number of posts *update*

So far this is what everyone has for number of learning log posts:
Fredrick: 10
Sara: 11 (good job! you went over!)
Shanese: 9
Trevor: 7

Learning Log ~ February 24, 2012

Learning Log ~ February 24, 2012

What We Did It

Today (Friday) we started off making sure that everybody was on the right track and that we had our novel questions finished all the way up to Chapter 10. Ms. Lees walked around the room and looked over our answers and asked if we had any trouble with any of the questions. She initialed all of our papers.

We then reviewed our questions from chapters 6-10 for our quiz that we had after this review.

The quiz had generally the same sort of questions. We had to order events in the book, and do some true and false questions.

After Ms. Lees had checked everybody’s answers and we had our quiz, we had a little bit of quiet work time where we work on anything we saw the need for. Some people worked on extra note taking on their Middle Ages role, some people worked on their diary entries, and some people worked on Chapter 11 novel questions.

We got a sheet of how to make a bibliography. We learned how to cite different sources like websites, and books.

At the end of what felt like 20 minutes, our Humanities block was over and we had to clean up all our things and head off to our last classes of the day.

Why We Did It/Connections and Reflections

Ms. Lees wanted to check and make sure that we were keeping up with our work because we are almost finished and she doesn’t want anyone to be way behind when everyone else finishes There Will Be Wolves.

Reviewing the questions was really useful because I had a few that I was a bit confused on. I found the opinion questions very easy because I feel very strongly about some of the topics that they are discussing. It was pretty hard to write down my opinions. You can probably understand what I mean. When I know what I’m thinking but I can’t explain it.

We have to be able to put our thought s into words and be able to communicate and collaborate with other people all our lives so why not start now. It’s easier when you’re younger because everybody’s more open to talking to other people that are around.

For the quiz, I found that I am always confused when I have to order major events. I guess I just have a really bad memory for these types of things.

The work time really helped me out because I knew I was going to have a really busy weekend with basketball. I got started on my chapter 11 questions.

I never knew that making a bibliography was so confusing! I always just thought that you put some random information into any kind of order... or the order that you found it! I was really surprised at how many details you need to remember while you make one bibliography.

Homework and Tips

We had to finish our diary entries for Monday, along with our bibliography. If you get your diary done, you’ll have more time to work with your group, just a tip...

Make sure all you research is done, too. If your research is not done, you can’t get placed into a group either.

One last thing is that if you know that you’re going to be busy, work ahead on the novel chapter questions.

Have a nice evening! I hope to see you all in class on Monday!

Sara Posting A Little Late

Hi there!  I just wanted to say that I'll probably be posting late again.  I'm really busy this weekend because of a basketball tournament!  I'll for sure post this weekend.  Shanese have you heard any reasons why Fredrick and Trevor haven't been posting?  Last I heard, they both hadn't reached ten posts yet.      Thanks!

LEARNING LOG~ Feb.24/12

What We Did

Today Ms.Lees checked every body's chapters 9-10 questions There Will Be Wolves. She initialled each one to check if they were completed. It took a while for Ms. Lees to check every one's questions so we read and worked on chapter 11.

After that we talked about our diary assignment. Some people got confused so we went over the expectations and the format/layout. We talked about how the diary can be typed and how big the font can be. It should be readable.

We also reviewed chapters 6-10 questions There Will Be Wolves because we had a quiz shortly after. We reviewed mostly the main key ideas and the difficult ones some of us couldn't answer.

After the quiz we went over the criteria for the bibliography. We had a sheet that had all the information of what you need in the bibliography.


Why We Did It/ Connections & Reflections


Ms.Lees checked every one's questions to see if they did there homework. I find that initialling is a great way for the teacher to know that she checked the work. Some people don't do there homework because there either too lazy, they forget or they have other important things going on. Teachers give us homework for a reason.

I had a few questions about the diary assignment so I'm glad we went over that. I have all my notes/information gathered and ready. I'm actually excited to do this assignment because it's interesting and new. I got assigned a village priest. I learned alot of new facts. At first it was hard gathering all the information but when I was fully concentrated it was easy.

We reviewed the chapters 6-10 questions because some people might of forgot the main key ideas. It refreshed my memory. On the quiz I mixed up a couple of questions :( I thought Bruno came on the Crusades and then the man carrying the coals tried to threaten her. I was kinda upset but then I realized it's just a little mistake..Get over it Shanese!!!

