To seek, to strive, to find, and not to yield. - Ulysses

Friday, September 29, 2017

Fun-times Friday!

Blocks A&D: I am so pleased with the work you've been producing on your essay outlines so far! We'll keep working on our body paragraphs on Monday - there is no homework this weekend!

Block B: I hope you all had a great first meeting today. Monday will be a work block for reading, and prep for Tuesday's meeting. You might also want to take a look at your journal assignment as your first set of journals is due on Friday.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Thrifty Thursday!

Blocks A&D: Thank you all for your hard work on your thesis statements and introductions! If you missed some of the notes today on how to write strong hooks - I've included them below. There is no homework tonight - you will have time tomorrow to work on your introductions and body paragraphs.





Block B: Hopefully you found the work block today productive! Make sure your reading, 10 sticky notes, and notes for your job are all done for the group meeting tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Wishful Wednesday!

Blocks A&D: Great work today on thesis statement writing! Homework tonight is to finish the front side of the thesis analogy sheet in addition to the 4 practice thesis statement worksheet. We'll review both of them tomorrow.

Block B: You will be given some more time tomorrow to prepare for your first group meeting, which has been moved to Friday Sept. 29th. Make sure you are completing the reading, your 10 sticky notes, and notes for your job.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Take That, Tuesday!

Blocks A&D: I'm so sorry the wifi is so bad in this room! I'm glad some of you were able to persevere and get some good viewing time on your videos. If you didn't finish the exit slip in class as a reflection on your viewing - please do so for homework tonight!

Block B: Thank you for your novel study primer today! Tomorrow I will explain to you what you need to know about double-entry journals. You will also get some time to sort out your jobs and divide up the reading. I don't have any specific homework for you tonight - just make sure that you come prepared to work tomorrow.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Mildly Muddy Monday

Blocks A&D: Thank you all for your L.E.P. projects and feedback today. After listening to a couple of commercials - we moved on to our new unit: viral videos. There was some great discussion around terminology and a somewhat truthful look at your current YouTube usage. Homework tonight is to finish the TED Talk sheet for Why Videos Go Viral - please feel free to view it again if you missed anything. Please bring your headphones or earbuds to class tomorrow to facilitate our lesson.

Block B: Thank you for you novel choices - I'll let you know soon what group you're going to be in. Homework tonight is to finish your Matrix response. This is just a journal response. So please don't stress over it! What is your understanding of intertextuality as demonstrated in the movie and what is your current understanding of the theme Insiders and Outsiders. I'll collect these tomorrow.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Think about Thursday:

Blocks A&D: Lots of productive energy today during your LAST work block for your logos, ethos, and pathos campaign projects. I'm looking forward to your finished products on Monday!

Block B: We will continue watching The Matrix on Monday - you have NO homework this weekend! :)

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Wondering about Work on this Wednesday?

Blocks A&D: Tomorrow is your LAST work block for you E.L.P. project! I can't wait to see your completed campaign on Monday!

Block B: I hope that you're not feeling too unsettled by our brief journey into philosophy today - just remember Descartes - "I think therefore I am" the very fact that you are thinking these thoughts means that you exist. Just open your mind to the possibility that there is more to this world than might understand at this point. We'll continue watching The Matrix tomorrow - no homework tonight!

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Terrific Tuesday!

Blocks A&D: Work blocks continue for your E.L.P projects! Make sure you have all materials in class tomorrow to continue your excellent progress.

Block B: Thank you for your thoughtful responses to the TED Talk today. If you were away, here is the link to the TED talk from class today. I've included the slide of the reflection questions down below. For tomorrow, please hand in:
1. the good copy of your essay (double-spaced, 12-pt font, 2-3 pages)
2. the rough draft (with evidence of revision)
3. your map
4. the blue criteria sheet.


Monday, September 18, 2017

Musings on Monday

Blocks A&D: I hope that your candy campaigns are off on the right track! Thank you for your campaign proposals - there is no homework tonight!

Block B: Great work on the editing opportunity you had in class today. We will be moving on tomorrow to talk about a visual transformational narrative - but there may be some time at the end of the block for you to work on your narrative so please bring it to class tomorrow. The double-spaced good copy of your narrative is due on Wednesday along with the rough draft, map and blue criteria sheet.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Focus on Friday!

