We gratefully acknowledge, respect, recognize and appreciate that we live, learn and work and teach on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dun First Nations and the Ta'an Kwächän Council.
Kwä̀nä̀schis
Course Outline EN 08
PLEASE NOTE:
- We begin most classes with time to read, at least 5 mins sometimes as much as 15 mins depending on the demands of the day's and week's work.
- Students should either make sure that they bring something with them to read or keep something in the classroom. Some items are made available to read in the room, but as they are shared among students, access cannot be guaranteed.
- Students may also use this time for creative writing if they prefer.
- Students ARE permitted to listen to music quietly and individually during this time as long as they do not disrupt any other individuals, and as long as they are not distracted from reading by using their personal devices for classroom inappropriate activities (i.e. texting, social media, gaming etc).
Week by Week
Week #15 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
Monday November 27th to Friday December 1st
We watched the National Geographic documentary TV show Taboo, the episode on Justice, in order to under look at different perspectives on what "justice" may mean in different cultures. A a class we discussed the stories presented in the documentary, and in what ways the approaches to justice presented in the video are similar or dissimilar to local concepts of justice and/or to those presented in Touching Spirit Bear.
Students can keep these in mind when considering their positions for their Persuasive writing pieces.
Students can keep these in mind when considering their positions for their Persuasive writing pieces.
Trial By Oil, National Geographic, Taboo, Justice
Blood Feud, National Geographic, Taboo, Justice
Poetic Justice - Judge Ted Poe, National Geographic, Taboo, Justice
Please note: National Geographic does not seem to have this segment of the Taboo episode "Justice" posted. Then judge, now Congressman Ted Poe of Texas, featured in the video has this posted on his official YouTube channel.
Some students struggled with the news paper article exercise. I decided that we would examine a news story and I would model writing and researching an article.
In keeping with our current theme of consequences for actions, I showed students one segment of the AT&T PSA documentary, From One Second To the Next, a Warner Herzog film that was part of AT&T's It Can Wait campaign. We watched the segment A Letter From Martin (begins at timestamp 6:35, goes through to timestamp 14:58). I also chose this documentary because it's factual - other sources of information can be found on this incident - and the issue of texting and driving is relevant to our lives.
We watched the video in our usual stop-and-start format. Students took down key information (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How) that would be used to write an article about the events described in this segment. Then we looked for other sources of information on the same incident, to learn more details and to confirm what we had already learned.
In order to provide context for the segment, we also spent some time learning a bit about Amish culture, their concepts of justice, forgiveness, and strategies for dealing with crimes in their community (i.e. shunning) and the importance of rebuilding community relationships.
In keeping with our current theme of consequences for actions, I showed students one segment of the AT&T PSA documentary, From One Second To the Next, a Warner Herzog film that was part of AT&T's It Can Wait campaign. We watched the segment A Letter From Martin (begins at timestamp 6:35, goes through to timestamp 14:58). I also chose this documentary because it's factual - other sources of information can be found on this incident - and the issue of texting and driving is relevant to our lives.
We watched the video in our usual stop-and-start format. Students took down key information (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How) that would be used to write an article about the events described in this segment. Then we looked for other sources of information on the same incident, to learn more details and to confirm what we had already learned.
In order to provide context for the segment, we also spent some time learning a bit about Amish culture, their concepts of justice, forgiveness, and strategies for dealing with crimes in their community (i.e. shunning) and the importance of rebuilding community relationships.
Week #14 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
Monday November 20th to Friday November 24th
Persuasive Writing - Banishment vs. Custody
Why are there consequences for actions?
What are the purposes of imposed consequences for a personal antisocial actions?
In the novel, Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is assigned to banishment on a remote island in order to prove to the Circle of Healing that his stated intentions - to change his ways, to stop acting selfishly and violently out of anger - are sincere and not just an attempt to avoid being put through the regular Western justice court system.
The Persuasive Writing Task:
Students need to write a piece of persuasive writing examining whether or not, given his background, his crimes, his actions on the island and his attitude after being removed from the island, the banishment was a successful process for Cole, or whether he should be returned to the regular youth offender system or possibly to the regular court system to be tried as an adult for the break and enter and mischief (trashing) of the hardware store, for the theft from that same hardware store and his subsequent violent assault on Peter Driscal.
Pretend that you are writing a speech to or a letter to the members of the Healing Circle with your reflections on what has happened so far and what YOU think the Healing Circle should do next in terms of Cole's justice process.
Be sure to keep these things in mind:
What are the purposes of imposed consequences for a personal antisocial actions?
- Punishment - individual did something deemed "wrong", caused suffering, and as a result, they must be made to suffer in some way.
- Revenge / retribution - the old saying "an eye for an eye" embodies this type of consequence. Whatever someone did to the victim and/or their family, friends and community must happen to the offender.
- Restoration - repair of harm with the end goal of repairing relationships and trust within a community; requires that an offender acknowledge their guilt and accept ownership of the results of their actions, and take action in turn to learn, to repair harm, and to ensure that no further harm of that type occurs again with their complicity.
- Rehabilitation - providing the opportunities to offenders to and requiring that they learn effective coping strategies for participating productively in society - this may involve counselling, work programs, treatment for addictions or mental health challenges etc.
