Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday September 27 2013

Today's block order is B A D C

B Block   Socials 9 

Had a discussion on witches....how they were persecuted in 17C England. We looked at who theses witches were and how they were punished. This led to a bigger discussion on groups of people who are persecuted in today's society.
We looked at a couple of interesting videos 

Next we looked at Divine Rights of Kings. What it meant and how it was applied in England. Students were then asked to take the role of a king and make or change any law that they wanted. An explanation was needed to justify the changes!

D/C Blocks   Law 12

Today the students worked on their Survivor Island Projects. Due on October 2/13.


Thursday September 26 2013

Today's block order is F E H G

F/E Blocks   Criminology 12

How to Research

How to do a proper internet research:

1. Keywords to search....make sure your search is not too narrow or too broad

2.  Use different search engines.....
  • Google (Scholar)
  • Bing
  • Yahoo
  • Metacrawler
  • Surfwax
  • Clusty
3.  Bookmark pages.....that way you can find them at a later date and examine them closer

4.  Consider source
  • should have no commercials
  • opinion/fact
  • is overly positive or negative
  • APA format
Choose one of the unsolved mysteries from the given list and create a powerpoint....email me by Tuesday.
 
H Block   Socials 10
 
Students continued on their physiographic regions assignments. Today students worked using their textbooks and booklets that I handed out. Effort level was very poor today for many students...I hope that changes for next class or I will have to make changes!

G Block  Socials 9

Had a discussion on witches....how they were persecuted in 17C England. We looked at who theses witches were and how they were punished. This led to a bigger discussion on groups of people who are persecuted in today's society.
We looked at a couple of interesting videos 

Next we looked at Divine Rights of Kings. What it meant and how it was applied in England. Students were then asked to take the role of a king and make or change any law that they wanted. An explanation was needed to justify the changes!

 
 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Wednesday September 25 2013

Today's block order is B A D C

B Block   Socials 9

Today we reviewed a little about society and how our society differs from the English Society prior to the revolution. We also discussed why people might be unhappy at that time. What would lead them to want to fight....start a civil war. Our discussion then went to Religion and the differing views of Protestants and Puritans.
The students read page 26 in their textbooks and were to complete a Venn Diagram on Puritans and Protestants.
Also....finish booklet up to Witches

D/C Block   Law 12

We discussed the upcoming field trip today. Then I showed the students the first five minutes of the show Kid Nation. Fascinating concept of leaving kids stranded in the wild and see how they will survive. Unfortunately the show was kind of lame .
Students worked on their Survivor Island projects all class. Project is due Oct. 2.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Friday September 20 2013

Today's block order is F E H G

F/E Block  Criminology 12

Today the students spent the first half of class on the assignment that was assigned yesterday. Finding a person who has been convicted of a crime and has blamed it on the media. See yesterday's post for details.
Second half of class we watched an episode of Criminal Minds. Shocking how violent and how much gore this show has....

H Block  Socials 10

Today we started to discuss how best to divide Canada into different regions. Some suggestions were: language/geography/physiography.
The best way


G Block   Socials 9

We had a discussion on the breakdown of  religion in England on the eve of English Revolution.
We discussed how the Protestant religion was starting to resemble the Catholic religion. This led to a discussion of what and who Puritans were.
Students were given a Venn diagram to complete on Protestants and Puritans.
Due next class

Thursday July 19th 2013

Today's block order is F E H G

F/E Blocks  Criminology 12

Today we discussed the role of television and violence. It shocks me to this day some of the stuff that I watched as a child. The amount of violence is shocking. What were my parents thinking! We looked at some examples of videos that I watched as a child compared to what is on tv now for kids.



Students were responsible for the following assignment:

Find a individual who has been linked to a serious crime (ie. murder) who has blamed it on some form of media:

  1. Give the name of the individual
  2. What was the crime
  3. What sentence was handed down
  4. What evidence was used in court to convict this person
  5. What was the defence used by the accused (how was the media blamed)
  6. your opinion....do you think it was legit?

Homework   Post your response to this work on your blog!!!

H block  Socials 10

Collected the homework on the Perfect Vacation Brochure.
We discussed the use of climographs and then the students worked on Climographs for three local cities.
Due next class

G block  Socials 9

Today we had a discussion on the divisions that were appearing in the Catholic Church. The result of people being upset with the Catholic Church resulted in the beings of the Protestant Church. We discussed the differences between the two. Then the students wrote an open book quiz on the Middle Ages...or Chapter 1 as I call it.  The students were allowed to use their notes.
Finally we began the next chapter by having the students work on a map of England.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Wednesday September 18 2013

Today's block order is B A D C

B block   Socials 9

Today we discussed what society is like in our times. We separated society into three categories: Upper class/Middle class/Lower class. The students brainstormed what kinds of occupations/wealth/lifestyles would be accompanied in each category. It was a lively discussion on how to ascend from one category to the next.
We then started to look at what kinds of professions were available to people in the 16C. There was a comparison to the times during the English Revolution. The students were then given a Chapter 2 booklet and instructed to finish the first page for the next day.
We will look at society and religion next class.

