Lesson 137

 During today's class we began a new unit on The Middle Ages.

Students should have notes on page 4 of their handout regarding the statement: "Parents should choose a suitable spouse for their child."

We discussed William the Conqueror,, and looked at his history, then began work on The Battle of Hastings itself. 

This block will be watching the play tomorrow, and I will not see them until Tuesday.

Anyone wishing to watch the remainder of  The Outsiders is invited to do so at lunch today.

 

Lesson 136

 We started The Outsiders film today! Any students from this block who would like to finish the movie are welcome to come in during lunch tomorrow (Thursday) and we'll have a viewing party. This block misses a class for the school play on Friday, so we have to cut a block of film viewing. 

Anyone who has yet to complete their paragraph should be in tutorial tomorrow morning, and Writing Lab at lunch tomorrow. 

  

Lesson 135

 

 Students finished their paragraphs today - They will get to watch the film tomorrow!

Lessons 132/33/34

 Hello!

 I was away Thurs/Fri, and there was some chaos, but we are back on track. 

Students worked on outlines and paragraphs today - they will now finish the paragraphs tomorrow. Students are welcome to tutorial and Writing Lab tomorrow.

 

Lesson 131

 

 Many students had simple errors, or clear gaps, in their first set of Outsiders material. We have combined the first work with the final work, along with a rubric.

    Students are to take the notes on their title pages and fix all of the work, then complete a self-evaluation on the attached rubric BEFORE tomorrow's class. 

Students began work on their Outsiders paragraph outlines. These outlines can be worked on during tutorial, in class, and in the Writing Lab, but they will not be going home, and no outside materials are permitted for writing.

Timeline:

• Thursday's class - students will hand in a fully complete set of chapter work, with a completed rubric at the very start of the class.
• Thursday is a writing prep day.
• Friday, Artifacts are due - we are going to appreciate these pieces, and do some evaluation - it is a shortened block.
• MONDAY - WE WRITE!
• Tues/Wed - we reward the work with an alternate form of media - The Outsiders in film.

And then it will be onward - to the Battle of Hastings!

Lesson 130

 Last work block for artifacts! They're due on Friday.

Tomorrow we hand in all outstanding questions, and then we move on to writing prep.

 

Lesson 129

 

We talked about the final chapter of the text - themes, the ending, the purpose...

We went over the timeline for current assignments, and added a Friday deadline for the current "Artifact" work. 

Students had the remainder of the class to work on their artifacts - they will also have tomorrow's block.

Students were also given their marked Viking paragraphs. A number of folks have bits and bobs they can review in the Writing Lab (or during tutorial). Reviewing errors in these paragraphs should be done in preparation for upcoming writing work. 

 

Lesson 128

 Today's class was jam packed!

We started with a bright spot from Oklahoma. 

We listened to Chapter 12, and have now finished reading the novel.

Students received questions for 11/12, and the rubric for the "Artifact" assignment they got yesterday. 

Students had the remainder of the class to choose their theme, and work on whatever made the most sense for them.

Work on the go:

• "Dynamic Character" sheets - the final section of these can now be done (only 2/4 need to be done, along with the final section). Students should anticipate handing these in on Tuesday, but they should already be close to complete.
• Chapter 11/12 questions - Students can absolutely finish these questions over the weekend, but they will be coming in on Wednesday next week. 
• "Artifact" (project - can be a poster, or take another form) - Students should be thinking about ways to represent the various pieces of this assignment, but will have time to work on it next week - unless students will be away/busy, they are not expected to work on this over the course of the weekend. 

While there are many pieces on the go, nothing is coming in on Monday - unless they need to do otherwise for specific reason, no one has to do Humanities 8 homework this weekend. 

 

Lesson 127

 

We opened the block by listening to Chapter 11.

Students  had some time to work on their "Dynamic Character" sheets.

During the last part of the block, students received their "Artifact" assignment - we looked at some examples, and went over key themes. Students started to think about which theme they might like to work with, and how they can represent it.

