Wednesday, May 29, 2013
DST on Monday
The coming DST will be a visual interpretation criterion B.
You will get a picture and you will have to answer questions relating to this picture.
You can not really prepare for this DST as it is an unseen picture but if you have been following during class and you've read the novel then it will be easy for you as the picture chosen will revolve around the major themes of the novel.
Good luck
Monday, May 6, 2013
Class work Tuesday April 7
"Holes" by Louis Sachar
Directions: complete the following questions in class.
1. Why did Stanley steal the truck?
2. Who replaced zero?
3. What happens to Kate Barlow?
4. What do we find out about Zero? Who is he? How is he connected to stanley's great great grand father?
5. What is the Sploosh?
6. Where is zero and Stanley walking towards?
7. Who stole the sneakers that Stanley was convicted of stealing?
Monday, April 8, 2013
The 8 BIG IDEAS
I find this post very inspiring for both students, parents and teachers.
Eight Big Ideas Behind the Constructionist Learning Lab
By Dr. Seymour Papert (1999)
The first big idea is learning by doing. We all learn better when learning is part of doing something we find really interesting. We learn best of all when we use what we learn to make something we really want.
The second big idea is technology as building material. If you can use technology to make things you can make a lot more interesting things. And you can learn a lot more by making them. This is especially true of digital technology: computers of all sorts including the computer-controlled Lego in our Lab.
The third big idea is hard fun. We learn best and we work best if we enjoy what we are doing. But fun and enjoying doesn’t mean “easy.” The best fun is hard fun. Our sports heroes work very hard at getting better at their sports. The most successful carpenter enjoys doing carpentry. The successful businessman enjoys working hard at making deals.
The fourth big idea is learning to learn. Many students get the idea that “the only way to learn is by being taught.” This is what makes them fail in school and in life. Nobody can teach you everything you need to know. You have to take charge of your own learning.
The fifth big idea is taking time – the proper time for the job. Many students at school get used to being told every five minutes or every hour: do this, then do that, now do the next thing. If someone isn’t telling them what to do they get bored. Life is not like that. To do anything important you have to learn to manage time for yourself. This is the hardest lesson for many of our students.
The sixth big idea is the biggest of all: you can’t get it right without getting it wrong. Nothing important works the first time. The only way to get it right is to look carefully at what happened when it went wrong. To succeed you need the freedom to goof on the way.
The seventh big idea is do unto ourselves what we do unto our students. We are learning all the time. We have a lot of experience of other similar projects but each one is different. We do not have a pre-conceived idea of exactly how this will work out. We enjoy what we are doing but we expect it to be hard. We expect to take the time we need to get this right. Every difficulty we run into is an opportunity to learn. The best lesson we can give our students is to let them see us struggle to learn.
The eighth big idea is we are entering a digital world where knowing about digital technology is as important as reading and writing. So learning about computers is essential for our students’ futures BUT the most important purpose is using them NOW to learn about everything else.
Eight Big Ideas Behind the Constructionist Learning Lab
By Dr. Seymour Papert (1999)
The first big idea is learning by doing. We all learn better when learning is part of doing something we find really interesting. We learn best of all when we use what we learn to make something we really want.
The second big idea is technology as building material. If you can use technology to make things you can make a lot more interesting things. And you can learn a lot more by making them. This is especially true of digital technology: computers of all sorts including the computer-controlled Lego in our Lab.
The third big idea is hard fun. We learn best and we work best if we enjoy what we are doing. But fun and enjoying doesn’t mean “easy.” The best fun is hard fun. Our sports heroes work very hard at getting better at their sports. The most successful carpenter enjoys doing carpentry. The successful businessman enjoys working hard at making deals.
The fourth big idea is learning to learn. Many students get the idea that “the only way to learn is by being taught.” This is what makes them fail in school and in life. Nobody can teach you everything you need to know. You have to take charge of your own learning.
