Blog Assignment #8: Due Wednesday, December 1

Good Evening, Bloggers.

It's been a while since I posted. We've all had a very hectic week and a half with Progress Reports and Student-Led Conferences happening last week. Now, we're back to a more regular schedule. We get to see Wicked this Wednesday, and our Tolerance unit is beginning to wind down.

For this blog assignment, you've got a few tasks to complete. At least one will probably need to be completed at home, as Youtube videos don't often work very well at school (our internet service is painfully slow, I know).

Throughout this unit, we've talked about the issues of tolerance, intolerance, discrimination, and prejudice. We've learned about the history of these issues and how they have presented themselves in the modern world as well as in history, and we've talked about the effects that prejudice and discrimination can have on our community. Now, it's time to think about what is being done, and what we can do to end the cycle of discrimination within our class, our school, our community, and our world.

The first thing you need to do is check out the It Gets Better Project. Read about the project and some of the statistics that surround the issue of LGBTQ bullying (at the bottom of the page). Once you know what this project is about, The Pledge. Read it, understand it, and think about it before you sign your name. When you take the pledge, please only use your first name and last initial. Also, please use the school postal code (L1G5T6).

The second thing you need to do is to go Youtube and check out a few of the It Gets Better Videos. There are a ton to choose from, ranging from celebrities and famous people like Glee's Max Adler , Project Runway's Tim Gunn, President Obama, Adam Lambert, Ke$ha, Zachary Quinto, Jewel, Joel Madden, AJ Maclean, Jenny McCarthy, Ian Somerhalder, Anne Hathaway, Kristin Cavallari, and Kat Graham, to "normal people" like employees of Facebook, Google , or even the cast of Wicked.

Once you've had a chance to view some videos and learn a little more about the problems facing today's youth, you will create your own PSA (Public Service Announcement) discussing these issues. You can talk about your own experiences (you may not use the name of anyone else in your recording), the It Gets Better Project, The Trevor Project, or Kids Help Phone, the consequences of bullying, the statistics relating to these issues, or any other issue you think needs to be addressed relating to the topic of bullying.

To record your PSA, you will use Audacity. You will learn how to use Audacity this week in class. Once recorded, you will post the recording to your blog, along with a brief caption explaining what the recording is about.

This assignment is due on DECEMBER 1.

Assignment #7: Due November 12, 2010

Share It. Tag It. Link It.

The challenge is simple. Use the videos and images available on this site to create a mashup or a virtual scrapbook using Windows Movie Maker. To check out the work of some others, check out the Veterans' Affairs Canada Youtube Channel, or the VAC Remembrance Feed. The options are endless. Share with others and link back to the Veterans' Affairs Canada website.

Why Remember?

Canada's service men and women have served this nation from the First World War to current missions. They step forward in our time of greatest need — because they believe in peace and security around the world. They have left their villages and cities, their farms and fishing communities, to make a difference. And they did. And today's service men and women are carrying on the tradition.

Share it

Once you have made your remembrance creation, share it on your blog. For help with this, see Ms. C. Any creations finished by November 11 will also be considered for inclusion in our school Remembrance Day Assembly.

Tag it

Don't forget to tag it. Tags are short words that describe what your online creation is all about. This will also help friends and others find what you have made. You decide. Make your own or use the tags from the poppy word-cloud.

Link it

www.vac-acc.gc.ca

Veterans' Week 2010

Good morning, Bloggers.

As many of you know, next week is Veterans' Week. It is the week of Remembrance Day, and a week that is dedicated to remembering all those men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country. It is important to remember that at any given time, there are hundreds, if not thousands of Canadian men and women over seas serving as part of the Canadian military in protective and peacekeeping missions.

