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...

EXAM ALERT

DON'T FORGET TO BE 15 MINUTES EARLY FOR YOUR EXAM:

SOCIALS 11: TUTORIAL - WED 25TH 09:00 - 11:00 (RM 102)

SOCIALS 11: EXAM - WED 25TH 1:00 - 3:00 (RM 105)

ENGLISH 12: EXAM - THURS 26TH 09:00 - 11:00 (RM 105)

Don't forget to bring extra pens/pencils and leave your electronics at home.

SS 11: Friday 20 Jan

Today we did a review/quiz on some key terms from this week's lessons.  At the end of the class we added FLQ/October Crisis.  We watched some People's History episodes: "October, 1970," and "A Winning Strategy."  We also viewed a PPT on the October Crisis and a video clip of Trudeau's famous interview on the steps of Parliament where he says, "Just watch me."  We'll finish Quebec on Monday and then have a few hours of review/exam prep before your exam on Wednesday afternoon.

SS11: Wednesday, 18 Jan

Today we viewed and discussed three videos about the 1960s from the People's History series: youth in the 1960s; empowerment and activism; and, women's rights.  We also discussed the role of universities in social change.  Remember that your aboriginal issues paragraph is due tomorrow: see yesterday's post.

SS 11: Tues 17 Jan

Today we finished our review of the aboriginal issues outline sheet that I issued yesterday.  We also viewed a segment of the People's History series titled "Taking Back the Past."  IF YOU WERE ABSENT, I SUGGEST YOU ARRANGE TO WATCH THE VIDEO AT LUNCH. As usual, we debriefed the video and used it to springboard a discussion on various styles of aboriginal education in a modern context.  Finally, I assigned a summarizing paragraph of the outline sheet.  I offered the following as a suitable topic sentence that you may use if you get stuck: "Aboriginal people quietly endured mistreatment by the Government for centuries but starting in the 1960s, they found their voice."  You should identify the different six aspects of this topic (in bold on the handout), give an example or two (in point form under the bold titles), and finally give the so-what for each (give the significance).  End with a good closing statement.  Perhaps you will comment on the tone for future relations based on the Government's 1998 Statement of Reconciliation?

Please be prepared to hand in the paragraph on Thursday, Jan 19

SS 11: Friday, Jan13

Today we worked through a practice provincial exam.  Those who were there should have a better idea about where they stand in terms of their own learning.  Next week we'll study Aboriginal history in Canada and the issues that have been associated with Quebec in Canada.

Please use the links on the blog to access practice tests and past PPTs/screencasts.

SS 11: Friday, 6 Jan

Today we looked at the Depression.  We used the PPT as a guide for our discussion.  We learned how the stock market works and how the 1927 drop in wheat prices "telegraphed" the upcoming problems.  We saw how the Canadian response was limited when compared to the American New Deal.  We never did "blast our way onto world markets." Can you remember about the five cent piece?  For homework, I'd like you to read from both the text AND the workbook:

text: pp 82-91

workbook: pp 76-82 (review from today's lesson)
workbook: pp 77-85 (new information needed for Monday's pre-class quiz)

Enjoy your weekend.

(Remember you can review the PPT vis the Slideshare link on this blog).

SS11: Thursday, 5 Jan

Today we heard your "labour songs;" I thought some of them showed a good connection to the history we've studied. 
We also reviewed the economic terms from Falks's Exercise #9.  If you missed that, it would be a good idea to connect with someone who was here and copy the notes = 2 minutes of work. 
We watched two episodes (farmers/Winnipeg General Stike) from the People's History series and then debriefed them. 
Finally, I assigned a 150 word (one-page) paragraph on the following prompt: Identify the features of 1920s Canada."  Basically, I am asking you to choose 3-5 items from the list at the beginning of Chapter Three of the workbook and then organize them into a "what/so-what" paragraph.  Don't be flowery: write a topic sentence and then write the facts as you see them.  Nate came up with a good opener.  It went something like this:

             When the soldiers returned from the First World War they hoped for success and promise but found then had more battles to fight.

A possible closer might be: 

             In spite of the difficulties there was hope, but it seemed to end when Black Tuesday signalled the beginning of the Great Depression.


We decided that four possible issues to cover would be (1) the Winnipeg General Stike - labour; (2) the Persons Case - women's rights; (3) technology: ex. cars, radios, telephones, washing machines; and, (4) inflation - the economy = primary vs. secondary industry - USA/branch plants.

PLEASE HAVE THE PARAGRAPH READY TO HAND IN AT THE START OF FRIDAY'S CLASS.

