Welcome to Summer School 2019 - English 10 & 11
This page, along with the Google Classroom page and the Remind app will help you stay on top of your work, and support you in earning your credit so that you can proceed with the next level of English Language Arts in the 2019/2020 academic year.
In order to ensure student and class privacy, codes for the Google Classroom and Remind App are only available via secure email (needs a password) or in person in the classroom.
Please note the following policies:
In order to ensure student and class privacy, codes for the Google Classroom and Remind App are only available via secure email (needs a password) or in person in the classroom.
Please note the following policies:
- This course is ONLY for students whose work in the regular semestered course was evaluated as being in the range of 40% - 49%
- Students MAY NOT take summer school as their first time taking the course. This is, functionally, a credit recovery session, and is only for students who came close (in the professional judgement of their regular classroom teacher, counsellors and administrators) as having a general understanding of the course content and skills.
- Summer school moves at a much faster pace than instruction in the regular classroom. This is based on the understanding that students already have a grounding in the material and the skills. In order to earn their credit, students need to be in class to have received the full number of minutes of required instruction and to bring all of their understanding and skills up to level.
- Absences of a single 3 hour day are the equivalent to missing a week of regular instruction.
- 3 unexcused absences will result in students being withdrawn with no refund and without having earned the credit.
- Two unexcused absences is the equivalent of missing two full weeks of class in a regular semestered class.
- Being late to class in the morning OR after the break counts towards an absence.
- 3 lates = 1 absence
- Therefore: 7 lates could mean the withdrawal of the student from summer school.
- Just as with regular schools and classes, students are expected to meet particular standards of behaviour. These standards and expectations are in place in order to help students maximize their opportunity to succeed in earning their credit in the fast-paced summer school environment, and to ensure that no student has a negative impact on the learning of other students who are making the effort to achieve their learning goals and earn the credit.
- Behaviour expectations are reviewed with students at the beginning of the course.
- Please familiarize yourself with the expectations so that you (parents/guardians) can help support the students' classroom achievement.
- Please ensure that you have provided the Summer School Administration with accurate contact information.
What do you mean, homework??!?!
We will do as much as we can in class, where you can ask questions and get support. The reality is, however, that class time is SHORT, and we have a LOT to cover. There may well be work that you need to complete outside of class time.
The Principal is in the school building at 8:00 am and stays until 1pm (Ms. Carrey also usually stays until about that time). You can stay at school and work if you don't want to bring work home. It is, however, the responsibility of the student to complete the required work, both during the class hours and outside of them.
The Principal is in the school building at 8:00 am and stays until 1pm (Ms. Carrey also usually stays until about that time). You can stay at school and work if you don't want to bring work home. It is, however, the responsibility of the student to complete the required work, both during the class hours and outside of them.
The Curriculum Documents
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English Language Arts 11 - Literary Studies
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English Language Arts 10 - Literary Studies
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English Language Arts 11 - Composition
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English Language Arts 10 - Composition
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Course Intro Slide Show (Google Slides)
Course Intro Sheet - Basic Outline
Please note: the Scibd add on is helpful for displaying documents on a Weebly website (which this is) but I strongly encourage you NOT to try and go download from their site. It requires sign in and it's a bit of a hassle, and is really only useful for very particular purposes. Generally, when I post a PDF document for viewing on this site using the Scribd app, I will also include a downloadable file directly underneath it. You can click directly on that file to access it, without having to sign up for Scribd.
| syllabus_summer_school_2019_english_10_and_11_v2.pdf |
Learning in a digital age
Information on the course and materials including deadlines, marks etc. will be made available through a set of digital tools.
I will not post all of the details here - students will get hand outs with that information - because it is not in the interest of student privacy that passwords and codes for class accounts be on a public website/page.
If you are reading this, you have successfully navigated to my teacher website and the sub-page for this course/class. See other information below.
IMPORTANT:
Any time anyone signs up for ANYTHING online it is imperative that they consider their privacy and safety.
I will not post all of the details here - students will get hand outs with that information - because it is not in the interest of student privacy that passwords and codes for class accounts be on a public website/page.
If you are reading this, you have successfully navigated to my teacher website and the sub-page for this course/class. See other information below.