In class, we will be reading the Canada Remembers Times which will help us understand the role our Canadian military has played throughout the world. We will also be filling out and sending "Postcards for Peace," which are postcards produced by Veterans' Affairs Canada. You will have the opportunity to send your postcard to a Canadian Forces member currently serving in one of many locations around the world. However, I know some of you might want to do more than send just one post card. Because of this, I thought I'd post a link where you can go and post a public message to the troops. In your message, you can let them know how much you appreciate what they do for Canada and the people of the world, send other kind messages, and well wishes.  I know it might seem like it won't make a difference, but I know for a fact that our troops do read these messages and do appreciate the kindness and appreciation of the Canadian public.

This is not a mandatory activity--it's completely up to you.

Helpful Websites

Good morning, bloggers!

This week, you've got an assignment to go out and find an article from a newspaper/magazine/website that deals with one of the Canadian Rights and Freedoms that were provided for you on your hand out. I've included a few links below to help you in your search.

The Globe and Mail

The National Post

The Toronto Sun

The Toronto Star

The Economist

Maclean's Magazine

Happy Halloween!

Assignment #6: Due November 3, 2010

Opinion is a flitting thing,

But truth outlasts the Sun--

If we cannot own them both--

Possess the oldest one.

Your Task

Above is a poem by Emily Dickenson. She was a very prolific writer, as evidenced by the title (this is poem # 1455). Your assignment is to respond to this poem. You can respond in any way you wish (rap, poem, journal response, video, slideshow, etc.) All I ask is that you include an explanation of what this poem means to you and how you think it could or should be applied to our society.

My New Philosophy

Sometimes, you just need to try a new philosophy...

Blogging Buddies

Hello Hillsdale and Fielding students!

Miss Pollock and I have worked diligently to get some exciting activities planned and to arrange official class buddies. Below, I've included a list of each Fielding student, and their Hillsdale blog buddies. Please take a look at the list and then take a minute to head on over to your buddie's blog to introduce yourself if you haven't don't so already!

Aaisha - Karran

Amy - Michelle, Caitlin

Charlotte - Amanda, Ryley

Clarie - Kelly, Casey

Connor - Stephanie

Haneen - Arianna, Brandon W

Hannah - Andrianna, Alicia

Ishka - Jenna

Jatinder - Brandon R

Jeffrey - Aaron, Tyler

Jumanh - Jessica, Josh

Mateen - Sam, Hayley

Melissa - Breah, Courtney

Noah - Karran, Rob
 
Qavi - Kaitlin, Michael

Reshad - Holly

Sara - Max, Elizabeth

Shahad - Matt, Nic

Tara - Hannah, Dayna

Tyler - Brandon M

Walid - Kyle

Will - Dawson

Zak - Skylar, Daniel

Zuhair - Tanisha, Zack

Assignment #5: The Golden Rule

Happy Monday, Bloggers!


In class today, we began our discussion of tolerance, prejudice, discrimination, and equality. A big thing we talked about was the idea of "The Golden Rule." We looked at Norman Rockwell's painting entitled Do Unto Others and we discussed the universality of The Golden Rule in world religions. Now, it's time for you to do some thinking.


I've posted some important questions below. Take a look at them, and answer at least 4 of them on your own blog. Be sure to use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and and be sure to use complete sentences. Once again, I'm looking for the thought behind the response. Most of these questions don't have a right or wrong answer, so I'm looking for your interpretation (and, as usual, an explanation of how you came to that conclusion).


Remember: The Golden Rule isn't a religious issue. It is something that every person, religious, faithful, spiritual, or not, shold always keep in mind and try to live by.


The Questions


What is the message of the Golden Rule?

Are you aware of the title or message of a TV program, book or popular song which expresses the same idea as the Golden Rule? Explain

Which expression of the Golden Rule do you like the best? Why?

How would you express the Golden Rule in your own words?

What could things be like if everyone behaved according to the Golden Rule?


Why is it that sometimes we don’t behave according to the Golden Rule?


This assignment will be due on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010.

The Writing Process

The writing process we're using in class consists of:

Planning

Drafting

Revising

Editing

Publishing

Proofreading

A.k.a. PDREPP

For a bonus, think of a fun phrase to go with the acronym.