- Debt to Society - if a person commits an offence that breaches the social contract (the ethical standards that govern a culture / society) and therefore owes it to society to pay a price, demonstrate penance / contrition, and incur some loss of the freedoms enjoyed by members of that culture / society who do follow the social contract.
- Protection of society - preventing a dangerous and/or repeat offender from accessing victims by segregating them from the majority of fellow humans, or preventing them from engaging in particular behaviours (i.e. driving a car, being around children, being around animals etc.)
- Fines in cash or goods
- Imprisonment / supervised custody
- Exile / banishment
- Corporeal punishment (beating, flogging, strapping, whipping, etc.)
- Capital punishment (death by hanging, beheading, injection, electrocution, firing squad, stoning, etc.)
- Public shaming
- Probation
- Community Service
- Restoration / Circle Justice
- Hard labour
- Military service
- Required treatment and/or counselling
In the novel, Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is assigned to banishment on a remote island in order to prove to the Circle of Healing that his stated intentions - to change his ways, to stop acting selfishly and violently out of anger - are sincere and not just an attempt to avoid being put through the regular Western justice court system.
The Persuasive Writing Task:
Students need to write a piece of persuasive writing examining whether or not, given his background, his crimes, his actions on the island and his attitude after being removed from the island, the banishment was a successful process for Cole, or whether he should be returned to the regular youth offender system or possibly to the regular court system to be tried as an adult for the break and enter and mischief (trashing) of the hardware store, for the theft from that same hardware store and his subsequent violent assault on Peter Driscal.
Pretend that you are writing a speech to or a letter to the members of the Healing Circle with your reflections on what has happened so far and what YOU think the Healing Circle should do next in terms of Cole's justice process.
Be sure to keep these things in mind:
- You need to have a clear position. What do you think should happen with / to Cole at this point, and WHY?
- You need to review the evidence in light of your opinion (his background, his crimes, his actions on the island, his position after being rescued, Garvey's responsibility in the situation, Cole's parents' responsibility etc).
- You need to be very clear about your audience - remember who is in the Healing Circle. What do they need to know, what do they need to hear? How should your words sound?
- Provide details, especially from outside the text - what are the purposes of the various consequences? what are the benefits or harms of continued banishment? what are the benefits or harms of custody? What do experts think about this issue?
- Give at least THREE reasons to back up your point of view.
- Make your writing descriptive enough that you would be more convincing than anyone else in the Healing Circle - choose strong words! Think of using words that get readers to imagine what you think, see, feel, hear etc. Use "Triple Scoop Words" - don't say "mad" or even "angry", especially not more than once. Say things like "furious", "enraged", "irate", "sullen", etc. www.thesaurus.com is always a good tool if you are stuck for three-scoopers! Engage your reader's minds and imaginations.
Chapter 10
1. Cole notices that the baby sparrows tried to do something before their death. What was it? How does Cole relate this to his experience growing up?
2. Cole begins to think about the circle of life. What is this circle, according to Cole, and how does he feel about his role in it?
3. Cole thinks “The power to choose was the real power, not the fake power of making others afraid.” Explain what this statement means, in your opinion, and give reasons for your answer.
4. What does Cole catch to eat at the end of this chapter? How did it make you feel to read that section of the text? In Cole's position, would you have done the same thing? What are your reasons for your answer?
1. Cole notices that the baby sparrows tried to do something before their death. What was it? How does Cole relate this to his experience growing up?
2. Cole begins to think about the circle of life. What is this circle, according to Cole, and how does he feel about his role in it?
3. Cole thinks “The power to choose was the real power, not the fake power of making others afraid.” Explain what this statement means, in your opinion, and give reasons for your answer.
4. What does Cole catch to eat at the end of this chapter? How did it make you feel to read that section of the text? In Cole's position, would you have done the same thing? What are your reasons for your answer?
Chapter 11
1. In this chapter, what are some of the things Cole does to survive? What would you have done in Cole's position?
2. Spirit Bear appears near Cole at the end of this chapter. What did you think would happen to Cole? What are your reasons for your answer?
1. In this chapter, what are some of the things Cole does to survive? What would you have done in Cole's position?
2. Spirit Bear appears near Cole at the end of this chapter. What did you think would happen to Cole? What are your reasons for your answer?
Chapter 12
1. When Spirit Bear comes back, why do you think Cole chooses not to spit on him, but instead touch him?
2. How does Cole feel about death by this chapter?
3. What was the buzzing sound Cole heard?
4. Was it really the seagulls grabbing at Cole and trying to lift him up? If yes, how do you think they did it? If no, what was grabbing at him? How do you know?
5. What do Edwin and Garvey do with Cole?
6. When Cole says to Garvey that he’s okay, what does he mean by this?
1. When Spirit Bear comes back, why do you think Cole chooses not to spit on him, but instead touch him?
2. How does Cole feel about death by this chapter?
3. What was the buzzing sound Cole heard?
4. Was it really the seagulls grabbing at Cole and trying to lift him up? If yes, how do you think they did it? If no, what was grabbing at him? How do you know?
