English 10

Blocks 1/2

We worked on sentence fragments, finished looking at the story "Borders", and watched a clip from the NFB movie "You are on Indian Land". 

In the spirit of Halloween, we watched an example of 'parody' through "The Simpsons".

Reminders:

• "Borders" questions due Monday
• Mind Maps/Title pages for "This is a Test": OVERDUE

Blocks 5/6

We had the privilege of watching the Drama students perform our commercials for Animal Farm. We filmed it, so I can show it to the Block 1/2 class. 

Reminders:

• Mind Maps/Title pages for "This is a Test": OVERDUE

English 8

I was so pleased to see such diversity in your costumes today Grade 8's!

Today we did a bit of reading and worked on questions for The Outsiders (Chapter 2 and 3). We spent the rest of class in the library working on our collages (Socs vs. Greasers).

Have a happy Halloween!


Reminders:

• Chapter 2/3 questions due Monday, Nov. 3, 2014
• Collages due Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014

English 8

We started off class with silent reading and a worksheet on subjects and predicates. We also went over questions for Chapter 1 for The Outsiders and students were given time in groups to finish their Character Profile Charts. We then continued reading Chapter 3 in the novel.

During the second half of the period, we looked at a Powerpoint outlining main characteristics/events of the 1960's. We then watched "John Green's Crash Course of the 60's". After this, students started a collage identifying the difference between "Greasers" and "Socs".

Reminders:

• Grammar Sheet (p.57) due next class
• Character Profile Chart due next class
• Finish Chapter 3 for next class

English 10

The mind maps and title pages for "This is a Test" look great so far!

For grammar, we worked on  main/subordinate clauses. We also finished discussing "How To" instructions and watched Ted Talks: "How to Start a Movement". Questions were to be completed for this. We also looked at the short story "Borders" by Thomas King.

During the second half of the period, we looked at the Provincial Exam structure and the expectations for the written section of the exam. Samples of writing were posted on the walls all over the class and students circulated the classroom to evaluate them. Blocks 1/2 were fortunate enough to have Mr. Pfeiffer to them teach them about the exam yesterday. We also looked at the written rubric and the terms to know for the exam.

Reminders:

• Blocks 1/2: "How To" questions due Friday, Oct. 31, 2014
• Blocks 5/6: "How To" questions and "Borders" questions due Friday, Oct. 31, 2013

English 10

We started off class today with a lesson on sentence types. We also went over comprehension questions from previous texts we read. Students then had class time to either create a title page or a mind map for the play "This is a Test" (p. 8 in Sightlines 10). After this, students took some notes on point of view, character types, and genres.

Reminders:

• Block 5/6: Mind Map/Title page: due Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014
• Block 1/2: You will receive more class time to work on your mind maps tomorrow

English 8

Silent reading and grammar (subjects and predicates)
We discussed Chapter 1 of The Outsiders and worked on corresponding questions. Students also started to fill out a character profile chart for The Outsiders. We also started Chapter 2.

Reminders:

• Finish Chapter 1 questions : due Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014
• Read Chapter 2 for next class

English 8

Silent Reading and Fire Drill
We corrected out worksheet on "Interjections" and watched a cartoon song about interjections as well. We went to the library to take out the novel The Outsiders. I showed a Powerpoint outlining some background information on S.E. Hinton and we looked at Greaser slang words. We finished off class reading Chapter 1.

Reminders:

• Finish Chapter 1 for next class

English 10

Today we continued to discuss the play "This is a Test", watch a video of the play, and work on corresponding questions.

Reminders:

• "This is a Test" questions: due Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014
• Marks were posted last week; The end of term is a approaching, so make sure to hand in any missing assignments!

English 8

We finished off the week with a Short Story Test and the M.A.D.D. Assembly.

Have a great weekend!

English 10

Have another fantastic long weekend!

This week, we had a grammar quiz on 'Parts of Speech'. We then read two texts: "I'm Not my Brother; I'm Me" and "My Body is My Own Business" from Sightlines 10. We also watched a 'Ted Talks' episode, and explored themes of stereotypes and body image. In addition, we read the play "This is a Test".

