Ms. Groeller Grade 9 Humanities

This week, students chose partners and started preparing arguments around this debate topic: Using independent research and details from our film study of The Pursuit of Happiness, pairs have been challenged to prepare speeches based on two main pillars/arguments. To make it even more challenging, students have been asked to prepare to debate BOTH sides; they don't find out which side they are going to debate until the morning of the debate,  this upcoming Monday, January 28. Next, we will embark on an inquiry into consumerism, which will include a field trip (February 4) and a participatory final task. Students can start preparing for this final task now by looking through their belongings and deciding which things they own "spark joy" for them, and which ones they are ready to thank and get rid of by bringing them to our swap meet on February 5.

Discussion Prompts: issues for Canadians;  The Pursuit of Happyness (film) ; economics; mixed, market, planned economy; government intervention; consumerism Economics *understand, apply, analyze, evaluate After finishing up viewing the film  The Pursuit of Happyness  in class, students used the collaborative notes they took to complete a quick summary/refection showing me if they were able to make connections between the big ideas using details from the film. Some examples of this are below: This collaborative reflection after our film study helps students summarize learning while helping me identify where to go next (clarity, dig in, etc.). Best part of this one: the actions students say the film inspired them to take. @connectcharter pic.twitter.com/r0j0ixmvU4 — Jaime Groeller (@missg_teaches) January 10, 2019 We also used this film as a text to apply our ELA knowledge, specifically analyzing the film for symbolism and jux...

Global Issues Novel Study *analyze, evaluate Along with starting the student budget consultation, both classes went through the process of choosing a novel for the upcoming novel study this week. This novel study asks students to choose from a pre-determined collection that focuses on "global issues." Some of these books are fiction, others are non-fiction, and still others are a mixture of both (like historical fiction). The goal of this novel study will be to have students consider a big issue facing our world, and explore how these issues affect Canadians. All assignments for the next month or so will be posted on the project blog here. Included in this collection are titles such as: Students will demonstrate their thinking and understanding in a variety of ways, but for this week our focus was just deciding on the book each student wanted to read. I had them go through a "book walk" activity on Tuesday that included filling out a graphic organizer w...

Next Level Writing A student turned our lesson about the D5PE(dreaded 5-paragraph essay)into art. 😉 My message to students over the course of this assignment will be that this format is contrived but can still be used to showcase great written communication & critical thinking. @connectcharter pic.twitter.com/JTsNVHJHOP — Jaime Groeller (@missg_teaches) October 19, 2018 This week, we started exploring the five-paragraph essay as a model of "academic" writing, examining its pros, and its cons . The basic ideas behind a D5PE (dreaded 5-paragraph essay) are useful: organization in written communication and supporting one's arguments. With a focus on the quality of communication, rather than just the format, this can be a great starting point for all students, and those who are passionate about writing can quickly take this to the next level. Those that are less passionate can stay within this format and find success communicating their ideas, especially i...

Pre-write - Plan - Write/Draft - Edit Our trip to Fish Creek Provincial Park on Monday was successful. The weather held, and so we were able to do all of our planned activities without rain raining on our parade! (See below for a Twitter story on our activities at the Park!) The time we spent in the Artisan Gardens was a perfect way to re-inforce the steps of the writing/composition process introduced to the students earlier in the year, and we are currently working through a step-by-step process to practice this process as it is a foundation for effective composition and creation.  We are also exploring the concept of the "Goldilocks zone" in composition. Like planets, composition has an (admittedly sometimes subjective) area in which it belongs if it is going to thrive. Successful communication need not only be clear, but also compelling, engaging, concise, and precise. In order to get to the Goldilocks zone, students are encouraged to consider ...

Students had their first "test" in Humanities this week. We did a lot to prepare for this test last week, and you can ask your child to go through the activities from last week with you if you want, and we will continue to work with these concepts all year. . @connectcharter 9s working on self-empowerment & metacognition by self-correcting yesterday’s “tests” to understand what made them successful, or not, & why. Then they had to explain to me what went well, what went wrong, & what they will do the same or differently next time. pic.twitter.com/ZiBCCPCHlS — Jaime Groeller (@missg_teaches) September 5, 2018 Who am I? What makes me, me? How do individuals express their identity? This week we started on our first large inquiry of the year. We will be exploring the concept of identity, which is connected to the grade 9 social studies curriculum. Students will also be working on a variety of ELA outcomes in the creation of an artifact to demonstrate their t...

Toolbox To set the foundation for grade 9 ELA, students have been developing their literary analysis toolboxes. By exploring some short texts together and talking about how to identify and consider intentional choices made by text creators (authors, filmmakers, etc.), students should feel confident in going forward and analyzing texts on their own throughout the year. We started the week with a classic episode of the Twilight Zone called "Eye of the Beholder." We used this to talk about setting, characterization, and  narrative structure.  It also led to some interesting discussion about societal norms... After watching this, students worked on reviewing their knowledge of literary elements and devices, working collaboratively to deepen their understanding. Scene from  The Twilight Zone  episode "Eye of the Beholder" (1960) Reading Strategies Find more information on the Talking to the Text reading strategies  here! In class today, we did a ...