.:110|GS:.

In your novel, you have been introduced to several characters so far. In all works of fiction, authors have two types of characters: round and flat.

Round Characters: Characters we get to know well. Round characters have a variety of traits that make them believable.

Flat Characters: Important to the action, but not fully developed. Their function might be to show how the central character behaves or relates to others. Flat characters help make the setting believable. There are varying degrees of flat characters. For some, we will just hear their names. Others we will learn a bit more about.

We get to know about the characters in the novels and stories we read through several different ways:

1. By actions — How a character acts tells a lot about him or her.
2. By speech or thoughts – Listen not only to what a character says, but also to the way he or she says it.
3. By appearance — The description of how a character looks will often tell about a character.
4. By other characters’ comments — What do other characters (either flat or round) say about this character?
5. By the author’s comments — When a story is written from the third-person point of view, the author will often shed light on a character by commenting directly about him or her.

YOUR TASKS

1. Summarize the main events in your group’s novel after a week of Inquiry Circles.

2. Who are the round and flat characters in your novel? How has the author introduced you to the important characters in your novel? Provide an example of how the author used one (or more) of the above ways to introduce one of the main characters in your novel.

3. Choose an event in the story that you feel is important and that demonstrated cooperation or working together to overcome a challenge or obstacle.

• Describe what happened. Why do you think the author had this happen at this point in the story? Don’t forget to include the characters introduced so far, the setting and any other important information that will allow your blog readers to gain a deeper understanding of the story. If you had been the character involved in this event, how would you have reacted to the event?

4. Predict what you think is going to happen next in your novel.

5. Read and respond to at least 2 other students’ blog posts about their novel. One of the posts should be from the same novel you are reading.

Image Source: ellajphillips from flickr.com
Some Task Ideas from: planetbookclub.com

I am gathering together some of the great work you’ve been doing this year. Please leave a comment on this post with a link to your Prezi on Solving a World Issue. 

Thank you!

Image Source:andjohan from flickr.com

Inquiry Circles are discussion-based literature circles. You’re going to be spending the next month working in a group reading a novel. You’ll be reading it together and independently.

Each time you meet, you will be expected to bring some ideas for discussion to your group. While you’re reading, you’ll be expected to put at least 2 sticky notes in the section you’re reading with an idea or thought you had that you can discuss with other group members.

You’ll be assessed in several ways during the next month:

- anecdotal notes (what I see / hear) as I observe your group and you individually in your group – more of the time in your group should be spent discussing rather than reading

- oral responses

- group self assessment – completed at the end of the time with your group

- sticky notes – after reading to prepare for group discussion

- Blog – once a week, you’ll be writing a blog post about what you’ve read during the week. It would be good to incorporate some of the topics you’ve discussed during the week with your group. You’ll also be expected to respond to at least two other blog posts from a different novel or from your own group.

- In Class Essay – on June 1st, you’ll be writing an in class essay on your novel and its theme / message / big ideas.

Meeting Dates

These are the days that you’ll be meeting with your group to discuss the section you’ve read and begin reading the next section.

May 3, May 4, May 8, May 9, May 10, May 11, May 14, May 15, May 17, May22, May 23

(+ Grade 7 Extra Days May 24, 25, 28)

FIRST ACTIVITY

On your blog, I’d like you to create a PAGE with the title of the book you’re reading. On this page, I’d like you to provide a brief overview of the novel (author, setting, etc.) Each time you add a new post to your blog (every Friday), I’d like you to also add a link to the PAGE to the post. You’ll need to keep this page updated as well as your weekly Inquiry Circle posts.

When you’ve created the page, please leave a comment here with a link to the page you’ve created.

Alexandra and Anne did a great introductory page. Have a look at theirs if you’d like a good model. (Really, just look at any blogger’s page from last year.)