5. What do Edwin and Garvey do with Cole?
6. When Cole says to Garvey that he’s okay, what does he mean by this?
Chapter 13
1. When Rosey asks for a blanket, Garvey wants to hand him the at.óow. Why is it significant that Cole reaches out and grabs it?
2. Why is it significant that Cole whispers “My fault!” when Garvey apologizes for getting Cole into this situation?
3. Garvey tells Cole that he will still be facing jail time when he recovers. Considering what Cole has already gone through, do you think this is fair?
4. Why does Cole throw out the hair he pulled from Spirit Bear? Would you have done the same?
5. Edwin says that Cole will be okay if he ever finds a reason to live. Do you think Cole has found his reason to live? Explain.
1. When Rosey asks for a blanket, Garvey wants to hand him the at.óow. Why is it significant that Cole reaches out and grabs it?
2. Why is it significant that Cole whispers “My fault!” when Garvey apologizes for getting Cole into this situation?
3. Garvey tells Cole that he will still be facing jail time when he recovers. Considering what Cole has already gone through, do you think this is fair?
4. Why does Cole throw out the hair he pulled from Spirit Bear? Would you have done the same?
5. Edwin says that Cole will be okay if he ever finds a reason to live. Do you think Cole has found his reason to live? Explain.
Week #13 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
Tuesday November 14th to Friday November 17th
We continued our reading of the novel Touching Spirit Bear, answering chapter questions about the chapters we are reading.
These questions are from the unit developed by PLEA (Public Law Education Association) in partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education.
Chapter 7
1. As chapter seven begins, Cole finds himself needing to “clear the anger and pressure from his mind.” Does this bode well for Cole’s healing process? Why or why not? Give reasons for your answer.
2. (a) What weapon does Cole create and how does he make it? (b) What does he intend to use it for?
3. Cole plans on escaping the island, yet still attempts to kill Spirit Bear. What does this say about Cole, and his respect for life?
4. As Cole inches towards Spirit Bear, he stops, looks around, and becomes aware that nobody is watching and he could easily back away. What compels him to keep approaching Spirit Bear? Be specific, use details and your opinions from explicit and inferred information from the text.
5. Describe Spirit Bear and its characteristics.
6. What do you think will happen when Cole gets close enough to kill Spirit Bear? Why do you think so? Provide details from the text.
These questions are from the unit developed by PLEA (Public Law Education Association) in partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education.
Chapter 7
1. As chapter seven begins, Cole finds himself needing to “clear the anger and pressure from his mind.” Does this bode well for Cole’s healing process? Why or why not? Give reasons for your answer.
2. (a) What weapon does Cole create and how does he make it? (b) What does he intend to use it for?
3. Cole plans on escaping the island, yet still attempts to kill Spirit Bear. What does this say about Cole, and his respect for life?
4. As Cole inches towards Spirit Bear, he stops, looks around, and becomes aware that nobody is watching and he could easily back away. What compels him to keep approaching Spirit Bear? Be specific, use details and your opinions from explicit and inferred information from the text.
5. Describe Spirit Bear and its characteristics.
6. What do you think will happen when Cole gets close enough to kill Spirit Bear? Why do you think so? Provide details from the text.
Chapter 8
1. Describe Spirit Bear’s attack on Cole.
2. As Cole lays bleeding, he thinks to himself “What luck... [t]o end up on an island with a stupid bear that didn’t have brains enough to run away.” Has Cole realized his responsibility for what has happened?
3. Cole states he would rather be in a prison cell than on the island. What are his reasons?
4. What does Cole’s crushing of the caterpillar indicate about his personality, even in his beaten state?
5. Look back to Peter’s comments at the Circle about what he wishes would happen to Cole. What parallels are there between
what Peter wanted for Cole and what has happened to him?
6. Do you feel bad for what has happened to Cole? Why or why not?
1. Describe Spirit Bear’s attack on Cole.
2. As Cole lays bleeding, he thinks to himself “What luck... [t]o end up on an island with a stupid bear that didn’t have brains enough to run away.” Has Cole realized his responsibility for what has happened?
3. Cole states he would rather be in a prison cell than on the island. What are his reasons?
4. What does Cole’s crushing of the caterpillar indicate about his personality, even in his beaten state?
5. Look back to Peter’s comments at the Circle about what he wishes would happen to Cole. What parallels are there between
what Peter wanted for Cole and what has happened to him?
6. Do you feel bad for what has happened to Cole? Why or why not?
Chapter 9
1. Cole comments that “Nobody else cared about him, so why should he care about himself?” (a) Is it true that nobody else cares about him? (b) Even if nobody cares about Cole, should he care about himself? What are your reasons for your answers?
2. What happens to the tree with the sparrow’s nest during the electrical storm?
3. Why do you think Cole calls out to see if the baby sparrows are okay?
1. Cole comments that “Nobody else cared about him, so why should he care about himself?” (a) Is it true that nobody else cares about him? (b) Even if nobody cares about Cole, should he care about himself? What are your reasons for your answers?
2. What happens to the tree with the sparrow’s nest during the electrical storm?
3. Why do you think Cole calls out to see if the baby sparrows are okay?
Week #12 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
Monday November 6th to Thursday November 9th
Using the information generated in creating the Character Profile (below) students need to write a newspaper article about Cole's crimes.
