Volunteers

Hope you can make it in to volunteer tomorrow.  How does 9 am start sound?  I will be there earlier but I suspect some of you will want a bit of a lay in.

English Mock Provincial ??? and more

So far I only have 3 people signed up to write a mock provincial on Monday.  See the last post if you plan to come in Monday.  There are also a number of people who have not handed in their final reflections, Chrysalids essays or Chrysalids novels.  Hope to see you Monday.

Help me share your Passions! (with other Genius Hour classes and Educators)

I thoroughly enjoyed your Genius Hour Presentations and I hope you did too!  As you know, I am a "connected" educator through Twitter and often colleagues are looking for ways to inspire or share Genius Hour processes and projects.  Often teachers are looking for student samples with varied strengths and weaknesses.

Here is where the HELP comes in!  I would love to have permission to share some of your projects (from photos, to videos to proposals or other research and reflection logs) with other teachers and classes doing Genius Hour in their classes.  Please see me or email me if you are willing to let me share with a wider district and global audience of Genius Hour Teachers.  

Specifically - I am looking for any examples you might be willing to share.  Even if you feel you did not do parts of your project as well as you could have, sometimes that is where the most learning occurs and your reflections will show this.

Please check with your parents to make sure it is ok with them - I will use first names, or no names, if you prefer for student safety and privacy.

Exam Prep and Last days of Semester 1

Provincial Exam Prep and Monday "I"Completion Days:

Make sure you rest up and eat well before provincial exams next week.  Please fill out the following survey if you plan to come in Monday for any reason - it will help me prepare better to assist you.

Coming in Monday? Complete this Survey.

Here is a copy of the FH exam schedule - it will be different from the ministry website.  Follow this one!  Don't forget your PEN number and photo ID with your full name on it.

FH Exam Schedule

Here are final reminders for work that you have done with me.  I need these by Tuesday 10 am at the latest, preferably tomorrow or Monday.  I had a lot of fun with you all and thank you for working so well with me and Ms Snodden this semester!

Several of you still need to do the following:

• hand in missing poetry assignments
• Chrysalids essays: finish brainstorm, outline, and draft of your (I need to sign off on it before it goes home)
• come in at flex to make sure I have your full process for your final project (Genius Hour)
1. Proposal - original and revised after our conference (most of you had revisions or additions)
2. Conference
3. In-Progress Work:
• logged research - notes, screen shots, bibliography
• logged reflections as you were working on the project (meta-cognition / thinking about your thinking is part of your mark)
• planning for your presentation,
4. Evidence of Peer Review - your questions, responses from 3 peers and 1 sibling/parent
5. Post-Presentation and Semester End Reflections - questions were on the board.  If you forgot them, perhaps some kind soul in the class will post a photo of them here on the class blog for you.

English 10 Celebration! Final Presentation Schedule / details

Please be on time and ready to present in the order outlined.  Some blocks are very tight for timing and we may also have guests in the room for the presentations in red. Email me if I have made any errors - these were confirmed today.  If I missed you  - let me know.  At the end of presentations, we may have a block to collect and hand in missing work, otherwise come to flex to hand in missing work.

Presenters - I will need a paper copy of your proposal (post conference) to write comments on.
Your complete process:

• proposal
• research and process logs with reflections
• peer review from 3 peers and 1 parent / sibling
• Final Presentation Reflections - handout will be given to guide your final reflections
• these are individual 

Mornings:

Tuesday Block 4 (second period):  9:40 – 10:55

1.  "Shine" an animated collaborative story with original music – Daniel – author, animator – Harvey , music composition – Ryan  (15 min)

2.  Running Blog with tips and related nutritional information – Olivia (10 minutes)

3.  Make-up tutorial videos using Pinterest and youtube – Priya (10 min)

4.  Remixing music to create new songs – Amie (10 min)

Wednesday Block 4 (second period): 9:40 – 10:55

       1.  Fat Loss/Muscle Gain diet experiment -  Ben and William (10 min) 

***2.  International Students and their Impact on our School Community – 

           Angela, Bryan, and Bob (25 min)

