30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb 25th

Hi guys,

Here is today's Haiku. It's called Light.
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Radiant with glory,
Splattering the bright blue sky,
Lighting up our days.
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30 Day Challenge Poem for Feb23rd

Hi guys,

Here is today's Haiku, called Golden Thread.

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

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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:

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Petals unfurling,
The deepest shade of ruby,
The beautiful rose.
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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:

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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.

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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:

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Shining
Down upon us,
During the deep dark night,
Casting an eerie glow on us,
Twinkling.
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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:
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Beautiful sunlight,
Dousing the Earth in bright light,
Making our days bright.

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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:

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                         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:

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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.
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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):

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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.
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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.

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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!