-academic goals. For today, we just built our goals and came up with some ideas of how to meet those goals.
Period 2--AP 30
I finished reviewing some essay writing rules and skills the kids need to have. They will have the next few days to work on their essay in class and then they will be on their own to finish it up for October 22.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
I gave them 15 minutes or so to finish up their timed writes from yesterday. After this, we got back into Macbeth (finally!). I gave them a summary of Act I since it's been awhile since we've had a chance to read. We quickly back-tracked to the last scene and then jumped right back into Act II of the play.
Period 4--History 10
The students were writing their History 10 exam for this class.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
September 25, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We finished going over the power point for To Kill A Mockingbird. After this, the students wanted a refresher on how to write a formal essay, so we reviewed that section in their AP Resourse Booklet.
Period 2--AP 30
We finished going over the power point for Frankenstein. Again, the students wanted a refresher course on how to write a formal essay so we went over parts of the AP Resource Booklet.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
The students were finally able to sit down and write their first timed write that we've been preparing for. A few of them will need to finish up tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
We had a handout on personal standard of living that was fun to discuss with the kids. We then began filling out some blanks with a power point that examined some of the Standards of Living of the Iroquoian society. As a reminder, the students have their History 10 exam tomorrow.
We finished going over the power point for To Kill A Mockingbird. After this, the students wanted a refresher on how to write a formal essay, so we reviewed that section in their AP Resourse Booklet.
Period 2--AP 30
We finished going over the power point for Frankenstein. Again, the students wanted a refresher course on how to write a formal essay so we went over parts of the AP Resource Booklet.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
The students were finally able to sit down and write their first timed write that we've been preparing for. A few of them will need to finish up tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
We had a handout on personal standard of living that was fun to discuss with the kids. We then began filling out some blanks with a power point that examined some of the Standards of Living of the Iroquoian society. As a reminder, the students have their History 10 exam tomorrow.
Monday, 24 September 2012
September 24, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We went over some of the important aspects of the novel with a power point that I had made up. It reviewed the various symbols, themes, and important aspects of characterization. We will finish this up tomorrow and then the students will have a chance to review what it takes to write a formal essay!
Period 2--AP 30
We needed to continue our analytical study of Frankenstein. Mostly, they were listening to me lecture today and we'll finish that up tomorrow.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
The kids had a chance to review the passage from Lady Macbeth that they will be looking at for a timed write. We are using the basic question: "Using the resources of langague, explain how the character feels about the situation in which they find themselves." This prompt is applied to Lady Macbeth's soliloquy. We built a thesis together last Friday, so today we are doing the analysis together. Students worked in partners to come up with some literary devices that they see in the passage. After they had some time in partners, we compiled the information and analyzed it together on the SMART board. At the end of the class, they were able to fill in the blanks from the generic thesis to make it applicable to our prompt and passage. They will do the timed write tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
This was a fun class as we started discussions about Economic Decision Making and were able to make some applications to their life. We will look at who makes these decisisons and what influences them during the Industrial Revolution. There were a few handouts that will guide the students as to what we will study and learn by the end of the unit.
We went over some of the important aspects of the novel with a power point that I had made up. It reviewed the various symbols, themes, and important aspects of characterization. We will finish this up tomorrow and then the students will have a chance to review what it takes to write a formal essay!
Period 2--AP 30
We needed to continue our analytical study of Frankenstein. Mostly, they were listening to me lecture today and we'll finish that up tomorrow.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
The kids had a chance to review the passage from Lady Macbeth that they will be looking at for a timed write. We are using the basic question: "Using the resources of langague, explain how the character feels about the situation in which they find themselves." This prompt is applied to Lady Macbeth's soliloquy. We built a thesis together last Friday, so today we are doing the analysis together. Students worked in partners to come up with some literary devices that they see in the passage. After they had some time in partners, we compiled the information and analyzed it together on the SMART board. At the end of the class, they were able to fill in the blanks from the generic thesis to make it applicable to our prompt and passage. They will do the timed write tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
This was a fun class as we started discussions about Economic Decision Making and were able to make some applications to their life. We will look at who makes these decisisons and what influences them during the Industrial Revolution. There were a few handouts that will guide the students as to what we will study and learn by the end of the unit.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
September 21, 2012
Yikes, I forgot to post on Friday! My apologies! Again, I was covering in my office, so Mrs. Adelman was covering a couple of my classes.