IMPORTANT:
Any time anyone signs up for ANYTHING online it is imperative that they consider their privacy and safety.
- Do not use usernames that give away your personal identity.
- Please choose usernames that are parent and teacher friendly and do not refer to illegal behaviours or substances.
- Create a password that is unique and which you will remember. Consider saving it in a password protection app, on somewhere on your phone (as long as that is regularly locked).
- DO NOT SHARE USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS.
- Only use school related / academic apps and sites for appropriate academic purposes; online behaviour will be held to the same standards as in-class behaviour.
Purpose of App/Site |
Password Protected? |
Main Link |
Notes: |
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Yes. Students will need a code to join the class group. |
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Purpose of the Site |
Password |
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Yes. Students need an extended access code that is entirely individual (they cannot see other students' results), and they need to create a username and personal password. |
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This is the ThinkWave landing page. Don't be put off by all of the other stuff on it - just go to the Login button.
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Then you will want to select "Start Here"
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Purpose of App |
Password Protected? |
Main Link |
Notes: |
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Sort of. There is a code to join the class. That code is NOT being publicly posted. |
None. It is an app, free download, free to use. |
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Purpose of App/Site/Add On |
Password Protected |
Main Link |
Notes: |
Kahoot! An interactive quiz game app that allows students to log in and join and buzz in. |
Students DO NOT need an account or to login (although they may choose to do so). They are provided with a code to join the Kahoot. |
www.kahoot.com There is also a free app |
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Quizlet An online quiz, flashcard review and self-testing site. |
Links to Quizlet packs will be shared with students via Google Classroom or Remind. They are thus protected by the password protection on those apps/sites. |
www.quizlet.com There is also a free app |
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Kaizena This is an add-on in GoogleDocs. |
Only in so far as any student's Google Drive is password protected via their Gmail acct. |
Not applicable. This is an add on. Can either be access from within Google Docs by selecting "Get Add Ons..." and then searching for Kaizena. |
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Week by Week Course Plan
This weekly calendar will be updated regularly. Contents are subject to change based on student need and classroom learning/pacing adaptations.
Students are reminded that they were informed on the first day of class that there would be homework.
It is expected that students take responsibility to:
~make focused use of class work time,
~ask for help when/as they need it,
~come in early or stay after class if they need extra support,
~and complete any work not completed in class on their own time.
Week-by-Week Course Materials, Links and Extra Info
Please note that many of the materials we will be using are licensed/copyrighted. As a result, I cannot always share the specific documents either here on my course webpage or on the Google Classroom page. Those materials will ONLY be available to students in person, in the classroom.
SUGGESTION: I have invested time and money in obtaining good quality resource materials. Several of the packages that students will be given during this course will serve as excellent reference materials. I would strongly encourage them to keep these reference materials as they proceed to the next level of English Language Arts in the next academic year.
I can and will post original materials, links, supplementary information etc. here and on the Google Classroom site.
The chief benefit of students using the Google Classroom site is that they can share some of their work with me there, particularly writing assignments, in a way in which they cannot do here, on the teacher page.
SUGGESTION: I have invested time and money in obtaining good quality resource materials. Several of the packages that students will be given during this course will serve as excellent reference materials. I would strongly encourage them to keep these reference materials as they proceed to the next level of English Language Arts in the next academic year.
I can and will post original materials, links, supplementary information etc. here and on the Google Classroom site.
The chief benefit of students using the Google Classroom site is that they can share some of their work with me there, particularly writing assignments, in a way in which they cannot do here, on the teacher page.
Week 4 - Monday July 15th to Friday July 19th
This is it. The final week. The journey of summer school is almost over.
This week we have two primary foci - the writing of original short stories that make use of the Elements of Plot, Elements of Story and the 6 Traits of Writing, and learning more about how to properly cite sources and paraphrase (therefore how to identify and to avoid plagiarism).
Each day this week, students have had at least half of the class to work on their short story.
The absolute deadline for the short story is by the end of class on Thursday July 18th. That is also the case for the last MLA citation assignment.
This week we have two primary foci - the writing of original short stories that make use of the Elements of Plot, Elements of Story and the 6 Traits of Writing, and learning more about how to properly cite sources and paraphrase (therefore how to identify and to avoid plagiarism).
