30 Day Challenge Review

My 30 day challenge was done great. I completed my challenge, to eat a fruit after school and to eat more vegetables at dinner. A big help was my grandmother. Usually she gives me a salad at dinner and some fruit after school. If she doesn't, we have a fruit plate so I can have one whenever I want. After completing this challenge, I find it easier to eat more healthy food. I hope I keep it up so my challenge won't be wasted.

30 Day Challenge Check up

         My 30 Challenge has gone quite well, I stuck to both of my challenges and succeeded. For my treadmill challenge, I managed to go on the treadmill everyday, allowing me to be more fit and healthy. For my poem challenge, I have written a poem every 2 days, allowing me to get back in touch with something that I missed. I think that the 30 Day Challenge has definitely been good for me, and I think that I might continue on with it in some way. I definitely am proud of myself, as I stuck to my challenges, something that I did not expect that I would.

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 29th

Hi Guys,

Here is today's Haiku, called Rain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beating like a drum,
Striking the fragile Earth's ground,
Shining in beauty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 27th

Hi Guys,

Here is today's Haiku, called Winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lifeless and frozen,
Covered in blankets of white,
Unmoving and still.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 25th

Hi guys,

Here is today's Haiku. It's called Light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radiant with glory,
Splattering the bright blue sky,
Lighting up our days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb23rd

Hi guys,

Here is today's Haiku, called Golden Thread.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spun from straw to gold,
Shimmering, glimmering, gold.
Thread like no other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ta Da!

Learning Log for Feb 23rd

Hi guys,

Here is today's learning log:

What We Did:

- Reviewed our answers on TWBW Chapters 1-5 questions. We made sure that we understood the answers, and corrected the questions we got wrong. This also helped us for the quiz we had on TWBW Chapters 1-5 later on in the class.

- Quiz on TWBW Chapters 1-5. We had a 10 question quiz on the chapters, mainly to make sure that we understood the story.

- Time to work on TWBW questions, notes for our Bibliographies, or our Diary's for our Middle Ages Project.

Why We Did It:

-Reviewed Questions: We did this to get a better understanding of our story, and also to correct any wrong answers we might have, and improve on them as well.

- Quiz: We did this to check how well we understood the story, and prove that we know and remember the earliest parts of the story.

Time to work: We did this so that we could get ahead on anything that we need to, and if we needed, research using the books from the Humanities department that we might not have had a chance to use otherwise

Connections/Reflections:

-Review: This can help us when answering future TWBW questions, as we can use insight to answer, hopefully improving on our answers.

- Quiz: This can help us on other quizzes, as we have to know how to review and study for tests, quizzes, and exams.

-Time to work: This will definitely help us in the project that we are working on currently, as we got to get a lot accomplished, and save us valuable time.

Homework:

-TWBW Chapter 10 questions: make sure they are finished for tomorrow, as we will be having a TWBW quiz on chapters 6-10.

- Finish your notes for the diary. Make sure that they are ready to go, and detailed. If you need tips on note making, here is a useful web link on how to make notes: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/academic/notes-tips.htm. Also, you may check my last Learning Log post for more tips. Here is the web link: http://hum8buddies.blogspot.com/2012/02/learning-log-for-feb-16th.html.

Tips:

-Check out the web links above. They might help you out a lot.

- Try to get ahead on your TWBW questions. That way you will not have to much homework later on.

Have a great day guys!

30 day challenge check up !

So my thirty day challenge was to exercise on non-band days, and do the best I can to eat healthier. It's been going pretty well, I've been able to exercise using my wii game "Just Dance 3" and going on runs and walks. What I've found harder is the eating healthier part, but I have been eating better then I did before. I haven't been eating as much junk food, and have been eating fruits and vegetables more often. I'm going to try to keep this up even after the thirty day challenge since they're both good habits. So that's how I'm doing so far!

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 21st

Hi guys,

Here is today's Haiku, called Rose:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Petals unfurling,
The deepest shade of ruby,
The beautiful rose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ta Da!

30 Day Challenge Progress Report-XingLu

My 30 day challenge was to eat more fruits and vegetables since I was not eating enough. My plan was to eat a fruit everyday after school and to eat more vegetables at dinner. I have been doing that everyday so my challenge is going well. My grandma always gives me a fruit after school and sometimes at dinner she gives me a salad in a bowl and makes me eat it so now I don't have so much trouble remembering.