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
This was another class for the grade 11s to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird essay.
Period 2--AP 30
Since many of the grade 12s were gone to Experience US at the University of Saskatchewan, the rest of the students used this time to work on their book annotations.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We continued to go over how to write a timed write by looking at a sample one. This information is all in the Student Resource Booklet I made up for each of them. We will analyze the excerpt from Macbeth on Monday and start with our timed write.
Period 4--History 10
Mrs. Adelman was covering this class and the studetst were allowed the class to study for their exam they have on Wednesday.
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
This was another class for the grade 11s to work on their To Kill A Mockingbird essay.
Period 2--AP 30
Since many of the grade 12s were gone to Experience US at the University of Saskatchewan, the rest of the students used this time to work on their book annotations.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We continued to go over how to write a timed write by looking at a sample one. This information is all in the Student Resource Booklet I made up for each of them. We will analyze the excerpt from Macbeth on Monday and start with our timed write.
Period 4--History 10
Mrs. Adelman was covering this class and the studetst were allowed the class to study for their exam they have on Wednesday.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
September 20, 2012
Since our principal and vice principals were out for the day, I had to cover the office, so I was in and out of the classroom with Mrs. Adelman as support.
Period 1--PreAP 20
They were to continue working on their To Kill A Mockingbrid essay. I had a power point of information printed off and given to the students to support the discussions we had during class earlier in the week. They will have tomorrow to work on this as well.
Period 2--AP 30
The students had to listen to me lecture for most of the day (they were on Monday morning mode for some reason and so there was little discussion!). We will finish up some of this info tomorrow and look at essay topics for them to beginewriting their essays!
Perido 3--Pre-AP 10
I want the students to do a timed write on Lady Macbeth's soliloquy, but in order to do that, I have to teach them: 1. What a timed write it is, and 2. Give them the tools to be able to do so. Needless to say, we went over literary devices that I complied in their Resource Booklet and discussed those definitions that would be important to writing a timed write on poetry. We'll continue the "how's" of timed writes tomorrow and actually get in to writing it on Monday. They were given the prompt and we deconstructed it together and came up with a thesis that answers it together!
History 10
Mrs. Adelman took them through the rest of the "What in the World" articles and a quiz (that doesn't count for marks). They were to write a paragraph about which of the four articles they think is the most significant.
Period 1--PreAP 20
They were to continue working on their To Kill A Mockingbrid essay. I had a power point of information printed off and given to the students to support the discussions we had during class earlier in the week. They will have tomorrow to work on this as well.
Period 2--AP 30
The students had to listen to me lecture for most of the day (they were on Monday morning mode for some reason and so there was little discussion!). We will finish up some of this info tomorrow and look at essay topics for them to beginewriting their essays!
Perido 3--Pre-AP 10
I want the students to do a timed write on Lady Macbeth's soliloquy, but in order to do that, I have to teach them: 1. What a timed write it is, and 2. Give them the tools to be able to do so. Needless to say, we went over literary devices that I complied in their Resource Booklet and discussed those definitions that would be important to writing a timed write on poetry. We'll continue the "how's" of timed writes tomorrow and actually get in to writing it on Monday. They were given the prompt and we deconstructed it together and came up with a thesis that answers it together!
History 10
Mrs. Adelman took them through the rest of the "What in the World" articles and a quiz (that doesn't count for marks). They were to write a paragraph about which of the four articles they think is the most significant.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
September 19, 2012
I was at a meeting in Regina, so the kids were lucky enough to have Mrs. Adleman in today.
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
The kids were given their To Kill A Mockingbird essay options yesterday, so they had today to work on their essay. They will get a few more classes to do so since this is their first of the year.
Period 2--AP 30
Since I wasn't there today, the kids wanted some time to work on the book annotations. They also used this time to finish their timed write from yesterday.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
Again, since I wasn't there, the kids wanted time to work on their Of Mice and Men double entry journal.
Period 4--History 10
The kids continued with current events today through the use of the "What in the World" articles. They didn't quite finish them all today, so we'll finsih that up tomorrow.
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
The kids were given their To Kill A Mockingbird essay options yesterday, so they had today to work on their essay. They will get a few more classes to do so since this is their first of the year.
