Humanities 8
Today was the first day of our amazing presentations!!!!!!!!! What a great start. All the students that presented today were well prepared, well spoken and taught us some pretty cool stuff about World Beliefs. Thanks for all the parental support at home!

If tomorrow is a snow day, the teams that were to present will do it Wednesday and the teams that are supposed to go on Wednesday will go on Thursday.

FNS12
Today we played the "Colonial Game" where the class was divided into 3 groups, Aboriginal children, Aboriginal adults and Colonial Agents. The children were to decide which group they wanted to side with: the Aboriginal adults or Colonial Agents. By using threats, bribery, tricks, and persuasion, both adult groups worked their hardest to convince the "children". The Aboriginal adults "won" the game....which leads us to some interesting discussions about the situation BC First Nations people were in in the 1800's...the Indian Act, Reserves, and Residential Schools. Chapter 6 is under way!

Friday, December 11

Humanities 8
This was the last class to work on the presentations for next week.

FNS12
Today was the chapter 4&5 test.
We started 3 column notes for chapter 6.

Thursday, December 10

Humanities 8
We worked on our teaching presentations all block.

FNS12
We reviewed for the chapter 4&5 test. Chilcotin "war" assignment is now overdue.

Humanities 8
The dreaded test is over! Not so bad, was it? They are all marked and ready to be handed back once everyone who was away has written it. We are now in FULL STEAM AHEAD for our teaching presentations!

FNS12
Well, homework and attendance are serious issues these days. I know it's close to Christmas holidays, but we still have lots to do! Don't give up, and come see me for help, that's my job! The Chilcotin "war" discussion was due today, not many of you finished your homework. Please, get this done so we can move on. The chapter 4&5 test will be Friday, please study.

Humanities 8
We went over the Presentation criteria today in class and got started on them! Some very exciting ideas were floating around the room. Notes were handed in today. The test is tomorrow.

FNS12
We discussed war, protest, and police action today in connection with the Chilcotin "War". For homework, you were to decide what to call the Chilcotin "Conflict/War/Massacre" and back your opinion up with facts. This is due tomorrow. You'll have a chapter 4&5 test on Thursday.

Humanities 8
Today was our last day to work on our notes. Notes are due tomorrow, unless you have a Gimme-a-Break card. Religions test is Wednesday.

FNS12
We created a critical timeline for chapter 5, creating a graphic timeline recording FN and English perspectives. For homework, students were to finish reading chapter 5 and add to their critical timeline. Tomorrow we will discuss the Chilcotin "War".

Humanities 8
More work on our awesome note making skills! Notes will probably be due Tuesday....hint hint.

FNS12
We had a fabulous guest speaker, Suzanne Camp. She told us about the Metis people and we learned how to weave a sash! Very fun to see genuine beaver pelts, Hudsons Bay blankets and beadwork. If you missed today, have a look at chapter 11 in your textbook about Metis people.

Humanities 8
We worked on our notes for the Religions/World Beliefs project.

FNS12
I showed the film, "Stolen Spirits", which is about the repatriation of artifacts and human remains back to Haida Gwaii. We will finish this film on Thursday as we have a guest speaker tomorrow.

Humanities 8
I went over how to put together the notes on the World Beliefs we are studying. I also went over the marking criteria. Students now have info packages on the World Belief they are studying to get them started. We will take about a week to get our notes done, then it's on to the quiz and then planning our presentations! Fun!

FNS12
We reviewed: the essays we wrote a while ago, chapter 15 test, chapter 16&17 test, and chapter 4. For homework, students were to list the roles of women in the fur trade and compare the maritime fur trade with the land-based fur trade. We'll be moving on to chapter 5 ...

Parent-Teacher-Student Meetings

Thank you to all the parents and students that were able to meet with me today. If you missed me today or yesterday, there will be 2 more early dismissal days next semester, or you can email me or call me at the school to arrange a time to meet.

Humanities 8
We finished the lesson on note-making. We will use these new skills when we are gathering information on the religions we will be researching next week. Today we chose the religions we will study. Exciting!

FNS12
We reviewed the first half of chapter 4. All the 3 column notes for chapter 4 are due Friday.

Humanities 8
Today we looked at the difference between fact, opinion and beliefs... tough concepts. We also began looking at "Magnet Notes". A technique for making notes, which we will use later when we have chosen our religions to study.

Your projects are being marked...slowly. I'm enjoying them a lot so far! Please be patient!

FNS12
We continued with our examination of 3 column notes and chapter 4. Students should be half way done chapter four for discussion tomorrow.

***Reminder to parents: teachers are available tomorrow, Wednesday for meetings from 2:30-3:30 (no appointment necessary).

We also have Parent-Teacher-Student conferences on Thursday, please call the school to book a time. I would prefer that students come to these meetings as it's all about them.

Please, stay tuned to the local radio and the school district website for information about potential flooding tomorrow.***

Humanities 8
Today we had our introduction to religions and world beliefs. We watched a 20 minute video on religions in general. We looked at a timeline and the terminology, BCE and CE.

FNS12
We had the chapter 16&17 quiz today then looked at 3 column notes for chapter 4. Tomorrow we will continue with chapter 4.