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 19th

Hi Guys,

Here is today's poem. It is a Free Verse, called Sun. Here it is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brightly shines the sunrise,
At the beginning of dawn's flight,
Raising up to shine in our awestruck eyes,
Feeding our thirst for it's light.

It sails across the watercolour sky,
Flaunting it's radiance in it's size,
The life giver to our Earth,
In our heart's, our biggest prize.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ta Da!

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 17th

Hi guys,

Here is today's poem. It is a Cinquain, called Moon. Here it is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shining
Down upon us,
During the deep dark night,
Casting an eerie glow on us,
Twinkling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ta Da!

Learning Log for Feb 16th

Hi Guys,

Here is today's blog post.

What We Did:

- Took notes on Manor Life using our Pathways textbooks. We had to write notes using either the web format, the outline format, or the cornell format after reading pages 49-53 in the Pathways. Here are some tips about taking notes that you might want to be aware of:

• Date and title your notes, so that you know when you wrote the notes, and what exactly they are about.
• Divide your notes into the main idea, headings, sub-headings, and details. This is amazingly effective, as you will be able to tell what the most important pieces of information are.
• Make sure the notes are detailed, but not too detailed. Notes should give you the information that you need to be able to study and understand, but not be so detailed that it is like reading an essay. Make sure that you remove unecassary words such as "a, the, an" as they will most likely just take up space and time.
• Don't copy the notes down in the exact same wording as the textbook. These are your notes, and supposed to be in your words.
• If you think that you will forget the definition of a word, write it down. Just taking two minutes to write down the definition of a word could save you many marks on a test or quiz.
• Make sure you understand all the information. If you do not, make sure you ask a teacher for help.

- Did a Venn Diagram comparing women in the middle ages, to women now. A venn diagram is a great way of comparing things. To make one, just draw two overlapping circles, making sure that two sides create a smaller section in the middle. It should end up looking like the diagram below.

Then we had to take information from our Pathways textbook and our own knowledge to make a comparison between our two subjects.

- Finished working on Chapter 8 There Will Be Wolves Questions.

Why We Did It:

- Notes on Manor Life: We did this because it helps us learn more about Manors, and what happened on them. For some people, writing information down actually helps them retain more of it. Also, it improves our note taking skills, as we get to pratice. Practice does make perfect after all! And by sorting the information into Headings and Sub-Headings, it improves our abilities to be able to figure out what the main ideas and details are.

- Comparison of women in the middle ages to women now: We did this because we get to practice working with a Venn Diagram, and because we improve our comparison skills, as we learn the how to find out the similarities and differences  between the two subjects. We also learn about women in the Middle Ages, and how little rights they have. This leads us to see how much humans have changed since that time period, as now women have many more rights then they did back then, and are treated equal to men.

- Chapter 8 Questions: We did this to gain a better understanding of our story, and also to make better connections, as in some questions we have to connect one idea to another.

Connections/Reflections:

- Note taking: This can definetly help us in University and other classes during a lecture or important video, as taking notes will help us retain information, and also give us something to study off of.

-Comparison using Venn Diagram: This can help us when making a comparison between any subject, as we will be able to sort information in a neat and simple way. You could use the Venn Diagram when deciding which hotel would be better to stay at, deciding what sport you might like better, etcetera.

-Chapter 8 Questions: This will help us when reading a book, as we will be able to better understand phrases and difficult words that might be in the book.

Homework:

-Notes and Comparison: Go to flex to finish if you haven't already, as we can't take the textbooks home.

-Chapter 8 Questions due tomorrow.

Tips:

-Read over your notes so that you can make sure that the information is fresh in your mind.

30 Day Challenge Poem Feb 15th

Hi guys,

Here is today's poem, it is a haiku. A haiku is a Japanese poem, consisting of three lines. The first has 5 syllables, the second 7, and the last 5 again. It is typically about nature. My poem is titled "Sunlight". Here it is:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beautiful sunlight,
Dousing the Earth in bright light,
Making our days bright.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ta Da! And I will be posting the learning log tomorrow.

Missing post

Kia-I have realized that you forgot to post today, please post tomorrow.