For example: In music we learn the order of the sharps: FCGDAEB. The phrase that we've got to go along with this is"Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle"

For a bonus, post your new fun phrase on your blog with the title "The Writing Process"

Assignment # 4: Instrument Study

It's getting to be that time again. Time to get our instruments out of their cases and start squeaking and squacking and huffing and puffing and playing! But, before we really get into the nitty gritty, I think it's important for us to know a little more about the instruments that we play with every day! To do this, I've come up with an assignment. It's an assignment that I've done before, but I've never done it online, so this is going to be an experiment for all of us. Read on to discover the parameters:

Using the questions below, you will work (either individually or in partners) to learn more about the instruments we use in class. Some of you may also be assigned an instrument that we do not have at school, but it is still important for us to be aware of the different instruments used in concert bands and orchestras.

You will have three half-hour classes to work on this project. By the end of the school day on October 29th, you must create a blog post discussing your instrument. You must cover all of the points included below, a picture or diagram with all of the parts labeled, and must also include a demonstration, a poster, or a sound recording. We will learn how to post these types of multimedia in class this week.

If you find information that is not required as part of the questions, but information that you find interesting or important, please include the information in your post. Remember, it MUST be in your own words!

You will be given research sheets in class this week which must be completed. These sheets will have all of the questions on them, as well as space for notes, diagrams, etc. They must be handed in to Ms. Crosbie, as these will give evidence of your research. You must also provide a list of resources from which you obtained your information (this includes any website from which you borrowed pictures, video, etc.). A rubric will also be provided to you to further show the expectations for this assignment.

 Questions to answer:

1) Instrument name:

2) Type of instrument (instrument family):

3) Number and names of ALL parts of this instrument:

4) Which clef does this instrument play in?

5) When was this instrument invented?

6) Who invented this instrument (and where are they from)?

7) Does this instrument make sounds of a high pitch or a low pitch?

8) How do you make a sound with this instrument?

9) How do you assemble this instrument?

10) How do you sterilize the mouthpiece of this instrument (percussionists, you will have an alternate question as this doesn't apply to you)?

11) How do you maintain this instrument before and after playing?

Some Helpful Websites:

Flute History.com

About Music.org

Music Science at UNSW 

DSO Kids 

BBC Guide to the Orchestra 

 National Arts Centre Instrument Lab

Sound Junction

Think Quest Instrument History

Violin History

Alison Vardy Harp and Lyre History

Instrument Encyclopedia

Making Music

Classicol Instrument History

This assignment is due by the end of the school day, OCTOBER 29, 2010!

4 - 0

Good evening, blogging universe!

I know, I know...It's Saturday! What am I doing blogging when I could be outside enjoying our fantastic fall weather?! Trust me, I was outside enjoying the fabulousness that was today all afternoon at Bowmanville's Apple Fest. I pigged out on pulled pork sandwiches, apple cider, hot apple crisp, and even bought a delicious caramel apple to bring home with me. It was an awesome day. Wait...it's been an awesome weekend so far, and here's why:

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4 - 0! Yes, our beloved Leafs have won all four of their games so far, which puts them at the top of the league. That's HUGE news, and very exciting! As many of you know, I'm not a huge hockey fan, but I do like to jump on the Leafs bandwagon periodically during the season. It's jut that, well, who knew that bandwagon-jumping time would come so early this year? Now, I know we've got some followers out in Ottawa (How are your Senators doing so far this season, anyways?), so I will refrain from jumping up and down, screaming, and rubbing in our collective Leafs success too much. That wouldn't be very nice.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Enjoy this beautiful fall weather because pretty soon we're going to be knee deep in the fluffy white stuff and you're all going to be complaining because you didn't dress properly for our typical Canadian weather (I'm talking about you, my wonderful students, who choose to wear capri pants in the dead of winter).