I think teachers make us do a bibliography because they want to know where we get our resources from. They specifically don't like students researching information on Wikipedia because half of the facts could be false. It's always better to get your data on a more accurate website or book.

Homework/Tips

-Diary due Monday

-Bibliography due Monday

- I suggest you do your diary for Monday so you can get assigned to a skit group

-You may do chapter 11 questions There Will Be Wolves (there is no due date yet)

Learning log Feb 24th

What We Did

Today Ms.Lees checked our Ch.9 and Ch.10 homework and then we looked at the answers for the Ch6-Ch10 TWBW questions and shared the answers for some of the disputed or the harder questions. We shared our answers and debated a little about whose answers are more accurate. After that we took the Ch.6-Ch10 TWBW quiz. Next we worked on the bibliography writing for our diaries. We learned the MLA format which is used in law, English and socials.

Learning Intentions

Looking at chapter questions is for the people stronger at answering to tell the ones who are weaker at this area how to do it and how to improve. It is also the those who are stronger to look at what the others think of their answers and how to improve as well. We also need to back our theories and ideas up with proof which conducts further thinking if we have not have sufficient proof to back ourselves up.

Bibliographies is a way to cite our work so that we are not accused of plagiarism and also gives others proper credit. It also tells teachers where we obtained our information so that they know if the source is reliable or not.

Reflections/Connections

I think that I did OK today other than the fact that I did not do my Ch.10 questions because I forgot my book in the class room Wednesday. I did contribute to the discussion a bit. I got 10/10 for the quiz which I am happy about. I am also relieved that some of my questions regarding the diary was cleared up. I've done MLA bibliographies before so I have some idea as to what it is and how to do it.

Homework/Tips

1. finish diary (if printed then use normal font, 2.0 spacing)
2. finish bibliograph

LEARNING LOG ~ Feb.22/12

What We Did

Today we talked about the plans were doing before spring break. Ms. Lees wanted to organize this today because she had unexpected absents. I'm glad we made plans for the week ahead because it can make us get prepared. We also talked about how we are going to take our portfolios home this week and share our blogs. There's nothing to be nervous about guys! ;)

Ms.Lees read a fortune magazine that explained what employers are looking for in employees. We talked about as a class how employers check our Facebook or other social networks. Employers want a employee that has social/collaboration skills, team work, can work independently and has a good sense of knowledge.

We had a quiz today so Ms.Lees reviewed chapter 1-5 questions on There Will Be Wolves. We mostly reviewed the main key idea in each chapter and the questions that were difficult for some of us to answer.

After break we did chapters 1-5 questions. In one section of the quiz it was multiple choice and in the other section we had to list the events in order. After we all finished the quiz we got the rest of the class time to finish our notes of middle ages or read and do questions There Will Be Wolves chapter 10.

Why we did it/ Connections & Reflections

We scheduled the plan for the week ahead so we can get prepared and there will be no surprises!! I'm glad we did this because now I know all the upcoming events before spring break! I think it will be pretty interesting to show our parents our blog and portfolios. I'm kinda excited and nervous at the same time! I wonder what they'll say...???!

I liked talking about the fortune magazine because I agreed with it %100! Everyone should be aware of what they post on Facebook or other social network. It's very important to be mature and be ready for the future.

It refreshed my memory when we reviewed the There Will Be Wolves chapters 1-5. I didn't memorize everything that happened in the chapters but I did memorize the key ideas. I found the quiz really easy! I was thrilled that it was multiple choice and listing the events in order.:)

Homework/Tips

-Chapter 10 questions
- Middle Ages notes and bibliography
~Make sure you have all the information for your diary
- Chapters 6-10 quiz on Friday

Learning Log ~ Februrary 22, 2012

Learning Log ~ February 22, 2012

Good evening! I hope I’m not posting too late...

What We Did Today

Today was one of those joyous occasions. I think you can probably guess what it was. If you guessed “A Humanities Double Block” then my hat’s off to you! This beautiful sunny afternoon in our Humanities portable we talked quite a bit and laughed a little, too. At the beginning of class we had to rearrange a few tables so that our backs were not facing the whiteboard after a quick shove to move the tables we were all set to start learning.

We started to talk about the plan for our time in Humanities up until Spring Break (which is only about 2 weeks away and I can’t wait). We talked about the due dates of things that were coming up. It was good to have an overview of what we are going to do in the near future so that there aren’t any surprises. Ms. Lees thought this was only fair because she had been absent for a few days last week and Tuesday’s class, too. We are going to have to share our portfolios and our blogs with our parents in about a week so impress them with the astounding writing of your blog posts!