Humanities 8
We had our spelling bee today! Congrats to Emanuele in D/H who will represent our class in the school spelling bee. The B/F representative will be decided tomorrow....the bee took longer than usual due to all the extra chatting from the "audience".

FNS12
We were missing our grade 12s today due to the post-secondary visits...it's been a week of disruptions! The grade 11s and I had a discussion on stereotypes, "when are stereotypes positive?" Then we watched the film, "Dancing in both worlds", which was about the Nisga'a treaty process.

Ah, Wednesday...

Humanities 8
Last day to complete projects in class. I think these are going to be pretty spectacular!

FNS12
Lots of students went to a special presentation. The rest of us looked at cultural appropriation in the form of a NFB video called "Lord of the Sky". We used a critical eye to analyze the video to point out the historical and factual errors.

The Calm After the Storm

Humanities 8
We are finishing our Projects! One more day in class should do it. Looking forward to seeing the finished products on Friday.

FNS12
We were very lucky to watch a great presentation from the Me to We organization. Very inspirational! Here's some links they talked about:
http://www.metowe.com/
http://www.freethechildren.com/
http://connectingwithkenya.com/

Report cards go home Friday, November 20th

Monday, November 16th...the day Courtenay flooded.

Humanities 8
We worked on projects today...they are looking great and most are nearly finished. Projects are due on Friday. Unfortunately, I missed my afternoon block (B) due to early school closures. Hope to see everyone safe and sound and DRY tomorrow!

FNS12
We did some research in the computer lab on people who committed cultural appropriation like WP Kinsella, Grey Owl, Buffalo Child Long Lance. It was a bit of a crazy block due to early dismissal and getting everyone home safe and sound.

Catch up day!

So glad to hear that everything went well while I was away. Sounds like everyone worked hard all week. Thanks gang!

Humanities 8
We worked on our projects today. I conferenced with each student to see where they were at, to answer questions, and to make suggestions. Some students need to start working on their projects at home in order to catch up. These projects will be due next week sometime...I'll set a firm due date on Friday.

BCFNS 12
We had a little catch up day, looks like everyone needed it. Things that we are working on:

• Smoke Signals questions
• chapter 16 questions
• chapter 16 notes
• novel/short story summary

Pars in Ottawa!

In front of the eternal flame on Parliament Hill



You can tell it's the Senate because it's red and smaller than the House of Commons.



Goofing around in the Prime Minister's chair

Halloween Week

Monday, October 26

Humanities 8
We did an activity on contour lines for marks. It went fairly well, there are some students that do need to see me to make sure they understand this concept...I've been waiting!

FNS12
Chapter 14 notes were due today. I did some story telling and we watched "Child of Tears" aka Snot boy.

Tuesday, October 27

Humanities 8
We played a game called "The Famous 15", where we used our super duper geography skills (latitude and longitude, using an atlas, recording locations on a map etc), and our math skills to track down a group of people using a stolen credit card. It was fantastic, and one team even got the right answer to the penny!

FNS12
Today you completed chapter 14 questions and started on chapter 15 notes.

Wednesday, October 28

Humanities 8
We chose our projects today:
-Island project
OR
-Trip Around the World project

FNS12
We worked on chapter 15 notes and I read some contemporary Aboriginal Literature out loud.

Thursday, October 29

Humanities 8
We had a quiz today on the Canada map, latitude and longitude and contour lines. All tests are marked and everyone did very well! Way to go! The rest of class time was spent on projects.

FNS12
We signed out some Aboriginal Literature from the library today to read. I'm expecting everyone to read a novel or short story and complete a brief summary about the reading and hand in the summary. The rest of the class was spent on chapter 15.

Friday, October 30

Humanities 8
We did some Halloween writing in our writing workshop today. It was very entertaining.

FNS12
We had the chapter 14 test today. Chapter 14 notes needed to be handed in today as well.

Gymblast on Monday!

Gymblast info for Monday, October 26

All grade 8s are invited to participate in Isfeld's Gymblast in C block. This is a special event, only for the grade 8s. Each class has chosen a name, a cheer and created a banner. Students will be in costume on Monday, ready to show their team spirit! The winning team will get a pizza lunch for their whole class at another date.

My D/H group are the "Chunky Monkey Banana Hunky" team...dress in yellow or brown and bring a banana

My B/F group are the "Rainbow Fighters"...dress in rainbow colors

This should be a tonne of fun on Monday. Hotdogs and juice boxes will be provided for lunch. Sorry, but there will be no veggie dogs for the vegetarians out there.

A weeks worth of posts!

Monday, October 19
Humanities 8
We practiced using latitude and longitude by playing Battleship. It was loads of fun and hopefully everyone is getting the hang of it. No homework.

FNS12
We talked about the Potlatch today and watched a video about it. We also reviewed for the Chapter 3 quiz.

Tuesday, October 20
Humanities 8
We had a little quiz today on the Cartography Rules. Overall, very well done! We also did a latitude and longitude activity for marks. If it wasn't finished for class, it was for homework and to be handed in on Wednesday.

FNS12
We had a chapter 3 quiz. We then started chapter 14, and the beginning of the "Cultural Expression" unit.