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 13th

Hi Guys,

Sorry, this is pretty late, but at least I've posted! Today's poem is a different type of poem; a Diamante.

 A Diamante is a poem in the shape of a diamond. The top row is a noun, or the title. The second row is two adjectives that describe the noun. The third row is three verbs that describe the noun. Next are four nouns, the first two connected to the first noun in some way. The last two are connected to a new subject, the opposite of your previous subject. The next line is three verbs, describing the new subject.
Next is two adjectives describing your new subject. Lastly is the new subject, a noun or title. And that is a diamante! Now here is mine, titled "Fire and Ice". Here it is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                         Fire

                        Alive, Bright

                         Burning, Shining, Growing

                         Spark, Heat, Arctic, Winter

                          Cutting, Freezing, Biting

                          Frigid, Sharp

                         Ice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ta Da! Have a good night!





30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 11th

Hi Guys,

Today's poem is a little bit different, I find. I find it very different from my other poems, so it may be off putting. I'm not sure. But here it is anyways, it is a Free Verse (I know, it probably seems like that is all I ever write) titled "Music". Here it is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Close your eyes, breathe deeply.
Let the sound reach into your heart,
Caressing your mind,
Enveloping your body in an other-worldly sense.

Listen to the music,
Let it awaken your inner being,
Feel it touch your soul,
Disrupting all you have ever known.

Find yourself in another place,
Let your heart guide you,
To a place of profanity,
Awakening your senses from their slumber.

Drift into a state of confusion,
Let the dynamics pierce your mind,
Making you change your opinion of the world,
Overwhelming you with the beauty of the music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ta Da! Have an awesome weekend!

30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 9th

Hi Guys,

Here is today's poem! I originally wrote another poem for my post today, but I decided I did not like it, and attempted to write another one. However, I soon realised that I had a major case of Writer's Block, something that almost never happens to me. But I did manage to come up with something, so here it is. It's called Bluebird, and it is a Free Verse (again):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bluebird, sing me a sweet song,
That will carry through the woods, free and strong.
Lead me to my dreams,
To all I could ever be,
Bluebird, let me see.

Croon to me a sweet lullaby,
And set me adrift,
Into a sweet abyss,
Where time and space do not exist.

Trill to me, a lovely melody,
That will make me soar in the sky.
And fly with me, sweet bluebird,
'Till I need you not anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learning log for February 9th

What we did:

Today was a double block day. During the first block we talked about everyone's 30 day challenges. We talked about if we were able to accomplish them so far and if not we gave each other tips about how we could accomplish them. For example instead of playing the piano for two hours a day, maybe only play for thirty minutes a day. We also wrote down what we think the crusades were. For example you could put the clothing, what were the crusades, and who was allowed to be on the crusades.

During the second block wrote some more point about what we thought/knew about the crusades. We also watched put of a movie about the crusades. Then for the last 10- 15 minutes we had to do the chapter 6 questions for ʽʽ There will be wolvesʹʹ .

Why we did it:

We talked about our 30 day challenges to get help and to see what everyone's challenges are for themselves.

We wrote what we knew about the crusades because we will probably going to do an project later in the future. We probably watched the movie for the exact same reason.

Connections:

The thirty day challenges are good in real life because it helps you try new things that you would not normally do and helps to make changes is your life.

Tips:

To check Ms. Lees blog.

Homework:

Our only homework was to read chapter 6 of There will be Wolves, and answer the questions that go along with it.

Febuary 7th Learning Blog!

What We Did
Today at the beginning of class we reviewed our 30 day challenges and made connections to the IDEO shopping cart video(you can see them on Ms. Lee's blog). We went over why, and how we will successfully complete our goals, and went over some examples. Some people didn't realize on our posts that we had to include why we chose those goals, and how we plan to follow through.
We also went over the first two questions from there will be wolves chapter five, and went over what the difference is between a vague/unclear or just bad answer is to a good, detailed, thurough answer.

Why We Did It
We reviewed the 30 day challenges because these blogs are actually a part of our writing mark so we want them to be as good as possible. We don't do anything for no reason. It is also getting us to explain, and think deeper then "just because". This also shows how to actually plan to succeed rather then just saying you'll do it and end up not doing anything at all.
We went over the first two questions so she could show us what she thinks a good answer is so next time we do questions, we will do so much better.