FIRST they need to decide whether or not they believe that it is appropriate to publish personal details about Cole (a minor).
FIRST they need to decide whether or not they believe that it is appropriate to publish personal details about Cole (a minor).
NEXT they need to compose a news article. Please see the document below for the elements of a news report. The article should contain the elements listed below and use details both explicitly communicated in the text and information inferred from implicit information in the text. Students may create information that does not exist as long as it does not conflict with information in the text (i.e. witness comments).
Students began developing a Character Profile of Cole Matthews, the main character of Touching Spirit Bear. See document below. Some information is explicit in the text, other information must be inferred through implicit information provided in the text. (See the video below for a information on explicit and inferences based on implicit information).
Week #11 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
Monday October 30th to Friday November 3rd
This week we alternated between more soundscape presentations, practice, reading the novel and doing questions.
Chapter 4
- Why is it significant that Cole gives Peter a threatening look at the beginning of the circle?
- According to the Keeper, what is the point of Circle Justice (Restorative Justice) AND why does regular justice often fail?
- Do you think that everybody who is present at the Circle has a sincere reason for being there? Do you think that there are people there who do not really want to be there?
- For the first time, Cole admits that he's made a mistake. What was his mistake?
- Describe Cole's first encounter with what appears to be a Spirit Bear.
- Review the four comments that participants in the Circle make about Cole (pgs 53-54). Which comments do you agree with? Which comments do you disagree with? Justify your answers with evidence from the text or from your own life experience.
- What does Cole accuse his father of in the Circle? How does his father respond to the accusation?
- Why do YOU think that Cole's mother did not tell the Circle about Cole's father having beat him?
- When the Keeper asks Peter what needs to be done to make things better, he responds by saying, "I think someone should smash Cole's head against a sidewalk so he knows how it feels." Do you think that Cole already knows how this might feel? What are your reasons for your answer?
- When leaving the Circle (in reference to his father) Cole asks Garvey, "Did you hear him lie tonight?" Garvey replies by saying, "He wasn't the only one." Who is Garvey talking about? What are your reasons for your answer?
- Cole reformulates (remember that the prefix "re" means again) his plans for leaving the island. How will he try to escape the second time?
- Garvey discusses some of the reasons isolation works to help heal someone who engages in criminal behaviour. What are the reasons that he lists and WHY might they work?
- Outline what will happen once Cole's term of banishment on the island is over.
Week #10 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
Monday October 23rd to Friday October 27th
Groups worked on their soundscape presentations, and some presentations began.
Each group has a chapter to read and plan a soundscape. They must work cooperatively but are assessed individually on their contribution to the process and to the final product.
Each group has a chapter to read and plan a soundscape. They must work cooperatively but are assessed individually on their contribution to the process and to the final product.
Week #9 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear continued...
We dove further into the novel Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen this week. We continued to use questions from the PLEA.org developed unit.
By the end of this week, students should have completed the questions for Chapters 1 and 2.
Please note that the focus is on providing clear, detailed answered supported by details from the text.
The questions are from the novel unit developed by the Ministry of Education in Saskatchewan and the Public Law Education Association (www.plea.org) also in Saskatchewan. When there's a great wheel available, why reinvent it?
The questions for the first three chapters (chapter 3 questions are due Monday October 23) from that unit (see link below) are as follows:
Chapter 1
1. Where is Cole being sent, and why is he being sent there?
2. How does Cole feel about banishment as a punishment?
3. How does Cole view adults and authority? Cite examples from the book.
4. Garvey, the youth probation officer, introduces Cole to the concept of Circle Justice. Briefly
describe what Circle Justice is.
5. Why does Garvey state “Something terrible has happened to you to make you want to kill a
poor small animal”? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not.
Chapter 2
1. Garvey tells Cole that “You figure if I’m scared of you, you can trust me.” What does he
mean by this? Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
2. What are some of the advice and warnings Edwin gives Cole for surviving the island?
3. Spirit Bear is introduced in Chapter Two. Describe this bear.
4. Is there any significance in the fact that Spirit Bear is a pure white black bear?
5. What does Cole say he would do to Spirit Bear? What does Edwin tell him?
6. What does Garvey leave with Cole? What must he do with it?
7. Do you think Garvey agreed to be Cole’s sponsor for the Circle because Cole genuinely
had changed? Why or why not?
8. What does Cole do to his shelter at the end of the chapter? Why do you think he did this?
Chapter 3
1. How does Garvey convince Cole to eat the groceries?
2. Think back to Garvey’s statement in the first chapter that “Something terrible has happened
to you to make you want to kill a poor, small animal.” Then look at the list of the “ingredients”
of Cole’s life on page 31. How do these connect?
3. Describe Cole’s plan to escape the island. Do you think he will be successful?
4. Who is allowed to be at Cole’s Circle?
5. Why is it important for Peter to forgive Cole?
By the end of this week, students should have completed the questions for Chapters 1 and 2.
Please note that the focus is on providing clear, detailed answered supported by details from the text.
The questions are from the novel unit developed by the Ministry of Education in Saskatchewan and the Public Law Education Association (www.plea.org) also in Saskatchewan. When there's a great wheel available, why reinvent it?