Happy weekend!

Assignment #3: Behind My Name

Good morning, bloggers.

Because you have all been so inpired and engaged with our new blogging experiment, I wanted to make sure that you didn't go home this weekend empty handed. Once again, I'm borrowing from Miss Pollock and using an assignment that her class has already completed. I know a few of you have already checked out the posts her students have done for this assignment, so you probably have a good idea of what I'm looking for already.

I would like you to do some research about your name and write a post telling us what you learned. As well, you are going to include a hyperlink within this post.

First, go to the website, Behind the Name. Open it in a new tab in your browser so you can still have my blog and your blog open. Search for your name. You can type in your name to the search bar or search alphabetically.

Another site that has lots of interesting information about names is Baby Names. Once you have found your name, you can click on "more info" and see a chart demonstrating how popular your name has been in different years. At the bottom of the "more info" page, you can fill out a survey about your name to help the administrators of the website enhance their information. You may do this when you are done writing your post.
Tip: Search your full first name, not a shortened part. For example, if you are Isabella, but everyone calls you "Bella", search "Isabella" to get the most information.

Find out the meaning or the root of your name. My first name is Gillian and when I searched for it, I got what I needed on the first try (I guess there aren't many derivitives of Gillian). However, for some names, you may be directed to other names (For example: Ms. Pollock's first name is Shauna, and she was directed by a link to "Shaun", then "Sean", then "John" before she got information about the root meaning of her name.You may have to follow a similar path to find out the roots of your name.)
Start a new post. In this post, you will answer several questions in full sentences. You may need to copy my text and fill in the blanks.

Start off your post by linking back to this assignment.

Behind My Name: ________ (fill in your name)

Before I started this assignment, I thought my name was ______, because _________.
I think my parents chose this name for me because __________________________.

After searching on Behind the Name (create a link here), I learned that my name means ____________ (use your own words here).

Some other interesting things I learned are _______________________ (maybe there was extra information, you learned the root of your name or where it comes from or who are some famous people with the same name, maybe you looked up your middle or last name).
I think my name does/does not (select one) suit me because ___________________.

If I could give myself a new name, it would be ______________, because _________________.

You may add any extra comments or reflections about your name at the end of the post.

For a bonus, look up the name of a character in a book, movie or TV show that you like and write about why that name does/does not suit that character's personality.
For a sample of how you can do a great job on this assignment, check out Miss Pollock's

 or Hannah's.

Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post when you have completed this assignment. Make sure you are logged in so I can easily access your blog.

This assignment will be due on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20.

Bonus: Jackpot!

Good afternoon, bloggers!

The duedate for Assignment #2 is approaching quickly (it's due TOMORROW)! Please remember to comment on my Assignment #2 post to let me know that you have completed it. Also, a few quick reminders:


1) Make sure you've clicked on "Follow" to follow our class blog


2) Make sure your blog is included in my link list to the right. If it's not, please comment on this post and include the link to your blog so that I can add it to my list.


3) Please make sure you've turned the 'word verification' for your comments off.




Now, this assignment isn't a mandatory one, but I think it's one that many of you might be interested in. I discovered a very interesting article today. I won't tell you what it's about...I'd rather you discover that for yourself. Read through the article, and for a bonus, create a posting on your blog entitled "Stolen Jackpot." In this posting, I simply want to know what you think about this article and the topic it discusses. What are your reactions? How would you feel if you were in that situation? Tell me your thoughts, feelings, and/or opinions!

Chop!

Good evening, everyone!

It's Monday night at 8:55pm and I'm just settling in for the night before we go back to school tomorrow. I hope everyone had a fantastic extended weekend. The weather was great here (was it nice in Ottawa, too?), and I have a wonderful couple of dinners with great family and friends. I stuffed myself silly, and I will be eating turkey left-overs all week long. No complaints here...there's nothing better than Britton family turkey with stuffing. Absolutely delicious!