Period 2--AP 30
Since I wasn't there today, the kids wanted some time to work on the book annotations. They also used this time to finish their timed write from yesterday.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
Again, since I wasn't there, the kids wanted time to work on their Of Mice and Men double entry journal.
Period 4--History 10
The kids continued with current events today through the use of the "What in the World" articles. They didn't quite finish them all today, so we'll finsih that up tomorrow.
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
September 18, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
The students had time to work on their question paragraph for the first 15 minutes of class. After this, we went over their essay options for To Kill A Mockingbird. They had the last few minutes to examine the topics in more detail and begin work on their essay.
Period 2--AP 30
The students started their first (of many) timed writes of the year. The focus was on Paradise Lost as Satan tries to gain entrance to Paradise but must get past Uriel first. Since this is their first, they will have time to complete it tomorrow.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
They had this class to work on their character sketch of one of the characters from Macbeth in the first act.
Period 4--History 10
We did some current events this class. We started out by talking about current news in and around the world. Topics included: the NHL lock out, the shooting in Saskatoon, the Quebec provincial election, etc. From there, we moved into some of the articles from "What in the World." The one we looked at together was on Canada in the London Olympics.
The students had time to work on their question paragraph for the first 15 minutes of class. After this, we went over their essay options for To Kill A Mockingbird. They had the last few minutes to examine the topics in more detail and begin work on their essay.
Period 2--AP 30
The students started their first (of many) timed writes of the year. The focus was on Paradise Lost as Satan tries to gain entrance to Paradise but must get past Uriel first. Since this is their first, they will have time to complete it tomorrow.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
They had this class to work on their character sketch of one of the characters from Macbeth in the first act.
Period 4--History 10
We did some current events this class. We started out by talking about current news in and around the world. Topics included: the NHL lock out, the shooting in Saskatoon, the Quebec provincial election, etc. From there, we moved into some of the articles from "What in the World." The one we looked at together was on Canada in the London Olympics.
Monday, 17 September 2012
September 17, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We continued with our questions from last Friday! Again, I am impressed with how muchground we cover going through the novel in this way. After we discussed some of the questions they still have outstanding from their discussion from Friday, they were assigned the question paragraph. I showed them two different examples of how they can tackle this and referred them to their AP Resource Booklet for help. They will have some time tomorrow to start this assignment.
Period 2--AP 30
We finished reading Book I of Paradise Lost and the task remains for many of them to complete their blog assignment. Hopefully now that we've detoured through this, they can make some parallels between the monster and Satan or the monster and Adam as we discuss some of the aspects of the novel. We will do a timed write on Paradise Lost on Wednesday.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We finished reading Act I today as a class. Lady Macbeth certainly made an impression on many of the students! Their task with Act I is to write a character sketch of one of the characters to which we have been introduced. We were just going over how to write a character sketch as the bell rang, so we will have time to work on this tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
I reminded the students of various assignments that are unfinished and encouraged them to do so. Any parents who want to check on their student's status can use the parent portal of power school to see if their student is up to date. We then finished our "review" portion of the course by looking at the Scientific Revolution. We discussed the most important invention to date and how it impacts us today.
We continued with our questions from last Friday! Again, I am impressed with how muchground we cover going through the novel in this way. After we discussed some of the questions they still have outstanding from their discussion from Friday, they were assigned the question paragraph. I showed them two different examples of how they can tackle this and referred them to their AP Resource Booklet for help. They will have some time tomorrow to start this assignment.
Period 2--AP 30
We finished reading Book I of Paradise Lost and the task remains for many of them to complete their blog assignment. Hopefully now that we've detoured through this, they can make some parallels between the monster and Satan or the monster and Adam as we discuss some of the aspects of the novel. We will do a timed write on Paradise Lost on Wednesday.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We finished reading Act I today as a class. Lady Macbeth certainly made an impression on many of the students! Their task with Act I is to write a character sketch of one of the characters to which we have been introduced. We were just going over how to write a character sketch as the bell rang, so we will have time to work on this tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
I reminded the students of various assignments that are unfinished and encouraged them to do so. Any parents who want to check on their student's status can use the parent portal of power school to see if their student is up to date. We then finished our "review" portion of the course by looking at the Scientific Revolution. We discussed the most important invention to date and how it impacts us today.