Wednesday, October 21
Humanities 8
We played Geo-Pictionary, using geographic terms. It was great fun and highly competitive! No homework today.

FNS12
We read the beginning of chapter 14 and did notes on the first 3 boxes.

Thursday, October 22
Humanities 8
We looked at contour lines today using plasticine on the overhead projector. We also prepared for GYMBLAST on Monday.

FNS12
We read trickster and transformer stories written (mostly) by Aboriginal authors and illustrators. Chapter 14 notes must be done for Monday.

Tree Planting!

Today we planted trees! It was great fun creating a forest across the street from our school. Here's some pics:

Okay, so my lay-out skills are lacking.

Today was also early dismissal, which gave parents a chance to come in between 2:30 and 3:30 to meet with teachers. If you missed me today, we will have 3 more early dismissal days (check the school calender on the School's website). We also have parent-teacher conferences after term 1 report cards go home.

Interim Reports

I'm starting to get emails from parents (thank you!) asking about their child's progress in class. To hopefully save you time emailing all the teachers, I wanted to let you know that Interim Reports are coming home tomorrow (Oct 14). These are quick snapshots of where your child is at right now in their classes. There are no letter grades on these reports, but they will give you an idea about how things are going.

Thursday is an early dismissal day which is time for teachers to meet with parents from 2:30 to 3:30. This is very informal, parents don't have to book appointments, it's just a drop-in. I have to coach a field hockey game at 3:30 so I won't be able to stay late. Please email me if you missed me.

Tree Planting!

I've arranged for my classes to go tree planting with my friend Tyler from the City of Courtenay. The site of the great tree plant is across the street from the school, 5000 trees will go in that area and our wonderful students are going to take part! I can't wait!

BCFNS12 will be planting Wednesday, October 14th
Humanities B/F and D/H will be planting Thursday, October 15th
Interact club will also be planting on Thursday.

This is a crew I took planting last year on Earth Day.

Snow on Mount Washington! Cool!

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! Personally, I ate far too much...time to hit the gym.

Humanities 8
We created maps of Canada, this time we were able to use our atlases and wall maps! They turned out much better than the "puzzle" activity. I didn't assign them for homework, we'll see where everyone is at tomorrow.

BCFNS12
We started our group essay project, which had mixed results. I think that it will turn out well, once we all see it come together on Thursday! Be patient! The only thing you need to have done for Thursday is your "body" paragraph.

Field hockey season...that's my excuse

Here's the rundown from this week:

Tuesday
Humanities 8
We had an Atlas race where students had to find random facts in their atlas. This helped me see who knows how to use an atlas efficiently, who can persist in difficult situations, and who my fierce competitors are! It was fun

FNS12
We reviewed different styles of houses that traditional Aboriginal people used in BC. We began chapter 3 vocabulary and notes (sort of).

Wednesday
Humanities 8
We reviewed our personal world maps, making sure we used the rules of cartography and followed the criteria. These should be done by now and handed in.

FNS12
I taught a new notemaking method called "Power Notes". It was a hit with some students and a disaster for others, but as long as everyone finds a notemaking method that works for them, that's all that counts. I just don't want you copying random sentences out of the textbook!

Thursday
Humanities 8
I got to see today what everyone knows about the map of Canada! We created a map using puzzle pieces of our great country. I heard some fantastic discussions and arguments between students, lots of learning and collaboration took place.

FNS12
I reviewed some material for the test we have today on chapter 2. We also continued with our notes on chapter 3.

Friday
Humanities 8
Today we are having our writers workshop! We are looking at our "Writing Territories", things, places, people, events that we like to write about. We are making a list of at least 20 things we could write about.

FNS12
Today is chapter 2 test...hope you studied. The rest of class time will be for going over chapter 3 stuff so there's no homework for the long weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

World Teachers Day!

Humanities 8
Today we looked at the rules for map making, called "Cartography Rules". Then we began creating a personal world map. We will finish them tomorrow in class.

FNS12
We watched a video "Laxwesa Wa" about fishing on the Fraser River. Lots of good information and points were brought up.

TGIF!

Yay, Friday!

Humanities 8
Today we had our educational "free time"....the kids earned it!
B block had a mini writing lesson on writing territories. It went really well, I'm impressed with the variety of topics that came up, we'll add to this next week.
D block chose to watch a movie...

Assignments that are overdue at this point: comic strips and Geography title pages.

BCFNS12
We had tea time today...I brought in some local herbs/plants and we made tea from them. I think it was a hit! Especially the stinging nettle tea. We might have to have another tea day. We also talked about the traditional uses of these herbs and their medicinal values to aboriginal people.

We also finished the chapter 2 notes, which are due Monday.

Attendance is becoming an issue for some students in FNS12, it's really important that everyone attends each class, you miss so much of the valuable discussions and lessons when you are away.

Have a great weekend everyone, it's going to be a sunny one!

Last day of September?

Humanities 8
The gang today had a challenge to face: how to make a flat piece of paper into a spherical shape...we had some interesting results to say the least! This challenge encouraged students to appreciate the problems that map makers face, how to make our round earth flat on a map so we know where we are going.