Connections
30 day challenges are a really good idea in real life because it makes you do things you wouldn't normally think of doing, and making it a habit. I think it makes your life more
exciting! Always editing our answers to questions gives us editing skills, but since there is always room to grow and do better, it's gray proactive for any sort of question answering.

Homework
Finish your chapter 5 questions, and remember to do your 30 day challenges!

Tips
Actually do what you said you would for 30 day challenges or else it's meaningless. Also when you finish chapter 5 you could read ahead and do some chapter 6 questions!

30 Day Challenge

I have decided to take on a second 30 day challenge, because I wanted a little bit of variety. I have decided that I will write and post a poem every 2 days. A poem meaning any type (whatever I feel like that day) such as Diamante, Free Verse, Haiku, etcetera. I have a feeling you will mostly be receiving Free Verse though, because it is the type of poem I prefer. Anyhow, as for my other challenge, the treadmill one, I am going to get my daily dose of treadmill in about 20 minutes, which is when my Mom will let me go on the treadmill (she is on it right now). If you guys need any help achieving your goals, feel free to ask me for help, don't be shy! But you're probably wondering right now if I have started on my poem challenge, and the answer is yes! Here is the poem I wrote today in Humanities class (I had already finished Chapter 5 questions):

Spring Meadow

As I drift through the meadow I can feel the breeze,

Bouncing off of leaves of million year old trees,

Newly born blossoms spring from the Earth,

In Mother Nature's cycle of fresh and new birth.

A doe and her fawn bound through the heather,

Their footsteps dancing as light as a feather.

They notice not I, a bird, a 'jay.

As I fly, fly far away.

I leave this spring meadow I have known all my life,

Where wildflowers and heather are beautiful as they are rife.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ta Da! And if you are wondering, rife means abundant, or plentiful. Good luck on your challenges!

My 30 day challenge!

My 30 day challenge is to be overall more fit. This includes more exercising, eating healthier, and drinking more water. Since I have gym all year, I have it every second day, so on my band days, me and my mom or one of my friends will go out on a run, or do some form of excercise. The other part is eating healthier. I'm going to try to eat less candy, chocolate, and ice cream, and have fruit or vegetables instead. Also when we eat out I'll order salad and other healthier alternatives instead of fries and fatty foods. Ona daily basis I will also Try to drink more water. The reason I chose to do this is because I eat quite a lot of junk food like candy and ice cream, and this gives me a chance to cut down on my habit. The reason I'm doing the exercising is because after school I usually end up sitting watching tv, doing homework, or practicing piano, so I don't get a lot of physical activity during the day other then gym. So this is my thirty day challenge!

Learning Log for February 6

Today's blog post is done by me since Hannah is busy.

What We Did
    The first thing we did today was change the seating plan.
    We discussed our blog posts and used Hannah's, Kia's, Justin S.'s, and mine as examples. From each of the posts Ms Lees picked out good things (for example, separating homework and tips, giving specific details) and bad things (language, brief paragraphs) and told us how we could improve our posts (for example, using for example to make it clearer). Also we talked about how to do better comments that are more helpful.
    We watched the TED video about a 30 day challenge. It is where you set a goal for 30 days and accomplish it. The video described how "months don't just fly by, but instead they make them more memorable". Also its a fun and easy way to try something out or break an old habit. You could try jogging every morning, or eating less junk food for 30 days. In the video, the speaker also described how if you do a challenge you get more courage to do harder challenges. The thing I found most important was how easy it was to make goal setting easier by doing a 30 day challenge. Say your challenge was to do read 3000 pages of books in a series. Then you could just read 100 pages a day and not have to have to read 300 pages a day near the end of the challenge.

Why We Did It

    The seating plan got changed since we have been in the same seating plan from December. One reason it got changed is due to us being able to choose where we sat and who we sat with in December, some groups were really loud, off-task, and disruptive. Another reason is so that we can sit with and work with different people, and the Ms Lees put us in these groups so that we can work quietly.
    We discussed our blog posts so we could learn to improve from our past mistakes and make our posts better and better. We learned what a good comment was so then we can help our peers specifically and not just saying 'good job'.
    We watched the video to learn about how a 30 day challenge can be useful in our lives.

