December 16

Humanities 8
Today we had 4 amazing presentations on World Religions. I was so impressed with the level of organization and preparation that my students went through to be ready for today...incredible! Tomorrow we will hear from the last 3 groups and enjoy our pizza lunch that Courtenay won for us.

BCFNS12
We started Chapter5 today.

December 15th

Congratulations to Courtney for being in the top 3 for the anti-meth poster challenge!!!! You won a pizza lunch for our whole class!!! Way to go!

Humanities 8
Today was rehearsal day for the big teaching presentations tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing all your hard work come together tomorrow.

BCFNS12
We finished the video "Coppermine" today and finished the questions, which are due tomorrow. Also, your 10 vocabulary words from chapter 4 are due tomorrow. We also watched a disturbing video called "The Last Days at Okak", about a flu epidemic in Labrador in the early 1900's.

December 11

Reminder to everyone, hamper items are due tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Humanities 8
Students should be very proud of the note-making packages that they did for the Religions unit, they were very well done, great detail and excellent note-making techniques.

We worked on our presentations today and finishing up the anti-meth posters which are due tomorrow.

***Reminder Religions teaching presentations are Tuesday, December 16th!!! ***

BCFNS 12

Today we reviewed the last half of chapter 4 and watched a video, "Coppermine" about disease outbreak in a Northern Aboriginal community.

December 10

Humanities 8
Everyone worked on their teaching presentations...scripts, visuals, etc.


BCFNS12
Chapter 4 notes should have been completed by the end of the block today.

December 9

Humanities 8
Today we chose the local soldier that we are going to study in January. I will be ordering biography packages from the Library and Archives in Ottawa later this week. We also finished the Geography Challenge and the winners, with a tie at 23 are:

Graham

and Lex!

BCFNS12
We finished watching "Stolen Spirits".

December 8

Sorry about the lag in posting, had technical troubles with the blog site.

Humanities 8
We worked on Religion Teaching presentations, which will be presented Tuesday, December 16th.

BCFNS12
We watched "Stolen Spirits of Haida Gwaii", a DVD I borrowed from the public library.

December 5

TGIF!

Humanities 8
Today we worked on our anti-Meth posters and took a break from the Religions unit. No homework for the weekend!

BCFNS12
We worked on the first 3 boxes of chapter 4 notes. Low key kind of class, no homework unless you didn't get the notes finished.

December 4

Humanities 8
World Religions/Beliefs Test today!!!!
We also worked on anti-meth posters for the school competition.

BCFNS12
We played Lahal. We also did an intro to chapter 4 and the new unit.

December 3

Humanities 8
Students worked on their presentations.

BCFNS 12
Chapter 16&17 test today.

I was home sick.

December 2

Humanities 8
We went over the expectations for the World Beliefs teaching presentations that will be done next week in groups of 3.

BCFNS 12
We finished up chapter 17, reviewed for the test and watched, "For Angela".

December 1

Humanities 8
Today was the Geography Challenge #2, Cassidy is pulling away from the crowd in first place! Way to go. We also did some finishing touches on our World Belief notes.

Note-making packages are due Thursday, and the test is Thursday as well!!!

BCFNS 12

We reviewed chapter 17's notes. Lots of people have work to hand in, so we went over the overdue list today in class. Most students worked on the movie and short story comparison.

Movember 28th

Humanities 8
Today the students went to the computer lab to type up their memoir stories.

BCFNS12
The students read a short story, written by Sherman Alexie, that inspired the movie "Smoke Signals". They then compared the movie and the short story. The Chapter 17 review and notes should be done by now and handed in. Also, chapter 16 notes is missing from a bunch of students....please, hand that in as soon as possible!

I was in a great workshop all day today with Leyton Schnellert, I hope you all had a great day!!!

Movember 27th

Humanities 8
We had a special guest speaker, David, who spoke about Judaism. We asked a lot of great questions and ate Challah bread.

BCFNS12
We watched the end of "Smoke Signals" and worked on the study guide.

Movember 26th

Humanities 8
We did our first Geography Challenge in our quest for a class representative for the school Geography Challenge. We also continued to work on our notes, they should be done by now, just some finishing touches to go.

BCFNS12
We watched the first part of "Smoke Signals".

Movember 24

I hope everyone took their report cards home by now!

Humanities 8
We continued to work on our World Religion notes. Please look at the handout I gave you at the beginning of this unit that outlines the format for your notes....there seems to be some confusion, even though I read those instructions aloud and drew on the board for you!