Comics were due yesterday, almost all of them made it in.

BCFNS 12
We did a quick review of Chapter 1 then launched into chapter 2. I taught a note-making method called "magnet words" to the class, I'm hoping they'll use it instead of just copying the odd line out of the text and call it notes.

Yesterday students wrote the chapter 1 quiz.

Post-Long weekend update....

Okay...here's the overdue updates.

Humanities 8
Today we are doing the DART assessment, it's a reading comprehension assessment to see how you are reading on your own and how you are able to make notes. I'll use this to aid my teaching this year.

Comics are due tomorrow, I can't wait to see the artistic brilliance of my grade 8's!

Our next unit will be Geography!

FNS12
Tomorrow we have a quiz on Chapter 1.

Today the T'Lina video questions are due. The Geographic Regions of BC organizer is overdue now, use it to study for the quiz.

I'm so forgetful already!

Okay, I will try to update this every day...having troubles remembering.

Sept 21
Humanities 8
We got the instructions for the comic strips and started them.

FNS12
We had a fantastic guest speaker in to talk about Aboriginal culture and the effects of residential schools.

Sept 22
Humanities 8
We worked on our comic strips. Students should have the first 3-4 frames done in pencil on the good copy paper by now. If not, it is for homework. Also, try to find a black fine-liner pen.

FNS12
We reflected on yesterdays guest speaker and then watched "T'lina", a video on making oolichan oil. Geographic Regions of BC were due today.

Getting back into the swing of things...

Humanities 8 B/F and D/H
We've been looking at comic strips and how they are put together. We will be creating our own comic strips next week, so students should be thinking of a good story to tell. No homework right now.

First Nations 12
We have been doing introductory activities, getting an overview of the course. We will be starting chapter 1 tomorrow. No homework today.

The first week of school 2009!!!

Yay, congratulations everyone on a fabulous first week of school. I am so excited about this year, I think it's going to be a great one.

This week we basically went over course outlines, grade 8's don't forget to get them signed by your parental units. Grade 8's also went over the discipline plan for our class, show this to your folks as well.

We've been doing some introductory stuff, getting to know you games, and generally getting used to being in school again.

Homework for grade 8's: think about how you want to learn in Humanities 8 this year!

Homework for FNS 12: read pages 8-15 in your texts and do the worksheet I handed out in class today, it's due Monday.

Have a super weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great summer!

Well, this is the final post for the year. I've had a super year with my Humanities 8 crew, I'm truly going to miss teaching them next year.

Here's some photo highlights of our year....

Renaissance Review Game Link

I found a fun review game for you guys, but I can't solve the problem yet! I keep running out of money. Try it, it's fun!

http://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/free_stuff/renaissance/frameset.htm

June 10

Humanities 8
Today the book of manners was due. We worked on our vocabulary list for the final exam. We will spend the next few classes learning the last bit about the Renaissance and reviewing for our exam.

English 10
Today was the Romeo and Juliet test. We finished watching the movie. Now we are into review mode for the Provincial Exam.

June 3

Wow! Hot enough for you?

Humanities 8
Today we reviewed yesterday's work on the events that lead to the beginning of the Renaissance: the Plague, the rise of Individualism, and Trade and Commerce.

We also looked at women's roles in the Renaissance...it was pretty much a lousy deal.

English 10
We are almost finished Romeo and Juliet! Just one more page of the play to go.

May 27

Humanities 8
We started exploring the crusades in the middle ages...we will finish tomorrow with "jig saw" learning.

English 10
Cartoons of Act 3 were due today. We held the Dr Phil show in class with the cast of Romeo and Juliet, very fun, but not as passionate as we could have been...could have been the heat in the portable. We'll start Act 4 tomorrow.

May 21

Humanities 8
Today we constructed the craziest contraptions...I mean catapults I've ever seen. Tomorrow we fire them! The winner will make a marshmallow fly the furthest.

English 10
We read Act 3, Scene 2 today, it's getting very dramatic. For Act 3 we are creating cartoons to summarize the events of each scene.

May 19

Humanities 8
Today we were in the library finishing up our memoirs and newspaper articles. Both were to be handed in to me by the end of class and the newspaper article was also to be emailed to me. I'm missing a great number of hard copies and emails!

Thursday, students must remember to bring a hammer to class to build our catapults, otherwise you'll have some difficulty getting the nails into the wood with your bare hands....

English 10
We read Act 3, scene 1 today. All headlines and lyrics are getting dreadfully overdue!

May 11

It's bike to work week! Wear your helmets and ride your bike!

Humanities 8
Today the Coat of Arms were due. I'm impressed with the projects that were handed in, some very creative work! We also finished our "authentic" postcards from our travels in the Middle Ages during the Black Plague. Postcards are due tomorrow.

English 10
At last, we made it to the balcony scene! We performed it today on the ramp to the portable, fantastic! We read and watched Act 2, Scenes 1-2 today. Fun times.

May 7

Oh, these posts are getting fewer and far between, sorry. Now that the Interact dinner is off my plate, so to speak, I can pay more attention to this blog.

On that note, a HUGE thank-you to my grade 8's that spent their time after school to help with the Interact fundraising dinner. I was so proud of all the good work you all did! I really hope you'll consider joining Interact next year, it's lots of fun and it feels so good to help other people.