Reminders:

• Block 1/2: "I'm Not my Brother; I'm Me" and "My Body is My Own Business" questions due next class
• Block 5/6: 

-"Lather and Nothing Else" questions  due next class
-"I'm Not my Brother; I'm Me" and "My Body is My Own Business" questions due next class

English 10

Don't forget  about your grammar quiz!

Today we reviewed some grammar for the upcoming quiz. We also worked on questions for "Lather and Nothing Else". The Block 5/6 class was able to attend the streaming of the Dalai Lama in the theatre.

Reminders: 

Quiz on Parts of Speech

• Blocks 5/6 : Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014
• Blocks 1/2: Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014

English 8

Don't forget to review your notes tonight!

We started off class today with silent reading and a worksheet on interjections. Students then took some notes on irony and types of conflict. We looked at some T.V. clips to supplement our understanding of irony (the "Ironic" song, a short clip from "Mean Girls", and a short clip from "Modern Family"). We spent the rest of class reviewing elements of short stories for all of the stories we studied in class.

Things you can use to study:

• Notes on 'Parts of Plot' and 'Elements of Short Stories'
• All of the short story comprehension questions 
• Notes on "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
• The 'Plot Analysis' booklet that we filled out today

Reminders:

• Short Story Test: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014
• Descriptive Character Paragraph: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014

English 8

I hope your descriptive character paragraphs are coming along!

We started off class today with silent reading and notes on interjections. Students were then given time to work on their descriptive character paragraphs; I also demonstrated how to start writing a paragraph by using the 'Paragraph Planner'. We then went over the plot analysis for "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and started a review worksheet for the short stories that will be on the exam this Wednesday.

Reminders:

• Short Story Test: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014
• Descriptive Character Paragraphs (plan, draft and good copy): Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014

English 10

It will be another short week this week!

We started class today with a grammar review on parts of speech (there will be a grammar quiz this week). We also started our unit on short stories. First off, we reviewed some literary terms and basic parts of a short story. Make sure to get the Powerpoint notes if you were absent.  To transition from our Animal Farm unit, the first short story we looked at was the allegory fable "Terrible Things" by Eve Bunting. We proceeded to work on corresponding questions. We also started the story "Lather and Nothing Else" by Hernando Tellez. Finish this story for homework (it can be found in Sightlines 10).

Reminders:

• Finish "Lather and Nothing Else" for next class

• Parts of Speech Quiz

Blocks 1/2: Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014
Blocks 5/6: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014

English 8

Today we completed a worksheet on conjunctions. This will be for homework if it wasn't finished in class. We also finished watching "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and started a plot analysis worksheet. We will go over this Monday.

Reminders:

• Make sure to bring your 'Paragraph Planner' next class (for the descriptive character paragraph)
• Short Story Test : Has been changed to Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014

Enlgish 10

Today was the Animal Farm test. If you were absent, you will need to stay after school next week to complete it.

Reminders:

• Final Assignments (commercial scripts) were due today!

English 10: Blocks 1/2

We started off class today with a worksheet on compound sentences and spent the rest of the first period working on the Animal Farm Final Assignment in the library. During the second period, I went over the outline for the upcoming Animal Farm Test and handed out a sheet demonstrating the main 'historical equivalents' of the novel. Use this to study for the upcoming test.We also finished watching the movie "Animal Farm".

Reminders:

• Animal Farm Test: Friday, Oct. 17, 2014
• Final Assignment (commercial scripts): Friday, Oct. 17, 2014

Test Info

Test parts: 

Vocabulary-m/c

Comprehension -m/c

Characters-matching

True/False

Short answer

Long answer

To review:

-Chapter questions

-Powerpoint notes

-Allegory chart/historical equivalents

English 8

I hope you all enjoyed the informative presentation today!

We started off class today with silent reading and some notes on conjunctions. The quiz on 'Parts of Speech' was handed back to the students and we went over it together. We also started working on descriptive character paragraphs. Students were given a list of characters studied in our short story unit; they must complete a paragraph describing him/her. Most students finished the 'Paragraph Planner' today.