We talked about an article from Fortune magazine that said what employers are really looking for in an employee. They wanted people who had good collaboration skills, were good at problem solving, and had critical thinking. The least preferred skill was to be tech savvy, incidentally what new employees are specialists in.

After talking about the master plan and the magazine article we transitioned into talking about the questions we had answered for the novel There Will Be Wolves. We were going to have a quiz later on Chapter 1-5 so it was a refresher for all of us. We went over some key questions that called on making inferences from the text. Some of them were also about making a judgement and articulating why you thought the way you did on one issue or another.

At the end of the discussion on our questions, it was time for break and we all went to wander the halls and find our friends.

We’re back! After a little struggle with the keys (we couldn’t figure out which key was the right one) we went inside and waited for our teacher to come and instruct us on what to do next.

Remember how I said we were going to have a quiz on There Will Be Wolves Chapter 1-5? Well, as soon as Ms. Lees walked in we were told to get out the dividers and obscure ourselves and our answers from our neighbours at close proximity. We received the test and were allowed to start once we got them. It was a ten question test with multiple choice and a question where you had to put events into sequence in which they happened.

After finishing the quiz we were generously given the rest of the class time to work on anything we wanted to. We had notes to finish up on our Middle Ages character, our Chapter 10 There Will Be Wolves questions, and the “A Day In The Life Of.....” diary entry for our Middle Ages character.

Before we knew it, it was time to pack our bags and vacate the vicinity.

Why We Did It and Connections/Reflections

We talked about the plan for our days up until Spring Break because Ms. Lees thought it would be a good idea for us to know just in case there were any unexpected times where she wouldn’t be able to make it to class or something.

I liked knowing just what was going to happen and when because then I can plan ahead and know if I need to work a bit faster if I know I’m going to be busy a lot at some point in time. Being swamped in homework is just not something I find fun!

I was surprised and kind of nervous upon finding out that we would have to show and tell our parents about our portfolios and our blogs. I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me but it did. Obviously it was for some reason that we worked so hard to put together all our portfolios. I honestly don’t think I’ve shown very much “growth” over these last few months...

Going over the There Will Be Wolves questions before the quiz really helped me because I had no idea whatsoever about how to study for this quiz. Thankfully it was a short quiz. I thought that number 7 was kind of a trickily worded question. I got that one wrong. It was the one where you had to tell why people thought that Ursula was a witch. I circled the one that said it was because she worked with her father and was training to become an apothecary, but the correct answer was that she had cursed Mistress Elke’s baby! Ursula never really cursed Mistress Elke’s baby. People only thought so because of its deformities and the fact that it was born dead. If Ursula had not “cursed” the child it would still have been born deformed and dead.

The Fortune magazine article I found very interesting because apparently the new grads all fall short of this high and lofty standard. It’s good for us to know what people want and need in the real world so that we can start nurturing these skills and have them as close to perfect as we can. Technically savvy people were said to not be the best at communicating because when you communicate on social media websites it tends to be more of a one-way conversation than an actual back and forth communication. We need these skills to be independent and trustworthy when we start to apply for jobs. If you have good people skills and can process information and use it to your advantage, you’ll go far in life.

Homework and Tips

Today we had Chapter 10 questions assigned to us along with the diary entry starring our character in the Middle Ages. It might be easier to write the diary entry in the first person point of view to show all the thoughts of your character.

There’s going to be a Chapter 6-10 quiz on Friday so get ready for that by reading over the chapters and your chapter questions answers.

Our notes on our characters are due on Friday and have them in class if you want to be put into a skit group! Make sure you keep track of all you rsources because we need to make a bibliography soon!

Learning Log Feb 22nd

What we did

Today we first talked about the plans for the next few weeks until Spring Break. We were first going to to finish There Will Be Wolves up to Ch.10 then we move on to the Middle Ages play and diary. In the middle of that, we will be sharing our blogs and an updated portfolio. After the Middle Ages play, we will finish off the There Will Be Wolves book.

After that, we read a magazine of how unprepared the graduates are for the jobs on the markets today. The skills they need the most are critical thinking, and collaboration skills. These are some skills that we are learning about in class and practicing. The least needed skill was tech savvy because everyone in this generation is good with tech (Ms. Lees suddenly looked at me...).