Each day this week, students have had at least half of the class to work on their short story.
The absolute deadline for the short story is by the end of class on Thursday July 18th. That is also the case for the last MLA citation assignment.
The Final Exam:
The final exam will happen in class on Friday July 19th.
Students are expected to be here at the usual time to begin their exam. I will be at school at 8am if any student wants to come in and begin the exam early.
There will NOT be the usual break in the class.
Students have 2 hours to complete the exam.
The exam is online. The button that links to the exam will be posted here on the website tomorrow morning prior to class.
Students will need an email address that they can access in order to sign in to write the exam and to receive their results after I evaluated them on Friday.
If they need extra time (up to a maximum of 3 hours), they will need to show me where they are at on the exam at 11:00 am. The time constraint is because of the fact that marks need to be compiled and reported on by that afternoon, and in turn provided to the principal and then to Yukon Education. If any students want to come in early on Friday so that they can have extra time.
The majority of the exam is a combination of multiple choice, matching, true/false and short answer (list) questions. The students have already been evaluated on extended writing and reading and it does not need to be subsequently evaluated in a timed circumstance.
Please find below the Exam Review sheet which was provided to students at the end of Wednesday's class.
There is nothing on the exam that should be a surprise. The exam is NOT designed to confuse, trick or trap the students. It is designed to provide them a final opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of course content, to provide evidence for a summative assessment of their understanding of course material that they will need to have mastered moving into the next level of their English Language Arts study, and to act as a bracket to the diagnostic assessments with which we began the course.
Students will be permitted to create and bring to the exam a single letter sized page (8 1/2" x 11"). They can cover that sheet, front and back, either typed or hand-written, in colour or b/w, with diagrams etc. - with any information they believe will support them in succeeding at the exam and which they can fit on the sheet. I have already spoken to the students about the fact that allowing them to do this is a way of supporting and structuring their study process.
There are 145 'marks' on the exam - some questions might involve matching four terms to four definitions, and be worth four marks, other short answer questions that might involve listing 8 of something for 8 marks in one question. There is also a checklist for the two tasks that are not on the
There are TWO additional tasks that they need to complete as part of the exam:
Students are expected to be here at the usual time to begin their exam. I will be at school at 8am if any student wants to come in and begin the exam early.
There will NOT be the usual break in the class.
Students have 2 hours to complete the exam.
The exam is online. The button that links to the exam will be posted here on the website tomorrow morning prior to class.
Students will need an email address that they can access in order to sign in to write the exam and to receive their results after I evaluated them on Friday.
If they need extra time (up to a maximum of 3 hours), they will need to show me where they are at on the exam at 11:00 am. The time constraint is because of the fact that marks need to be compiled and reported on by that afternoon, and in turn provided to the principal and then to Yukon Education. If any students want to come in early on Friday so that they can have extra time.
The majority of the exam is a combination of multiple choice, matching, true/false and short answer (list) questions. The students have already been evaluated on extended writing and reading and it does not need to be subsequently evaluated in a timed circumstance.
Please find below the Exam Review sheet which was provided to students at the end of Wednesday's class.
There is nothing on the exam that should be a surprise. The exam is NOT designed to confuse, trick or trap the students. It is designed to provide them a final opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of course content, to provide evidence for a summative assessment of their understanding of course material that they will need to have mastered moving into the next level of their English Language Arts study, and to act as a bracket to the diagnostic assessments with which we began the course.
Students will be permitted to create and bring to the exam a single letter sized page (8 1/2" x 11"). They can cover that sheet, front and back, either typed or hand-written, in colour or b/w, with diagrams etc. - with any information they believe will support them in succeeding at the exam and which they can fit on the sheet. I have already spoken to the students about the fact that allowing them to do this is a way of supporting and structuring their study process.
There are 145 'marks' on the exam - some questions might involve matching four terms to four definitions, and be worth four marks, other short answer questions that might involve listing 8 of something for 8 marks in one question. There is also a checklist for the two tasks that are not on the
There are TWO additional tasks that they need to complete as part of the exam:
- a brief sight piece that they need to summarize in three mini-tasks (questions) by including a paraphrase, using a direct quote and including an in-text citation
- and seven (7) short quotes from literature which they need to read to determine which literary device is being used and explain how or why they know which it is.
| exam_review_summer_school_english_10_11.pdf |
Citing, and Sourcing, and Plagiarism
Oh, My!