  Thursday Block 4:  all morning 8:15 – 10:55

***1.  Basketball Bag: Keanan,Shaan, Giovanni, Jeevin (20 min)*** 

***2.  Redesigning Innovation Week for 2015:  Brandon (15 min)*** 

      3.  "Are You Happy Now?" Music video with an anti-bullying theme – Megan and Preet (10 min)

      4.  Introverts and Extroverts in School:  Marissa and Nava (10 min) 

Afternoons: 

Tuesday Block 2 (fourth period):  1:30 – 2:45

1.  Our Own Sport:  "Awesome Ball' – Jordan and Luke (10 min)

2.  Colour Theory in Advertising – Sonali (10 min)

3.  All about Sleep – Felix (10 min)

4. Experimenting with writing in different story genres – Truman  (10 min)

5.  Repurposing Cardboard – Jaeden and Nathan (15 min)

6.  Living on a Budget: $5 meals for Families of Four – John and Amy (15 min)

Wednesday Block 2( fourth period):  1:30 – 2:45

   ***1.  Women in the RCMP w/ live special guest interview" - Sophie (20 min) ***

          2.  Short Story Creative writing in science-fiction/fantasy genre – Andrew (10 min)

          3.  Plotting storyline and Planning for a small novel – Jack (10 min)

          4.  "Making Soda Pop Pop!" - Jaden, Colton, Justin (15 min) 

                Students made their own soda – food and ingredients list will be available.

 

          5.  How to pick up girls – Jeff and Phillip (15 min)

Thursday:  all afternoon 12:05 – 2:45

       1. Photography Edits – Sarah and Michelle (10 minutes)

         2.  Veganism – Jenny (10 min)

         3.  Learning Japanese – Jackie (10 min)

         4.  Natural Body Alarm Clocks – Derek (10 min)

         5.  "Bias in History – A Re-Examination of Hitler's Legacy" - Tom (10 min)

        6.  "Zoot" a Dr Seuss Inspired original story- Talissa (10 min)

         **Shared out via twitter to primary classrooms for feedback***

        7.  Kinetic Typography (animated) - Chas (10 min)

  

         

Semester end...

Block Order for this week:

Monday:  3 4 1 2
Tuesday:  3 4 1 2
Wednesday:  3 4 1 2
Thursday:  4 4 2 2
Friday:  3 3 1 1

Flex:  Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
***Sorry for the change but meetings were scheduled for Monday and Wednesday***

Passion Project Presentations:  Starting Monday! Expect that we might have guests this week.   From Sophie interviewing her mom as part of her presentation to guests who are interested to hear about your projects!

Excited to begin your passion project presentations!  Remember to have all your process including your edited / revised proposal, process log including your research, presentation planning, and reflections in one plaee (e.g..  booklet, blog,....)  Members in groups - just a reminder that while you may have worked together, some of this should be individual (e.g. parts of your process and definitely your reflections). After your presentation, you will have final reflections. Your literary essay was due to hand in by Tuesday, but I will extend to Wednesday due to the change in flex times this week.

We will also need to collect your Chrysalids novels and any other books you may have so that you do not have book bills to clear up at the end of the year.

What do grades really mean? Continuing the conversation...

Last week, the news was all abuzz with reports that the districts of Surrey and Maple Ridge were piloting new forms of reporting to parents about their child's progress in school - specifically, elementary schools and soon some secondary schools, will be using methods, other than letter grades to share student progress.  We discussed this in class last week and we have been discussing this off and on all year as I use a portfolio method of assessment whereby students receive various forms of feedback and few, if any numerical scores or letter grades, to help students improve their learning.  Our new superintendent, Mr Jordan Tinney, wrote a post to further explain the rationale behind the shift and to address questions raised by students, parents, and the community at large.

Mr Tinney's Post:  What do letter grades really mean? 

Change is difficult and messy but sometimes necessary to move forward.  Hopefully, Mr. Tinney's post will help to spark or add to the conversation with your parents, peers and teachers.