Then we took out our Ch.1-Ch.5 TWBW questions to prepare for the quiz. We went over some of the questions that were widely disputed and got some of the facts straight and some of the opinions explained further. This took up the rest of the first period.

During second period, we took the test and then we were given the rest of the period to either work on Ch.10 questions or work on the notes for our diary.

Learning Intentions

Looking at what is coming up is for us to get an idea of what is to come so that when we are away, we will know what we are going to miss and prepare for it in advance. The magazine article was to tell us about why and just how important it is to learn the skills we are learning right now. Not only the achedemic skills but also the social skills. Looking at the chapter questions was for us to correct our answers and also to take look at the other perspectives by hearing other people's answers. This was also for us to give out reasoning and we were somewhat forced to conduct further thinking if we cannot back up our answers and someone challenges our answer. Working alone, as I have said yesterday is a very important skill and it is just as important as working as a team.

Connections/Reflections

I think that I did quite well for today as I did contribute quite a lot when we were discussing the questions and also I did do quite well for the test. Working alone was kind of hard for me because I do not like writing on paper, because it makes my hand really sore and my writing is not that neat, so I prefer much to type it out. Therefore I usually do not like to work in class which then gives me alot of homework and it really is not the best solution. I wonder if there is a solution for that. Eg. bring in my computer?

Sharing answers and also using reasons to back yourself up is used in many places like debate and mock trials. You must have a logical and strong reason in order for someone to change their opinion and in a way, admit that they are wrong. Independent working can be used anywhere, from other in class subjects to after working. You must be able to do your part in a team when you need to pitch in work.

Homework

Ch.10 questions

Ch5-Ch10 quiz Friday!

Learning log Feb 21

What we did

We were in the library yesterday because we were working on taking notes for our project. We have to write a diary entry for a person doing a specific job in the Medieval times. We were taking notes on the job taht we were assigned so that we can write the diary later. We were either on the computer or reading in a book. We have to record a bibliograph on the sources we used and one of them has to be a book. We spent the whole block working on the research.

Learning Intentions/Reflection & connections.

We did this to enhance our ability to take good notes and also to concentrate. Concentration was something that we as a class seem to have quite some difficulty on. During class work time, we often get off topic and the room gets really loud. I did ok that day because I am really interested in the Medieval times so I was not inclined to go around talking to people. I got quite a lot done in class.This was also about doing a bibliography.We are taking notes so that when we need to refine a large topic down to a few organized notes. This helps us learn how to distinguish what is important and what is not. For example, when we see an entire paragraph of information, we need to sum it up in a few lines of notes. Concentration is also important because for us to do good in any subject or task, we must stay on task and work without being distracted. Concentration is a skill that needs to be worked on and is not something that can come when needed just like most of the skills that are very important in society today. Once mastered this is a great skill to have as it will help you achieve much faster. Bibliographies are very important because it helps cite the sources that you used to give them proper credit and also to be not accused of plagerizing.

Homework

Ch.9 questions

Ch1-Ch5 quiz

Tips

Blogs:take notes in class so you will not forget what we did.

30 day challenge progress report

My 30 day challenge was to watch the evening news everyday on CBC and also to not eat microwave dinner. I watched the news every day so far and it is quite fun following up with the current events. However it has been hard for the past two days because I could not find much time as mock trials is today and tommorrow (I'll still be wearing what I wore today to class). I asked my mom to remind me to watch the news everyday and this has been quite good up till now.

Microwave dinner. I did not eat any exept for the day when my mom forgot to go shopping in which we had to eat some or starve. I did not ask anyone to help me with this and I have been good up till now as well

PROGRESS REPORT ~ 30 DAY CHALLENGE

If you didn't already know I have 2 goals. My first goal is to practice playing the piano more and my second goal is to make my bed.

For practicing piano I haven't been successful:( I injured my tailbone so I'm having a really hard time to sit. The pain just won't go away!!! I am trying my best to try and practice. I was really excited because I was gonna challenge my self to practice playing the piano. I wanted to make it a habit. Usually I only practice for 15-20 minutes. I need to practice at least 3o minutes a day. I can't just ditch the piano after 15-20 minutes. It's lonely!!!! Once my tailbone heals hopefully I can set the challenge again and work at my goal! :)

For making my lovely and comfortable bed I have been successful! I improved. I've been making my bed everyday. It's getting to be a habit. YAY! I haven't reached to the level when taking my time and putting the fancy pillows on my bed. I just pull up the blankets and place the pillows I sleep on the top. When I make my bed it makes my room look way neater and complete. Hopefully I can keep it up! ;)

Learning Log ~ February 20, 2012

Learning Log ~ February 20, 2012

What We Did

Today we had our Humanities class in the library. It was a relaxed day where you worked at your own pace.