The questions for the first three chapters (chapter 3 questions are due Monday October 23) from that unit (see link below) are as follows:
Chapter 1
1. Where is Cole being sent, and why is he being sent there?
2. How does Cole feel about banishment as a punishment?
3. How does Cole view adults and authority? Cite examples from the book.
4. Garvey, the youth probation officer, introduces Cole to the concept of Circle Justice. Briefly
describe what Circle Justice is.
5. Why does Garvey state “Something terrible has happened to you to make you want to kill a
poor small animal”? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not.
Chapter 2
1. Garvey tells Cole that “You figure if I’m scared of you, you can trust me.” What does he
mean by this? Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
2. What are some of the advice and warnings Edwin gives Cole for surviving the island?
3. Spirit Bear is introduced in Chapter Two. Describe this bear.
4. Is there any significance in the fact that Spirit Bear is a pure white black bear?
5. What does Cole say he would do to Spirit Bear? What does Edwin tell him?
6. What does Garvey leave with Cole? What must he do with it?
7. Do you think Garvey agreed to be Cole’s sponsor for the Circle because Cole genuinely
had changed? Why or why not?
8. What does Cole do to his shelter at the end of the chapter? Why do you think he did this?
Chapter 3
1. How does Garvey convince Cole to eat the groceries?
2. Think back to Garvey’s statement in the first chapter that “Something terrible has happened
to you to make you want to kill a poor, small animal.” Then look at the list of the “ingredients”
of Cole’s life on page 31. How do these connect?
3. Describe Cole’s plan to escape the island. Do you think he will be successful?
4. Who is allowed to be at Cole’s Circle?
5. Why is it important for Peter to forgive Cole?
Listen to the story
This week we also learned about the Secret Art of Foley, the film art of creating a sound environment for a filmed story. When the same is done for a live performance, it's often referred to as a "soundscape".
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These videos are just a few of the many available online that provide ideas for creating sound effects.
Students selected groups.
Groups will be assigned a chapter from Touching Spirit Bear to soundscape.
Students selected groups.
Groups will be assigned a chapter from Touching Spirit Bear to soundscape.
Week #8 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear
Monday October 16th to Thursday October 20th
Sometimes we all need a bit of support.
It is important to realize that a notes/support site is NOT a replacement for reading a book. By it's nature, it will never have the detail, the use of literary devices and imagery or the tone and mood communicated by the author in the original work.
Nonetheless, as a supplement to reading, a notes/support site can be helpful.
Here's an analogy: you should get most of your nutrients from eating a healthy, varied diet made of up foods from a variety of types. Sometimes, though, vitamin supplements can be helpful in supporting your health.
Think of original texts as part of your healthy literacy diet and support/notes sites like Shmoop and No Fear/Spark as vitamins to help give you a boost.
Just as people have preferred brands of vitamins, my preferred notes sites, in order of preference, are as follows -
Warning: these sites have a lot of ads on them. They also have questions answered by other students which are NOT always correct. I suggest you stick to the material generated by the site creators, and don't get distracted by ads.
Note: part of the reason I'm offering these resources here is that students cannot take home copies of the novel as they are shared between classes and we only have one class set. Once again - a notes site does NOT replace reading the novel, which we are doing in class, together.
Nonetheless, as a supplement to reading, a notes/support site can be helpful.
Here's an analogy: you should get most of your nutrients from eating a healthy, varied diet made of up foods from a variety of types. Sometimes, though, vitamin supplements can be helpful in supporting your health.
Think of original texts as part of your healthy literacy diet and support/notes sites like Shmoop and No Fear/Spark as vitamins to help give you a boost.
Just as people have preferred brands of vitamins, my preferred notes sites, in order of preference, are as follows -
- Shmoop
- Spark Notes
- Grade Saver
Warning: these sites have a lot of ads on them. They also have questions answered by other students which are NOT always correct. I suggest you stick to the material generated by the site creators, and don't get distracted by ads.
Note: part of the reason I'm offering these resources here is that students cannot take home copies of the novel as they are shared between classes and we only have one class set. Once again - a notes site does NOT replace reading the novel, which we are doing in class, together.
We are summing up Chapter 1.
We are questions developed by the Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan (2008), and we are focusing on the justice elements of the novel. This can be found online but students should not try to take on more of the unit assignments than necessary.
We are questions developed by the Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan (2008), and we are focusing on the justice elements of the novel. This can be found online but students should not try to take on more of the unit assignments than necessary.
1. Where is Cole being sent, and why is he being sent there?
2. How does Cole feel about banishment as a punishment?
3. How does Cole view adults and authority? Cite examples from the book.
4. Garvey, the youth probation officer, introduces Cole to the concept of Circle Justice. Briefly describe what Circle Justice is.
5. Why does Garvey state “Something terrible has happened to you to make you want to kill a poor small animal”? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not.
6. Which would you choose - banishment to an island for a year in total isolation OR jail with the amenities like TV and running water?
2. How does Cole feel about banishment as a punishment?
3. How does Cole view adults and authority? Cite examples from the book.
4. Garvey, the youth probation officer, introduces Cole to the concept of Circle Justice. Briefly describe what Circle Justice is.
5. Why does Garvey state “Something terrible has happened to you to make you want to kill a poor small animal”? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not.
