Week of Feb. 22

In this unit, I am trying to get students to look at the books they read not only as readers, but as writers as well. I will be including some creative writing assignments spinkled into this novel unit. As a part of understanding the elements of the novel, we have begun with setting. The purpose of the setting is to "activate the imagination of the reader." (as quoted by Cate from Eng. 84) There are many components of setting that we discussed in class such as time period, location, geography, surroundings, weather, and culture just to name a few.

Students were given novel sheet#1 which asks them to discuss why they chose the book. They were also to include at least a six sentence description of the setting of their book.

In class lesson on setting: The focus of writing a setting is to be descriptive and bring the setting to life for the reader. Writers use words to paint a picture for the readers. We discussed the idea of  "show not tell" and utilizing the senses in their writing.( sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) As they continue their reading, they should be looking for examples as to how their authour is incorporating these ideas in their work.

Example: Tell: "It was very  cold outside. I noticed the mountains were covered in snow."

Show: " Frosty bits clung to the man's beard as he gazed toward the magestic towers beyond. Snow capped and gleaming in the sunlight, the mountains silently sung their magic."

Assignment: Students are to complete a one paragraph piece which focuses on a favourite place. Basic criteria includes: use of the senses, show not tell, and the avoidance of too many overdone adjectives. The goal is to paint a picture using words. (10 marks) Due date: early next week.

Week ending Feb. 11

We have had a few busy weeks as we continue to wrap up our unit on Mythology. There have been two worksheets ( Intro to Norse Myths and the Myth of Loki). The first sheet was to be handed in this week. We will spend a few more days on this and wrap up with a creative assignment (making runes out of clay). We will also spend one class on comparative mythology (creation myths).

Last week, students watched the video version of, "Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief" which is lightly based on mythological characters. As with most films, especially when one has read the book, the film was somewhat disappointing. This proved perfect for my next assignment ...which was to complete an original movie review. We discussed what a hook is and how students needed to be clear to express their opinion of the movie in the first few lines. They should then progress with their opinions but back up their ideas with examples. We discussed avoiding I think, I believe, since the entire piece is an opinion piece.

As the second term draws to a close, marks will be communicated to students/parents over the next week. This term was much easier for many students compared to term #1 and most students did very well. We head into a more difficult term in term #3.

Overview of term #3

Improving reading for information
Elements of the novel
Independent Novel Study ( has already been sent home...worth 75 marks due the end of March without exception)
Poetry terms
Responding to poetry
Writing poetry
Reciting poetry

 If parents are interested in my assessments of their students beyond a grade, I would be pleased to communicate my observations at any time.