C/D blocks    Law 12

Today the students worked on the Survivor Island project.


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Tuesday September 18 2013

Today's block order E F G H

E/F Blocks

We had a discussion on the shooter in Washington that took the lives of 12 innocent people. We wondered why somebody would do something so horrible. Students did a great job of coming up with reasons to try and explain this rash behavior.
Today we focused on how and why the media misrepresents violence. Most Canadians learn about serious crime through the media rather than from first-hand experience. Stories in radio, tv and newspapers shape our views about crime and criminals. Writers of tv shows and movies use violence to attract viewers and to sell tickets. Newspaper editors and tv reporters select crime news to maximize ratings.

Today we looked at this media misrepresentation.
  • top 10 list of most violent movies/video games
  • search through local newspaper to find articles skewed for violence
  • discuss the question....can the media cause crime/violence

G Block  Socials 9

Today we had a discussion on the divisions that were appearing in the Catholic Church. The result of people being upset with the Catholic Church resulted in the beings of the Protestant Church. We discussed the differences between the two. Then the students wrote an open book quiz on the Middle Ages...or Chapter 1 as I call it.  The students were allowed to use their notes.
Finally we began the next chapter by having the students work on a map of England.

H Block   Socials 10

Students continued to work on their Vacation Brochure Assignment. Due next class

Monday September 16 2013

Today's block order is A B C D

B Block   Socials 9

Today we had a discussion on the divisions that were appearing in the Catholic Church. The result of people being upset with the Catholic Church resulted in the beings of the Protestant Church. We discussed the differences between the two. Then the students wrote an open book quiz on the Middle Ages...or Chapter 1 as I call it.  The students were allowed to use their notes.
Finally we began the next chapter by having the students work on a map of England.

C/D Block   Law 12

Students were probed on their knowledge of the Rights that they feel they have in Canada. We discussed the purpose of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada. I made a list of the ten most important rights and freedoms and had the students rank their importance to them. This sparked an interesting debate as to which right should be the most important....it was Equality Rights... Next the students broke up into groups and worked on a Desert Survival assignment. This was a precursor for the project is coming later in the week. Let's just say that not many of us would survive any time in the desert.
Finally we went over the Survivor Island Project. I gave instructions of how I would like it to be completed along with a few examples from previous years. The class will have the next 3-4 periods to work on it.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Friday September 13 2013

Block order today is A B C D

B Block   Socials 9

Students were given some time to finish their Chapter 1 worksheet. We discussed all the different changes that occurred during the Renaissance. Students put these ideas into the four major headings:
Religious Change
Economy Change
Cultural Change
Science Change

Students then chose one of these four categories and explained which one they felt had the biggest impact on the Renaissance and why.
We also watched a video on the Middle Ages:




Block C/D  Law 12

Today students handed in their immigration write up. We talked about the different categories of law. The students were given a set of notes on the different categories. Then a Current Events Project was given. Students were given the rest of the class to work on it. Due date is November 15.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Thursday September 12 2013

Today's block order is F E H G

Block F/E  Criminology

Started the class by collecting the Venn Diagrams assigned last class.
Discussion on the following theories of crime:  Hargan's Varieties of Deviance, Consensus Theory and Conflict Theory.
Continued discussion on what is considered deviant. Students make a list of acts that are deviant but not criminal. Then made a list of acts that are criminal but not deviant.
Interesting discussion around this topic.
Finally we had a discussion around the topic of underage criminals. This was sparked by the murder of a 6 year old boy by a 11 year old by on a reserve near Regina. Newspaper article.

Block H  Socials 10

Finished our discussion on Scale and Latitude and Longitude. Students took notes from a powerpoint on the 5 Themes of Geography:

Location:  Absolute and Relative
Physical:  Physical and Cultural landscape
Regions
Movement of People, Ideas and Objects
Human/Environmental Interactions

Students were then given an assignment to choose a perfect vacation spot and create a brochure that incorporates all the 5 themes. Students will have next class to work on this as well.

Block G  Socials 9

Students were given some time to finish their Chapter 1 worksheet. We discussed all the different changes that occurred during the Renaissance. Students put these ideas into the four major headings:
Religious Change
Economy Change
Cultural Change
Science Change

Students then chose one of these four categories and explained which one they felt had the biggest impact on the Renaissance and why.
We also watched a video on the Middle Ages:





Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wednesday September 11 2013

Today's block order: B A D C

B Block    Socials 9

Collected the map of Canada that was assigned last class. We are starting the first chapter of the year and it happens to be a look at the Modern Age. We discussed the word Change. The students created a top ten list of inventions/inventors.
We discussed this list and examined the impact some of these inventions have had on our lives. Next the students watched a youtube clip on inventions.
I handed out a worksheet on Chapter 1 that the students worked on for the remainder of class. It is not due next class. Students will have a bit more time to work on it.