6. Which would you choose - banishment to an island for a year in total isolation OR jail with the amenities like TV and running water?
Week by Week
Week #7 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear
Tuesday October 10th to Friday October 13th
This week we began reading Touching Spirit Bear. We finished Chapter 1.
On Friday we switched things up.
We played the idea generating game "Things" and practiced sharing our ideas as a class group.
Then we played "Review Baseball" where teams score points for correcting answering questions. In this case questions were from everything we've studied so far - language and conventions, story and the first chapter of the novel.
- We practiced taking notes on the elements of story (plot events, characters, setting, conflict and theme).
- We practiced finding specific evidence in the text to support our interpretation of the novel.
- We practiced how to identify literary elements in a text that we are reading.
- We talked a bit about the psychology of learning and how and why the activities are doing help students learn and retain information.
On Friday we switched things up.
We played the idea generating game "Things" and practiced sharing our ideas as a class group.
Then we played "Review Baseball" where teams score points for correcting answering questions. In this case questions were from everything we've studied so far - language and conventions, story and the first chapter of the novel.
Week #6 - We Are Our Stories -
Novel Study Touching Spirit Bear
Monday October 2nd to Thursday October 6th
We are preparing to begin reading the novel Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen.
We began by investigating the process of Circle Justice (aka Restorative Justice).
We began by investigating the process of Circle Justice (aka Restorative Justice).
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We examined the concept of the sources of laws and social expectations, and the differences between Western and Aboriginal approaches to justice.
One key learning was the difference between "ethics" and "morals".
One key learning was the difference between "ethics" and "morals".
Ethics and morals relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different: ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions.Morals refer to an individual's own principles regarding right and wrong.
Link: Ethics vs Morals - Difference and Comparison | Diffen
Students completed a chart on the various sources of ethics, rules, codes of behaviour and law in societies, comparing how different sources (i.e. religious / spiritual, nature-focused, customary and governmental) may approach similar rules from different perspectives.
Reflection Questions - What would you do if you could get away with it?
Please answer the following questions sincerely and thoughtfully.
- Can you think of situations where / when it might be the right thing to do to break the law? Consider things like civil disobedience.
- What are some of the ways it's good to rely on externally enforced laws to tell us what to do?
- What are some of the ways it's dangerous or problematic to rely on externally enforced laws to tell us what to do?
- What would you do - or not do - if you could get away with it without getting in any trouble?
Week #5 - Tell Me a Story - Short Stories cont'd
Monday September 25th to Friday September 29th
You are a Storyteller cont'd
Step #2
The next step in writing is to get a second (and third and fourth) set of eyes to take a look at your work and give you feedback, and to self-assess your own work. All professional writers revise and edit their work.
Revising and editing are different parts of the writing process.
Revising and editing are different parts of the writing process.
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FIRST, Revise.
Revising asking yourself (or looking at someone else's story and asking)....
Revising asking yourself (or looking at someone else's story and asking)....
- Is there evidence I can point to in my text of every element of a story?
- Is there a clear beginning that grabs the reader's attention?
- Is there a clear middle that encourages the reader to want to find out what happens next?
- Is there a clear end, with a satisfying resolution that fits the story?
- Is the setting clear:
- Location? Multiple locations? Are they vividly described so that the reader can imagine how they look, sound, would feel, taste, and smell?
- Time in history? Time of day? Time in the characters' lives?
- Are there interesting characters?
- Which character is the protagonist?
- Is the antagonist a character?
- Who are the secondary characters?
- Which characters are flat?
- Which characters are round?
- Which characters are dynamic? How do they change, what do they learn?
- What is the point of view? Does it stay consistent?
- What problems arose in the plot?
- What catalyst started the conflict rolling?
- What events raised the stakes for the protagonist and increased the tension?
- What was the climax, the key turning point in the conflict?
- Are the ideas or themes clear? Are the dialogues clear? Do you always know what's going on?
- Is the story well organized? Does it flow, or is it hard to follow?
- What is the tone and the mood of the piece? Does it match the action and the ideas?
- Are the words chosen interesting and well suited to the tone, mood and purpose of the piece?
- Does the title suit the piece?
Then, EDIT
Next you will need to proof read your piece and get at least two other people to proof read it.
When proofreading, you're looking at conventions of grammar, spelling, punctuation and appearances.
Next you will need to proof read your piece and get at least two other people to proof read it.
When proofreading, you're looking at conventions of grammar, spelling, punctuation and appearances.
- Capitalization (proper nouns, beginnings of sentences etc.)
- Is there finalizing punctuation at the end of EVERY SENTENCE? (either a period, an exclamation point or a question mark)
- Is each sentence a complete thought (rather than just a clause or a phrase)?
- Are the plurals and possessives correct?
- Does the verb tense stay consistent throughout?
- Are there spelling errors that need to be corrected?
- Are quotation marks used accurately?
- Is the piece typed out, tidy to read and pleasing to look at?
Week #4 - Tell Me a Story - Literary Devices and Short Stories.
Monday September 18th - Friday September 22nd
You are a Storyteller
We all have stories to tell. In fact, we tell stories all the time - to our friends and families - about our experiences, our day-to-day life etc.