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Citation Machine (by Chegg, formerly Easy Bib) now offers both MLA 8th Ed and APA formatted citations for free. Click on the button to the left, then choose which formatting style you have been instructed to use, and then elected along the tabs for the kind of sources it is, and fill in the required info! Whammo! A properly formatted citation you can copy and paste into your Works Cited.
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Yes, some of these videos are either painfully boring and/or a bit condescending. They do, however, contain accurate and important information and thus, are worth watching, especially if you want to fulfill teacher expectations.
Please keep in mind that different formatting types/styles i.e. APA and MLA, Chicago or Turbian, are used for specific subject areas or fields of study. It is up to you to know WHICH of the formatting styles your instructor wants you to use and to ensure that you use them appropriately. APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA 8 (Modern Languages Association, 8th Ed.) are the most commonly used in secondary schools. Although there are similarities, there are also key differences and ensuring that you have the correct format for your paper, your in-text (parenthetical) citations and your Works Cites can be the difference between meeting and not meeting expectations.
Please keep in mind that different formatting types/styles i.e. APA and MLA, Chicago or Turbian, are used for specific subject areas or fields of study. It is up to you to know WHICH of the formatting styles your instructor wants you to use and to ensure that you use them appropriately. APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA 8 (Modern Languages Association, 8th Ed.) are the most commonly used in secondary schools. Although there are similarities, there are also key differences and ensuring that you have the correct format for your paper, your in-text (parenthetical) citations and your Works Cites can be the difference between meeting and not meeting expectations.
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Week 3 - Monday July 8th to Friday July 12th
Monday and part of Tuesday were our Shakespeare unit. While we did not study an entire play by Shakespeare, we discussed elements of Shakespearean Theatre, why his works remain relevant today, his connection to the Elizabethan era in history, and influence on pop culture including common phrases and words.
To get a feel for his work, we watched a tongue-in-cheek production called The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged! performed and written by a California troupe, The Condensed Shakespeare Co. Please find the video below. It provided students the opportunity to see a theatrical performance, to see the manner in which Shakespearean plays often involved the audience (and were actually quite raucous) and to hear Shakespeare's writing interspersed with modern text.
To get a feel for his work, we watched a tongue-in-cheek production called The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged! performed and written by a California troupe, The Condensed Shakespeare Co. Please find the video below. It provided students the opportunity to see a theatrical performance, to see the manner in which Shakespearean plays often involved the audience (and were actually quite raucous) and to hear Shakespeare's writing interspersed with modern text.
The play's the thing....
Shakespeare, the man, his theatre and the era:
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These clips look at the currency / relevance and ongoing
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These clips deal with Shakespeare's language and writing...
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Tuesday and Wednesday we worked to review Figurative Language and Literary Devices in preparation for work on poetry.
Students were provided with a "Student's Guide to Poetry" booklet and we reviewed a slide show on literary devices.
Students were provided with a "Student's Guide to Poetry" booklet and we reviewed a slide show on literary devices.
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A Beginner's Guide to Different Types of Poems | Book Riot
The art of losing isn't hard to master;so many things seem filled with the intentto be lost that their loss is no disaster. Lose something every day. Accept the flusterof lost door keys, the hour badly spent.The art of losing isn't hard to master.
Assignment: students have been provided a "Penning My Own Poetry" package.