Humanities 8
Today the class watched a video on the Black Death in the Middle Ages....some found it boring??? But I thought it was fascinating, all the strange beliefs about how disease was spread and cured....but I really like history, I'm cool that way.

English 10
We watched Ac1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet today, the old version, the West Side Story version and the modern version...very romantic. 3 headlines from this scene need to be written.

May 1

Humanities 8

Today for the writing workshop we are writing a diary entry, "A day in the life of a .... knight, lady, peasant, king, monk..." Students will be describing what their life is like in the Middle Ages. This diary entry is due today.

English 10

Students were given computer lab time to type their memoirs. These memoirs are due by the end of the block and will be marked by me...editing has already been done...I'm hoping that this is not wishful thinking on my part.

April 30

Humanities 8

We discussed our volunteer hours....they are due in one month! There's a few opportunities coming up at our school that I'm excited about. The big one is May 7th, the Interact fundraising dinner. I hope our class is able to help out.

Heraldry (coat of arms) assignments are due May 11th. It is mostly a take home project, due to the materials used for this project. Newspaper articles should already be handed in to me for editing, I'd like to send them off next week.

English 10

We finished Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 1 and watched the Zeffirelli version of Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 Scene 1. So much fun!

April 27th

You can tell when I'm busy...no posts! oops!

Humanities 8
Today we started talking about heraldry then headed to the library to type up our newspaper articles. I'll edit your articles tomorrow when the rest of you get them in.

English 10
We had a very heated debate about love and relationships...and we haven't even started Romeo and Juliet! It was a great discussion, I look forward to more debates.

April 20

Humanities 8
Today was all about becoming a knight. We learned the steps to becoming a night from being a page to a squire to a knight. We ended the class with a comparison between Medieval knights and Japanese Samurai.

English 10
We signed out Romeo and Juliet books, I'm very excited to get started on that unit! Finishing touches were made to our games, I got to play a couple, very fun! Tomorrow will be game day, so bring your snacks and hot chocolate!

April 16th

I'm done report cards! Yay!

Humanities 8
We worked on our Woeful Women wanted posters today...it was pretty tough to be a female in the Middle Ages!

English 10
Today was the last day to work on our game boards in class. They are due on Monday and we'll play them on Tuesday, I'm looking forward to the fun!

Wish us all luck at the Heritage Fair tomorrow, it's going to be a very exciting day.

April 14th

Humanities 8
Today I gave the students some options for their Service learning projects:

• tree planting April 22
• setting up the Heritage Fair Thursday afternoon
• helping to set up for the Interact dinner May 7

We spent the rest of the class working on our Cheerless Children Cartoons, which are due tomorrow.

English 10

We worked on our Teen Angst Game Boards. We were supposed to set a due date today, but I totally forgot! Oops. We'll set the due date tomorrow.

April 9

Humanities 8

Today we typed up our newspaper articles on our soldiers, which took longer than I thought. We will finish them next week. The Cheerless Children cartoons will also be finished next week. So, NO homework for the long weekend! Yay! Enjoy.

English 10

Today was the forth and final literature circle for our novel study. Reading Response #4 was due today as well. All late homework is due Tuesday...report cards are looming. Today I gave out a progress report to all students, with a list of late homework that can still be handed in. Please, work harder in term 4 to get work handed in on time.

Hoppy Easter everyone!

April 8th

Humanities 8
Today the manor maps were due...lots of people didn't do their homework! We looked at the Cheerless Children of the Middle Ages, sounds like a rough time to be a kid. We started the Cheerless Children cartoons and will work on them on Tuesday.

English 10
We got to see a great guest speaker and writer, Richard Van Camp! He was very funny and gave us some great life lessons. Tomorrow we will continue to work on our game boards.

April 2

Humanities 8
Title pages were due today. We looked at some vocabulary words from the Middle Ages, so we can have a common language. We looked at the Feudal System structure and how it compares to Canadian government today.

English 10
We had Literature Circle #3 today, some great discussions were happening! Reading response #3 was due today. Identity dolls are due tomorrow.

April 1

Happy April Fools Day!

Humanities 8
We worked on our title pages for the Middle Ages and browsed through the textbook. Title pages are due tomorrow.

English 10
Identity dolls were well under way today. Tomorrow reading response #3 is due. We will have a literature circle discussion then spend the rest of the block on our identity dolls (which are due Friday!)

March 31

Humanities 8
Today we looked at a timeline of the Middle Ages and talked about some gross stuff that happened in the Middle Ages. Title pages will be due Thursday.

English 10
We looked at our own identities and reflected on the novels we have read. Now we are creating an "identity doll".

March 26

Humanities 8
We watched a documentary on a girl named Hannah, who started the Ladybug Foundation which raises money for homeless people. Tomorrow, I'd like to hear what all my students plan to do for their Service Learning Projects.

English 10
Today students went to the library to type up their newspaper articles. The articles are due tomorrow. Reading Response #2 was due today.

March 24

Humanities 8
We watched a video about Craig Kielburger, the 12 year old activist that raised awareness about child labour. We're inspired!