Blocks A&D: I hope that you got a lot out of watching Blackfish in class over the last couple of days. If you did not finish the chart on examples of ethos, pathos and logos in the film, please finish that for Monday along with the CSI.

Block B: Again, what a fantastic work block today. Your level of focus and concentration were just awesome. This whole transformational narrative writing is a process, and you may find yourself working through some issues. I hope that you keep the end goal in mind - that you illuminate a transformatational event in your life. For Monday, please have a hard copy of your rough draft - double spaced - 2-3 pages in what you're aiming for.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Thoughtful Thursday!

Blocks A&D: Thank you for your thoughtful discussion today about whales and cetaceans in captivity - there are a lot of points of view on this! We will continue watching Blackfish tomorrow - so keep thinking about the persuasive appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos. There is no homework tonight!

Block B: Amazing levels of focus and concentration today! What a productive group you are. Here are the slides from today's class about essay leads and structure. I will give you the entire block tomorrow to continue the rough draft. You will need to have a HARD COPY in class on Monday for peer/self editing.











Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Walk Around Wednesday!

Blocks A&D: Logos, Ethos, Pathos and the art of persuasion. Hopefully you learned a few things from class today about the techniques that are used to influence us on a daily basis. If you did not finish the worksheet on logos, ethos and pathos - please do so for homework tonight!

Block B: In class today - we finished discussing the transformational narrative "Chicken-Hips" and then got started on the brainstorm of your own essay.

You showed me your brainstorm and tried to narrow down your event. I then gave you time in class to start the map of your transformational event. This is NOT designed to be an outline. Just the opportunity for you to organize your thoughts. Homework for tonight is to finish the map of your event for tomorrow's class - I will be checking to make sure it's done!

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Terrific Tuesday!

Blocks A&D: I hope that you found the extra time to work on your drafts and get peer feedback valuable today! Tomorrow you will need to hand in your good copy (with visual), rough draft (with signs of revision) and your green criteria sheet.

Block B: Today we started to look at the personal narrative style of essay. This is the one that we recommend that you write as your Part D Composition on the Provincial Exam - so do yourself a favour and make some good notes!!! We didn't get a chance to finish up our second personal narrative example - so we will start with that tomorrow. Here are the slides that I went over in class today.






Monday, September 11, 2017

Another Sunny Monday!

Blocks A&D: It looks like you need a little more time to complete drafts on your What's in a Name? assignment. So you will get more time for drafts and peer editing tomorrow then hand in your finished product on Wednesday.

Block B: A wonderful work block today grade 12s! Your draft and editing should now be done and good copy due on Wednesday with your visual. The draft that I stamped or you emailed to me - should be fairly similar to your good copy. No major changes in content can be made - but minor ones in grammar, spelling, word choice etc. are fine.


Friday, September 8, 2017

Feel the Rain on Friday!

Blocks A&D: Thank you for all of your hard work in class today on your What's in a Name assignment. You will get time in class on Monday to continue work on the rough draft, along with some time for peer editing and your visual component.

Block B: Great work on those paradoxes today! I know that it is kind of a tricky concept to get your head wrapped around - but I had some good conversations with people trying to get at the truth of the contradiction. I hope that you take some time over the weekend to think about this a little more, and come on Monday, ready to continue your draft.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Thoughts on our First Thursday!

A BIG, warm, welcome back to all my studious Sharks!

Please check this blog regularly in order to keep track of your assignments for English.

Blocks A&D: If you did not get a chance to have your purple letter signed, please do so tonight and hand it in to me tomorrow. There were also some of you who did not finish your 21 Questions Survey. If you are one of those - please have that done for me as well.

I assigned your very first assignment for English 10 today. A creative writing assignment that is all about you - well all about your name. Please complete your pre-writing for homework tonight. This means research, interviews, asking questions, brainstorming etc. You will have time in class tomorrow for your rough draft.

Block B: Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses to the 8 sentence starters. They have given me a lot of insight into how you would like our class to be structured this semester. If you did not get your green letter signed, please get that in to me ASAP. Homework tonight is to continue planning your Paradox assignment. You will get time in class tomorrow to start your draft.

Wallowing Wednesday!

Block B: Poetry Stations are done! There will be some time tomorrow to share more poetry if you feel so inclined. There is no homework tonig...