They must craft/draft, revise, edit and finalize a series of poems as per directions in the package. The drafting and revision process, with peer support, is part of the work. Types of poems included:
They must craft/draft, revise, edit and finalize a series of poems as per directions in the package. The drafting and revision process, with peer support, is part of the work. Types of poems included:
- Bio poem (life circumstances)
- I am poem (personal identity)
- Haiku (environment)
- Acrostic
- Concrete (shape)
- Diamante (antonym)
- Limerick
- Quatrain
Power Standard: Texts Are Social |
Power Standard: Strategies and Elements |
Power Standards: The Writing Process |
My work is authentic and connects to my life experience, my cultural experience and the world around me. |
I have effectively and accurately used the literary elements/figurative language we've reviewed: Metaphor, Simile, Hyperbole, Vivid Imagery, Onomatopoeia, Consonance, Rhythm, Personification, Symbolism etc. |
I have a draft version of each of my poems. |
I have helped my peers to revise their work. |
My poems are written in the appropriate forms and follow the format instructions for each type of poem. |
My poems show improvement in clarity of ideas, organization, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, conventions and publication format from draft to finished product. |
I have asked peers to help me to revise my work and I have used their suggestions to improve my poems. |
My poems are based on clear ideas, are well organized, demonstrate sentence fluency, careful and thoughtful word choice and are in my distinctive voice. |
Each of my poems is presented with thought and care, it is tidy and visually appealing. |
I've used communicated powerful emotions and images to connect with my readers. |
I have used the entire process of writing, including peer and self revision and editing. |
Non-Fiction
Genres: Different types of Non-fiction books - Booksoarus
Earlier, we had covered why non-fiction sells better than fiction. After reading it, if you've been wondering whether there are any non-fiction genres where you can make a mark, this post should help. It provides a short introduction to the different types of non-fiction books that you can write.
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Terms:
8 Elements that make a story "newsworthy"
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Thursday we also completed a five-part package to practice improving sentence fluency. This is due on Friday.
How to Be Your Own Fact Checker
Yesterday I made an embarrassing mistake. I received an email from a trusted colleague that was a chain letter from one of her trusted colleagues. It asked that I send it on to at least 20 people, requesting them to send it on as well.
Friday we looked at Author's Assumptions, doing an activity (2 pages) that is due on Monday July 12th. Students were provided with time to work on it in class but were free to choose to work on completing their Penned by Me Poetry Package. Students were also reminded that it is their responsibility to use class time effectively, stay after class or during break to get extra help/catch up on work, and/or to complete any work not finished in class on their own time as homework.
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Friday we also began working on students' original fiction short story. We worked collectively, with students being given prompts to help them focus on the structure of the story.
We listened to some instrumental music to do some initial brainstorming.
1. Green Onions (Booker T and the M.G.s) - Setting
2. Groove in G (Playing for Change) Characters
3. Orion (Metallica) Conflicts
1. Green Onions (Booker T and the M.G.s) - Setting
2. Groove in G (Playing for Change) Characters
3. Orion (Metallica) Conflicts
Next, students were tasked with focusing on choosing an event that could be the basis for a conflict.
The reasoning to this approach is that often, we start people writing stories but they do not know where the story is going. This is like setting out on a cross-country driving trip with no destinations in mind. Choosing an initial conflict suggests characters that will be involved (or, if the antagonist is a force of nature or society, "forces" that may be involved) and a location, giving students the first three elements of their story.
Students were provided with an Extended Plot Structure package. While this is usually a package used to review a book, in this case, we are using it to create a 'road map' for our stories.
Students were prompted to begin on the "Climax" page of the package, and explain what is happening at the moment of no return in the story. This then allows students to start working backwards - what happened to bring the character(s) to that place and that conflict? What happened in the moments immediately prior to the climax? How did the characters get there? Who is the protagonist? Who or what is the antagonist?
Students could then go to the first page, Exposition, and fill in some ideas about the setting, the initial events and catalyst that led to the climax of their conflict, and begin working through the second page, Rising Action.
These worksheets will be the map that helps to keep students on track in writing their story.
The reasoning to this approach is that often, we start people writing stories but they do not know where the story is going. This is like setting out on a cross-country driving trip with no destinations in mind. Choosing an initial conflict suggests characters that will be involved (or, if the antagonist is a force of nature or society, "forces" that may be involved) and a location, giving students the first three elements of their story.
Students were provided with an Extended Plot Structure package. While this is usually a package used to review a book, in this case, we are using it to create a 'road map' for our stories.
Students were prompted to begin on the "Climax" page of the package, and explain what is happening at the moment of no return in the story. This then allows students to start working backwards - what happened to bring the character(s) to that place and that conflict? What happened in the moments immediately prior to the climax? How did the characters get there? Who is the protagonist? Who or what is the antagonist?
