Thursday, January 20, 2011

Final Exam Prep

On my, how the term has flown by.
Can't wait for Monday and your first ever FINAL EXAM in the gym. You are officially high school veterans now. Remember to bring a pencil case with an assortment of writing utencils. NO RED PENS!!!
Just thought I'd put the review on the blog for those of you who check here.
Focus on studying the broad and key concepts of each unit.
1. Short stories and PACTT
 (Kath and Mouse, The Friday everything changed, The Jade Peony, Borders, and On the Sidewalk Bleeding)
2. Forbidden City - novel study
3. Mythology
  a. Creation stories
  b. Terminology
  c. Greek myths (Paris and the Golden Apple, and other short stories)
Hint: Know the 3 reasons or catagories why myths were written or told.
4. Bonus question (worth 5 marks) from the website link on the main blog page - clink on the picture of the cyclops.

Happy Studying.
Thanks again for a great semester.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

iPublisher Exit slip

This is your chance to tell me how the iPublisher assignment went for you.

Please make sure to take a fresh clean sheet of paper to answer the following questions.
Put your name and the date. Include at least 3-4 points for each with explanations.

 1. What parts or requirements of the iPublisher assignment did you enjoy?


2. Are there some things that could be improved upon? Explain. (This could refer to anything from the books to choose, website, time allowed to work on the assignment, oral presentation, etc)

Due Thursday, Jan 13th, 2011.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Home Stretch

Well, congratulations Grade 9s, you have almost made it to the end of your first semester in High School. Fast approaching are your first ever final exams but before we start into the review we need to complete our last unit.

Mythology - the study of the sacred stories of a culture. This is one of my favorite units. It is filled with unique stories, legends and heroes that spur the imagination and also entertain. Many of you have probably already encountered some of the gods and goddesses before but have never looked into the history behind them. This unit will be a very small taste of Greek, Roman and Indigenous mythology but I'm hoping that it will inspire you to find out more about these fascinating characters.

The focus of our study will be on how these myths have shaped the literature and culture of the people. How have they shaped their history? In what way were they able to understand the world around them? What parts of their cultural identity were affected by these heroes?

This week we started with a look at some famous Greek myths. We saw through the story of "Paris and the Golden Apple" that important life lessons were taught through the adventures and decisions of the protagonist.

Next week we will take a look at the Creation stories of a few cultures. Do a bit of compare/contrast. See if there are similarities among the aboriginals tribes of North America and other continents.