As some of you might know, I have been looking forward to cutting my hair for quite a while, now. I've had long hair for years and years, and I was determined to keep it for the wedding. Now that the wedding is over, I decided that it was time for a change. On Friday, I went to do the deed...I cut it off. In total, I cut about 12 inches! It was divided into 4 sections and braided. Then, each braid, which was about 10 inches from elastic to elastic, was cut off. I thought that since I had such long and un-coloured hair, it was important that I do something with it, so I decided to donate my hair to a Canadian non-profit organization called Angel Hair for Kids. It's an organization that provides real hair wigs and other hair loss solutions to disadvantaged Canadian Children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition or a medical treatment. I thought this was important because my aunt is a cancer survivor who lost her hair when she was going through chemo therapy and radiation. I've seen how hair loss can affect a person's confidence and self worth, and I think it's important to support people, especially children, who are going through something as tough as this. I want to encourage all of my wonderful readers and fellow bloggers to consider this next time you go get a cut.

***Writing Reminder***

Good evening bloggers,

I'm seeing lots of great things happening on these blogs! Lots of comments are going back and forth, and there are some great ideas being posted. Keep up the great work!

Just a quick reminder: please remember to PROOFREAD your writing before you publish! Use the writing process just like we do in class. Take time to revise, edit, proofread and publish. Make sure you've fixed as many mistakes as possible, because this will make it easier for your readers to understand what you're trying to say.

Example:

tonight i ddint do much i just hung out wid my friend sara it was awesome because she has a new littel baby and hes really cute he barely cried the whole time and hes getting bigger n storngr all the time i cant wait till i get to babsit cuz hes awesme

The message above is a message I typed without correcting typos, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. These things would be easy to fix and would make my message much clearer to readers.  Little things like making sure the correct words are capitalized, putting periods in the correct spots, and verifying the spelling of words will make a huge difference in the quality of your writing. PLEASE keep this in mind in the future, as I expect nothing but the best from my students, and I know we can all do a little bit better in this department.

Assignment # 2: Discrimination and Tolerance

Good morning, bloggers!

I know we've only just started putting our blogs together and some of us are having a bit of trouble getting our accounts set up, but hopefully we can have all of these little glitches resolved by the end of the day.


As you all know, most of our Grade 6-8 students will be going to see a performance of Wicked on November 24th as part of a unit focusing on tolerance. You also know that I'm very excited about this trip, and I've been working hard since last June to get everything ready for this very important unit.


As our grade 6/7 class begins to wrap up our Suspense unit, and our grade 8 class begins to wrap up their Humour unit, I thought it might be a good idea to begin looking towards our next focus. For this assignment, you are to write a post of at least 10 lines in length about the meaning of tolerance and discrimination. You're welcome to include a definition from one of our classroom dictionaries, but this will not count towards your 10 lines. I'm looking for your ideas and thoughts about tolerance and discrimination, so please use your own words and write as creatively as possible. You can write in any form or style you like, which could possibly include a rap, a song or poem, a journal entry, a creative story or a reflection. Please be creative and use lots of detail in your writing


This assignment will be due Thursday, October 14.

Assignment #1

Your first assignment will be a two-part assignment. 

Part ONE

Your first posting will be a Welcome post. You will welcome new readers to your blog, introduce yourself and try to grasp the reader's attention, attracting them to come back to your blog often.

Once you are logged in, click on "New Post" in the upper right hand side of your page. You can then compose a message (don't bother with the Edit Html tab). The message composition works much the same way as a word processor like Microsoft Word does.
In your welcome message, I would like you to:
1. introduce yourself (first name ONLY)
2. tell your readers you're happy they're here
3. tell your reader a little bit about yourself. You will include 3-5 juicy sentences describing yourself with evidence (for example: "I am a little shy at school but I love watching "Glee" because I can imagine how amazing it would be to be able to be brave and sing in front of others.")
4. encourage your readers to leave comments or questions
5. thank your reader and encourage him or her to come back and visit often

Before you "Publish post", make sure to SPEAL CHEECK your work. (There's a little ABC checkmark icon in your menu bar, spellchecker will highlight the words it does not recognize).