Students could then go to the first page, Exposition, and fill in some ideas about the setting, the initial events and catalyst that led to the climax of their conflict, and begin working through the second page, Rising Action.
These worksheets will be the map that helps to keep students on track in writing their story.
Week 2 - Monday July 1st to Friday July 5th
Monday is Canada Day and was a statutory holiday (thus no classes).
Hope that everyone spent a relaxing or rejuvenating, enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.
Tuesday the internet was down for the first half of the school day. That was fine. Students did their DEAR, completed the matching quiz on the academic word list they got on Friday and did more work annotating Borders by Thomas King.
After break (since the internet was back online) we watched and talked about some of the videos and information below:
Hope that everyone spent a relaxing or rejuvenating, enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.
Tuesday the internet was down for the first half of the school day. That was fine. Students did their DEAR, completed the matching quiz on the academic word list they got on Friday and did more work annotating Borders by Thomas King.
After break (since the internet was back online) we watched and talked about some of the videos and information below:
- The Royal Proclamation of 1763 and how it relates to treaties
- Stereotypes and derogatory terminology
- Cultural appropriation and how it connects to stereotyping
Wednesday we began review of conventions of speech, which is related to Power Standard 8 : Effective use of the process and structures of writing. We began with a review of parts of speech and will, from there, move on to a review of sentence types and structures.
We continued this work on Thursday.
Parts of Speech:
We continued this work on Thursday.
Parts of Speech:
- Nouns (proper vs. common, plural vs. singular, countable vs. non-countable, concrete vs. abstract, collective)
- Verbs (action, helping/auxiliary, linking, tenses, irregular verbs, subject/verb agreement)
- Pronouns (antecedent, personal, possessive, relative, indefinite, reflexive, intensive, demonstrative and interrogative)
- Adjectives (demonstrative, descriptive, articles as adjectives, comparative, superlative, interrogative, coordinate and non-coordinate)
- Adverbs (time, place, manner, degree and frequency, relative adverbs, and interrogative adverbs)
- Prepositions (time, place, movement)
- Conjunctions (Coordinating FANBOYS, Subordinating, Correlative, Conjunctive Adverbs)
- Interjections (sounds or words or phrases, emphasis or emotion)
Sentences
Parts of Sentences:
Parts of Sentences:
- Subject
- Predicate
- Direct Object
- Indirect Object
- Subject Compliment
- Phrases (appositives, absolutes, and verbals - gerunds, participles, infinitives)
- Independent clauses
- Dependent clauses
- Parallelism, modifier issues, transitions
- Simple
- Compound
- Complex
- Complex-compound
Basic Sentence Structure - TIP Sheets - Butte College
The subject and predicate make up the two basic structural parts of any complete sentence. In addition, there are other elements, contained within the subject or predicate, that add meaning or detail. These elements include the direct object, indirect object, and subject complement.
Shmoop Grammar
Below is a link to a playlist of Shmoop's grammar, word use, sentence and parts of speech videos. The image on the link is just a screen shot of the first video, but there are 78 videos in the list. Pick the one you need for what you need clarification on for your learning.
Shmoop Grammar - YouTube
All you Need to Know about Conjunctions by Shmoop
6+1 Traits of Writing (and all other forms of text)
The 6+1 Traits of Writing is a trademarked package of tools that detail the elements and traits common to all writing. This trademark was developed by educator Ruth Culham; although she did do some of her own research, her work was in turn rooted in decades of research that emerged as early as 1961 with the work of Dierdrich, Frencha and Carlton.
Research over the decades expanded on this early work, and Culham summed it up in a set of tools available for teachers to use in creating a common language that students could come to understand.
Research over the decades expanded on this early work, and Culham summed it up in a set of tools available for teachers to use in creating a common language that students could come to understand.
The 6+1 Traits are:
- Ideas
- Organization
- Sentence Fluency
- Word Choice
- Voice
- Conventions
- Publication / format / presentation
We watched a slide show presentation and took notes on the traits. Students need to be familiar with them as they will use the Traits to self-evaluate, revise and edit their own writing and to support their peers in doing the same.