English 10
We worked on our report cards for the main character in our novels. It is due tomorrow. Reminder: Reading Response #2 is due Thursday!

March 23

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Spring Break. I tried to get caught up on my marking...

Humanities 8
Today we brainstormed ideas for our Service Learning Projects, the enthusiasm already is deafening! These are ongoing projects and need to be completed by June 1st.

English 10
We listened to a TED talk on how schools are killing creativity. We began our report cards for the main character in our novels. Tomorrow we will finish them.

March 12

Holy Doodle what a day! The Heritage Fair was a huge success! Thanks to all the students that helped out with set up and clean up, you guys are awesome.

Humanities 8
Today was full on Heritage Fair. Judges, teachers and other students commented that we did a great job. I'm very proud of my students. We've been asked to display our projects for a Canada Day celebration, I'll let you know more details when I get them. We even got on TV today! How about that?

English 10
Today was a floopy day. Some students worked on overdue assignments, some helped me with the Heritage Fair, some went to the library to read...floopy! Thanks for your patience, you are gems.

March 11

Humanities 8
Heritage Fair projects were due today and WOW are they fantastic! I've marked about half of them...the rest will be marked tomorrow. Tomorrow is our big event, the Heritage Fair! Open house is 3:30-5pm, I hope lots of people come to see the results of our hard work. There will also be a bake sale to raise money for Save the Children, so bring some money for treats!

English 10
Today we had an extended silent reading, by student request. We also created life size portraits of Teen Angst. Reading response #2 will be due March 26th.

March 10

Humanities 8
We continued to watch Life is Beautiful.

English 10
Reading Response #1 was due today. We had our first Literature Circle discussion, it went well, we need to be more confident speaking to each other though! The end of the class was devoted to listening to CBC's Wiretap, "Family Album".

March 9

It seems I have fallen off the Blogging bandwagon these days! The Heritage Fair has be consuming all my time and brain power.

Humanities 8
We watched Life is Beautiful since everyone is pretty much done their Heritage Fair projects. Heritage Fair projects are due Wednesday.

English 10
I went over how to do the Reading Response step-by-step. Reading Response #1 is due tomorrow.

More Research Help!

Jorie: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=297158

Lenard: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=433048

Ryan: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=1567948

Jonny: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=152823

March 5

Humanities 8
We are constructing our displays now, research should be done! Projects are due at the LATEST March 12, that's the date of our Heritage Fair. Open house for parents and the public is from 3:30-5pm on March 12th.

English 10
Setting collages were due today! We worked on our character "sketches" today, they are due tomorrow.

March 4

Humanities 8
More research! Several students are moving into the display construction phase of the project. Projects are coming along nicely.

English 10
Today we looked at the 3 parts of setting. For homework, students were to create a collage of the 3 parts of setting for their novels. The collage is due tomorrow.

March 3

Humanities 8

Research is madly finishing up! We've had a couple MAJOR breakthroughs with some projects and I'm thrilled! We will be making the shift from research to displays in the next few days. Remember, these projects are due March 12 at the Heritage Fair.

This is who we are working for!

English 10

Today we signed out our novels for our Teen Angst novel study. This will be a very deep and controversial unit, I'm looking forward to the discussions we will have. Remember, Reading Response #1 is due on Tuesday, March 10.

Research help

A general and good timeline for the Great War: http://wwii.ca/page43.html

and the Second World War: http://wwii.ca/page89.html



Jonny and Lenard: I think your soldiers died in the battle of the Somme, research that battle. Check out this website: http://www.canadagoose.net/albcourr.htm Also, check out the SS Empress of Britain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_(1906)



Ryan: Check out the SS Empress of Britain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_(1906) I need a date of death to help with your research



Zac: your guy was probably with the Nova Scotia Highlanders. Here's the crest of the 193 rd battalion http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/infimages/193bn.jpg Your soldier might have been involved with at attack/operation at Mount Sorrel when he arrived in France, the dates are about right....research that to see if it fits.



Lucas: Here's info on your guy http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2068608 the cemetery where he's buried http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=2068608 and http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=2005500&mode=1



Brianna: Your soldier probably was involved with Operation Neptune since he landed in France June 6, 1944. Research that operation! He landed in France on D-Day, tonnes of info on that!



Bridget: your guy was probably part of the infantry of the 5th Armoured Division starting July 1944, his original regiment joined the 5th. Check this out. Find out what infantry means.



Malia: in addition to your research on Mark, why not do some on landmines in general. What are they? Where are they? What are their purpose? What kind of organizations are out there trying to ban them?
not sure what you already have, but check these out:

http://www.isfeldbc.com/dolll/dolll.html

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/youth/sub.cfm?source=activities/kidszone/colour/izzy

http://www.isfeldbc.com/

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Commun/ml-fe/article-eng.asp?id=2179

a speech that Prime Minister Chretien made, he mentioned Isfeld, but spelled his name wrong: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/primeministers/h4-4081-e.html



Kayla S: look into the humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, like the Boomer caps. Why are Canadians there? Why is there a war there? What should Canadians know about the war there?
not sure what you already have, but check these out: http://www.patriotguard.org/ALLForums/tabid/61/view/topic/forumid/29/postid/180907/Default.aspx

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/cdnunits.html

http://www.capitalhealth.ca/NewsAndEvents/Features/2006/BoomerCaps.htm

http://www.boomerslegacy.ca/where-do-we-begin.html

Feb 26

Humanities 8
Research is almost coming to an end for most students, and it's looking good! Notes are due on Monday with the marking rubric self assessment completed. On Monday we will also be looking at our bibliographies...if indeed we do have one.