Last week to make up work!

This week I am open for flex Mon - Thursday at 11:15 am

• your essay brainstorm, outline and drafts need to be done at school with me before I let you take them home for editing.  The essay will be due next Tuesday and you must hand in all of your work process or it will not be marked and you will need to come in on Monday Jan 27 to make up your essay writing on the "I" completion day.
• Literary term quiz will be done on Thursday at flex.  You must have done the review activity with me in class prior to being able to the make-up quiz.

This week:  Monday - Friday - you will work on your Genius Hour projects.

On Thursday:  Ms Lees will post a presentation schedule for your passion projects.

Character Analysis writing

Literary essays often focus around themes or characters that are developed throughout a poem, story or novel.

Write a multi-paragraph composition where you compare your character traits with those of one of the main characters in the novel.  My expectation will be that you include at least 3 quotes in your composition and that you remember to PEE (Provide point, Explanation, Example) or provide a SEXI argument (State point, Explain it, Illustrate with an example).  Another pneumonic for literary writing is to use the MELELEC method  - watch this video tutorial for a specific example.

It doesn't matter which mnemonic device you use to help you remember how to support your literary writing as long as you use it.

Some examples of literary essays include:

Literary Essay Example 1

Literary Example 2 - longer but some of you might find it more useful

Reminder on How to integrate quotations in your writing:

Topics - choose 1
You will complete all these steps of the writing process : brainstorm, outline, double spaced draft

How can an overly legalistic society also become a hypocritical one?

How can an overly legalistic society also become a hypocritical one?

1.  How can an overly legalistic society also become a hypocritical one?  Explain with examples from the Chrysalids.

2.  In the Chrysalids, the people strive to create a Utopian society but in many ways the society is actually a Dystopian one.  Explain.

3.  With which character are you most alike in the novel The Chrysalids?  See the description and video above to help you with this topic.

4.  The word “chrysalid” means a state into which the larvae of most insects pass before becoming perfect insects. The chrysalid takes in no food and is inactive. In general,the word can mean a sheltered state of growth. IF we use this definition as a description of life in Waknuk, what are the people sheltering themselves from? What is the “perfect state” they are trying to achieve? Does the title of the novel apply to the eight characters who can communicate in thought-shapes? Explain.

5. Are the residents of Waknuk getting closer or further away from perfection? There is evidence for both sides, so be sure to include it in your essay.

6. Despite their fear and the horrors around them, David and his group manage to display many of the humane and natural qualities so obviously lacking in Waknuk: love, loyalty, courage, and individual responsibility. Illustrate, with reference to David, Rosalind and Michael, the qualities of character they display.

7. 1) The Chrysalids shows the dangers of people believing that they belong to a superior race or group.  Discuss this idea making reference to both the societies of Waknuk and the Sealand.

8. 7) In the film X-Men, Magneto says of the mutation law "Let them pass that law and they'll have you in chains with a number burned into your forehead." Discuss the reality of this in Waknuk in comparison to what is happening in the film. 

How to Use Google Docs and Google Drive

Tutorial Videos from Youtube and Common Craft are very useful.

Wish for the new year....

As you begin your Passion Projects please remember that there may,and should, be mistakes along the way.

http://twitter.com/jackiegerstein/status/418385345219031040/photo/1

Another reason for sharing our process online:

http://twitter.com/Silvana_Hoxha/status/420389999171751936/photo/1

To keep the conversation on learning going....

What do you think of this news for Surrey schools?

http://fw.to/2lvPTvF

New tool that may help you keep your collaborative projects organized

Happy New Year everyone!

This week we will spend some time on your Passion Project Proposals and conferences as well as some time on essay writing with topics related to The Chrysalids.  Hope you enjoyed the novel and had a wonderfully restful Christmas break!

I thought you might be interested in this new tool that my fellow Genius Hour colleague from Kamloops recommends: Trello

Watch the video intro to see if it might be something that may help you out.  Might even be a better platform than Google docs.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow - Time to work on your proposals for your passion projects so you can bring laptops and devices if you like.