February 13

ELA B30: Feb 13 Work period 1 of 3 on Identity project…

  1. Students were given a handout (identity-assignment-b30.doc ) to explain the details of their first major assignment. I created options for those who are not as comfortable with a multi-media project, which was also influenced by the fact that we are limited in the amount of computers available to the students. I also shared with them several different ways they could prepare their project, such as creating a video of them explaining them, making a stop animation project like the art classes have been doing, or making a collage with 3-dimensional aspects to add their personality to it.
  2. The class went in their own directions, some stayed in the classroom while others worked in the library or main computer lab, but the majority of them got a good start on things. We collaborated and agreed on a due date of February 27, exactly two weeks away. They will only have the three work periods of class time this week, then they have the week off next week, so I encouraged them to not hold off on completing things until the last minute.
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February 13

Art 7/8: Feb 13 Continue creating backgrounds…

  1. Students were to have had their first animation project completed and handed in.
  2. Their second project is going to be an animation but they have to create a background and cut outs for the characters or things that will move around in their animation. A few began filming but need to work on creating a more eventful scene and more elaborate backgrounds. Details and effort earn you top marks.
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February 12

Art 9: Feb 12 Project one was due on Friday… but…

  1. Some people struggled handing in their photo projects on Friday. The Drop In box wasn’t readily accepting their files. Another issue we’ve come up against is that when a project is handed in with the Windows Movie Maker format, it isn’t able to be read by the computer’s version of that program. It is frustrating but we’ll work our way around it.
  2. To compromise, no late marks will be given to anyone who was able to hand in their project through a different means today in class. (They should have had their files finished and available to copy onto a thumb drive which is a no-fail way to do it.) If they were not ready to hand in their photos, they are late and will lose marks, unfortunately.
  3. The second project, the one of a similar format but the medium of using either charcoal or pastels that creates a certain mood, is due on Friday. Again, we may likely just hand in the photos using the thumb drive. Using technology, as we are, we have to be patient with little glitches and learn to work around them.
  4. There is a third project due for when students return after the break. They have been using the Pivot program to create online animation. Because this medium is so easy to use, they have to have an animation of 300 frames of more. I have stressed to them, though, that they are responsible for handing in their projects number one and two by the deadlines. We’ll see how responsible they are with their time. It is handy, though, for them to be able to work on an online project when their camera batteries die and leave them with time left in the class.
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February 12

ELA 30: Feb 12 Video questions / fast write / blog updates…

  1. Students began with a handout of questions regarding the movie they watched while I was away. They watched the same video as the ELA 10 class but with a different focus. While the 10 English class was watching for things related to prejudice and discrimination, the B30 group was watching for the influenced on the main character’s identity and sense of self. By the discussion the class was able to have through the questions, it seems they’re understanding this focus fairly well.
  2. We did a Fast Write for three minutes, a writing activity that is new to this group. It has been researched and found that writing, in much the same way as any sport or activity individuals can train for, has to be practiced and used continually to maintain and develop that skill. For people who do not write much, the communication between their brain and their fingers is slow and difficult. Practice will develop this and make it easier when they begin applying their writing skills to projects. Today the only request was that they ‘begin’ their fast write with the topic of Identity and whether it was maintained or not was not the focus. The key was to keep their pen moving continually – even if it means repeating one word over and over until your brain can move you forward. It was painful for a few, and a little humorous, but they did great, they grumbled only slightly, and the content / thoughts they spilled out onto their papers prove to me that they are internalizing the topic of our discussions – namely to question who they are and what has influenced them to become that individual.
  3. We discussed the blogs – many have not started yet while others are getting comfortable with the new project. I wanted to make it clear that even though two blog entries were hopefully to be completed by this point, there is no loss of marks or worries because it will just get done later in our unit and be a more reflective process for them rather than contemplative one since it will be after our discussion of those topics. We’ll get there, you blogger-wannabees! Just keep your patience!
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February 12

ELA 10: Feb 12 Finish School Ties and discuss questions…

  1. Students were watching the video School Ties while I was away. Our recent focus on discrimination and prejudiced thinking allowed the students to more clearly watch for subtle and overt examples of these both from the movie. I don’t know if they realize it but they’ve been talking about racism and prejudice, albeit joking around with the delicate “Jewish” word, but they haven’t crossed a line of being disrespectful. They finished watching the movie and were given a handout of higher-level questions to consider individually. They all seemed to have really enjoyed the movie and gotten the true message from it so I’m glad.
  2. Students had to consider what type of individual or event or issue related to prejudice or discrimination they would like to investigate. Each student chose a topic of interest to themselves (except for three who’ll have to have that decided for tomorrow) and started brainstorming what about their topic they want to investigate. We’re a bit rushed for time (considering how few school days we have in the month of February) so students will research their topics tomorrow and Thursday and Friday will write an In-Class essay based on their research and will have to integrate one quote or reference into each of their body paragraphs. We’ll go over the details tomorow!
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February 11

Back from marking!

I was away from classes Thursday and Friday of last week but was very pleased to return to read on the sub notes that the students were well behaved and enthusiastically focused on their projects, particularly in art. I’m happy to hear another opinion that mirrors my own!

Thanks for being so good to your substitute!

Ms. W

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February 7

ELA B10: Feb 6 Comma test and blogging begins!

  1. Students came in wet and cold from walking from the rink. Once they settled down a bit, they wrote their first comma test.
  2. Once finished, I turned the projector on and showed a few students how to create their gmail account and blogs. Others had done as I’d asked and tried creating their blogs earlier in the week and had already activated and begun their blog. The ones with blogs already worked on the computers trying to personalize it and create their own blog posts.   (see the link here)
  3. There will be more computer time. I’ve set next Friday as the due date to have the first two blog entries completed, but we’ll look more at it next week. If students haven’t been able to activate their blog, they can use paper and pencil to get their thoughts down and search for material online that they will be linking or embedding into their post. There are things you can do if you don’t have your blog so no one is left with nothing to do.
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February 6

Art 5/6: Feb 6 Art project to hand in by Friday…

  1. Students did a fabulous job of working together this class! They are to have a flip animation booklet completed with at least 60 frames drawn. They have until Friday to hand it in.
  2. I showed everyone an example of the project they will be working on next. They all seemed to have ideas for their work right away. We printed off pictures from Google Images that they wanted to use to trace or draw for their cut-outs but they worked in such a focused way it was great. We’ve been listening to C95 during our class and they have been sitting more spread out throughout the classroom so this combination is working to cut down the chatter. I’m pleased!
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February 6

ELA B30: Feb 6 Second comma quiz / “On Seeing England…”

  1. I was most pleased with several students who were going to miss class today because of curling. They were at the school before 7:30, some of them, ready and waiting to get their comma quiz over with so they didn’t miss the marks. Good job!
  2. The class was much smaller today, with the curlers and others missing. Students did the same comma quiz before we began reading aloud the essay students were asked to have already read. “On Seeing England For The First Time” is an essay written by the author who grew up always being compared to what the English did or didn’t do. She has a great distaste for the people there and wishes she could “tear it up” with her bare hands.
  3. After discussing the essay and doing some questions individually, we talked a bit more about how to create their own blog. Some have struggled to get a blog activated and receive their passwords but creating gmail accounts seems to solve this easily.
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