High School Orientation changed to Tuesday Oct. 30th at 6:30 pm in the gym

The parent high school orientation session has been changed to Tuesday Oct. 30th at 6:30 pm in the gym. 

Grade 9 Novel Study

After the break we will be doing a novel study and you will have the chance to choose from one of the following three books.  Each student will be working within small groups to understand and analyze the themes, characters and plot of one's chosen novel.  Please discuss with your parents your choice to ensure its appropriateness (your parents may wish to read your book choice in advance).  We will begin the novel study at the beginning of November, and we ask you to wait until we begin the novel study to read the book. 

Of Mice and Men

They are an unlikely pair: George is "small and quick and dark of face"; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a "family," clinging together in the face of lonelinss and alienation.Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. For George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own. When they land jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfillment of their dream seems to be within their grasp. But even George cannot guard Lennie from the provocations of a flirtatious woman, nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him.
Things to be aware of:  This is a classic novel, considered one of the most iconic novels from the 20th century; winner of a Nobel Prize in Literature, the reading level and quality of this novel is not to be understated - this book has changed lives and the shape of modern English.  However, there is a significant amount of swearing and cursing, as well as a lot of violence combined with a disturbing ending.

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Tomorrow, When the War Began

When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have no idea they’re leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving. Something has gone wrong—horribly wrong. Before long, they realize the country has been invaded, and the entire town has been captured—including their families and all their friends. Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: they can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight.
Things to be aware of:  This is a fantastic series for fans of The Hunger Games.  Wonderful characters, and an exciting plot line with diverse teens struggling to overcome a dystopian kind of world.  There is also a second part to this book if you find it as exciting as I'm promising it will be.

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Ender's Game

Once again, the Earth is under attack. Alien "buggers" are poised for a final assault. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers. But who? Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child. Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battleschool. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battleschool is just a game. Right?
Things to be aware of:  This book has won three distinguishing Science Fiction awards, as well as having a movie coming out early next year.  This reading is often used in grade 10 classrooms, with well developed characters and a plot that is exciting and engaging.  However, there is some strong language, and three instances of child-on-child graphic violence.

Literary Blog Assignment #1: Thursday, October 4th

In your next blog post I want you to write about the current book you are reading. Assignment #3: Write a 250-300 word blog post introducing your book. You have freedom to write what you wish, but you may want to explore some of the following themes/questions:

·           -Provide a few sentences to introduce the reader to the book (e.g., name, author, some basic context).

·          -How did you come across the book?

·          -What made you want to read this novel?

·         -What had you heard about this book?

·          -How does what others have to say about the book compare to your experience reading this novel?

This assignment is due Thursday, October 4^th

Evaluation:

For this assignment you will be marked based on the sentence structure section of the PAT rubric. This includes mixing the length of your sentences, varying your sentence openings, and controlling the grammar of your sentences.

Example of varied openings:

• Start with adjectives or adverbs.
  • Deep green, shiny, and clear, the emerald sparkled in the jeweler's case. (adjectives)
  • Loudly and insistently, my mother called me to dinner. (adverbs)
• Start with a prepositional phrase.
  • During rush hour, I avoid the freeway.
• Start with a participle or participial phrase.
  • Shouting his dog's name, Ross headed for the park. (present participial phrase)
  • Cooked to perfection, my father's meal beckoned us to eat. (past participial phrase)
• Start with an absolute phrase.
• All things considered, it was a good day.

Example of varied sentence lengths:

Example: Many really good blues guitarists have all had the last name King. They have been named Freddie King and Albert King and B.B. King. The name King must make a bluesman a really good bluesman. The bluesmen named King have all been very talented and good guitar players. The claim that a name can make a guitarist good may not be that far fetched.

Revision: What makes a good bluesman? Maybe, just maybe, it's all in a stately name. B.B. King. Freddie King. Albert King. It's no coincidence that they're the royalty of their genre. When their fingers dance like court jesters, their guitars gleam like scepters, and their voices bellow like regal trumpets, they seem almost like nobility. Hearing their music is like walking into the throne room. They really are kings.

Sept 20th Homework update

Thursday, Sept 20th: Post up two of your best haikus and one show; don't tell paragraph from Bamfield onto your blog. I will be marking these tonight.

Monday Sept 24th: A reminder that your digital narratives are due fully completed for Monday morning. We will be moving on from this project to social studies.

Tuesday Sept 25th (9.2) Wednesday Sept 26th (9.1): Please write 250-300 words on an experience you had in Bamfield. For this assignment work in vivivd images, descriptive language, and precise names, words, and details. I will be using the Vocabulary section of the PAT rubric to evaluate your work. See the rubric examples below where words and phrases should be vivid and creative, precise and specific, and a clear voice should infuse your writing.

Have a great weekend!

What is blogging and why blog?

Due for Thursday: Please get your blog up and running on blogger. Create a template you like. We are going to be using this blog throughout the year for various purposes so give it a domain name that is general rather than specific to your book. When you are done, send me the link to your blog.