During the second period, a presenter came to the class to discuss tobacco use. We also started watching the movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox"; we will be doing a complete plot analysis on this movie as a conclusion to our short story unit.

Reminders:

• 'Paragraph Planner' worksheet: due Friday, Oct. 17, 2014
• Short Story Test: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014

English 10: Blocks 5/6

Thank you for working hard on your scripts today Grade 10's!

We started off class today with a worksheet on compound sentences and spent the rest of the first period finishing the movie "Animal Farm". During the second period, I went over the outline for the upcoming Animal Farm Test and handed out a sheet demonstrating the main 'historical equivalents' of the novel. Use this to study for the upcoming test.

Reminders:

• Animal Farm Test: Friday, Oct. 17, 2014
• Final Assignment (commercial scripts): Friday, Oct. 17, 2014

English 8

Thank you to my lovely readers today!

We started off class today with a short grammar quiz on Parts of Speech and then continued with silent reading. We then read the story "The Monkey's Paw" and worked on corresponding questions. We also watched a couple film adaptations of the story.

Reminders:

• "The Monkey's Paw" questions due next class

English 10

I hope everyone had a lovely long weekend!

Today we corrected the Animal Farm Allegory Chart and spent the rest of the period in the library working on your final assignments (propaganda commercial scripts). Please note that your Animal Farm test has been pushed back to Friday, Oct.17, 2014.

Reminders:

• Animal Farm Test: Friday, Oct. 17, 2014
• Final Assignment: Friday, Oct. 17, 2104

English 8

Have a great rest this weekend!

We started off the class with Silent Reading and grammar. We then explored the story "The Hockey Sweater" in Sightlines 8. We also went over the elements of foreshadowing with a worksheet and watched some video clips demonstrating the use of foreshadowing.

Reminders:

• "The Hockey Sweater" Questions due next class
• Parts of Speech Quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014

English 10

Have a great weekend!!!

Today we completed a worksheet on subjects and predicates. We also worked on a chart outlying changes with the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm. I then introduced your Final Assignment for Animal Farm and we started watching the movie.

Reminders:

• We will be correcting the Allegory Chart and the Seven Commandments chart next class
• Animal Farm Exam:

Blocks 1/2: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014
Blocks 5/6:Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014

• Animal Farm Final Assignment: due Friday, Oct. 16, 2014

English 10: Blocks 5/6

Congratulations on finishing your first novel in English 10!

We started off the class today with a worksheet on adverbs. Overall, we finished Chapters 9 and 10 of Animal Farm and worked on corresponding questions. Chapter questions are due next class. We also looked at the definition of allegories, symbolism and satire, and students started filling out an allegory chart for Animal Farm. In addition, we looked at TV clips demonstrating propaganda and the use of satire.

Reminders:

• Literary paragraphs were due TODAY
• Chapter 9 and 10 questions: due Friday, Oct. 10, 2014
• Animal Farm Exam: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014

English 8

Great peer-editing work today Grade 8's!

Today, we spent time silent reading and completed a worksheet on adverbs. Students were then assigned in pairs to peer-edit their "Thank You Ma'am" letters.

After that, we went over different texts from narratives and identified the point of view of the narrator (1st person, 2nd person, etc.). We proceeded to to a lesson on themes; I showed the students 4 Pixar short films, students were divided into groups, and had to write down the central themes for the films on chart paper. We went over all the ideas on the board together.

We also took more notes on 'setting' and 'types of characters'. We finished the class by going over the answers to the story "Catch".

Reminders:

• "Thank You Ma'am" Letters (brainstorming sheet, peer-edit sheet, rough copy and good copy): due Friday, Oct. 10, 2014
• Parts of Speech Quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2013

English 10: Blocks 1/2

Great class work today Grade 10's!

