Checking in and reconnecting

Well, last summer when I was posted to Roberts Creek Elementary I was very sad to be leaving Pender Harbour.  Of course I had made many friends on staff and had built some solid relationships with students and parents as well.  I know from Mr. Lewis how some of you are doing, and I'm pleased to hear the stories of success.  I was pleased to hear that the rugby team will be attending Rugby Fest this year again, Go Sakinaws!  I'm not sure what the future holds for me as far as my teaching placement.  I have actually enjoyed the transition to teaching a grade 6/7 class.  I certainly miss teaching twentieth century Canadian and world history, but I'm getting a real kick out of teaching things I haven't had the chance to teach for some time, such as math.  I just finished two snowshoe trips with my class to Bachelor Cabin in Tetrahedron Provincial Park and you can check out my post on that at my new classroom blog: jmarshallrce.blogspot.ca

Well, that's all, folks!

Dear students,

I guess this is the end of Mr. Marshall's Pender Blog for the time being.  As I post this, nearly 18,000 views would suggest it has been a useful endeavor.  I would like to thank you for your part in what has been for me, a wonderful past number of years.  We have had our ups and downs and been affected by stressors from within and without our school, but through it all, we have managed.  I like to think that a big reason for that is the family atmosphere that we have.  Yes, our school is small and no, it doesn't offer the broad selection of courses and activities that a larger school can, but we do feel connected and cared-for.  I have always tried to foster a sense of academic and personal responsibility for you, without neglecting the need for laughs.  I have tried to adapt our classroom to follow what I see as best practices and that has meant the need for flexibility on your part.  I like to think that we have fostered a relationship of mutual trust and respect and the result has been the creation of what I hope you will agree has been a desirable place to be.  In school, we often talk about how teachers help students, but I want to acknowledge that you have helped me.  There is no doubt that I leave Pender a better teacher than I arrived and I wish to thank you for supporting my pursuits both inside and outside of Room 102.

I'll be thinking of you...

English 12: Thursday, 14 June

Today we reviewed the remainder of the English 12 terms and then discussed ways to outline the synthesis piece I assigned yesterday.  Tomorrow please come come prepared to do a little writing AND to continue our review for the exam.

English 8: Thursday, 14 June

It is a sad day for me today :(

For our last class together we took time to reflect on all that we have participated in together this year.  I was amazed at the depth of your recall and touched by the many kind words and wishes that you expressed both in your wonderfully genuine card and your reflective paragraphs.  It has been my great pleasure to work with you all.  I will remember you as an energetic, cooperative and willing group of students.  I never had to wait for volunteers; I never heard anyone say, "This is boring;" in fact, I never witnessed anything but kind and respectful behaviour.  It would be hard to find a better class anywhere.  I hope you can continue to model such positive behaviour in the future: you are wonderful role models and give me hope for the future of our school! You should be very proud of your many accomplishments (I know I am).

History 12: Thursday, 14 June

Today we did a Mid East Quiz - props on a good job; and then we did a south-Asia map activity - a bit rough the first time around, but quite strong the second time.  We then reviewed the Civil Rights PPT.  I also gave out a work/review sheet of the key elements of this topic.  Try to complete some of the "table" for homework. We also did a collective effort to answer the questions from an old Unit Five exam - you did very well for an off-the-cuff-no-studying perspective.  Tomorrow we'll start our review for the final.

English 12: Wednesday, 13 June

Today we discussed the questions for the story The Chrysanthemums.  I asked you to create a chart to compare and contrast Elisa's character in terms of "strengths" and "weaknesses."  This is the type of question you might expect in Part A of your provincial.  I then asked you to compare and contrast Willy Loman from DOASalesman with the peddler in The Chrysanthemums.   This sort of synthesis activity is the type of thing you should expect from Part B of the provincial.  Please have both activities ready for tomorrow.

History 12: Wednesday, 13 June

Today we debriefed the Middle East work sheets and had a practice quiz linking our study of events to a map showing their location.  We also had a brief discussion about the nature of modern conflict and noted that on the surface it seems to be moving away from "conventional" western warfare in lieu of "irregular" (guerrilla warfare/acts of terror).  It will be interesting to see how the focus of the Canadian Forces shifts in a post-Afghanistan era.  Tomorrow we'll review the main learning points of the US civil rights movement and perhaps South African Apartheid.

English 12: Tuesday, 12 June

Today we had a small class and so students used the time to practice their dramatic reading parts.  Ensure the questions for The Chrysanthemums are ready for tomorrow's class.

Law 12: Tuesday, 12 June

Today we had a small class and used it as a review/test rewrite day.  We'll finish Chapter 23 tomorrow.

English 8: Tuesday, 12 June

Today we started the class by trying to figure out where the multitude of alarm clocks ringing in the classroom were located.  Then we read the play Tender Places.  It was another typical Class of 2016 effort: 100%.  There is no homework - I'm saving it for the last class (on Thursday).

History 12: Tuesday, 12 June

Today we discussed the Fall of the USSR PPT.  Tomorrow we'll debrief the Middle East worksheets.

English 12: Monday, 11 June

Today I asked you to read The Chrysanthemums by Steinbeck.  I purposely did not "scaffold" this reading with teacher-support because you need to be "hardened" for the provincial exam.  Please come to the next class with the Question 1 responses completed (a-e).

History 12: Monday, 11 June

Today I issued worksheets for the kayakers that missed the two lessons on the Middle East - they watched the "Israel and the Arab States" video during lunch.  I also gave everyone the summary tables (Ex. 11 and 26).

We had a PPT discussion on the USSR/Afghanistan war 1979-1988.  We noted the bias in using terms such as "freedom fighter" and how the "optics" change depending on the side from which you are viewing.  Tomorrow we will examine the fall of the USSR's empire including the ideas of glasnost and perestroika

History 12: Afghan summary slide

Law 12: Monday, 11 June

Today we worked on Chapter 13 and started the debrief.  We got up to the case at #13.  We also discussed the No Call Registry.  Tomorrow we'll introduce the idea of liens and lien searches.  There is no homework - we'll finish debriefing Chapter 13 tomorrow.

Law 12: Friday, 8 June

Today we discussed the cases at the end of Chapter 19 and then reviewed the answers for the crossword puzzle.  We then democratically elected to do Chapters 23 and 25 as our final two pieces.  I issued the Chapter 23 handouts and we used the last 25 minutes to start the reading.  There is no homework for the weekend.

English 12: Friday, 8 June

Today we read Touching Bottom.  Afterwords, we discussed the various elements of conflict, both internal and external.  Next, we looked at some symbols: the colour yellow, lines on the pool bottom, murky water, leaches, and ocean ocean currents.  There are probably more; remember that repetition is a common characteristic of symbolism.  I wonder what themes we could come up with for this story.

For homework, create a paragraph that discusses either conflict or symbolism in Touching Bottom.  Don't forget to employ quotations for support and think about the elements of a sound paragraph such as topic sentence, signposts and a good closer.

History 12: Friday, 8 June

Today we did some Middle East map activities connected to locating countries associated with specific questions/events/ideas.  I then issued Ex #5-9 (for homework) and we watched the video Israel and the Arab States.  Have a good weekend.

Eng 8: Friday, 8 May

Today we read The Green Morning by Ray Bradbury.  We had a discussion about oxygen and some of its special concerns in certain environments.  Finally, we examined some of the elements of fiction in a group discussion about the lesson PPT.  There is no homework this weekend - enjoy yourselves.

English 12: Thursday, 7 June

Today we read and discussed "On the Rainy River."  Please have your conflict paragraphs ready for tomorrow's class.