Kayla and Malia, I have emailed Lee for you, I'll let you know when he gets back to me.
Lenard, Jonny and Ryan, I am waiting for your information so I can help you with your research.

English 10
We worked on the Bend It Like Beckham questions, they are due tomorrow.

Feb 24th

Humanities 8
Today we worked in the lab on our research. I conferenced one-on-one with almost half the students to see where our progress is. Many have made great progress, some are struggling, we need to work REALLY hard the next 2.5 weeks to make this happen in a fantastic way!

Ideas for searching for information:

• find out which battalion or squadron your soldier fought with, this will result in tonnes of information about the battles they fought, where they fought, crests they had, etc
• find out what kind of transportation they used, ship, tank, airplane: research that and get some pictures for your display

I was thrilled to see some of the research that some students were able to do!!! Again, your best bet will be to go to the Courtenay Museum to look at the Lest We Forget book, bring your camera and some money for photocopying.

English 10

Bend it Like Beckham again! Good times, no homework.

Feb 23

Good grief! Where does the time go? I apologize for not updating lately, the flu got me last week, and today...well, I'm not entirely sure what happened?!

Humanities 8
Students organized their notes today, tried to find the missing areas and attempted to verbally tell the story about their soldiers. Notes will be marked in the next week...so start doing some extra work at home if your notes are looking blank.

English 10
Today was a bit of a treat. We got to watch the beginning of "Bend it Like Beckham" as an introduction to the Teen Angst novel study we will be starting shortly. Family dinner stories and memoirs are overdue now, please get them in asap!

Feb 17

Humanities 8
We talked about options and ideas for displaying our Soldier Bios once our research is done. Check out the links on the right to help you with your research!

English 10
Today's story was "Strawberry Ice Cream Soda"...I planned on having a silent discussion but we ran out of time! We'll try again tomorrow.

Feb 16

Humanities 8
You had an assembly today to talk about programming for next year. Make sure you talk to your TA teacher and your parents about which courses you should take next year.

English 10
We read a story called, "Eleven" today, a very sad story about a girl and an awful red sweater. We tried our hands at writing in role, and it was really fun!

Feb 13th

Humanities 8
We had Literature Circle #4 today. Reading Response #4 was due today. Discussions are going great! We attempted to work on our soldier bios today, but the fire alarm went off, again. Please, check the links to the right of this page to help with your soldier bio research.

English 10
We had our Writing Workshop today, looking at "Memoir Worthy Experiences". Students were to create a list of 15-20 memoir worthy experiences in their writing handbooks (duotang or coiled ring book). This will lead us to writing our own memoirs later.

Happy Valentines' Day!

Feb 12th

Report cards were handed out today, a couple days late due to computer program problems.

Humanities 8
We did a writing workshop today, all about "Where my poetry hides". Students were to make a list of the small moments and items that could be the basis of a poem. We are trying to avoid the HUGE billboard topics of love, death, puppies and flowers.

English 10
We read a short memoir about being 10 years old and a poem called, "On Turning 10". The students were asked to answer a few questions about the poem and we had a discussion about being 10. Good times.

Feb 12th

Feb 11

Humanities 8
Today we started our notes on the soldier biographies, lots of great information is being uncovered.

English 10
Today was all about Kindergarten! We read a poem and discussed our beliefs at 5 years old compared to now.

Feb 10

Humanities 8
We had our first look at our soldier packages, this is going to be a challenging and very rewarding research project.

English 10
We read a very funny story called, "Charles" and answered some questions about it. If it didn't get finished in class, it is due tomorrow. I think we've had a great start so far in English 10, I'm looking forward to a fun semester!

February 5th

Humanities 8
We had a mini-literature circle discussion today and it went really well. I am really enjoying listening in to students' conversations about their books. We also continued watching Anne Frank.

The service files for our local soldiers are in! We will start our research on Monday.

English 10
Today we wrote an autobiography in the third person, it is due tomorrow...I hope to be amused!

February 4

Humanities 8
Today we watched Anne Frank again and it went well. We'll finish it tomorrow, bring your hankies. Reading Response #3 is due tomorrow.

English 10
We did a writing activity called Power Writing. It was great to get the creative writing juices flowing. No homework for today. For Friday, please bring in a duotang or coil ring notebook to use as a writing handbook.

...if the next generation is to face the future with zest and self-confidence, we must educate them to be original as well as competent.
Author: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

February 3

Humanities 8
Today we had a great discussion about an article from a magazine on anti-semetism. Homework was to write a paragraph on what we can do to stop racism at our school.

English 10
We had a discussion on what young people care about. It was great to hear everyone's opinions. We also did a getting to know you type activity. No homework today, except to check the BLOG!