We started off the class today with a worksheet on adverbs. Students were also given time to finish their Literary Paragraphs. We then finished out notes on allegories, symbolism and satire, and students started filling out an allegory chart for Animal Farm. We watched a short clip about Stalin and finished reading Chapters 9 and 10. Questions for both chapters are due next class.


Reminders:

• Literary paragraphs were due TODAY
• Chapter 9 and 10 questions: due Friday, Oct. 10, 2014
• Animal Farm Exam: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014

English 8

I aplogize; I'm a day late with my blog post :)

During Tuesday's class, students took notes on adverbs and continued to work on their "Thank You Ma'am" Letters. Rough copies will be due Thursday. We also discussed the story "Catch" and worked on corresponding questions. We finished the class with notes on 'Point of View' in narratives.

Reminders:

• "Thank You Ma'am" Letters ROUGH COPY: due Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
• "Catch" questions: due Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
• Parts of Speech Quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2013

English 10

Today we completed another worksheet on adjectives. We also went over questions for Chapter 8 in Animal Farm and students were given more time to work on their Literary paragraphs. I then showed some pictures and souvenirs from Eastern Europe and China that represent certain traits of Communism. We also watched some commercials and analyzed their persuasive power.

Reminders:

• The Literary paragraph:

=>Blocks 1/2: due tomorrow, October 8, 2014 (you will have ten minutes in class to finish)
=>Blocks 5/6: due Thursday, October 9, 2014

English 8

We began class today with more notes and exercises on adjectives. I then introduced your first big writing assignment -- a letter corresponding to the story "Thank You Ma'am". We also read the story "Catch" in Sightlines 8.

English 10

Today, we completed a worksheet on participles. We also finished Chapter 8 in Animal Farm and worked on corresponding questions. We then went over ideas for your assigned Literary Paragraph on Animal Farm.

English 8

I am so happy to see such enthusiastic readers!!!!

Today, students took notes and completed a worksheet on adjectives. Students also took notes on elements of short stories (theme and foreshadowing). We went over the questions for "The Veldt" and "Thank you Ma'am" and then headed up to the library to pick books for the Independent Novel Study. We spent the rest of class silent reading.

Reminders: 

• No homework!

English 10

Have a great weekend Grade 10's!

Today, students completed a worksheet on infinitive and gerund verbs. We also read Chapter 7 of Animal Farm, started Chapter 8 , and worked on corresponding questions.

Reminders:

• Complete questions for Chapters 6 and 7 for next class

English 8

You survived your first double block of English!

Today, you completed a worksheet practicing the use of verbs. Then, we finished reading "The Veldt", worked on corresponding questions and watched the short film based on the story. Students also completed notes on the parts of plot.

During the second half of class, we read an article from the perspective of a teenager in prison.  We discussed stereotypes and motivations of young criminals. We proceeded to read the story "Thank You Ma'am" and work on corresponding questions. We finished off the class with a couple rounds of "Mad Libs".

Reminders:

• Finish questions for "The Veldt" and "Thank You Ma'am" for next class

English 10 (Bocks 5/6)

Great brainstorming on animal traits today!

Today, we had a surprise quiz -- yay!!! We then watched some videos and read an article about the intelligence of pigs. We continued to discuss other animal stereotypes in the media; students did a group activity characterizing stereotypes of particular farm animals. We also finished Chapter 6 in Animal Farm and worked on corresponding questions. I also showed a Powerpoint presentation and talked about the rivalry between Stalin and Trotsky.

Reminders:

• Complete Chapter 6 questions: due Friday, Oct. 3, 2014

English 10 (Block 1/2)

Great brainstorming on animal traits today!

Today, we had a surprise quiz -- yay!!! We then watched some videos and read an article about the intelligence of pigs. We continued to discuss other animal stereotypes in the media;students did a group activity characterizing stereotypes of particular farm animals. We also finished Chapter 6 in Animal Farm and worked on corresponding questions. I also showed a Powerpoint presentation and talked about the rivalry between Stalin and Trotsky.

Reminders:

• Complete Chapter 6 questions and read Chapter 7: due Friday, Oct. 3, 2014