Connections
    When you are in higher grades editing and proofreading will be very important for essays, projects, etc. It will also help if you become an author, journalist, or any other writing job. It is very important to know these skills.
    The 30 day challenge is something you can do for your whole life and for almost anything, like academics, sports, and habit breaking.

Homework
-post your 30 day challenge has to include: what your challenge is, why you chose it, and how you plan to reach your goal.
-start reading chapter 5 (There Will Be Wolves)

Tips
-make helpful comments on your peers' blogs
-check Ms Lees' blog for updates
-re-watch the TED 30 day challenge video to get a better understanding
-this week is probably the last week for blog posting so try your hardest on the last ones

Next post is done by Hannah

My 30 Day Challenge-XingLu

My 30 day challenge is something that I need to do since I realized that I'm not healthy. My problem isn't that I eat too much junk food and candy (I never eat any), or that I'm gaining weight, it's that I don't have enough healthy food. My goal is that for 30 days I have to eat all the fruits and vegetables given to me. I plan do do this by eating a fruit everyday after school and eating more vegetables then I usually do at dinner. I hope by doing this I will become stronger and less lazy.

My Challenge

The challenge I chose for myself over the next 30 days is to go without pop. For example I'm not going to drink Dr.pepper, coke, root beer, and so on. I chose this challenge for myself because I really like pop, it's really not good for you, and I got the idea from Ms. Lees. I have actually started my challenge for myself on February 1st. That means I've already went 6 days without having any pop. I am very interested in seeing how I'm going to feel and how tempted I will start to get over the next 30 day.

30 Day Challenge

My 30 Day Challenge is something I believe that I can definitely benefit from. I have decided that for 30 days, I will go on the treadmill for half an hour each day, every day. I chose this because since my gym class ended last semester, I feel that I have become less fit, which is disappointing because I really enjoyed gym class. So whenever I can, I will try to go on the treadmill (which is difficult because I have extra curricular activities almost every day).  I definitely think that I will really benefit from my 30 day challenge, and who knows, maybe after the 30 days is up I will decide to continue the challenge!

Learning Log for Feb 3rd

Hi Guys,

Today was a really beautiful day! But I suppose we are not here to discuss weather, so here is the learning log that you have been waiting in anticipation for:

What We Did:

- Edited our Chapter 3 and 4 Answers with Partners: Ms. Lees assigned us partners, and we checked over, corrected, and added to our answers for the Chapter 3 and 4 questions related to our There Will Be Wolves novel study book. The criteria for our answers was:

~ No "I think/I believe" voice, meaning that you state I think/believe/In my opinion every time you state your opinion. This is unnecessary because since you are the one writing, we already know that it is your opinion. If you have this habit, it is easy to correct. Just erase the "I think/believe/my opinion" and see if your statement makes sense! If it does not, reword the sentence so that it does make sense.

~ No general pronouns: If you write he/she/it every time you talk about someone, you have to specify who you are speaking about. This is because the reader may be confused as to which "her or him" you are speaking about as there may be multiple. This can be corrected by writing the character's name instead of the offending pronoun.

~ Check Spelling/Grammar, because misspelled words and grammar mistakes just make it hard for the reader. To correct this, use a dictionary for the correct word, or ask a friend for help.

~ Add additional thoughts/details.

Why We Did It:

- Editing: To improve our answers and make them the best we possibly can. This also helps us to better comprehend the story, as by writing more into our answers we understand more of the story. We also improve on oral communication skills, as we have to communicate with our partners to be able to peer edit and discuss.

Connections/Reflections:

- Editing work will help us if we ever want to become editors for a magazine or publishing company. This can also help us in reflecting on our work before handing it in to a boss/teacher so that we can correct any mistakes we have and also add to it.

Homework:

- Make your Chapter 3 and 4 answers as perfect as you can make them (re-phrase your answers, correct mistakes, etcetera) and be prepared to show them to Ms. Lees on Monday.

Tips:

- Have your parents check your answers over once you think they are perfect. You might be surprised as to how much a second opinion helps!

-Try to get started on the Chapter 5 questions, as it could eliminate some future homework for you.

Next up on Monday is Hannah!

Have a great weekend!

