As previously mentioned, the grade 11 "Something to Write Home About" assignment was due today. I received only six out of 15 assignments, which is quite disheartening. Please make sure that you hand it in tomorrow, or I will not be able to grade it in time to get the mark on the report card, and a zero will appear. The normal late policy is in effect, which is 10% per day for five days, and after that it is a goose egg.
Please remember that I have deadlines too! Marks are due Monday morning.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
"The future belongs to those who prepare for it." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Report cards are around the corner! Therefore, there are some tests and assignments due. It would be in student's best interest to prepare for these things. Here are some reminders about previously mentioned items:
ELA 20 - To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Test, tomorrow Thursday the 28th
- Something to write home about letter, due tomorrow as well
ELA 10 - Unknown Unit Test, tomorrow Thursday the 28th
ELA 20 - To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Test, tomorrow Thursday the 28th
- Something to write home about letter, due tomorrow as well
ELA 10 - Unknown Unit Test, tomorrow Thursday the 28th
Friday, October 22, 2010
"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them." Richard L. Evans
Grade 10s rock!!
I just wanted to let everyone know how awesome the grade 10 class has been doing this year. Their second assignment, "Dracula on Tour", was due this past Tuesday. It involved making a fictitious tour advertisement for the upcoming tour of the play Dracula. They could do anything from making a poster to creating a video trailer. On Tuesday, I received amazing projects, all unique and well done. AND every project was handed in on the due date. Very impressive grade 10s! I let them know how appreciative I was by bringing them popcorn the following day. I challenge other classes to be as diligent as this one, and I will reward with some sort of treat!
We are still in the first unit which is based all around the "unknown". In class we have been discussing the future, and unknowns associated with it. Yesterday, the students began their pre-writing activities for their essay "Life in 2060". The students are going to be using the writing process to complete an essay about what they think life will be like 50 years from now. Your child has a list of the requirements in his/her ELA binder if you would like more information about it. The essay is due November ninth.
In order to break up the material a bit, the Grade 10s will be having a mid-unit exam on the 28th of October. This text will cover all material that we have taken up to this point, and will therefore make the end-unit exam much more manageable.
Also, we have an exciting field trip coming up with the grade 10s. The Vic Juba Theatre is putting on a production of "The Monkey's Paw", which is a play that we have already read as a class. I have secured 20 seats for the play, 12 which will be filled with students from grade 10, one for me and one for Mrs. Shirtliffe. That means that we will have 6 seats left, some which are going to be offered to senior art students, and the others will be open for parents who are interested in driving students and attending the play. If you would like to attend, please let me know!!
In other ELA news, ELA 9 just received their Outsiders exams back. You may want to inquire as to how your son/daughter did on the exam, and I encourage you to ask them. If you would like more information about it, feel free to contact me at school, or we could talk about it at P T interviews.
The grade 11s are working on culminating activities of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Their unit exam is on October 28, which is next Thursday. The "Something to Write Home About" letter assignment is also due on the 28th. Next week we will be beginning essay writing as the students choose from a number of given topics and write a literary essay on the novel. They will only be required to use one source, the novel itself, and so it requires a deep understanding of their chosen topic. Students should choose something they are interested in and something that they can relate to or are excited about writing.
ELA 30 is continuing on in the Canada-based unit where we are about to begin the Regional Perspectives sub-theme. We will be reading some classic Prairie literature like A Field of Wheat, The Painted Door, and The Lamp at Noon. You may remember these from your English course, and while they are 'oldies;, they are most definitely 'goodies'. In fact, Sinclair Ross' story "The Painted Door" is still the most heavily referenced piece of literature on the Saskatchewan Departmental for ELA 30. I think that says that students love the quietly shocking plot of John, Steve, and Anne!
Stay tuned for more updates.
I just wanted to let everyone know how awesome the grade 10 class has been doing this year. Their second assignment, "Dracula on Tour", was due this past Tuesday. It involved making a fictitious tour advertisement for the upcoming tour of the play Dracula. They could do anything from making a poster to creating a video trailer. On Tuesday, I received amazing projects, all unique and well done. AND every project was handed in on the due date. Very impressive grade 10s! I let them know how appreciative I was by bringing them popcorn the following day. I challenge other classes to be as diligent as this one, and I will reward with some sort of treat!
We are still in the first unit which is based all around the "unknown". In class we have been discussing the future, and unknowns associated with it. Yesterday, the students began their pre-writing activities for their essay "Life in 2060". The students are going to be using the writing process to complete an essay about what they think life will be like 50 years from now. Your child has a list of the requirements in his/her ELA binder if you would like more information about it. The essay is due November ninth.
In order to break up the material a bit, the Grade 10s will be having a mid-unit exam on the 28th of October. This text will cover all material that we have taken up to this point, and will therefore make the end-unit exam much more manageable.
