Learning Log - October 31st, 2012.

Learning Log - October 31st, 2012

What we did: 

   For the first block of todays' double-block of Humanities, we worked on our Genius Hour projects. We continued research on our topic using the laptops or electronics that we brought from home. Anybody who had not completed their book pass or posted on the Woodleighville blog completed those assignments first. 

  For the second block, we continued working on our Pathways notes and a booklet on taking and creating notes. 

Learning Intentions:
   Genius Hour helps us further explore interests that we may have, give us freedom in school increasing our productivity and teaches us collaboration and presentation skills. Learning how to create and take notes helps us better organize our work and information in class so that we have the appropriate information for studying. 

Learning how to create and take notes is important as it makes the information easier to read and remember in a way that is best for you.

Homework:
There was no homework assigned but you should continue working on your Genius Hour projects at home.

Homework Tips:
Make sure to log your process for your Genius Hour projects and record sites and books you get your information from as you will need this for your bibliography. You will also need to have your project peer-reviewed before presenting, a useful time may be when your group is stuck and is having troubles progressing or solving an issue.

See this google doc for more information and tips for your Genius Hour project!

Have a great Friday and weekend! :)

October 30th's Learning Log

What we did:

         Today in class we moved the desks around so now we have a different seating arrangement. Then we talked about taking and making notes. We talked about the difference between taking and making notes. We also discussed about text and what types there are.
We had to do/read a worksheet about notes and do some exercising on them, such as Web and mapping, and _____________. The people who still haven't finished their book pass had to work on it first.

Why we did it:

         We did it because making notes can help us learn more things and study for tests, it can help when we are in other classes, and at later years too, or if you really want to be a reporter/journalist. Making notes is a really important skill to learn.

How this is useful:

         This is useful because later on in our lifes, we may need to take notes about somethings, for example, if we were in university/college we would need to take notes about the lecture.

Homework:

1. Finish reading and doing the worksheet/exercises.
2. Hand in Interims if you haven't already.

Tips:

 When taking notes, read the whole paragraph first, then write down the notes.

 You should spend most of your time reading/listening rather than taking the actual notes.

October 29th's Learning Log!

        Today in class, we had laptops that we used to share and reply to the Morris Ward blog. We replied our letters as a comment on one of their posts. We learned how to share our letters and how to post them as a comment onto their blog. In class, we also finished up our book passes if anyone didn't finish them on Friday. There were also a few people away on Friday, so this block gave them an opportunity to catch up on the work they missed when they weren't here.

        We wrote letters and replied them as a comment so that the class in Australia would get some feedback on their issues and conflicts. It also helps with our writing skills to be able to write more and in a more formal kind of way. We finished up our book passes so that no one would be far behind and not catch up to what we are doing as a class. It also lets Ms. Lees know which book each student would be more suited to read for our novel study later on in the year.

      Writing letters is useful because it helps our writing skills and it also lets us know what we need to work on in terms of writing essays, letters, etc. It is useful for the class in Australia because it lets them know what we think of the issues going on in Woodleighville and what our opinions are regarding it. Book passes are useful so that you don't get stuck with a book you have no interest in and a book that you don't like reading for your novel study. An interesting book really helps because you would want to read it and you would remember all the events really clearly.

       Our homework for today is to finish with the editing of your letter and post it as a comment on any of the posts regarding what you wrote about if you haven't already done so in class.

    Tips:

    Go to this page to read about the issues going on in Woodleighville if you are having trouble or if you haven't finished your letter.

   

Pretty good start Unicorns!

Most of you are remembering the different parts. I like how you are already starting to support each other like a team - offering comments and reminders.

Next steps for this group will be to expand with full sentences and paragraphs. See samples from last year for refresher.

Learning Log-Oct.26

Today we did 'book pass'.
We had to read a few pages of 7 books(given to us by our teacher) then right a report on them.

This includes:

-The readability. This is how hard the book was for you to read(too easy, fair\ok,some what challenging, or very challenging), as well as write a reason on why you you chose that opposition.

-The interest. This is how much you liked what you read.
                       It must have a rating out of 5, as well as why you did\didn't like it.



Tips:

-You will be receiving a book by your response to it.
-If you are not done go to flex.   (Kevin, you must also do this.)

Learning Log - October 24th.

This is the learning log for October 24th, 2012 in Humanities!

What we did:
For the majority of the first block, we discussed our learning intentions for our letters to the editor of the 'Morris Ward Minutes' and the citizens of Woodleighville.

Some of our learning intentions included the following:

-Persuasive Writing (opinion based)

-Letter formats
'writing to the author formats'


-Acquire background/general knowledge and info on Woodleighville
Read their Morris Ward blog and related material.

-Making connections between their problems and our experiences in BC, knowledge of current/historical events. To help with context, add pictures, videos and links to articles.

By responding to other Grade 8 writers, we make direct connections to things they have said and provide context about the things they may not understand.



Collaboration Skills
Editing/proofreading using the technology to enhance your writing.