The fifth big idea is taking time – the proper time for the job. Many students at school get used to being told every five minutes or every hour: do this, then do that, now do the next thing. If someone isn’t telling them what to do they get bored. Life is not like that. To do anything important you have to learn to manage time for yourself. This is the hardest lesson for many of our students.
The sixth big idea is the biggest of all: you can’t get it right without getting it wrong. Nothing important works the first time. The only way to get it right is to look carefully at what happened when it went wrong. To succeed you need the freedom to goof on the way.
The seventh big idea is do unto ourselves what we do unto our students. We are learning all the time. We have a lot of experience of other similar projects but each one is different. We do not have a pre-conceived idea of exactly how this will work out. We enjoy what we are doing but we expect it to be hard. We expect to take the time we need to get this right. Every difficulty we run into is an opportunity to learn. The best lesson we can give our students is to let them see us struggle to learn.
The eighth big idea is we are entering a digital world where knowing about digital technology is as important as reading and writing. So learning about computers is essential for our students’ futures BUT the most important purpose is using them NOW to learn about everything else.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Launching Our Virtual Community
What is a blog?
A blog is short for "web log" or a personal online journal that is updated on a daily basis and reflects the author's personality. A blog has become a very important educational tool for many reasons. It expands the student's "learning space" exponentially.
This blog will become our learning community outside of class. Remember learning is not only what we do in class, it is not only the lecture or lesson that a teacher presents in class. Learning happens everywhere, in the classroom, in the playground, at the club, and at home. This blog will make our learning independent and will not limit learning to a certain time or place.
The benefits of using a blog in English class are many. We can all share opinions, and comment on each others' blogs. This will also be your "own" blog!! You OWN it -- so take good care of it. Make sure that the posts you create on it are of high quality and will be of interest to the rest of the class. All students in your class will be able to access your blog so you'll be greatly motivated to present your best work. You will also extremely get better at reflecting and expressing yourself in writing.
One of the major benefits of this blog is that it will keep all students updated with assignments and required work. I will make sure that all assignments, vocab, assessments, or presentations are uploaded on the blog so as to ensure that students always have the required material at all times. All your work will just be a few clicks away. In any case of school shutdown, this blog will also be a valuable resource to all of us, as I'll be posting assignments and using the blog as our online classroom.
This blog will also allow for the participation of all students. Shy students who lack the confidence to express themselves in class will be given the opportunity to express themselves freely in their blog posts. The blog will also give students a chance to be part of the teaching process. I will require that you comment on each others blogs, and also suggest topics and questions that the entire class will blog about.
A blog is short for "web log" or a personal online journal that is updated on a daily basis and reflects the author's personality. A blog has become a very important educational tool for many reasons. It expands the student's "learning space" exponentially.
This blog will become our learning community outside of class. Remember learning is not only what we do in class, it is not only the lecture or lesson that a teacher presents in class. Learning happens everywhere, in the classroom, in the playground, at the club, and at home. This blog will make our learning independent and will not limit learning to a certain time or place.
The benefits of using a blog in English class are many. We can all share opinions, and comment on each others' blogs. This will also be your "own" blog!! You OWN it -- so take good care of it. Make sure that the posts you create on it are of high quality and will be of interest to the rest of the class. All students in your class will be able to access your blog so you'll be greatly motivated to present your best work. You will also extremely get better at reflecting and expressing yourself in writing.
One of the major benefits of this blog is that it will keep all students updated with assignments and required work. I will make sure that all assignments, vocab, assessments, or presentations are uploaded on the blog so as to ensure that students always have the required material at all times. All your work will just be a few clicks away. In any case of school shutdown, this blog will also be a valuable resource to all of us, as I'll be posting assignments and using the blog as our online classroom.
This blog will also allow for the participation of all students. Shy students who lack the confidence to express themselves in class will be given the opportunity to express themselves freely in their blog posts. The blog will also give students a chance to be part of the teaching process. I will require that you comment on each others blogs, and also suggest topics and questions that the entire class will blog about.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
First day of Blogging
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