Now that you know something more about the elements of stories (plot, character, setting, conflict, theme) and literary devices, it's time for you to begin practicing what you have learned.
NOTE: Writing is a PROCESS that results in a product, but the product is not the focus of every bit of work. You will need to begin with a first draft....
Now that you know something more about the elements of stories (plot, character, setting, conflict, theme) and literary devices, it's time for you to begin practicing what you have learned.
NOTE: Writing is a PROCESS that results in a product, but the product is not the focus of every bit of work. You will need to begin with a first draft....
Draft #1
- You may write about any school-appropriate topics.
- You may write a personal narrative (a story that happened to you) or fictional short story.
- You may write in any genre (i.e. comedy, adventure, drama, romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, science fiction, fantasy).
- Your story needs to have a clear beginning, middle and end.
- Your story needs to have an identifiable conflict (recall the seven types of narrative conflict). See below.
- Your characters should be clearly identifiable as either flat (static), round and/or dynamic.
- You need to make the setting clear for your readers.
- Your story should have an identifiable rising action, leading to a clear turning point (climax). Remember to make the stakes interesting (what do the characters - antagonist, protagonist, secondary characters - stand to lose or gain in the conflict?)
- Your characters do NOT have to be human. They can be personified animals or objects. It's also fine if your characters ARE humans.
- Use the tool of asking "What if?"
- Your draft should be:
- at least 2 pages,
- double spaced
- at a 12 size font in one of: Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, Century Gothic, Tahoma, Verdana, or similar, non-decorative fonts.
- Please go to a max of 10 pages double spaced.
- Do NOT include pictures. Create the images using vivid language, imagery and other literary devices.
- Use your pen name to identify yourself as the author. Your work will be self-assessed and peer-reviewed as well as assessed by the teacher.
Recipe for a Story
All stories have basic elements in common. We reviewed these elements in class.
- Setting
- Where (large scale and local scale)
- When (in history and in a given day)
- Characters
- Flat / static
- Round
- Dynamic
- Protagonist
- Antagonist
- Plot
- Series of events
- Rises to a climax (the point of no return)
- Seven basic types of narrative conflict:
- Character (person, man, protagonist) vs. Self
- Character vs. Other / Character
- Character vs. Nature
- Character vs. Supernatural
- Character vs. God / Fate
- Character vs. Technology / Machine / Science
- Character vs. Society / Environment (in this case, Environment means situation or context).
- Plot includes the narrative arc -
- the set up / introduction / exposition which often introduces at least the protagonist and the setting,
- the rising action, which begins with the action catalyst - the event, behaviour or situation that sets the conflict in motion
- the climax, often the moment of greatest tension, but always the moment of no return, the decisive turning point in the conflict,
- the denouement (falling action) and the resolution, in which the outcome of the conflict is shared by the story creator.
- Theme
- the statement / main idea the creator of a piece is communicating.
- is not the same as a topic.
- can be generalized to other life experiences, stories, people etc.
- the statement / main idea the creator of a piece is communicating.
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Find the Elements of Story in these film clips....
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Who or what is the antagonist in this piece?
Particularly helpful for how the creators indicate setting (location and time).
Character foils.
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Character vs. Society AND personification!
Consider the type of conflict... is it Character vs. Self or Character vs. Nature?
The story arc, particularly the way the stakes keep increasing as the action rises, is pure Bean.
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Literary Devices - Quizlet
Below is a Quizlet learning / study tool for the literary devices we started in week 3 and will be continuing with in week 4.
Week #3 - Witty, Wonderful, Wacky Words - Language and Conventions.
Monday September 11th - Friday September 15th
Parts of Speech
This week we have focused on the expectations around conventions and grammar of the English language and have learned about some of the history of the English language. Click on the linked words below for more information.
We reviewed that nouns are
people
places
things
ideas
That nouns can be either singular (one) or plural (more than one).
That nouns can be proper (naming a specific person, place, thing or concept, and needing a capital letter) or common (any one of a type).
We also reviewed that nouns can be countable (i.e. students in a classroom) or non-countable (i.e. emotions, air).
people
places
things
ideas
That nouns can be either singular (one) or plural (more than one).
That nouns can be proper (naming a specific person, place, thing or concept, and needing a capital letter) or common (any one of a type).
We also reviewed that nouns can be countable (i.e. students in a classroom) or non-countable (i.e. emotions, air).
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This past week we also spent time on verbs.
We reviewed the fact that there are several kinds of verbs including predicates , linking verbs and helping or auxiliary verbs. We looked at two kinds of modals - gerunds and past and present participles. We considered verb tenses: past tense including past participle, present tense including present participle, and the future tense. We reviewed the fact that there are regular and irregular verbs. |
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We reviewed / learned about adjectives (words that modify or describe nouns and noun phrases) adverbs (words that modify or describe verbs or verb phrases).
We practiced identifying subjects and objects in sentences, considered subject-verb agreement. We reviewed pronouns, too. Don't forget to use the correct pronouns for subjects and the correct pronouns for objects! |
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We learned the acronym FANBOYS for coordinating conjunctions:
F = For A = And N = Nor B = But O = Or Y = Yet S = So These words work, sometimes with punctuation like the Oxford (or serial) comma to connect ideas in linked clauses, phrases or lists. There are, of course, other commas and the subordinating conjunctions, but we haven't got there yet (although clicking on the link will get you there!). |
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Some History of English and A Bit About How Language Evolves
Week #2 - Our Class Community continued
Tuesday September 5th - Friday September 8th
New Skill - Question Formulation Technique (QFT)
Very often, students are asked questions and expected to answer, and yes, this is part of the learning process.