Also, we have an exciting field trip coming up with the grade 10s. The Vic Juba Theatre is putting on a production of "The Monkey's Paw", which is a play that we have already read as a class. I have secured 20 seats for the play, 12 which will be filled with students from grade 10, one for me and one for Mrs. Shirtliffe. That means that we will have 6 seats left, some which are going to be offered to senior art students, and the others will be open for parents who are interested in driving students and attending the play. If you would like to attend, please let me know!!
In other ELA news, ELA 9 just received their Outsiders exams back. You may want to inquire as to how your son/daughter did on the exam, and I encourage you to ask them. If you would like more information about it, feel free to contact me at school, or we could talk about it at P T interviews.
The grade 11s are working on culminating activities of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Their unit exam is on October 28, which is next Thursday. The "Something to Write Home About" letter assignment is also due on the 28th. Next week we will be beginning essay writing as the students choose from a number of given topics and write a literary essay on the novel. They will only be required to use one source, the novel itself, and so it requires a deep understanding of their chosen topic. Students should choose something they are interested in and something that they can relate to or are excited about writing.
ELA 30 is continuing on in the Canada-based unit where we are about to begin the Regional Perspectives sub-theme. We will be reading some classic Prairie literature like A Field of Wheat, The Painted Door, and The Lamp at Noon. You may remember these from your English course, and while they are 'oldies;, they are most definitely 'goodies'. In fact, Sinclair Ross' story "The Painted Door" is still the most heavily referenced piece of literature on the Saskatchewan Departmental for ELA 30. I think that says that students love the quietly shocking plot of John, Steve, and Anne!
Stay tuned for more updates.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Grade Four Computer
Click here to go to the friendly letter page:
http://www.abcya.com/friendly_letter_maker.htm
http://www.abcya.com/friendly_letter_maker.htm
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it." ~ Somerset Maugham
Yesterday the grade 10 class received an assignment called "Dracula on Tour". This assignment requires a lot of creativity, as they will, either in groups or on their own, design a poster or a video that advertises the upcoming tour of the play Dracula. The students have been given a detailed assignment sheet that outlines what is expected of them. I cannot wait to see what these young brilliant minds come up with!
It will be due Tuesday, October 19th, exactly two weeks from today. If they would like to use one of their 'Get out of Jail Free Cards', it has to be submitted by next Tuesday, the 12th of October.
Students will be given three class periods to work on their projects, work ethic permitting, and after this the rest of the project will be completed on their own time.
If you have any questions about this please let me know!
It will be due Tuesday, October 19th, exactly two weeks from today. If they would like to use one of their 'Get out of Jail Free Cards', it has to be submitted by next Tuesday, the 12th of October.
Students will be given three class periods to work on their projects, work ethic permitting, and after this the rest of the project will be completed on their own time.
If you have any questions about this please let me know!
Monday, October 4, 2010
"Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity." Herbert Marshall McLuhan
The ELA 30 A course is centred around Canada and Canadian Literature. For some reason, I find Canadian literature quite interesting... the Margarets (Atwood and Laurence), Yann Martell, Stephan Leacock, Alice Munroe.. I took every Canadian Lit class offered by the Department of English. But I was destined to be an English teacher, and even some of the best English teachers despise CanLit. Sooooooo... in an effort to make this course interesting to students, I try to incorporate more interesting snid-bits of CanLit for them to enjoy.
Last week I shared a chapter from Anishinaabe World that speaks to issues of aboriginal rights and misconceptions that Canadians often harbor about aboriginal issues. It is a great read, and if you would like to hear more about it please let me know.
Two other titles that I am looking forward to sharing in class are both by Will Furguson. His first book Why I Hate Canadians is eye-opening read. You can find a review here http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=360. I am currently reading a book from the same author called How to be Canadian, which is the same in that it uses punchy humour and a bit of sarcasm to keep you interested. The second book focuses more on cliche Canadianisms, and really pokes fun at Canada. The best part about these two selections is that they are books about Canada, written by a Canadian who makes fun of Canadians. A little bit easier to read than Margaret Atwood's Survival which is a bit dry. My attempt at reading it last year while teaching this course left the bookmark stuck somewhere in chapter two.
All this talk about Canada reminded me to send a reminder about grade 12's upcoming Oral Essay - the written portion is due Thursday. Start practicing!
Last week I shared a chapter from Anishinaabe World that speaks to issues of aboriginal rights and misconceptions that Canadians often harbor about aboriginal issues. It is a great read, and if you would like to hear more about it please let me know.
Two other titles that I am looking forward to sharing in class are both by Will Furguson. His first book Why I Hate Canadians is eye-opening read. You can find a review here http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=360. I am currently reading a book from the same author called How to be Canadian, which is the same in that it uses punchy humour and a bit of sarcasm to keep you interested. The second book focuses more on cliche Canadianisms, and really pokes fun at Canada. The best part about these two selections is that they are books about Canada, written by a Canadian who makes fun of Canadians. A little bit easier to read than Margaret Atwood's Survival which is a bit dry. My attempt at reading it last year while teaching this course left the bookmark stuck somewhere in chapter two.
All this talk about Canada reminded me to send a reminder about grade 12's upcoming Oral Essay - the written portion is due Thursday. Start practicing!
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