BCFNS12
We did an intro to Chapter 17 and talked about First Nations stereotypes in the media and sports. We began our notes for Chapter 17, they should be done for Wednesday.

I'm looking forward to meeting parents tomorrow at the parent-teacher interviews. Please, call the school if you want an appointment with me or any other teacher.

Movember 20

Humanities 8
We went to the library to do some extra research on the computers and in a new fangled technology called a "book".

BCFNS12
We worked on the chapter 16 review, vocab and questions.

Movember 19

Humanities 8
We continued working on our notes and/or title page (for a change of pace).

BCFNS12
Chapter 16 notes should be finished today.

Movember 18

Humanities 8
We worked on our Religions notes, 6 topics should be done today.

BCFNS12
We reviewed boxes 4 and 5 of chapter 16.

Mo'vember 17

Humanities 8
We started a reading log today, to keep up with what we are reading during SSR, I'm looking forward to hearing about what you all are reading. We also worked on our notes today for the World Beliefs unit, some great progress! 4 topics should be done by now.

BCFNS12
We reviewed parts of Chapter 16 in class and continued with notes. Almost all your notes for this chapter should be done by now.

Mo'vember 14th

Humanities
Today we had a writing workshop where we shared our list of "memoir worthy experiences" and began writing a story from this list. We will pursue this memoir to completion over the next few weeks.

BCFNS12
We reviewed the topics covered by the guest speakers from yesterday. We also reviewed the first bit of chapter 16.

Mo'vember 13th

Humanities 8
We worked on our note making, 2 topics should be done from the list by today, if not, it's for homework.

BCFNS12
We had 2 guest speakers in, Terry and George Goulet who spoke about their books and Metis people in BC. We learned a tonne!

November 12th

Humanities 8
Today we did an exercise on note-MAKING. It went really well and I hope that my students will be able to take this technique and use it for their other classes as well. There was no homework today.

We made the FRONT COVER of the Comox Valley Record! Allie and Brooke are in the photo cleaning up the cemetery. Cool!

BCFNS12
Today we made notes on chapter 16. No homework today.

Report cards are coming soon!

November 10

Humanities 8
Today we talked about Remembrance Day and looked at some of my photos from the Battlefields Tour. Gimme a Break cards are due today for term 1 report cards.

BCFNS12
We had a work block since half the class was at the assembly.

I hope to see you at the cenotaph tomorrow morning.

November 8

Cemetery Clean Up!

Here's the gang cleaning up the cemetery at Dingwall. They did an amazing job, 26 extra large leaf bags full. Thanks to the parents who dropped off and picked up students and thanks to Graham's mom for the leaf bags. I'm so proud of these students!

This is an awesome group of students!!!!!!!!!!!

November 6

Humanities 8
Today the Island Diaries were due.

We discussed timelines today and how time is recorded in History books. We also chose the religions that we will be studying for this unit. Students are so excited to be learning about religions and world beliefs around the world. It's going to be a great unit.

BCFNS12
We finished the video today called "Forgotten Warriors" and read from the textbook about The Great War and the Second World War. Tomorrow there is a test on Chapter 15, including an essay question on Aboriginal Soldiers.

November 4

Humanities 8
Today we talked about World Religions and Beliefs in general. We did a K,W,L chart and discussed what this next unit will look like.

Reminder: Island diaries are due Thursday, November 6th!

Reminder: Cemetery clean up is Saturday, November 8th!



BCFNS12
We watched a video called Forgotten Warriors and we talked about the 2 World Wars in brief. Our focus is on Aboriginal Soldiers this week, with Remembrance Day coming up.

Reminder: Chapter 15 test Friday!

October 31

Happy Halloween!!!

October 29th

Humanities 8
We worked on our diary writing today. We shared our ideas and got inspired by each other's stories. Remember, Island Maps are due tomorrow!

BCFNS12
We completed our notes on Chapter 15 and we discussed the chapter in class, particularly the concept of cultural appropriation. Homework includes reading pages 41-48 in the Truth About Stories handout.

October 28th

Humanities 8
We read the book, Weslandia, and talked about what it takes to make a civilization on our islands. Then we worked on the writing component of the Island projects, a diary telling the story of our islands. Reminder: Island Maps are due Thursday!