Friday, 14 September 2012
September 14, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
There were a few students left who had to share their quotations from To Kill A Mockingbird. I must say, I am impressed with the breadth of topics we accessed from this discussion. We covered much of the "deeper" aspects of the novel just by reviewing this way. My lecture for it might seem somewhat repetative when we get there! After we were done with discussion, the studens were required to get into partners and come up with 5 questions they still have about the novel. Then, they were to get together with another partnership and discuss all the questions and possible answers for them. We were starting to share some of the questions when the bell rang to end the class.
Period 2--AP 30
We continued reading Paradise Lost today. We should be able to finish up Book One, which is as far as we will go, on Monday. We will likely do a timed write on Paradise Lost and then dive back into Frankenstein.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We continued to read Macbeth today, but got somewhat sidetracked by some of the technical terminology with which they were unfamiliar. We reviewed asides, soliloquies, caesura, etc. Then, I gave them a handout with two of the passages from Act I that I wanted them to paraphrase. These were done in a "cloze" exercise format to get the kids used to the idea of paraphrasing. We finished scene iv and will continue reading on Monday.
Period 4--History 10
We continued with our review of grade 9 material today. We zipped through the Reformation and Counter Reformation--focussing on the sale of indulgences and relics and some of the other corruptions in the Medieval Catholic Church. Then we discussed the Enlightenment. This took the rest of the class. Students are reminded to bring a novel to read for DEAR time next week.
There were a few students left who had to share their quotations from To Kill A Mockingbird. I must say, I am impressed with the breadth of topics we accessed from this discussion. We covered much of the "deeper" aspects of the novel just by reviewing this way. My lecture for it might seem somewhat repetative when we get there! After we were done with discussion, the studens were required to get into partners and come up with 5 questions they still have about the novel. Then, they were to get together with another partnership and discuss all the questions and possible answers for them. We were starting to share some of the questions when the bell rang to end the class.
Period 2--AP 30
We continued reading Paradise Lost today. We should be able to finish up Book One, which is as far as we will go, on Monday. We will likely do a timed write on Paradise Lost and then dive back into Frankenstein.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We continued to read Macbeth today, but got somewhat sidetracked by some of the technical terminology with which they were unfamiliar. We reviewed asides, soliloquies, caesura, etc. Then, I gave them a handout with two of the passages from Act I that I wanted them to paraphrase. These were done in a "cloze" exercise format to get the kids used to the idea of paraphrasing. We finished scene iv and will continue reading on Monday.
Period 4--History 10
We continued with our review of grade 9 material today. We zipped through the Reformation and Counter Reformation--focussing on the sale of indulgences and relics and some of the other corruptions in the Medieval Catholic Church. Then we discussed the Enlightenment. This took the rest of the class. Students are reminded to bring a novel to read for DEAR time next week.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
September 13, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We continued our discussion of the novel by each student sharing their chosen quotation. It took the entire class (and we're still not finished), but it is a valuable way to discuss the novel in an incredibly thorough way without just lecturing. We will finish this up tomorrow.
Period 2--AP 30
The kids decided that they wanted to take up Book 1 of Paradise Lost. We started reading through it and the students very quickly see that it is quite a study in point of view. We will work through this literature tomorrow and then tie it back in to Frankenstein next week.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We had a quick look at the Historical aspects of Macbeth and then got into the reading of the play. Students chose a part and we read aloud with me serving as "translator" until they get back into the swing of things. We will hopefully finish up with Act I tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
This was their last class to work on their daVinci webquest. Despite many computer glitches, the majority of students were able to finish this up this class.
We continued our discussion of the novel by each student sharing their chosen quotation. It took the entire class (and we're still not finished), but it is a valuable way to discuss the novel in an incredibly thorough way without just lecturing. We will finish this up tomorrow.
Period 2--AP 30
The kids decided that they wanted to take up Book 1 of Paradise Lost. We started reading through it and the students very quickly see that it is quite a study in point of view. We will work through this literature tomorrow and then tie it back in to Frankenstein next week.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We had a quick look at the Historical aspects of Macbeth and then got into the reading of the play. Students chose a part and we read aloud with me serving as "translator" until they get back into the swing of things. We will hopefully finish up with Act I tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
This was their last class to work on their daVinci webquest. Despite many computer glitches, the majority of students were able to finish this up this class.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
September 12, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We read an essay titled "Childhood Throughout the Ages" and had some discussion about how childhood has changed from Classical times, through Medieval, the Industrial Revolution, and to modern times. To Kill A Mockingbird gives us a peek into the childhood of the main character, Scout Finch. I asked the kids to select one quotation from the novel that they found to be especially important to the story. We spent some time discussing a few of them and will continue to do so tomorrow. This serves as a nice reminder of the content they read over the summer.