Assignment: 1) After exploring the various blogs, reflect upon and participate in a class discussion around the questions below. 2) Post two of your Haiku's from Bamfield with either a picture you took or one that reflects the theme of your poem for each. Also include two of your best show; don't tell paragraphs. Through precise phrases, descriptive and figurative language, both these types of writing should help you create vivid images in the reader's mind.  This will be marked and is due at the end of the day on Thursday, Sept 19th. 

Assessments: Invokes a vivid image in the reader's mind; has a clear and powerful sense of voice-the writing reflects and expresses the writer's personality

An introduction to blogging

Blogging, which joins the words web and log, has increased dramatically in the last five years. From a documentation of the strange and bazar, to lifestyles of celebrities, to serious political commentary capable of having a greater impact than main stream, media blogging has never been bigger. However, before we get into the nature of blogging let us define the term. Simply put blogs are:

 A web site containing the writer's or group of writer's experiences, observations, opinions, act., and often having images and links to other Web sites (dictionary.com).


Blogs can thus be thought of as a public journal that anyone in the world can visit. Rather than writing in private a blog gives you a platform to communicate to the world. Given this, most blogs receive very little traffic and die out within the first four months. Therefore, it is crucial to both maintain your blog, understand what makes people want to maintain a blog, as well as how you can network to increase the traffic on your site.

To get a sense of the communication style and content of this on-line medium let us begin by looking at some popular blogs. As you are visiting these sites consider:

• What kinds of content or themes can be found on these blogs?
• What specific audiences does each blog try and communicate to?
• What are the elements of this blog that make it interesting? 
• Why would this blog be so popular?

The write ups for these blogs was borrowed from an article in the Guardian Newspaper on The World's 50 Most Powerful Blogs.

3. Techcrunch

Techcrunch began in 2005 as a blog about dotcom start-ups in Silicon Valley, but has quickly become one of the most influential news websites across the entire technology industry. Founder Michael Arrington had lived through the internet goldrush as a lawyer and entrepreneur before deciding that writing about new companies was more of an opportunity than starting them himself. His site is now ranked the third-most popular blog in the world by search engine Technorati, spawning a mini-empire of websites and conferences as a result. Business Week named Arrington one of the 25 most influential people on the web, and Techcrunch has even scored interviews with Barack Obama and John McCain.

With a horde of hungry geeks and big money investors online, Techcrunch is the largest of a wave of technology-focused blog publishers to tap into the market - GigaOm, PaidContent and Mashable among them - but often proves more contentious than its rivals, thanks to Arrington's aggressive relationships with traditional media and his conflicts of interest as an investor himself.

Least likely to post 'YouTube? It'll never catch on'

techcrunch.com

4. Kottke

One of the early wave of blogging pioneers, web designer Jason Kottke started keeping track of interesting things on the internet as far back as 1998. The site took off, boosted partly through close links to popular blog-building website Blogger (he later married one of the founders). And as the phenomenon grew quickly, Kottke became a well-known filter for surfers on the lookout for interesting reading.

Kottke remains one of the purest old-skool bloggers on the block - it's a selection of links to websites and articles rather than a repository for detailed personal opinion - and although it remains fairly esoteric, his favourite topics include film, science, graphic design and sport. He often picks up trends and happenings before friends start forwarding them to your inbox. Kottke's decision to consciously avoid politics could be part of his appeal (he declares himself 'not a fan'), particularly since the blog's voice is literate, sober and inquiring, unlike much of the red-faced ranting found elsewhere online.

A couple of key moments boosted Kottke's fame: first, being threatened with legal action by Sony for breaking news about a TV show, but most notably quitting his web-design job and going solo three years ago. A host of 'micropatrons' and readers donated cash to cover his salary, but these days he gets enough advertising to pay the bills. He continues to plug away at the site as it enters its 10th year.

Least likely to post 'Look at this well wicked vid of a dog on a skateboard'

kottke.org

This is one of the videos on the site. 

5. Dooce

One of the best-known personal bloggers (those who provide more of a diary than a soapbox or reporting service), Heather Armstrong has been writing online since 2001. Though there were personal websites that came before hers, certain elements conspired to make Dooce one of the biggest public diaries since Samuel Pepys's (whose diary is itself available, transcribed in blog form, at Pepysdiary.com). Primarily, Armstrong became one of the first high-profile cases of somebody being fired for writing about her job. After describing events that her employer - a dotcom start-up - thought reflected badly on them, Armstrong was sacked. The incident caused such fierce debate that Dooce found itself turned into a verb that is used in popular parlance (often without users realising its evolution): 'dooced - to be fired from one's job as a direct result of one's personal website'.

Behind Dooce stands an army of personal bloggers perhaps not directly influenced by, or even aware of, her work - she represents the hundreds of thousands who decide to share part of their life with strangers.