Content
Defining and responding to the problems/issues - globally based.

New Superstore
Riots and their after effects - banning of sporting events, curfews for youth, CCTV cameras.
Recovery from Cyclone Mike - riots, weakened economy


Oral Communication Skills
Give and respond to feedback.


The criteria that we used to evaluate our work was as follows:
Must Haves
-Multi-paragraph
-1 idea per paragraph
-Introduce the topic, speaker and issue.

-Formal persuasive tone - have an opinion supported with examples.

-Connect with the residents.

Extending
-Pictures
-Video links
-Podcast
-News links
-Alternate Suggestions.


Why we did it:
We reviewed our learning intentions for this assignment to see if we successfully completed the task and to review our work and what we have learned.

In our second block, Ms. Lees reviewed our Genius Hour ideas and approved them if she felt they were ready. For the remainder of the second block, we did further research for our Genius Hour projects.

Homework:
None assigned :)

Tips:
If you are struggling to write your letter, start with a template here:
http://www.schoolandstate.org/Handbook/sampleletters.html

Continue to read the Morris Ward Minutes, further articles have been added!
http://themorriswardminutes.wordpress.com

Don't forget that your HACE assignments are due Wednesday, October 31st! 

October 23, 2012 Learning log

What we did:

         Today we went to the library, we talked about and read about the problems in Woodleighville, the fictional town from a class in Australia, such as: the Riot, Woldi, and Cyclone Mike. We typed out our letters to the editor on the computers replying to one of the issues in Woodleighville. We had to either agree or disagree, suggesting solutions, and relating to it.

Why we did it:

         We talked and read about Woodleighville so that we can learn more about the town of Woodleighville and make typing the letters a lot easier. We did a response / letters to the editor to practice our English, and doing a project/assignment with grade 8's from Australia is fun because you have no idea who they are.

How this is useful:

         I think that this will help us because we are typing out letters that people other than your class/teacher will be seeing. It will help us build our confidence and we will be more careful with our spelling and grammar.

Homework:

1. Finish up the letters to the editor.
2. Read more about Woodleighville if you haven't already.

Tips:

• Ms. Lees linked to this page to help with the letters.
• Type it out in Word first because Word has spelling and grammar check.

Revised Schedule

Here is a revised schedule, please let me know if this works for everyone!

Revised: 10/22/2012 @ 6:48 PM.
Revised: 10/22/2012 @ 8:58 PM.

Monday: Sydney
Tuesday: Johnny
1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month: Kevin 
2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month: Jessica
Friday: Jarrod

October 22th's Learning Log !

Hi !

Here is today's learning log ! :

    In class today, we talked about how we are pairing up with the school in Australia and how we are writing letters back to them tomorrow about there problems on their blog. Ms. Lees said to go on their blog and read about their crisis. We also talked about how some people don't know which clubs they want to join and how some people are confused and don't know which clubs to join. Ms. Lees said that she will have flex Tuesday at lunch to help people find a club that they are interested in! Later on, we looked at Ms. Lees' class blog and she reviewed with us the criteria of what we are supposed to do when we are posting on our group blogs at home. Then, 2 people from student council came to talk to us about the five days of fire going on next week and they answered all our questions regarding it. At the end of the class, we were told to hand in our assignments from all the short stories we have done in the past so that Ms. Lees can see how well we have done with them.

    We should read about the class in Australia's blog, Woodleighville so that tomorrow when we are writing the letters back too them, we know what to write! We talked about which clubs people should join because it's really important to find a club that you like going to and that you find really fun to take some stress off of yourself! Reviewing the criteria for the blog posts is really important because we want to know what to write and have it be right instead of completely wrong! It really helps you when you are trying to create a blog post and don't know what to write! If the 2 people from student council didn't come, we would have no idea what to do or wear for the 5 days of fire as it is our very first time experiencing it! Also they told us which colour we are and that's always important so you know which colour to wear! We handed in our assignments to Ms. Lees so that she can track our understanding and our knowledge of short stories!

   I think that the things that Ms. Lees told us about the clubs will really help me in choosing other clubs to join and I'm sure there are a lot of other people wanting to join more clubs so I think flex tomorrow is a great idea! I think the blog that the Australian class has will help me understand some of the problems and conflict going around in other parts of the world! The assignments that we handed in will give us feedback on what we need to improve on and help us in future assignments that we need to do.

 Homework :

Today's homework is to just go on the Australian's class blog, Woodleighville, and read their posts and try to read the newspaper to find articles like the ones in the class blog. Also, think of what you are going to write in the letters we are going to respond to Woodleighville's blog tomorrow. You should think of agreeing, disagreeing and offering suggestions to their blog post.
Read up on these articles :
1. Recovering from Cyclone Mike
2. Rioting recovery
3. Should we install CCTV cameras
4. Do we want a WOULDI superstore

Tips :

You should read Surrey Now, Surrey Leader, The Province, The Vancouver Sun, and any other newspapers you can get a hold of to help you understand and relate to the conflicts they are having. Try to read as many articles regarding the conflicts in the blog as you can as it will help you in writing the letter on Tuesday.
Read the articles on this blog :
http://themorriswardminutes.wordpress.com/2012/10/

Have a great day guys!