Period 2--AP 30
We did a 3-2-1 exercise with the students. I asked them to identify 3 things they liked/appreciated about the novel, 2 things they didn't like/wish they could change, and 1 thing that surprised them. This took up much of the class for discussion as we went through it. We then reviewed who Prometheus from Classical Greek mythology is and what his connection might be to the novel. Tomorrow, we will have a look at Book Oen of Paradise Lost so we can see how the two works connect in the novel.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
The students wrote down the notes on the Freytag Pyramid of Plot Development that I had up on the board. After they were finished, I went through the diagram and some of the important vocabulary they will need to know. We used various other novels they would have read in past years such as The Giver and Hatchet to help them make connections. We then discussed the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy and how it fits into the diagram. After this, we finally finished reading the newspaper article I created using some of the antecedent action from Macbeth.
Period 4--History 10
We went to the computer lab to work on a webquest about Leonardo da Vinci and why he was considered the "perfect Renaissance Man." They will have a bit of time to work on this tomorrow.
We read an essay titled "Childhood Throughout the Ages" and had some discussion about how childhood has changed from Classical times, through Medieval, the Industrial Revolution, and to modern times. To Kill A Mockingbird gives us a peek into the childhood of the main character, Scout Finch. I asked the kids to select one quotation from the novel that they found to be especially important to the story. We spent some time discussing a few of them and will continue to do so tomorrow. This serves as a nice reminder of the content they read over the summer.
Period 2--AP 30
We did a 3-2-1 exercise with the students. I asked them to identify 3 things they liked/appreciated about the novel, 2 things they didn't like/wish they could change, and 1 thing that surprised them. This took up much of the class for discussion as we went through it. We then reviewed who Prometheus from Classical Greek mythology is and what his connection might be to the novel. Tomorrow, we will have a look at Book Oen of Paradise Lost so we can see how the two works connect in the novel.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
The students wrote down the notes on the Freytag Pyramid of Plot Development that I had up on the board. After they were finished, I went through the diagram and some of the important vocabulary they will need to know. We used various other novels they would have read in past years such as The Giver and Hatchet to help them make connections. We then discussed the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy and how it fits into the diagram. After this, we finally finished reading the newspaper article I created using some of the antecedent action from Macbeth.
Period 4--History 10
We went to the computer lab to work on a webquest about Leonardo da Vinci and why he was considered the "perfect Renaissance Man." They will have a bit of time to work on this tomorrow.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
September 11, 2012
Period 1-3 (AP classes 20, 30, 10)
The kids needed this class to finish their multiple choice exam. Clearly we need to work on timing to get this down to only one hour, but this will provide me with a baseline as to their skills at taking AP multiple choice questions. Today was also picture day, so some kids were in and out, so I didn't push them to finish any faster.
Period 4--History 10
They had the first 15 minutes to finish their paragraph for the Middle Ages. It was to centre on one word that described the era and back up why they felt that way. We moved on to look at the Renaissance and the Reformation in their handout that I gave them yesterday.
The kids needed this class to finish their multiple choice exam. Clearly we need to work on timing to get this down to only one hour, but this will provide me with a baseline as to their skills at taking AP multiple choice questions. Today was also picture day, so some kids were in and out, so I didn't push them to finish any faster.
Period 4--History 10
They had the first 15 minutes to finish their paragraph for the Middle Ages. It was to centre on one word that described the era and back up why they felt that way. We moved on to look at the Renaissance and the Reformation in their handout that I gave them yesterday.
Monday, 10 September 2012
September 10, 2012
Period 1-3--Pre-AP 20, AP 30, Pre-AP 10
It wasn't a great way for the kids to start their week off but in order to get baseline data, or a starting point, I need to know where the kids are at in order to work on improving their skills. With this in mind, I want to increase focus on the multiple choice portion of the AP exam. This, of course, means that we need to practice these skills and increase vocabulary. They didn't finish the exam, so I'll allow some time to complete it tomorrow and I'll create some data from there.