However, another important part of the learning process is formulating questions.
Asking about what we don't know and exploring ideas is how we begin our learning as very young human beings.
Understanding the art of questioning is a key part of critical thinking and of the basic scientific literacy of thought that all students should be practiced in.
However, another important part of the learning process is formulating questions.
Asking about what we don't know and exploring ideas is how we begin our learning as very young human beings.
Understanding the art of questioning is a key part of critical thinking and of the basic scientific literacy of thought that all students should be practiced in.
What is QTF?
This is a process that breaks down the process of asking questions into concrete steps that students can use individually and in groups, in any subject area.
There are six basic parts to the QFT protocol
There are six basic parts to the QFT protocol
- A Question Focus - usually developed by an instructor but can be developed by students if they are working independently.
- Students develop questions using FOUR basic rules as guidelines.
- Ask as MANY questions as you can.
- Do NOT stop to discuss, judge OR answer the questions as you think and write them.
- Write down every question as it is stated / as you think it.
- Change any statement into a question.
- Improve your questions
- Categorize all questions as being either closed or open-ended questions.
- Mark closed ended questions with a C
- Mark open-ended questions with an O
- Switch some of them up (at least one of each kind)
- Prioritize your questions
- Which do you think are the THREE questions that are most important to answer?
- WHY did you choose those three?
- How will you USE these questions?
- Reflect and debrief - what did you learn? What new statement could you make? Do you still have questions?
Week #1 - Our Class Community
Monday August 28th - Friday September 1st
This week the students were introduced to the instructor (Ms. R. Carrey) and to the Educational Assistant (Mr. R. Gillies).
They were 'introduced' to features of the room and daily procedures they can expect moving forward. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of the teacher and learn their way around the building.
We visited Ms. B. Estabrook in the PCSS Learning Commons (Library) and spent some time finding personal choice reading materials.
They were 'introduced' to features of the room and daily procedures they can expect moving forward. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of the teacher and learn their way around the building.
We visited Ms. B. Estabrook in the PCSS Learning Commons (Library) and spent some time finding personal choice reading materials.
New Skill - Co-constructing Criteria
As part of developing our expectations of each other here in our Classroom Community we did an activity across three classes in co-constructing criteria.
This was a preliminary exercise in co-construction.
We took as our foundation (our exemplars) for a Classroom Code of Conduct the Seven Grandfather Teachings, originally from Edward Benton Benai's "The Mishomis Book", these teachings bring together traditional Anishnaabe teachings for a modern context. These seven teachings are common not only to many First Nations across this continent but to many cultures in general.
Students were introduced to the teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Humility, Courage, Truth and Honesty and we had class-wide discussions about what these traits might look like in day-to-day interactions in the classroom environment.
Each student was asked to write down an example for each teaching.
Students were then put into groups. They read and shared their thoughts and tried to sort them into groups based on type of behaviour. For instance, there might be examples of "speaking kindly", or "saying nice things" under Respect, Love, Humility and/or Truth. Negotiating the categories and sorting each student's contribution required cooperative work and communication among the students.
Then the groups got together again and for each sorted group, they came up with a "rule" or a description of a behaviour that summed up the ideas in that pile.
Two grade 8 English and one grade 9 English class participated in this process.
We now have a wall of "piles" (please see image below)
For the next step, the students are going to discuss how to sort and put together these piles into clear guidelines for a Classroom Code of Conduct that we've constructed together, which we all own and which we are all held to and by.
This was a preliminary exercise in co-construction.
We took as our foundation (our exemplars) for a Classroom Code of Conduct the Seven Grandfather Teachings, originally from Edward Benton Benai's "The Mishomis Book", these teachings bring together traditional Anishnaabe teachings for a modern context. These seven teachings are common not only to many First Nations across this continent but to many cultures in general.
Students were introduced to the teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Humility, Courage, Truth and Honesty and we had class-wide discussions about what these traits might look like in day-to-day interactions in the classroom environment.
Each student was asked to write down an example for each teaching.
Students were then put into groups. They read and shared their thoughts and tried to sort them into groups based on type of behaviour. For instance, there might be examples of "speaking kindly", or "saying nice things" under Respect, Love, Humility and/or Truth. Negotiating the categories and sorting each student's contribution required cooperative work and communication among the students.
Then the groups got together again and for each sorted group, they came up with a "rule" or a description of a behaviour that summed up the ideas in that pile.
Two grade 8 English and one grade 9 English class participated in this process.
We now have a wall of "piles" (please see image below)
For the next step, the students are going to discuss how to sort and put together these piles into clear guidelines for a Classroom Code of Conduct that we've constructed together, which we all own and which we are all held to and by.
Our co-construction of code of conduct criteria wall, based on the 7 Grandfather Teachings.
The 7 Grandfather Teachings -
posters from Native Reflections.com