Week 1 - Monday June 24th to Friday June 28th
This document has helpful, basic information for all levels of English.
| english_daily_survival_kit_pdf.pdf |
The first day and a half will focus on the following:
- Reviewing summer school procedures and expectations.
- Doing a series of diagnostic activities (assessing understanding of basic parts of speech, sentence structure and elements, figurative language, commonly misused words, spelling and word order)
- Help to provide a data baseline for the instructor of the skill confidence level of the students.
- Help the students to identify and reflect on areas in which they need to work to improve their skills and knowledge, and to celebrate the skills they have mastered.
- Will be assessed (and students will correct some of the work as part of an assignment) but there will be NO grade assigned. These are strictly information gathering activities. They will, however, show up as being complete or incomplete in the ThinkWave gradebook.
Students have now completed a set of diagnostic activities on the following:
We have begun our daily routines:
Students also completed some reflection tasks:
- Spelling and vocabulary
- Contractions and use of apostrophes
- Figurative Langauge / Literary Devices
- Word use (commonly confused words)
- Word order (adjectives)
- Identifying author's tone
- Genres of Literature
- Parts of Speech, Sentence structure, sentence types and sentence sense
We have begun our daily routines:
- D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) for 10 mins at the beginning of each class
- Spelling and vocabulary lists
- M.U.G. shots - Mechanics, Usage and Grammar correction practice
Students also completed some reflection tasks:
- Self-reflection on reading strengths and preferences
- Self-reflection on writing strengths and preferences
Stories
Wednesday we began looking at stories. Due to the time constraints of summer school and the amount of content and the breadth of skills we want to review, we will NOT be doing an entire novel study. We will examine elements of stories using short stories, with the understanding that short stories often have less character and plot development due to length.
We did a note taking activity about the basic elements of story, and students were provided with a "cheat sheet" - one page reference about elements of story.
We did a note taking activity about the basic elements of story, and students were provided with a "cheat sheet" - one page reference about elements of story.
Thursday we did our daily D.E.A.R., M.U.G. correction example, and spelling/vocabulary test.
Then we did an exercise in identifying both Tone and Mood from very small sight passages.
Following that, we analyzed a series of Pixar shorts for the following Elements of Story (in each case looking for very specific evidence in the elements of a visual text, including but not limited to: use of colour, use of music, facial expressions, actions, scenery, animated movement etc.):
In this session we did not get into Theme for the assignment although we discussed it.
For the first four "shorts" - Partly Cloudy, For the Birds, Piper and Gerri's Game - we watched the stories and analyzed them orally in class discussion.
Then students watched the film Bao and we discussed it, rewatched it for detail, and they filled out a graphic organizer for the elements of the story.
Then we did an exercise in identifying both Tone and Mood from very small sight passages.
Following that, we analyzed a series of Pixar shorts for the following Elements of Story (in each case looking for very specific evidence in the elements of a visual text, including but not limited to: use of colour, use of music, facial expressions, actions, scenery, animated movement etc.):
- Character (including identifying the protagonist and antagonist for each story)
- Setting (time and place)
- Narration / Point of View (third person limited, third person omniscient, and first person)
- Plot (structure and events including identifying the climax of the story)
- Conflict (type, aspects of the specific conflict within the story)
- Atmosphere / Mood (How the creator of the text wants the audience to feel while experiencing/interacting with the text)
- Tone (the author's/narrator's attitude towards the subject/story)
- Foreshadowing (hints of upcoming events or conflicts in the story, and how it is different than dramatic irony)
In this session we did not get into Theme for the assignment although we discussed it.
For the first four "shorts" - Partly Cloudy, For the Birds, Piper and Gerri's Game - we watched the stories and analyzed them orally in class discussion.
Then students watched the film Bao and we discussed it, rewatched it for detail, and they filled out a graphic organizer for the elements of the story.
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The video below is not "just" the short film Bao. It is an analysis of how the use of animation techniques and personification create the narrative.
Borders by Thomas King
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Borders was published in 1993.