Period 4--History 10
We started going over some of the basic information that I want the students to have before entering into the bulk of the grade 10 curriculum. For today, we simply went over soem of the realities of the Middle Ages--it wasn't all knights in shining armour and damsels in distress! At the end of class, the students had to choose ONE WORD that they feel captures the reality of the Middle Ages. They will write a paragraph (using a topic statement, body of evidence, and a concluding statement) that expands on WHY that is an appropriate word to describe the times. They will get a bit more time to work on this tomorrow.
It wasn't a great way for the kids to start their week off but in order to get baseline data, or a starting point, I need to know where the kids are at in order to work on improving their skills. With this in mind, I want to increase focus on the multiple choice portion of the AP exam. This, of course, means that we need to practice these skills and increase vocabulary. They didn't finish the exam, so I'll allow some time to complete it tomorrow and I'll create some data from there.
Period 4--History 10
We started going over some of the basic information that I want the students to have before entering into the bulk of the grade 10 curriculum. For today, we simply went over soem of the realities of the Middle Ages--it wasn't all knights in shining armour and damsels in distress! At the end of class, the students had to choose ONE WORD that they feel captures the reality of the Middle Ages. They will write a paragraph (using a topic statement, body of evidence, and a concluding statement) that expands on WHY that is an appropriate word to describe the times. They will get a bit more time to work on this tomorrow.
Friday, 7 September 2012
September 7, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We spent this class in discussion of the units on which we'll be focussing. This created some very interesting discussion of childhood and what impacts the adults we become. In many ways, it was a fun trip down memory lane for the kids as they recounted some of their childhood shenanigans!
Peiod 2--AP 30
This was their last class to work on their "Summer News" assignment. It is due on Tuesday. Starting on Monday, we'll be reviewing Frankenstein. Despite the glitches in the computer system, many were able to get this assignment completed. It is due on Tuesday.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We went over the curse of Macbeth just as a fun look into the history of the actual performances of the play. With any luck, we won't experience some of the bad luck actors, actresses, directors, composers, critics, and audience members had during their run of the play! From there we moved into an examination of the structure of the play itself--blank verse, iambic pentametre as well as the extensive use of figurative language. We were just starting to get into the antecdent action with a mock newspaper handout when the bell rang.
Period 4--History 10
This was their last class to work on their timeline assignment. It is due on Tuesday.
It was a good first week of school! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
We spent this class in discussion of the units on which we'll be focussing. This created some very interesting discussion of childhood and what impacts the adults we become. In many ways, it was a fun trip down memory lane for the kids as they recounted some of their childhood shenanigans!
Peiod 2--AP 30
This was their last class to work on their "Summer News" assignment. It is due on Tuesday. Starting on Monday, we'll be reviewing Frankenstein. Despite the glitches in the computer system, many were able to get this assignment completed. It is due on Tuesday.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We went over the curse of Macbeth just as a fun look into the history of the actual performances of the play. With any luck, we won't experience some of the bad luck actors, actresses, directors, composers, critics, and audience members had during their run of the play! From there we moved into an examination of the structure of the play itself--blank verse, iambic pentametre as well as the extensive use of figurative language. We were just starting to get into the antecdent action with a mock newspaper handout when the bell rang.
Period 4--History 10
This was their last class to work on their timeline assignment. It is due on Tuesday.
It was a good first week of school! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Thursday, 6 September 2012
September 6 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
I took some time to show them the AP blog for responding that I have set up at mrstulpapblog.blogspot.ca and reminded them of their assignment to do with To Kill A Mockingbird. I also handed out the "AP Resource Booklet" I've made up over the past several years with important information to which I will refer over the course of the semester. Finally, as part of the speaking strand, we did a quick introduction of one another. We brainstormed the necessary aspects of introducing each other and some had some discussion on the need for oratorical skills (grad is coming up at the end of next school year after all!). They spent a few minutes getting to know the person that they have to introduce. Then, they had to stand up and actually speak to the rest of the class with the purpose of introducing their partner. This took the majority of the class and we had a lot of fun doing so!
Period 2--AP 30
I showed them the ap blog and we discussed their reading assignment from the summer. From there, we moved directly to the computer lab to work on their "Summer Assignment." If they finish early tomorrow, they should be sure to bring their annotation to work on.
Peirod 3--Pre-AP 10
We continued with the powerpoint outlining the life and times of William Shakespeare. This took the rest of the class and we nicely finished the powerpoint just as the bell rang.
