Tuesday 31 May 2016

Music and Media Task


Review the lyrics and watch the video for"World on Fire" by Sarah McLachlan and write and answer the following questions:

a.       How do the lyrics share the message of the song? Consider words, phrases, literary devices, poetic devices.
b.      How did the music change or enhance the meaning of the words
c.       How did the images change or enhance the meaning of the words
d.      In your interpretation, what is the meaning of this song?






"World On Fire"
Lyrics by Sarah McLachhlin

Hearts are worn in these dark ages
You're not alone in this story's pages
The light has fallen amongst the living and the dying
And I'll try to hold it in, yeah I'll try to hold it in

[Chorus]
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(Try and bring my share)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able

I watch the heavens but I find no calling
Something I can do to change what's coming
Stay close to me while the sky is falling
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone

[Chorus]

Hearts break, hearts mend
Love still hurts
Visions clash, planes crash
Still there's talk of
Saving souls, still the cold
Is closing in on us

We part the veil on our killer sun
Stray from the straight line on this short run
The more we take, the less we become
The fortune of one that means less for some

[Chorus X2]


Monday 21 March 2016

Homework for Wednesday


Please review the topics listed under "Digital and Media Literacy" on the website:  

www.mediasmarts.ca

By clicking on the topics on the drop down list, you will be able to find articles about each topic. Read through a variety of articles about topics you find interesting. Take notes on interesting facts, statistics, anecdotes, etc. you feel would help support your opinion piece. If possible, print a few articles to bring to class.

On Wednesday we will begin working on our essay plans.

Please note, the topics related to pornography and sexting listed on the website are not suitable topics for this research.

The Five Paragraph Essay

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Story Elements Test Format


Your test will be in 2 parts and each part will be administered on a different day.

Thursday Feb 11th - Story Elements

You will be expected to complete multiple choice, matching, and short answer questions about the story elements learned about in class; this includes dialogue writing

Wednesday February 17th - Analyze a Story

You will be given a story to read. You will be expected to answer questions about this story; e.g., what is the theme, mood, climax, conflict, characterization, etc.

Review for Story Elements Test

Terms and Concepts for Review

1. Exposition
2. Rising Action
3. Climax/Turning Point
4. Falling Action
5. Resolution
6. Conflict (Review types: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Fate. Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature)
7. Mood
8. Theme
9. Irony
10. Indirect and Direct Characterization
11. Point of View
12. Imagery
13. Figurative Language (metaphor, etc)
14. Dialogue Punctuation
15. Four different types of leads

You will be given a story to read and identify story elements.

Tuesday 12 January 2016

Mood Paragraph Example

Planning Template

Topic Sentence
In the story “No Matter What” the author created an uncomfortable and suspenseful mood at the beginning of the story.

Point 1
Joan Lowery Nixon describes the weather as “…hot and sticky and the wind is filled with dust…” (p.71)

Point 2
Danny enters the house and runs to the washroom and throws up; “I heard the bathroom door slam and the sickening sounds of violent retching.” (p.70)

Point 3
Bart Ridgeway comes to the door and acts suspiciously; “If you are with the sheriff’s department, why aren’t you wearing a uniform?” (p.74)

Concluding Sentence

Joan Lowery Nixon successfully draws the reader into the story through by using character’s actions as well as the weather to create an uncomfortable and suspicious mood.

Sample Paragraph

In the story “No Matter What” the author created an uncomfortable and suspenseful mood at the beginning of the story. One of the ways in which an author can create the mood of a story is by describing the weather; for example, a sunny day would create a happy mood. Joan Lowery Nixon describes the weather as “…hot and sticky and the wind is filled with dust…” (p.71). Experiencing this weather would be uncomfortable; by writing about this, the author can create a less comfortable feeling in the reader. As well, Danny enters the house and runs to the washroom and throws up; “I heard the bathroom door slam and the sickening sounds of violent retching.” (p.70) Upon reading this, the reader feels that something very strange is happening and wants to find out; this adds to a suspenseful mood. As the story continues, the reader meets Bart Ridgeway and he acts in a very suspicious way; “If you are with the sheriff’s department, why aren’t you wearing a uniform?” (p.74) In addition, he doesn’t allow Megan any time to view his police badge. The reader is left to think that something untoward is happening. Joan Lowery Nixon successfully draws the reader into the story through by using character’s actions as well as the weather to create an uncomfortable and suspicious mood.

Monday 11 January 2016

All Summer in a Day


Here is the link to the online copy of the story we read in class. You are expected to write one well formatted paragraph that describes the mood of this story, You are required to use specific details from the story to help support your ideas.

http://www.btboces.org/Downloads/6_All%20Summer%20in%20a%20Day%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf

PLEASE HAND IN YOUR COMPLETED PARAGRAPH PLANNING TEMPLATE ALONG WITH YOUR TYPED PARAGRAPH.

This assignment is due on Monday January 18th.

Thursday 7 January 2016

Evaluating Presentation Strategies Task


At this point in the term you have viewed a variety of presentations from your peers and some examples online. You have also had the opportunity to prepare and present a poem in front of the class based on success criteria.

For this task, you are going to critique and evaluate the presentation strategies of two individuals who are presenting their poetry. You should consider the success criteria we developed in class as a way to critique the poetry readings. You may also write any personal critique (positive or negative) that you feel is important to share.

Please follow these steps:

1. Review the success criteria below:

  • Pace of reading the poem helps the poetry reading be more effective
  • Intonation helps bring poem to life
  • Uses good expression
  • Eye contact with the audience
  • Standing straight, confident, no slouching
  • Use appropriate gestures
  • Voice is clear and easy to understand
  • Volume is loud enough for everyone to hear
  • Practice is evident
2. View the two videos below: 









3. Using the proper paragraph structure we learned in class, write a response explaining which of the poetry readings you preferred. This response will need to be several paragraphs in length. You are expected to use specific details from the poetry reading to support you choice. You will also need to relate your response to the success criteria reviewed in step 1.

4. Type up your response using proper formatting:

a. Use only one font
b. Do not exceed 12 point font
c. Single space your text
d. Separate paragraphs with a double-space
e. Indent paragraphs with a single "tab"

5. Hand in this task on Thursday January 14th 2016