BCFNS12
Today we discussed the first part of chapter 15 in the textbook and another excerpt from The Truth About Stories. I also shared a storybook in class. We continued with our notes for chapter 15.

October 27

Humanities 8
We went over the marking criteria again for the Island Maps to make sure that we were on the right track. The maps are due Thursday, October 30th!

BCFNS12
We discussed The Truth About Stories excerpt and started our notes for chapter 15.

October 23

Humanities 8
Island maps!

BCFNS 12
Chapter 14 test.

We also read an excerpt from The Truth About Stories.

October 22

Humanities 8
Today we needed to go over a concept with Latitude and Longitude due to a general misunderstanding, mostly on how to use the gazetteer in an atlas. The rest of the block was spent on our fantastically amazing Island Maps!

BCFNS12
We viewed a video called Voyage of Discovery, a video of a boy who committed a crime and was sentenced to banishment, a traditional form of discipline. It was inspiring, but also brought up some controversial topics on crime and punshment.

**Reminder, Chapter 14 test is tomorrow!**

October 21

Humanities 8
Today the Wikipedia pages were due. Students worked in class on Island Projects. Map due date will be discussed tomorrow in class.

BCFNS 12
We looked at the kinds of oral traditions, family narratives, oratory, teaching stories and discussed them. We also looked at perspective when viewing history.

**Chapter 14 test, Thursday!**

October 20th

Another fantastic day in the Kingdom of fun!

Humanities 8
We continued work on our Island projects. Rough drafts of the "Wikipedia web page" should have been done in class and a good copy is due tomorrow. I'm so excited to read about your fantastic islands.

BCFNS 12
Today we looked at Trickster vs Transformer stories in video and books. We read through 5 different stories. There was no homework today.

Oct 17th

Humanities 8

The Island Projects are well underway and a great start! These projects will be linked with some writing activities and the Religions unit. No homework for the weekend.

BCFNS 12

Notes should be done for Chapter 14. 2 videos were shown in class comparing the same story told by 2 different people. We will discuss the differences on Monday...you will be shocked and amazed.

Here's a pic of when I met Dr. Evan Adams, so exciting!!!

October 16th

Humanities 8
Today was the Geography test. They are all marked and results will be given in class on Monday. We started our Island Projects today!!! So exciting!

BCFNS12
Today did an overview of the new unit and we began taking notes on Chapter 14.

October 15th

Humanities 8
We used our fantastic geography skills and super sluthing to track down the Famous 15! It was a fun competition, winners will be recognized tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, you have a test on Geography tomorrow! Study, study, study!

BCFNS12
Today was the Chapter 3 test.
We did a brief introduction to the new unit, Cultural Expressions. Below are pictures of Queneesh, the glacier and the Big House painting that I was talking about in class today.

October 14th

Happy Election Day! What an exciting day for Canadians.

Humanities 8
Today we looked at contour lines by using a potato and a topographic map.
There will be a Geography test Thursday, October 16th on the following:

• Map of Canada
• Map of Vancouver Island
• Cartography Rules
• Latitude and Longitude
• Contour Lines
• 5 themes of Geography

BCFNS12

Mr McMahon was the guest speaker today. He spoke about government systems, perfect timing considering today was election day.

Tomorrow is the Chapter 3 Test!

October 10th

Humanities 8
Today we shared our Writing Territories and wrote a story from our Writing Territories list. No homework today!

BCFNS 12
A video was shown, BC Times. Students read the textbook, pages 58-9 and did the mapping activity in class. No homework today!

***Chapter 3 Test Wednesday, October 15th!***

Have a wonderful long weekend!

October 9th

Humanities 8
Today we watched the Grade 11/12 acting class in their dress rehersal for their play coming up. No homework today!

BCFNS12
We watched a video on Potlatch and held a discussion.

October 8th

Humanities 8
We learned some geographical terms and played Geopictionary. Very fun way to learn!

BCFNS12
We learned more about the Potlatch. We reviewed chapter 3 so far.

Today was early dismissal day so that teachers could meet with parents/guardians. If I missed you, please contact the school to see me or you can book a time during Parent-Teacher interviews after the first term report cards are handed out.

October 6

Humanities 8
Today we looked at Latitude and Longitude. We did one assignment in class on this topic, if it wasn't completed in class, it's for homework and due tomorrow.

BCFNS12
We talked about traditional status trade goods of the BC First Nations people. We did one assignment on this in class and it is due tomorrow. We also had tea! The first 3 boxes of notes for chapter 3 should be done at this point.