Period 4--History 10
We corrected the dates together as a class and the kids organized the dates so they knew what went first to last. They then started to build their timeline. They will have one more class to finish this!
I took some time to show them the AP blog for responding that I have set up at mrstulpapblog.blogspot.ca and reminded them of their assignment to do with To Kill A Mockingbird. I also handed out the "AP Resource Booklet" I've made up over the past several years with important information to which I will refer over the course of the semester. Finally, as part of the speaking strand, we did a quick introduction of one another. We brainstormed the necessary aspects of introducing each other and some had some discussion on the need for oratorical skills (grad is coming up at the end of next school year after all!). They spent a few minutes getting to know the person that they have to introduce. Then, they had to stand up and actually speak to the rest of the class with the purpose of introducing their partner. This took the majority of the class and we had a lot of fun doing so!
Period 2--AP 30
I showed them the ap blog and we discussed their reading assignment from the summer. From there, we moved directly to the computer lab to work on their "Summer Assignment." If they finish early tomorrow, they should be sure to bring their annotation to work on.
Peirod 3--Pre-AP 10
We continued with the powerpoint outlining the life and times of William Shakespeare. This took the rest of the class and we nicely finished the powerpoint just as the bell rang.
Period 4--History 10
We corrected the dates together as a class and the kids organized the dates so they knew what went first to last. They then started to build their timeline. They will have one more class to finish this!
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
September 5, 2012
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
We looked at the course outline together and my plans for the semester for the course. I reminded them to complete their blogs at mrstulpapblog.blogspot.ca for their reading of To Kill A Mockingbird. This took the vast majority of the class, so we will get into the work of the course tomorrow.
Period 2--AP 30
I finished going over the assignment for "Blues News" and my expectations for their practice run with their "Summer News." I then handed out the AP Resource Booklet I complied and directed them to pg 63-64 for directions on the Book Annotations. I gave them a brief summary of each of the novel options for them to annotate and allowed them time to choose their novel. Their annotations will be due on the last day of school before Christmas.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We finished going over the course outline from yesterday and my expectations and procedures. Then I handed out the novel Of Mice and Men as well as their double entry journal assignment. This is due at the end of September. Since we had some time before the end of class, I started some of the back ground work on Shakespeare before we get into Macbeth. Essentially, the kids listen as we look at what London was like during Shakespeare's life. The students find some of this information very interesting and certainly start to appreciate the ammenities of our modern society.
Period 4--History 10
The students continued work on their Timeline Assignment. This class saw them perusing the textbook for various dates of events that they will have to plot on the timeline. They will get more class time to continue wtih this assignment tomorrow.
We looked at the course outline together and my plans for the semester for the course. I reminded them to complete their blogs at mrstulpapblog.blogspot.ca for their reading of To Kill A Mockingbird. This took the vast majority of the class, so we will get into the work of the course tomorrow.
Period 2--AP 30
I finished going over the assignment for "Blues News" and my expectations for their practice run with their "Summer News." I then handed out the AP Resource Booklet I complied and directed them to pg 63-64 for directions on the Book Annotations. I gave them a brief summary of each of the novel options for them to annotate and allowed them time to choose their novel. Their annotations will be due on the last day of school before Christmas.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We finished going over the course outline from yesterday and my expectations and procedures. Then I handed out the novel Of Mice and Men as well as their double entry journal assignment. This is due at the end of September. Since we had some time before the end of class, I started some of the back ground work on Shakespeare before we get into Macbeth. Essentially, the kids listen as we look at what London was like during Shakespeare's life. The students find some of this information very interesting and certainly start to appreciate the ammenities of our modern society.
Period 4--History 10
The students continued work on their Timeline Assignment. This class saw them perusing the textbook for various dates of events that they will have to plot on the timeline. They will get more class time to continue wtih this assignment tomorrow.
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
September 4, 2012
WELCOME BACK!!!
Today was the first day of classes for all students at OHS. It is nice to see everyone and see how much they have grown over the summer months! For those new to this blog, it is set up for students and parents to find out what went on during class time in each of the courses that I teach. Hopefully it helps keep everyone up to date.
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
This period was used by the homerooms to have the kids get the forms they need, locker assignments, and general information and protocols of OHS. As such, nothing was taught as the grade 11s were mixed up into their homerooms, not their first period classes. However, I would like to remind the grade 11s to please finish reading To Kill A Mockingbird and post their opinion on mrstulpapblog.blogspot.ca as soon as possible. Many have already done so, and the rest need to get moving on this.