Once you have written your welcome post. please leave a comment on this post on my blog. I will then link to your blog (you will see the links beginning to appear on the right hand side of my blog).

Part TWO

We will have a buddy class who are located in Ottawa, Ontario (our nation's capital)! They have already begun working on their blogs and are a couple of assignments ahead of us, but I know they will be patient as we get caught up. They are very lucky students to have a teacher named Miss Pollock who is a blogging expert, and we all (students and teacher alike) will have an oportunity to learn from each other. 

For the second part of your assignment, you will

1. Venture over to Miss Pollock's Blog and explore.
2. Once you get there, you will need to take a look at some of the student blogs that have already been created. They are located under the heading R8A Blogs which is on the right hand side of the page.
3. Choose one of these blogs to comment and question. What this means is that you must both comment on something the student has mentioned and leave a question for them to respond to. For example: If they said they love scary movies, you might ask if they are excited to see the 4th "Scream" movie that is coming out next year. Some students only have one posting while others have two or three. You can comment on any of their postings, provided that you are making sure to give positive feedback!
4. Once you have posted, just come back here and leave a comment on this post letting me know who and what you commented on (Example: You might say, "Hi Ms. C, I commented on Noah's Welcome post").

Happy blogging!

Welcome!

Hello students of Ms. Crosbie’s Grade 6/7 class and Mr. Farrugia’s Grade 8 class (and anyone else who happens to stumble on this blog!)

Welcome to your brand new blogging project for 2010-2011.I am very excited about this project for a number of reasons:
1. I love providing you with the opportunity to use techlology in interesting ways in your learning.
2. We will be able to communicate with each other in new ways.
3. We will be able to communicate with other people (at other schools, in other cities) in interesting and exciting ways.

We will all be learning as we go, including me, your teacher. We'll try out some interesting things and I want you all to be open to new ideas as well as sharing your input on how things are going.Our first steps:-opening multiple windows in your browser
-creating your blog
-editing your blog template
-editing your profile (ensuring for privacy!)
-ensuring our settings are open so that people can leave comments (without having to fill in all those crazy "captchas")
-learning how to make a comment
-responding to comments
-labelling tags for posts
-creating hyperlinks
-embedding photos and video
-writing, spellchecking and editing posts
-making your first post

We will work together to develop your blogs over the remainder of the year. You will work on your blogs both in and out of class. Don't forget that you're welcome to make an appointment with me after school or during recesses so that I can give you some one-on-one guidance or you can have extra time to work in our computer lab.

To remind you what exactly a blog is, click on the highlighted word.

I am so excited about this project and I hope you are too!

Let's get rocking and rolling!
Ms. C

***Privacy***

 In order to ensure your privacy and online safety, please write comments using only your first name and last initial. You can sign in to your google account to comment, but, make sure you check with your parents about any photos you post, even your profile pic. If you want a wacky profile pic, come see me (or Mr. F) some recess and we'll do some experimenting.

Success! You've Found My Online Home!

Welcome to Ms. Crosbie’s Digital Classroom! Feel tree to peruse my new creation and take a look at some of the fun things that I’ve got posted! I always encourage you to leave any comments, questions, or conundrums, and I will do my best to respond quickly.

This blog is going to be entirely what we make of it. Sometimes I will post about things that we have discussed in class, while other times I might provide you with links to fun or interesting places I’ve discovered or have been introduced to online.

We can also use this blog as a sort-of running tally of books that we’ve liked and loved. We can ask questions, write reviews, and add new titles to the ever growing list of books for me to buy on my next Chapters adventure. However, please remember the most important rule for book reviews: NO SPOILERS! If what you want to share gives away too much information, keep it to yourself until your classmate (or I!) has read the book!