October 2

Humanities 8
We finished our Vancouver Island maps, they are due tomorrow.

BCFNS12
We had a guest speaker, Barbara Whyte, who shared her knowledge of herbs and traditional medicine with us.

**Chapter 2 quiz is tomorrow!!!**

October 1

Humanities 8
We reviewed the map of Canada and started the map of Vancouver Island. There wasn't any homework.

BCFN12
We reviewed the past few days work. The Food chart was for homework.

September 30

Humanities 8
The take home activity was due today. In class you created a stunning map of Canada, using the rules of map making. Your map is due tomorrow, October 1st.

BCFNS 12
You watched a video on Fishing on the Fraser River and you answered questions and took notes. You also finished your chapter notes.

I hope you all had a good day without me. Please, wear your helmets when you are biking, mine definitely saved me from having a major brain injury or worse. See you tomorrow, and be nice, I'm still sore!

September 29

Oops a day late, but I have a good excuse....don't I?

Humanities 8
We finished the 5 Themes of Geography, but we will be revisiting them again several times this year. The take home activity was due September 30.

BCFNS 12
We started chapter 2. The vocab was finished today and half the notes.

Sept 25

Humanities 8
We went over the 5 Themes of Geography. For homework, you are to fill in the examples and drawings section of your chart.

Tomorrow, you have a quiz in PE on volleyball.

Also, don't forget tomorrow is the Terry Fox Run, dress up and bring your Twoonie for Terry!

BCFNS12
We went on a nature walk and ate some berries. We also reviewed for the test tomorrow.

***Test: Chapter 1 September 26th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sept 24

Humanities 8
We did the DART assessement of reading today, so there's no homework from today. Yesterday was a gong show, so no homework there either....boy, I'm too easy here!

BCFNS 12
We had a guest speaker, Dr. Evan Adams, who spoke about his professions of acting and being a doctor. He was very funny and left us with the message that we need to find the passion in what we do, even if it's just taking out the garbage. Pictures to come.

Sept 18

Humanities 8

We had our final day of working on the comic strips. They are due Monday!!!

BCFNS 12

We did a mapping activity of BC rivers, mountains and towns. We also read briefly about the people on Village Island (Mamalilakulla), see pictures below.

Sept 17th

Humanities 8
We worked on our comic strips in class. Tomorrow will be our last day to work in class.

***Comics are due MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22!!!***

BCFNS 12

We had a guest speaker, Mr. McMahon, who spoke about resources in BC. Thanks Mr. McMahon! Notes in the graphic oroganizer are due today, unless you don't have a textbook....sorry about the delay.

My Battlefields Tour July 2008

This is a brief look at my Canadian Battlefields Tour in Belgium and France last summer. It was the most incredible experience of my professional life and I'm thrilled to be able to share it with my students and coworkers.

September 12

Still getting into the swing of things, I apologize for the sporadic posting.

Humanities 8
We did our first Writers Workshop. All students should have a duotang or coil ring book to write in. We will do writers workshops on Fridays! No homework today, except students should have a funny story that they can turn into a comic strip next week. Onomatopoeias were due today though.

BCFNS 12
We read page 16 of the text and discussed the idea of land ownership and homelessness. Vocabulary for Chapter 1 should be done now. Circle of Courage assignments were due today.

It was nice to meet parents last night at the Meet the Teacher night. If I missed you, email me or call the school and we can meet another time.

Have a great weekend!

Sept 9

Humanities 8
We looked at the types of humor and techniques of humor and examples of each. Signed course outlines and Discipline plans are now overdue. Please, get them in as soon as possible. There is no homework today.

BCFN 12
We read the introduction chapter for the textbook and started an assignment. There is no homework tonight....I am just too nice! See you tomorrow.

Welcome Back!

Hi there! I hope you all had a wonderful summer full of fun, adventure and relaxation time. My summer was incredible, as you will hear throughout the year. I spent the most amazing 2 weeks in Belgium and France on a Canadian Battlefields Tour for teachers. I learned about The Great War and the Second World War by walking on the battlefields, visiting cemeteries and doing Tactical Exercises Without Troops (TEWT). It was a life changing trip for me and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you this year.

The rest of the summer was spent gardening, painting my house, visiting with my friend and relaxing. It was great! Now I'm recharged and refreshed and looking forward to meeting all of you in the first week of September. See you in Portable #2, The Kingdom of Fun!