First, we all got some reminders about homework that was due (which I’ll list closer to the end of the post). After that we got an outline for what our newest project was going to be about. It was a role-playing/research project. In order to do the role-playing part you have to have the research done and that’s exactly what we did today.

Before we hit the books and ogled at computer screens we had to learn how to make an bibliography. On a bibliography (for a book) you had to have the title, the author(s) and/or editor(s), publishing company, most recent copyright date, and publishing city. To choose the publishing city you choose Canadian and U.S. cities over international cities, and the closest city to Vancouver. For a website you needed to have the title (page), author(s), and date accessed. A useful tip is to look for a link on the site that says “How to Cite This Page”.

After all that was finished we got to pick our roles out of a tin Ritz cracker box and we all had fun gasping and laughing at peoples’ reactions as they looked at their slip of paper! I got to be the son of a lord, but there were other jobs like blacksmiths, stonemasons, bailiffs, and priests.

After all the commotion we all settled down and got to work. Lots of people worked on the computers and some people looked at books. We all needed to have at least one physical book to source some of our information. A little while of this research time and then it was time to go to our fourth block classes.

Why We Did It/Connections and Reflections (mushed together)

The whole point of this project was to learn more about a specific type of person (peasant, nobility, religious, etc.) at a specific time period (the Middle Ages). We also got to learn about the bibliography which we will need for a long time yet! In university we’ll need to know this and before that we have another 4 years before we all graduate and disperse into the big, big world.

We also only have 2 blocks to get as much research done as we can. This means that we have to work really fast to get our tasks done. If we don’t finish our research then we can’t get placed in a group to do our skits!

I liked the role that I picked out of the box because I always thought that it would be nice to know what it was like to be a rich noble in the Middle Ages. And have the perks of being a boy that had more rights than a rich noble girl in the Middle Ages.

I think the project is going to turn out really great. We get a lot of freedom to use our creativity in this project and that’s something I really enjoy doing! I’m pretty enthusiastic about the skit part of the project but I’m not such a great actress. As long as I’m willing to make a fool out of myself and not care about it, then I’ll be okay.

Homework

Today we got reminded of our Chapter 9 There Will Be Wolves questions (they’re due on Wednesday). On Wednesday we also have a Chapter 1-8 quiz (There Will Be Wolves, what else?!). One more thing that we all have to do is POST!!! We need to have at least 10 Learning Log posts each! This is very, very urgent so do this as soon as possible.

Tips

Everybody should review Chapters 1-8 of There Will Be Wolves for the quiz on Wednesday. Tomorrow Humanities is in the library again!

Thirty Day Challenge Progress Report

Thirty Day Challenge Progress Report

If you don’t all remember, my thirty day challenge was to practice piano for an hour everyday between 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

I’d say that I’ve been pretty successful at fulfilling this promise to myself because I do practice every day for an hour... for the most part (did I trick you?) Anyways there have been days when I’ve practiced for 45 minutes and said to myself, “Close enough!”, leave the piano, and call it a day which is cheating. Sometimes there isn’t even an actual valid reason why I stop practicing before my goal of 1 hour! Mostly, though, I’ve been a pretty good kid and I think Santa will be able to overlook these flaws in my behaviour and visit my house for Christmas this year.

In the pursuit of making my thirty day challenge an everyday thing even after the challenge is over I have enlisted the help of my mother, the most reliable human being on Earth! I told her to force me to practice every day even if I made up lame excuses.

The rest of my motivation has been from myself. This is because at the time my family was looking for a piano we were very serious about one piano from a man named Norman. We almost bought it before we found another cheaper one that worked just as well (and looked better, too). We went back and told Norman that we didn’t want his piano anymore and he just had a tantrum on the spot! He said, “You know what? Your kids are not even going to make it far in their piano studies so you don’t need a good piano like this one anyways!” and so we just walked out. That made me want to finish my piano studies to prove to him that at least one kid from my family would finish and finish well! Even if I never see him again to prove it to him.

I don’t think there is anything about my thirty day challenge that I need to change because I know that it’s doable. I just need Spartan discipline!