D/C Block   Law 12

Today we went over the Canadian Criminal Code worksheet from last class. We then carried on our discussion about morals and the law. The students worked in small groups on an immigration assignments. The purpose of it was to discuss the reasons for allowing somebody to stay in the country or to deport them.
Once that was complete, the students were given a hand out to read on the Tamil Tigers who were were aboard a boat heading to the Canadian coast in 2010. The students were to read the article and decide what to do with these potential refugees. The assignment is to write a half page to three quarters page on why the people aboard this ship should be allowed to stay in Canada or be deported.


Tuesday September 11 2013

Today's block order is E F G H

E/F   Block Criminology 12

Today we looked at a couple of different topics within Criminology. The first discussion was on what is a crime? Most of the students agreed on the definition of 'something that breaks the law'. We discussed what a criminal is next. And the class agreed that anybody who breaks the law is a criminal. We talked about the connotations of being labeled a criminal.
I proposed to the class that we are all criminals for downloading movies or music from the internet for free. This sparked a fierce debate as to the definition of a criminal. So we reworked the definition but could not come to an agreement on what a criminal really is.
This will be a precursor to our discussion on Hagan's Varieties of Deviance next week.
Students then discussed the role of mental illness in criminality.
The students then used their phones or laptops to take a personality test on the following website:
http://similarminds.com/personality_disorder.html

Once the students took the 50 question quiz, they were asked to do the following with their resuts:
-write down the top three personality traits
-write a description of the three
-explain whether the quiz is accurate
-does it describe their personality

Post this to their blogs.

G Block   Socials 10

 Started out by collecting the map of Canada that was assigned last class.
Next we did a quick review of latitude and longitude which was followed up by a worksheet reinforcing what we had just discussed. Most students had a pretty good idea of how to do this.
We then had a discussion on Scale.
I went over a few examples of how to convert a R/F scale and then the students were given a worksheet to practice on. Again, most of the students understood the concept and had little difficulty.
Next class we will work on The Five Principles of Geography.

H Block   Socials 9

Collected the map of Canada that was assigned last class. We are starting the first chapter of the year and it happens to be a look at the Modern Age. We discussed the word Change. The students created a top ten list of inventions/inventors.
We discussed this list and examined the impact some of these inventions have had on our lives. Next the students watched a youtube clip on inventions.
I handed out a worksheet on Chapter 1 that the students worked on for the remainder of class. It is not due next class. Students will have a bit more time to work on it.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Monday September 9 2013

Today's block order A B C D

B Block  SS9

Today we had a What do we know about Canada Quiz. Some of you did very well. After that we started on a map of Canada.
 The map must include:- Provinces/Territories
- Capital cities
- Oceans
- colored
- bodies of water outlined
- no pencil
Due next class

Block C/D Law 12

We started the class with a discussion of what is a law? What is the purpose of having laws? Imagine what life would be like if we had not laws. The students decided that life with laws might be interesting but not very fun because of the lawlessness. Anarchy would not be too cool.
Next the discussion moved to where laws come from. The issues of morals and morality was the next topic discussed. Students suggested that our morals come from the following sources:
-parents
-peers
-religion
-school
-media
I shudder at the last one...but its true. The prevalence of the internet has changed society. Finally we discussed such topics as capital punishment/abortions/physically disciplining children....in relation to our individual morals.
The students then did an exercise on page 40 out of their textbooks that outlined how we would react in certain situations based on our morals.
Once that was finished we looked at the Criminal code and I gave the students an exercise that had them exploring how to use it.
Good day!


Week 1

Sorry for the late posts guys. I have been a little slow to shake off the summer slumber. This blog post will summarize all of week 1 for each class.

Socials 9

We did a Canada quiz to see how much background information the students had on their country. I'm excited to say that we have lots to learn. Who knew our national debt was over $616 Billion!!!
We started working on a Canada map last class. The map must include:
- Provinces/Territories
- Capital cities
- Oceans
- colored
- bodies of water outlined
- no pencil

Law 12

We got a chance to get to know each other a little better with the ever popular human bingo! Next we had a chance to discuss what the year will look like...assignments/projects and field trips.

Socials 10

We did a Canada quiz to see how much background information the students had on their country. I'm excited to say that we have lots to learn. We discussed some of the obstacles students have faced in achieving a top mark. Also, we had a frank discussion on what the students wanted to see more of and what they wanted to see less of in class. As I promised, I will try to include some of your suggestions into my planning for the coming units.
We started working on a Canada map last class. The map must include:
- Provinces/Territories
- Capital cities
- Oceans
- colored
- bodies of water outlined
- no pencil

Crim 12

We discussed what the year will look like. I also stated my expectation for the students who have enrolled in this class. Being an elective that you have chosen, my goal is to challenge my students to produce their best work.
We discussed some of the topics that will be covered in class. Also the students created their own personal blogs. They will use these blogs to post some of their assigned work in class. Most students chose the following:
-Blogspot
-Tumblir
-Wordpress
-Blogger