Space Jump Response - Kevin N.

Space Jump Response
by Kevin N.


Wow. That's the only thing I can think to say. 

I don't know how he found the courage to jump off from there. You could tell that he was anxious and hesitant before the jump, but 120,000 feet in the air who wouldn't be? 

Honestly, so much could have gone wrong. Just after the launch, his visor began to fog and they considered postponing the mission. But Felix persevered and continued with the mission. 

As soon as he jumped a new crisis occured, he began to spin out of control and fell into a 'death spin' but he was able to get himself back into control.  Along with that, his suit could have ripped, his oxygen supply could have failed; if anything went wrong at such an altitude, it would have resulted in an almost sure death.

I feel extremely proud of Felix for his perseverance despite the jump having been postponed multiple times since 2004 and the consideration of a last-minute cancellation.

What I felt was most amazing about his jump was that Felix happens to be claustrophobic. Imagine being inside the capsule all alone and with no control, then barricaded inside a bulky spacesuit as you fly at over 800 miles per hour towards the ground. 

Just imagine yourself inside the capsule, being kept up by a large helium balloon; with no control. 

You could feel the relief as he landed (amazingly smoothly) in the desert as he fell to his knees and had his family cheering on. When it was all said and done, he is now one of the few who can claim that they 'stood on top of the world'.

This was really an amazing and inspiring video to watch. Thank you for sharing!

-Kevin N.


References:
-DailyMail.co.uk
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2220683/Felix-Baumgartner-Now-cleanup-Balloon-lassoed-packed-supersonic-skydiver-Fearless-Felixs-128-000-foot-Red-Bull-jump.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

-CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/12/tech/claustrophobia-skydiver/index.html

Space Jump Response - Johnny W.

That guy is either crazy, or brave. To get to that spot would be scary enough, but jumping off is another thing. What if the parachute didn't go off? Well, it would hurt, a lot.  Nick and Richard were talking about how it look like Felix fainted while he was falling, but that is obviously not true. I wonder what it wàs like be to above the earth, at the edge of space. Was there less gravity there? Or did it feel the same up there and down here. Also, I wonder what they did with the platform / seat thing he jumped off from, is it still floating in (almost) space or did it fall? What if space became like the ocean, like how we threw stuff out in the ocean and now the ocean is polluted, what if space became polluted? But now I'm getting off topic. Felix really deserved that world record.

Space Jump Response- Jarrod V.

Holy Cow! I could never do something like that! That guy is either brave, or crazy. How did it feel travelling at the speed of sound? I bet he was scared, he could have died! If I ever did that I think my life would flash before my eyes. He deserves the fame that the jump gave him!

Space Jump Response - Jessica O.

Oh my gosh! That’s all I can say …wow when he was getting ready to jump off the platform in space my heart was pounding so hard and I was very scared! That would take a lot of courage to jump all the way from space. The chances were very strong that he could have blown up when he broke through the atmosphere; Felix is a very brave person and certainly risked his life! Red bull is lucky that they got there name on him and sponsored him because at that moment all eyes were on him so red bull got really good publicity. I personally hate jumping off heights; just the feeling in your stomached is gross when you’re dropping. I can’t even stand jumping off little diving boards I hate it! Felix is definitely the worlds greatest dare devil and I don’t think anyone will take the chances to risk there life for a world record, but I am not arguing some people would. Risking your life for a world record is not a choice many people would pick over life. Felix must of felt amazing when he touched the ground because he was free falling for what probably felt like forever. That must have been the greatest feeling in the world to accomplish something that amazing and still be alive and be able to say that was me and yes I jumped from space! Felix had the world cheering for him and praying that he would live because if he didn’t that would be disappointing but it also wouldn’t be his fault at all! Felix did the all time craziest thing that I have ever heard someone try and accomplish!

Space Jump Response - Sydney T.

 While I was watching the video, I was so interested in it, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen! I felt that it was exciting and very different than what I usually watch and it totally blew my mind away! I think the effects and what they were saying also captured my thoughts and made me want to watch more! I think Felix Baumgartner is a really brave man and I would never even think of trying to jump off in space and land on Earth! I was really happy for Felix when he broke the world record of the speed of sound and I was glad that he was okay in the process and when he landed. When he landed, I could tell that he had the most amazing feeling ever and I think that is really special to have. I could tell that his family members really cared about him and all of the people he worked with really wanted him to succeed. I thought this video was really intense and that was what made it an amazing video to watch and I would absolutely watch it over again and again! Great video!

Hello!

Welcome to our Humanities8 Blog! We will be using this blog to update our learning in class.

Members:
Kevin N.
Sydney T.
Jessica O.
Jarrod V.
Johnny W.