February 2

Humanities 8
Today we handed in our January reading logs. We attempted to watch the movie, "Diary of Anne Frank", but we had some issues with behavior and we had to move on. Reading Response #3 is due Thursday.

English 10
Welcome! I hope your first class went well, I'm looking forward to spending this semester with you in our literary adventures! Anytime you need help, please come and see me.

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
Malcolm Forbes, in Forbes MagazineUS art collector, author, & publisher (1919 - 1990)

A Brand New Term!

Hey everybody! It's a brand new term coming up on Monday and we have a brand new look around here! Hope you like it.

Some reminders for you:

• New term means new electives, Monday morning go straight to TA to get your new schedules
• Report cards will be issued February 11th (guess what I've been doing all weekend?!)
• Pro-D is February 9th, enjoy your day off
• School Dance is February 11th
• Humanities 8: your reading Response #3 is due Thursday, February 5th

Have a great start to term 3!

January 20

Humanities 8
Today we looked at the major concentration camps of The Second World War and mapped them on our Europe maps. Reading Response #2 is due tomorrow.

BCFNS12
We had another guest speaker today, speaking about Metis culture and history. Study for Provincial Exams!

January 19

Humanities 8
We looked at the timeline of the Holocaust and mapped it out on a large timeline. Re-worked memoirs were due today.

BCFNS 12
We reviewed the 4 main court cases of chapter 9 and looked at some articles of Metis culture.

January 16

Humanities 8
We had our writer's workshop and talked about "What is a good story?" We then looked at our memoirs and made them a "good" story. The re-worked Memoir is due Monday.

BCFNS12
We had an incredible guest speaker who spoke about Residential Schools and the loss of culture/family structures. It was very powerful.

January 15

Humanities 8
Today's awesome lesson was rudely interrupted by a fire drill! We still managed to do a simulation activity with our shoeboxes full of treasures. We talked about all the valuables that were taken away from the Jews when they were taken by the Nazis.

BCFNS12

Mr McMahon came in today to discuss the essay questions on the Provincial Exam. He showed us how to come up with a thesis statement and how to back it up with facts. I gave out exam study packages today as well.

January 14

Humanities 8
Today we had our first Literature discussion on our Holocaust novels. It will take some practice for some people to focus on the topic of the novel, but overall it went well. Reading Response #1 was due today and I'm so proud to say that everyone had it done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BCFNS12
We wrote chapter 6 test today. We also looked at the 4 main court cases in chapter 9.

January 13

Humanities 8
Today we took more time to discuss and work on Reading Response #1, which is due tomorrow. Everyone needs to be prepared for tomorrow's discussion by having at least 1/5th of the novel read and the reading response completed.

BCFNS12
We finished reviewing chapter 6. We also looked at how to interpret/analyse political cartoons. I also had some advice on how to do a multiple choice exam. The provincial exam is coming up! The Chapter 6 test is tomorrow.

January 12

Humanities 8
Today we had a great discussion about the Holocaust, so many good questions are coming up! We also looked at some key terms that we need to understand in this unit. I handed out the "Shoebox Project" assignment, which is due on Thursday. Reading Response #1 is due on Wednesday!

BCFNS12
We read about and discussed Residential Schools. Some great questions were posed and the discussion was heated. Chapter 6 test is on Wednesday!

January 9

Humanities 8
We had a fun in-class spelling bee, congratulations to Cassidy for winning! Jorie will represent our class in Tuesday's school spelling bee, Cassidy was too shy. Today we also edited each other's memoirs using editing symbols. Europe maps should be handed in today.

BCFNS 12
I read the Secret of the Dance today as part of our discussion around the Potlatch ban. We also did a frustrating exercise with the Indian Act, you need to be a lawyer to understand that document! Chapter 6 notes should be completed by now and handed in.

January 8

Humanities 8
We worked on our maps of Europe so that we can visualize where events took place in our novels. Maps are due tomorrow.

BCFNS12
We worked on the Chapter 6 notes.

January 7

Congratulations to Courtney for winning the school's anti-meth poster challenge!!! Enjoy your $100!

Humanities 8
Today students started reading their novels and we discussed the evaluation for the unit. Reading response #1 is due January 14th and the first 1/5 (minimum) of the novel should be read by the 14th as well.

BCFNS12
Students wrote the Chapter 4&5 test today and we discussed the general ideas of chapter 6. We will be moving quickly now as the exam will be coming up very soon!

January 6th

Humanities 8
Today I did a book talk on the novels that we will be studying for the Children of the Holocaust unit. Tomorrow students will be signing out novels which they will be reading for the next 5 weeks.

BCFNS 12
Today we discussed the Chilcotin "War" and did an investigation and map work about it. We also reviewed for the Chapter 4&5 test which is happening tomorrow.

Jan 5 2009

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are all well rested and fed after this past snowy holiday.

Humanities 8
Today we did an introduction to the Holocaust unit. We talked about what we knew already, what we want to learn and how we want to learn it.

BCFNS12
We reviewed chapters 4 and 5 through a critical timeline. The test for chapters 4 and 5 will be on Wednesday, January 7th. Tomorrow we will be looking at the Chilcotin "War".