To the right is a link to the Vimeo video of "Not the Indian You Had in Mind", a spoken-word performance written and directed by Thomas King and performed by Thomas King with Tara Beagan (an Indigenous theatre maker, writer and activities who lived and worked in the Yukon for a year) and Lorne Cardinal, (an accomplished stage and film actor, director and writer Cree from Alberta). The piece examines the stereotypes of what, in his book The Inconvenient Indian, King refers to as the "Dead Indian" - caricatures of Indigenous people created by and for popular, mainstream, non-Indigenous media. |
Thomas King | CBC Books
Thomas King is the author of several books, including The Inconvenient Indian.
Challenging the status quo, in something of the same spirit of I'm Not The Indian You're Looking for but not as eloquently as Thomas King!
Please note, whereas Thomas King has lived in both Canada and the United States and both Tara Beagan and Lorne Cardinal were born and raised on land claimed by the Federal Government of Canada and their work often speaks to the experience of First Nations or Indigenous peoples interacting with non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, BuzzFeed is an American company, and most of their contributors are speaking to an Indigenous perspective relative to their experience in the USA. Although many policies and social structures (and, frankly, stereotypes) are very similar, there are some differences, including terminology. *** Note: Darrell Dennis is a member of the Secwepemc nation in B.C. but lives in Los Angeles and has for years. Thus he, like Thomas King, has experience in both the USA and Canada with these issues.
Consider how these videos use a variety of tools (interview format, spoofs, personal address) to both humourize and humanize serious and persistent issues in racially based social inequity and racism. The final video in this grouping is NOT humourous, but stays on the perspective of Indigenous people interacting with the systemic and systematic racial oppression put in place in the United States. This will segue us into a discussion of Canadian versions of that oppression in the abuse of the Treaties.
Please note, whereas Thomas King has lived in both Canada and the United States and both Tara Beagan and Lorne Cardinal were born and raised on land claimed by the Federal Government of Canada and their work often speaks to the experience of First Nations or Indigenous peoples interacting with non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, BuzzFeed is an American company, and most of their contributors are speaking to an Indigenous perspective relative to their experience in the USA. Although many policies and social structures (and, frankly, stereotypes) are very similar, there are some differences, including terminology. *** Note: Darrell Dennis is a member of the Secwepemc nation in B.C. but lives in Los Angeles and has for years. Thus he, like Thomas King, has experience in both the USA and Canada with these issues.
Consider how these videos use a variety of tools (interview format, spoofs, personal address) to both humourize and humanize serious and persistent issues in racially based social inequity and racism. The final video in this grouping is NOT humourous, but stays on the perspective of Indigenous people interacting with the systemic and systematic racial oppression put in place in the United States. This will segue us into a discussion of Canadian versions of that oppression in the abuse of the Treaties.
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It is of vital importance in Canada to understand that the modern process of Reconciliation that more than one party of Federal government has promised with such enthusiasm has its basis in a historical document dating back centuries.
The image on the UBC website is of the actual Royal Proclamation and the map to the right is an image of an original. That makes these both primary sources.
The source for the map below is as follows: "The British Governments in Nth America Laid down agreeable to the Proclamation of Octr. 7, 1763," Gentleman’s Magazine (London, 1763). Source: Ruderman Maps.
The image on the UBC website is of the actual Royal Proclamation and the map to the right is an image of an original. That makes these both primary sources.
The source for the map below is as follows: "The British Governments in Nth America Laid down agreeable to the Proclamation of Octr. 7, 1763," Gentleman’s Magazine (London, 1763). Source: Ruderman Maps.
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Below is a Supreme Court decision from 1996 that references, in part, the Royal Proclamation (and s.351 of the Constitution Act of 1982 which confirms the RP) as the basis for overturning charges against an Algonquin man for having gone fishing on traditional territory which was "owned" by a mining company.
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What are Treaties? Why should you know about them?
When we go to certain places around Manitoba, we hear people say this phrase (or a variation of it) or see it posted prominently: "We would like to acknowledge that we are currently on Treaty # __ territory."
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The video below is essentially a slide show compiled of private footage of powwows, clips from the 1960 NFB Film Circle of the Sun , the 1973 NFB Film Standing Alone, both by Kainai filmmaker Colin Law, the vlog The Blackfoot Nation by the Vaga Bros (any of which can be watched online by clicking on the titles, which are links to the films), other information and images.