The theme options are as follows:

• The Nature of Friendship and Loyalty: The importance of sticking together and supporting friends through difficult times.
• Class Conflict and Social Divisions: The struggles and misunderstandings between different social groups, such as the Greasers and Socs.
• Identity and Self-Discovery: The characters’ journeys to understand who they are beyond societal labels.
• The Impact of Violence and Conflict: How violence affects individuals and the cycle of revenge and hurt.
• The Search for Belonging: The desire of the characters to find acceptance and a sense of family.
• The Loss of Innocence: Characters experience maturity and understanding as they face tough realities.
• The Power of Empathy and Understanding: Recognizing that others often have reasons for their actions and that compassion can bridge divides.
• Struggles with Identity and Self-Respect: The characters grapple with societal labels and their own self-worth.
• The Consequences of Choices: How decisions made by the characters lead to different outcomes and personal growth.
• The Value of Family and Caregiving: The importance of family bonds, whether biological or chosen, in providing support and love.

Lesson 126

 Block A needed additional time to finish Chapter 9, as many were off-task during our last block.

We finished the chapter, then discussed some of the changes in our perspectives, and why they have taken place.

Students received a short package about the concept of the "Dynamic Character" - There are 4 opportunities to reflect on Ponyboy's change in perspective - While they are welcome to do all of them, students are only required to do 2/4. All students should complete the final section of the sheet.

After 15 minutes of work time, students listened to Chapter 10.

 

Lesson 125

 We opened the class by discussing some of the language in Chapter 7, and the content of Chapter 8. 

I had intended to break up Chapter 9 into two sections, but students wanted to continue to the end - It was a long read, but that's what we did!

If you missed today's block, make sure you finish the reading before tomorrow's class.

 

Lesson 124

  There was a TOC in for this lesson. 

Students read Chapter 8, and had time to work on their questions for 7 & 8 

Lesson 123

 

We opened the block with  handing in work for chapters 1-6.

Students read Chapter 7 (we will deconstruct some of the more problematic language on Monday).

Students received marks from two previous assignments, and a set of questions for chapters 7&8.

There is no specific homework - we will pick at the end of Chapter 7 on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

 

Lesson 122

While many  had completed them, students were given an additional day to ensure that all questions for chapters 1-6 are complete - they will be collected tomorrow. 

We read Chapter 6.

Students had some work time to complete their work - The "Conflicts" section could easily be added to from Chapter 6, if students had not yet completed it. 

 

Lesson 121

 We had lots of really engaging presentations today - many groups struck a clear, professional tone, and some went above and beyond in their preparations.

Tomorrow we will continue with our novel work!

 

Lesson 120

 

 We started the class by finishing Chapter 5.

We read through "Nothing Gold Can Stay" in the student package, and students worked through labelling the rhyme scheme, and noting the meaning of each couplet.

After a discussion  of page 19, students were assigned the questions on page 20 for homework.

The remainder of the block was dedicated to group presentation work - students were reminded to ensure every member has their own script written out, that costumes and backgrounds (if applicable) are all sorted, and that every group member has read the rubric. Everyone should be sure that they have met "Proficient" and that the presentations are 2-3 minutes in length.

There may be work happening this evening, and perhaps before class tomorrow - It should be a really fun class. That said, students are reminded that the tone/language etc. needs to be appropriate for the given circumstance. 

Lesson 119

Students were reminded that, by the end of the weekend, they should have completed the first two packages (most should be done already).

We read Chapter 5 up to the end of page 77 - "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

We did some metaphor/simile work on their latest package for Chapter 5/6 - Students should have the first two pages done (to the end of personal simile/metaphor writing) and ensure that they are appropriate for school. 

The remainder of the block was given over to group work. 

Groups should consider connecting in some form over the weekend to ensure they are ready to refine and practice on Tuesday. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

Lesson 118

 Students had some time to work on their package questions, including the notes on page 12 (related to yesterday's conversation). 

We read the remainder of Chapter 4, after which students had a bit more time to work on their questions. 

Students had the remainder of the block to work on their "Breaking News" segments.