Today was a shortened block because of the Remebrance Day Ceremonies. Students had time to read their novels and then had to make connections between objects found in a "goody bag" (cards, candles, various toys, etc.) and find ways to connect them to their novels. Each student was responsible for completing at least one individual connection and then students worked in their novel groups to create as metaphorical connections as possible.
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Today we listened to a presentation by Anne Tenning on Aboriginal veterans. Anne mentioned some very specific conditions that applied to Aboriginal soldiers who chose to fight for Canada despite being denied the rights of basic citizens. Anne's presentation is relevant as next Tuesday is Remembrance Day, but it was also particularly important for those students reading "Three Day Road" by Joseph Boyden which specifically deals with two Aboriginal soldiers in the First World War.
After Anne's presentation students continued to work on their Literature Circle Assignments. Yes, we had pancakes today (and well deserved pancakes both for the performers at last night's dinner and for the rest of the class who have been so cooperative! More importantly today we officially got going on the literature circle unit. Students are reminded that they should be aware of the following assignments due now or very soon:
1. Initial Response (due ASAP) 2. Sticky Notes (ongoing, but at least 2 should be completed) 3. First Lit Circle Assignment (Due Nov. 12th) Thanks once again to Kristine Jack for sharing her knowledge with the class and for bringing all the Okanagan foods in for our class to try! Kristine made Indian Ice Cream and brought salmon, deer, bannock and bitterroot. Students documented the experience using their phones and iPads and will put together a video reflection tomorrow.
Thanks so much to Teresa Haberstock for giving our class the tour of the Ooknakane Friendship Centre today. Very few students had been to the centre or were aware of services offered there. Thanks as well for the awesome bread that Mrs. Haberstock made for us!! We were very lucky to have a visit from Zoe's mom Kristine today. Kristine infused her presentation with humour and interesting stories as well as a wide variety of baskets and regalia for the students to learn about local Okanagan culture. We were sorry that some of the class had to miss the presentation to go to the Calgary University information session. For the rest of us, it was a great day!
Great job today getting photos taken with our "Mystery Props". We will use these to base a creative writing piece on next Wed. Today began with the paragraph response to Thomas King's First Essay in "The Truth About Stories". This assignment is in preparation for the "Response To Text" section of the provincial exam where students will be given a general theme and have to find examples from texts they have read during the course.
Response to Text Paragraph The second part of the day was used to plan and work on the projects for the Multicultural Banquet. Can't wait until next Thursday!! Reminder that we have a mystery field trip on Friday!! Dress for the outdoors but not hiking. 1. Started out today with the decision to move the multicultural banquet to next Thursday Oct. 16th. 2. Went over questions students had posed after reading "You'll Never Believe What Happened" (Essay by Thomas King) last week. Students worked in groups of 3 to pose answers to each other's questions. 3. Watched 8 minutes of a Simpsons episode re-capping the Garden of Eden story. 4. Comparison of Earth Diver story and Garden of Eden Story and the styles in which Thomas King presents each of them. 4. Discussed importance of being open to different perspectives and how much our views are influenced by the stories and perspectives and belief systems we grew up with. Re-emphasized this is a course about respecting all belief systems, and acknowledging there isn't one "right" way to look at the world. 5. Showed class the quote shown in the photo below: "The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you, they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." -Wade Davis 6. Introduced the "Candy Cultures" activity. Students reflected on what was frustrating and uncomfortable about the activity and what the problems with communication were. 7. Continued watching the TED talk "The Danger of A Single Story" which contains key themes from the EFP12 curriculum. We almost made it through this time, but stopped with about 5 minutes left so students could complete their free write. Finished the last 10 minutes of class with a free write on the following prompt:
What frames your world view? (What are the factors that influence how you see the world?) What an amazing day! Beautiful weather and a team effort to get to the pictograph site. Thank you again to Lisa Stephens for giving us the background on the pictographs. As well, a big thanks to all the other adults who came along and who offered to drive. This was definitely a great trip and I know I will remember it for a long long time. Yeah Grad '15!!
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November 2014
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