Learning Log for January 31

What We Did
    At the start of the block the students that had trouble with their blog got helped. We re-watched the ABC Nightline IDEO Shopping Cart video and finished our notes for it. We talked about how it related to our group work/discussions (communication, each member having a job, etc.). After that Ms Lees explained what we are going to do on Thursday. We are going to discuss our There Will Be Wolves chapter 1 and 2 questions in groups of three. We also did a bit of silent reading on There Will Be Wolves chapter 3.

Why We Did It
    The people who had problems with their blogs were helped because it is better to solve a smaller problem now, instead of it being a major problem later.
    We re-watched the ABC Nightline IDEO Shopping Cart video since some people were away so they can see it and so we could finish our notes on it. We did the notes so we could know what to improve on and to understand the video better.
    Ms Lees told us about Thursday so then we wont be confused on what to do.

Connections
    The people that needed help with the blog got helped so that they could learn from their mistake and know how to do it next time.
    In older grades and adulthood there may be a lot of team work required so watching the video made it more clear on what we should do.

Homework 
-read chapter 3 (There Will Be Wolves)
-finish chapter 1 and 2 questions (There Will Be Wolves)


Tips
-check Ms Lees' blog for updates

January 30th Learning Blog

What We Did
   Today we had class in the library doing group, and one on one blog critiquing. We got together with our blog groups and thought about how we could make our blog posts better, and saw how often each person was posting and we set group goals. Then you had to find someone you never, or rarely work with to critique each others blog posts, saying how good they were on a rate of 1-5, and say what they could do better to improve.

Why We Did It
   We did this so we could build our group, communication, and critiquing skills. Also others might see some things about your blog that doesn't make sense and learn from our mistakes. Through this we are also getting better at self, and peer evaluations.

Connections
    When we get into higher grades, most likely english, we will have to use these editing skills for essays, stories, etc. Also if we want a job in the area of writing like being an author or an editor, that is a place where editing skills are VERY important. Evaluating/critiquing skills are useful in many places.

Homework 
   The homework was to finish those peer editing sheets, and if you haven't already finished your novel questions there's that too.

Tips
   Make sure to finish your questions so that we talk in our novel groups tomorrow!

Learning Log for January 16th

Hi Guys,

Yay! We are getting back on track with these Learning Logs! Anyhow, here is today's learning log...

What We Did:

- Worked on our webs about our novel's setting: we got together with the people in our novel study group, and finished taking notes on our heading's subjects. Examples of these headings could be Geography, Clothing, Social Structure, etc. These headings must be only about the setting and time period of your novel, not the characters. After we finished taking notes and connecting ideas to other ideas, we planned the web out on paper so that we might see where everything will fit.

Why We Did It:

-Novel Webs: We are making these webs to better understand the setting and time period of our novel. This will guide us into learning more into learning about the history in the time period of our novels, as we must research many subjects. This will also help us in our oral communication skills, as we have to be able to collaborate and work well with our group. Also, this helps with organisation and planning skills, because we have to be able to fit things on our web in a way that makes sense.

Connections/Reflections:

-Novel Webs: This web will help us if we wished to be historians, history teachers, or archaeologists, because we learn a lot about a certain time period. Also, this can help us in meetings, as we will have good collaboration skills.

Homework:

- Finish taking your notes on your subjects that you are responsible for.

-Finish and hand in your paragraphs if you haven't already done so. Remember, the order of which they must be in is:

• Rubric/Checklist
• Good Copy
• Draft(s)
• Outline

That is all! Next up is... Hannah!

Learning log for January 13th

What we did:
Today we got our class selection sheet for grade 9. Also today we finished peer checking our paragraph.

Why we did it:
We did the class selection sheet to pick what classes we want to do in grade 9.
We did the peer check on the paragraphs to help us under stand how to improve our paragraphs and we did it in pairs to practice our oral skill by talking to each other.

Connections:
The class selection sheets can help us pick our future by picking the classes we want to take. We could pick the classes by what we want to learn about and about what job we might want to do in the future.
Doing the paragraphs in pairs helps us in the future to by improving our writing and oral skills.

Homework/tips:
We need to get our good copies of our paragraphs typed or written in black or blue pen.
Remember to bring your class selection sheets on Monday or you will have to stand outside in the cold and fill one out right there.

Next to post will be Kia.