Armstrong's honesty has added to her popularity, and she has written about work, family life, postnatal depression, motherhood, puppies and her Mormon upbringing with the same candid and engaging voice. Readers feel that they have been brought into her life, and reward her with their loyalty. Since 2005 the advertising revenue on her blog alone has been enough to support her family.

Least likely to post 'I like babies but I couldn't eat a whole one'

dooce.com

8. Icanhascheezburger

Amused by a photo of a smiling cat, idiosyncratically captioned with the query 'I Can Has A Cheezburger?', which he found on the internet while between jobs in early 2007, Eric Nakagawa of Hawaii emailed a copy of it to a friend (known now only as Tofuburger). Then, on a whim, they began a website, first comprising only that one captioned photo but which has since grown into one of the most popular blogs in the world.

Millions of visitors visit Icanhascheezburger.com to see, create, submit and vote on Lolcats (captioned photos of characterful cats in different settings). The 'language' used in the captions, which this blog has helped to spread globally, is known as Lolspeak, aka Kitty Pidgin. In Lolspeak, human becomes 'hooman', Sunday 'bunday', exactly 'xackly' and asthma 'azma'. There is now an effort to develop a LOLCode computer-programming language and another to translate the Bible into Lolspeak.

Least likely to post 'Actually, dogs are much more interesting..."

icanhascheezburger.com

12. Xu Jinglei

Jinglei is a popular actress (and director of Letter From An Unknown Woman) in China, who in 2005 began a blog ('I got the joy of expressing myself') which within a few months had garnered 11.5m visits and spurred thousands of other Chinese to blog. In 2006 statisticians at Technorati, having previously not factored China into their calculations, realised Jinglei's blog was the most popular in the world. In it she reports on her day-to-day moods, reflections, travels, social life and cats ('Finally the first kitten's been born!!! Just waiting for the second, in the middle of the third one now!!!!!!!! It's midnight, she gave birth to another one!!!!!!'). She blogs in an uncontroversial but quite reflective manner, aiming to show a 'real person' behind the celebrity. Each posting, usually ending with 'I have to be up early' or a promise to report tomorrow on a DVD she is watching, is followed by many hundreds of comments from readers – affirming their love, offering advice, insisting she take care. Last year her blog passed the 1bn clicks mark.

Least likely to post 'Forget the kittens – get a Kalashnikov!!!!!!!'

blog.sina.com.cn/xujinglei

Blogs by kids

Another interesting feature about blogs is how they vary from the inane (silly, stupid) to the politically powerful. Here is an example of nine-year old school girl from Scotland who didn't like the food in her cafeteria for both nutritional and taste reasons and began blogging about the horrendous food choices at her school. Her blog, Never Seconds quickly went from obscurity to a household name in Britain. Read more about this amazing story here: Girl banned from taking photos of school meals a big hit. 

• How might this story tell us something about citizenship in the 21st century?
• How do blogs provide the potential to empower people who normally wouldn't have their voice heard?
• Why do you think this blog took off to the extent that it did? 
• What issues were in play that caused it to draw so much media attention in Britain and Scotland? 

This link here has a whole range of blogs for youth: Voya

Talking to the Text Assignment Due September 7th

Assignment Due Friday, September 7th: Take one of the readings passed out in a class and complete a full talking to the text response including a summary using the sentence frames below. 

In order to prepare you for a Humanities exercise in Bamfield, over the next few days we will be learning to Talk to the Text in order to more deeply engage a reading. This link here outlines each of the Talking to the Text elements including:

• making connections
• monitoring for meaning
• visualizing
• asking questions
• making inferences 
• identifying key quotes/ 'golden nuggets' 
• summarizing

Most of these are self explanatory; however, summarizing a text can be difficult. In order to help you to effectively summarize any piece of writing, the following sentence frames can be helpful.


Step 1: Locate the thesis statement and begin your summary restating in your own words the main idea or argument the author is making.

In the article (name article) (name author) argues that ..... (state in your own words the main idea or argument).

Step 2: Explain and further elaborate upon the main argument or thesis statement of the author. This may include the main arguments the author uses or simply more development of her main idea. A variety of sentence frames can be helpful here:

Specifically,

In saying this the author asserts/believes that...

Here, the author suggests that...

For example,

Further to the point, ...

Step 3: To help back this up and give your summary greater weight, now pull out a quote from the text that really helps you explain your point.

He/She/The author writes/states, "(key quote)."


Step 4: To move beyond being a passive reader, now include your own opinion on the matter. 

I believe that...


Step 5: conclude with a summary sentence that will restate the main ideas explored in your summary. 

In conclusion, ...


Assignment Due September 7th: Take one of the readings passed out in a class and complete a full talking to the text response including a summary using the sentence frames below. 

In the article (name article) (name author) argues that ..... (state in your own words the main idea or argument).

Specifically, 

In saying this the author asserts/believes that... 

Here, the author suggests that... 

For example, 

Further to the point, ... 

He/She/The author writes/states, "(key quote)."

I believe that...

In conclusion, ...