While you’re on the computers today please complete the following activities:

1) Make sure your Interview is uploaded and on your blog. There should be a brief description included with your podcast link.
2) Finish your Prezi. Embed the Prezi on your blog. As usual, include a brief description of the assignment and WHY you chose to cover the issue you did. These are due tomorrow.
3) Blended Learning: Work on the following Activities:

BL Pepper Discussion – Onomatopoeia – follow instructions in the Discussion area. Make sure you’ve responded to at least 3 other students for both similes and metaphors.
BL Pepper – Paragraph Editing – complete both activities – Paragraph Editing and Paragraph BLT

BL Pepper – Math – Fractions – there are 4 activities which you can work through – Introduction to Fractions, Investigating Fractions, Converting Fractions, Simplifying Fractions

Image Source: knitsteel from flickr.com

As you are aware, there are a lot of problems in the world today (politcal, climate, war, religious persecution, etc.) You, as the next generation that will be leading our world in a few short years, have a lot of great ideas and a different perspective than our leaders today do.

Your task is to create a Prezi:
1) Choose a problem or issue that exists in the world today.
2) Identify the problem, and try to research the history of the problem or issue (eg. causes, root of problem, how long has this problem existed, etc).
3) Solve the problem! – What do you think could be done to solve this problem? What suggestions do you have that could bring an end to this problem?

Embed the Prezi in your blog. Include a brief summary of what your readers will see in your prezi. Explain why you chose the problem you did.

Image Source:DonnaGrayson from flickr.com

Name a movie you have seen that has had an impact on you.  Explain who the target audience was and how the movie appealed to that target audience.  Your response should be 100-150 words.  Please ensure that you indent your paragraphs, use proper language, and spell check your work before submitting it.  Reply to two others in the class about their movie; explain how that movie affected you.

If the movie is newer, try to find a link to a trailer about the movie. Include at least one image from the movie in your post. (Don’t forget to give credit to your image source).

Begin by responding to this post and telling me what movie you’re going to write about.

Note: if someone else in the class has already written about a given movie, you should not write about that movie in your first posting.  However, you may talk about any movie in your reply to others.Image Source: Capt Kodak

Here are some activities I’d like you to work on today:

1) Upload your PSA or Rap to your blog.

Create a post for this. Please explain what your assignment was as well as what your group’s focus was (eg. Healthy Eating, Physical Activity).

2) Embed your group’s PREZI from your Geography Seminar.

Briefly explain what your assignment was as well as the focus of your group’s presentation. Explain how your group presented the information to the class as well as any activities you had the class do.

3) Blended Learning

Gr. 7 – SCIENCE – Unit 4, Activity 4 – SHAPES – do the Interactive Learning Activities only

Gr. 8 – SCIENCE – Unit 4, Activity 4 – Simple Machines and Mechanical Advantage – do the Interactive Learning Activities only

4) Math Review – Nelson Math

Go to the NELSON MATH WEBSITE and complete the quizzes for Chapter 6. This will help you study for Friday’s test.

Please work on the following activities today during your time using computers. You’ll be working on Blended Learning Activities in Math and Geography as well as working on a blog post.

1) Blended Learning

Gr. 7 – MATH – Unit 1 Activity 1 – all activities

Gr. 7 – GEOGRAPHY – Unit 3, Activities 2, 3, 5 – Complete all Interactive Learning Activities

Gr. 8 – MATH – Unit 1 Activity 1 – Complete the following: Assignment, Interactive Learning Activity (both),  Assignment

Gr. 8 – GEOGRAPHY – Unit 3, Activities 1, 2, 4 – Complete all Interactive Learning Activities

2) Blog

Finish Last Week’s Google Earth assignment and post the paragraph (instructions are on last week’s post).

Today, you’re going to use Google Earth and Where in the World?, a geography puzzle constructed by The Atlantic. The puzzle is based on Google Earth satellite imagery.

There are two puzzles in the series. The easier, though still difficult, of the two is this one that presents an image and three answer choices.

Record your score as a comment to this post.

Once you’ve found the answers, do a little research about one of the places in the puzzle and post it on your blog.

If you have time, try this one that does not offer multiple answer choices but does offer some very obscure clues.

Credit:Google Earth Blog

The Year in 60 Seconds is a video from Reuters featuring images and some sound bites of the year’s biggest global news stories. I found this video on The English Blog. As Jeffrey Hill mentioned on his post, the video makes you wonder if anything good happened in 2011.

Your Task:

Creat your own “Year in Review” video using FlixTime.

Try to find a variety of images / video clips of important and major from Canada and around the world.

Post the video on your blog with a brief description of why you chose the images you did.

Then, write a paragraph responding to this question and post it on your blog:

What was the most world changing event of 2011?