Learning Log for January 12

What We Did

First block:

During first block we worked on our concept maps with our novel groups. We first did a basic draft with a title and subtitles, then we split up and each person worked on  a subtitle (for example, Jessica did class and Chase did warfare).

Second block:

In second block we did peer proofreading and editing for our narrative, descriptive, explanatory, and persuasive paragraphs. Ms. Lees handed us two sheets of paper and discussed them. One of them was about editing abbreviations (for example, three lines under a letter means there should be a capital). The other one was used for when proofreading and editing. On the front side there is a checklist of what was needed in the paragraph (title, punctuation, etc.). On the back there is a chart of things required (ranked one through four depending on how well you did it). We buddied up and edited with our partner. For each paragraph we had to use another checklist and most people finished three each. We will finish them tomorrow and do a good copy too.

Why We Did It

We did the concept webs for several purposes. TEAMWORK was really important in this task. We worked, discussed, and helped each other out while doing this assignment. It also developed making webs and getting information from the book. In the end it was pretty quiet while we worked so that was good.

We practiced proofreading and editing so we would get used to doing it to our own paragraphs and written assignments. We also learned about how to proofread and edit better.

Connections

You will need to know how to make concept webs and how to proofread and edit in school and out of school.

Homework/Tips

I don't think there was any homework today

You could work on your concept map or start the good copy of the paragraphs (if you have edited it already)

Be sure to check Ms. Lees blog for updates

The counselor might be coming tomorrow (block 4) to talk about course selections for grade 9

  

Tomorrow's blog will be done by Caitlin

Tuesday, January 10th's Learning Log!

Hello  again!
I'm sorry this one won't be too detailed since all we did was geography challenge...

What We Did...
   Today we did the geography challenge which took the whole block, so i guess there is not too much to write about.

Why We Did It...
   The geography challenge  is a test of different sorts of geography for grades 8 - 10. We were tested on Canada, the world, and even different foods! We did it so it would give us a chance to see how much we really know about the world, and Canada's history. It also gave us a chance to see how much background geography knowledge we have, and have a chance to use what we do have.

Connections
   We can use the information we learn when we are travelling, future socials classes, and of course the geography challenges coming up. Also, if you become a travel agent, you will need to know about different tourist attractions and things like that.

Homework
   The homework is, to make sure you have finish all not handed in work like the first knight questions, pathways notes, and make sure you have all your paragraphs ready for proof reading on Thursday!

Tips
   Try to get everything in as soon as possible so we can move on to other things in class, and also make sure you have all of your paragraphs done.

I tried to do my best based on not much information, so i hope it wasn't that bad!

So that means XINGLU you are up next!

Learning Log for January 9th

Hi guys,

I have not posted in a while, probably due to the fact that Caitlin has been posting for the past week or so!

Anyways, I'm back! And I suppose you are waiting for a learning log of sorts, so here you go...

What We Did:

-Ms. Lees discussed with us about upcoming things in our week like:

• The geography challenge, which is tomorrow. If you do not know what the geography challenge is, it is sort of a quiz, where our teacher asks us questions about Canadian geography and history, World geography and history, landmarks, and sometimes we have to answer questions while locating the answer of the question (a place) on a map provided on the overhead. We write our answers individually, meaning no chatting about the answers. I am not completely sure as to what would happen if you won this challenge, maybe we would have a school wide competition. But like I said, I am not completely sure. This challenge is not for marks.
• The course selection that will be happening on Wednesday. This will be done in a fair like format, where the Grade 8's learn about courses that will be available for them to choose from (their electives). At the end of course selection, we will receive a sheet to take home, and that is when we actually choose the electives. I highly recommend sitting down and talking with your parents, so that you can maybe see what would be best for you. Keep in mind that you must choose with your future in mind. For example, if you were planning on pursuing a profession that requires French as a second language, it might be a good idea to choose French as one of your electives!

Ms. Lees normally does discuss with us about the upcoming week on Mondays, so this was fairly normal.

- We took notes on concept webs. Concept webs are webs about a specific subject, using connections, diagrams, tables, pyramids and hierarchy ladders, pictures, and phrases that are all relevant to the subject. It is a visual way to represent and organise data. The webs on the walls of our class look really good, and it looks like an interesting way to maybe do a book report, write a history web, or take notes, because it allows you to survey all your information on one sheet of paper, and also to make connections you otherwise might not have been able to, say, in an essay. Soon we will be making webs in our groups made up of the people in our novel study group.