Period 2--AP 30
I gave the students a brief run-down of the success OHS had last year with the AP College Board exam. Our OHS students performed very well on the essay portions of the exam but need work on the multiple choice section, so we are going to widen our focus to include that a bit more. After this, we went through the course outline for the year. Fairly soon, the students should choose their novel that they'd like to annotate--hopefully this will be done by the end of the week. Finally, to get the ball rolling on an more relaxed note for these grade 12s, they were given the "Blues News" assignment that requires each grade 12 to take a turn to write for our community newspaper about the happenings at OHS. They will practice this by writing about their "Summer News." A schedule was given for the kids to know when it's their turn! They will plot this out tomorrow and then have computer time to work on it Thursday and Friday.
REMINDER to the grade 12s that they need to re-read their summer assignment sheet and offer up some kind of response.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
Since it is their first time in the AP world, we spent a lot of time going over the course outline and my classroom procedures. We will continue with this tomorrow and it also gives the kids time to come up with any questions about the AP program they may have.
Period 4--History 10
To start this class, we discussed what the kids know, or think they know, about various events in history including: the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the English Civil War, The Glorious Revolution, The French Revolution, and the American Revolution. All of these topics will be examined (and then some) in the History 10 course. After they told me what they think they know, I gave them a brief look at what each of these topics are about. After this, we looked at the course outline and discussed assessment. One of the skills they need is to create a timeline, so they chose ten personal events from their lives and had to plot them out on a timeline. During this time, we discovered that they seem to have forgotten how to add and subtract! I was just about to hand out their Timeline assignment when the bell went.
I hope everyone had a great first day back at school and I look forward to an exciting new school year.
REMINDER: I need the current email addresses of the students' parents. They should have a form about Parent Communication coming home today or tomorrow.
Today was the first day of classes for all students at OHS. It is nice to see everyone and see how much they have grown over the summer months! For those new to this blog, it is set up for students and parents to find out what went on during class time in each of the courses that I teach. Hopefully it helps keep everyone up to date.
Period 1--Pre-AP 20
This period was used by the homerooms to have the kids get the forms they need, locker assignments, and general information and protocols of OHS. As such, nothing was taught as the grade 11s were mixed up into their homerooms, not their first period classes. However, I would like to remind the grade 11s to please finish reading To Kill A Mockingbird and post their opinion on mrstulpapblog.blogspot.ca as soon as possible. Many have already done so, and the rest need to get moving on this.
Period 2--AP 30
I gave the students a brief run-down of the success OHS had last year with the AP College Board exam. Our OHS students performed very well on the essay portions of the exam but need work on the multiple choice section, so we are going to widen our focus to include that a bit more. After this, we went through the course outline for the year. Fairly soon, the students should choose their novel that they'd like to annotate--hopefully this will be done by the end of the week. Finally, to get the ball rolling on an more relaxed note for these grade 12s, they were given the "Blues News" assignment that requires each grade 12 to take a turn to write for our community newspaper about the happenings at OHS. They will practice this by writing about their "Summer News." A schedule was given for the kids to know when it's their turn! They will plot this out tomorrow and then have computer time to work on it Thursday and Friday.
REMINDER to the grade 12s that they need to re-read their summer assignment sheet and offer up some kind of response.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
Since it is their first time in the AP world, we spent a lot of time going over the course outline and my classroom procedures. We will continue with this tomorrow and it also gives the kids time to come up with any questions about the AP program they may have.
Period 4--History 10
To start this class, we discussed what the kids know, or think they know, about various events in history including: the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the English Civil War, The Glorious Revolution, The French Revolution, and the American Revolution. All of these topics will be examined (and then some) in the History 10 course. After they told me what they think they know, I gave them a brief look at what each of these topics are about. After this, we looked at the course outline and discussed assessment. One of the skills they need is to create a timeline, so they chose ten personal events from their lives and had to plot them out on a timeline. During this time, we discovered that they seem to have forgotten how to add and subtract! I was just about to hand out their Timeline assignment when the bell went.
I hope everyone had a great first day back at school and I look forward to an exciting new school year.
REMINDER: I need the current email addresses of the students' parents. They should have a form about Parent Communication coming home today or tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)