Why We Did It:

-Discussions about:

• Geography Challenge: To help us prepare for the upcoming geography challenge, so that we know what is expected of us, and also what to study. This allows us to get a better understanding of our world, and find out some things that we maybe did not know before. The geography challenge offers us a vast variety of information for us to process and remember. It is done in a slightly competitive way, so that it makes it a little bit more fun and interesting for the people who are taking part in it.
• Course Selection: So that we know about our new opportunity to choose our electives. This will help us to be able to speak with our parents before hand, and come to some sort of consensus before we even go to the selection fair. It also gives us some time to process that we are actually selecting our courses now, and not at the end of the year; I know I was a little bit surprised at that!

-Notes on concept web: This gives us an idea of the criteria of the concept webs, and also tells us what they are, because I know that some people may not have known what they are, and this allows us to understand and process what is needed to be done on these projects. The concept ways are great for helping you to make connections, and I feel that the visual element is key, as it gives interest to your eyes, and also helps the visual learners understand the information more. I am glad that Ms. Lees gave us an opportunity to plan these webs in our mind a little bit, maybe formulate what we think we want to aim for, and how we can achieve that goal. Following through, after all, is the key to success!

Connections/Reflections:

-Discussing:

• Geography Challenge: Doing the geography challenge will help us in jobs that involve travel, such as a travel agent, travel guide, or even if you were a traveller wondering where some neat landmarks are in the areas close to your destination. It also helps if you are watching the news, because then you can figure out where and why calamities are happening, whether the reason be of history, location, etc.
• Course Selection will help us in the future so that we can do an elective that will help us on our career path. Also learning about the courses will help us decide which one we would like to take and help us decide on the reasons that we are taking it, so we have a slight idea on why we might be thinking about pursuing a certain career.

- Notes on Concept Web: The concept webs will allow us in future projects in school, to plan out what we want to do. It also helps during meetings if we are trying to get a point across, but can't quite find the words to explain it.

Homework:

-No homework, unless you have not finished your novel. I suggest reading it as soon as you can, because by now we have moved on in class.
-Go to flex if you have not finished your First Knight questions or your Chapter one notes.

Tips:

-Talk to your parents about the courses you want to take. They might offer a point of view that you never thought about, and that could affect your decision.

-Try and brush up on you geography for tomorrow. It couldn't hurt to just surf the Internet for facts.

-Start thinking about your web. Its a good idea to plan it out a little bit (not the content, the format, because we don't really know our subject very much) so that you are fully prepared for the task.

I hope that this helped, and I'm really hoping that it wasn't complete rubbish!

Next up is Hannah. Bye!

Learning log for January 6th

What we did:
Today we had class in the library. We finished critiquing our blogs in partners again and we kinda critiqued three webs in groups.

Why we did it:
We critiqued the blogs in partners to improve on our skills. We critiqued the webs in groups to improve our oral skills and how to work good in groups.

Connections:
Its good that we did critiquing because it could help us in future jobs and it could also help others. Also its good that we worked in partners and in groups because it also could help us in the future for almost everything.

Homework:
We have the geography challenge on Tuesday.

Tips:
Always check ms. lees blog if u every need help.

The next person to post is Kia

Learning log for January 5th

What we did:

Today first block we did 6 rounds of the practice geography challenge to get ready for the geography challenge next week, Tuesday, January 10th. Geography challenge is when Ms. Lees asks us questions about geography kind of like a quiz.

For the second block we went to the library to use the computers to critique our blogs and to learn what we could do better.

Why we did it:

We practiced the geography challenge so we can get ready and be prepared for the challenge. Also we could learn about the world. Doing the geography challenge could help us in the future. For example we could use it in jobs or in travels.Some job examples are... - travel guide
- an archeology

We are looking at the learning logs so we can reflect on the work and to see how we are doing. Also doing the learning logs helps us work on our writing skills. We critiqued our blogs with partners to build oral skills. We reflected on them because it helps us see what needs improving and to see how far we have come from the start.

Connections:

We could use the blogs to help us learn about computers and it could help us in the future for a job.

Homework - tips:

Study for the geography challenge. Check Ms. Lees blog.

I will be posting tomorrow as well.

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