SS 11: Tuesday, 3 Jan

Today we discussed women in the eras before and after the First World War.  We noted changes in rights and freedoms.  One of the events that most clearly illustrates women's fight for equality was the 1929 Persons Case: please read the text (p. 60) section on this item and be prepared to discuss it in class.

We also discussed the labour movement in general,  and the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, in specific.  It is interesting to see how fearful the authorities were of "bolshevism" and how they saw labour as being linked to it.

Finally, we saw how trade and industry shifted towards the USA after the war.  Please read the text section on branch plants for homework.

Tomorrow we'll look at life in general in the 1920s.  I've got a table for you to complete - it is good for comparison.  Also, you will compose your labour movement songs to a catchy tune of your choice.

SS 11 Dieppe Tutorial: Thursday, 10 Nov

Dieppe Raid Tutorial

Use the links to access the tutorial on Dieppe.  The conclusions in Part Three connect to the topic of the D-Day invasion and involve opportunities for investigation and some real historical thinking.

Dieppe: Part One
Dieppe: Part Two
Dieppe: Part Three

Here is the link to the CBC site:
CBC Archives

SS 11 PPT Tutorial: Canada and the Italian Campaign: Tuesday, 8 Nov

Italian Campaign Tutorial:

Use the links to access a 37 minute, four-part PPT tutorial on the Italian Campaign.

Italy: Part 1
Italy: Part 2
Italy: Part 3
Italy: Part 4

SS 11: Friday 4 Nov 2011

Canada and the Battle of the Atlantic Tutorial

Use the links to view the three-part tutorial for the PPT lesson.  I tried to add more discussion for each slide.  If you have any questions, post them as a comment and I will respond.

Part 1    14:31 minutes
Part 2    10:22 minutes
Part 3      9:53 minutes



If you are interested, here is the link to the BBC history site; it has a simulation game and lots of good content on the Battle of the Atlantic.  There are numerous other rich sites on this topic on the Internet.  Remember, the best written responses will always include something original that comes from without the material presented by the course instructor.

Convoy Info and Simulator

After you view the tutorial and survey the information in you Falk handbook, use the paragraph summary at the end of Part 3 to help organize your ideas, then write a 150 paragraph on the following prompt:

      "Discuss how the Royal Canadian Navy met the challenges of the Battle of the Atlantic."

SS 11: 28 October, 2011

AUTONOMY LESSON

1. You should go to YouTube to view the 11-minute tutorial on the growth of Canadian autonomy in the 1920s.  You will be required to write a well-developed paragraph at the end of this activity.  You will find the video at:
Autonomy Video Tutorial

2. You should review the workbook/text reference pages.  You can also review the slides via the SlideShare. This will be especially useful because it has examples of how to go about writing the paragraph. 
SlideShare PowerPoint

3. When preparing for a test on this topic, use this link to access the Quizlet I created covering the steps to Canadian autonomy from 1919 to 1931.
Autonomy Quizlet

4. Write a 200-word "what/so-what" paragraph to address the following prompt:

                 "Canada did not achieve independence in a single step."

5.  Finally, post a comment to this post telling what you thought about the on-line format of this lesson.  You may wish to address some or all of the following: independence; review; clarity; accessibility; ease; variety; learning styles; frustration; enjoyment; understanding; technology.  Your comment should try to give a pro and a con and should be no less than five sentences long.

Mr. Marshall's Prognosis: 18 October, 2011

Hello All,

As you know I fractured my ankle on Sunday, 9 October.  At present, I am suffering at home, mostly watching t.v, surfing the Net and doing a bit of homework support with my kids.  I am taking it one week at a time.  Unfortunately, mine will be a non-weight-bearing cast for the entire six-week expected healing time.  When the doctor did a CAT scan of my ankle, he found what is thinks to be pre-existing damage to a bone in my foot; it is right under the fracture.  They are a bit perplexed and other damage to the joint from my arthritis adds further complications.  The end result is that I am currently unable to teach because I need to keep my foot up to control the swelling.  In addition, my fluctuating discomfort (a euphemism for pain) is often such that I find it difficult to concentrate and I need to be able to concentrate in order to teach. 

Thanks for your good wishes - especially for the card (Amber and Liz - it was very creative and made me LOL).  I'm thinking of you.  I hope things are going well for you all. 

SS 11 Map Lesson: Tuesday, 11 October, 2011

Let's try something new.  Click on the link  1914 Map Lesson      to view a ten-minute lesson on the map of Europe in 1914.  I've used ScreenFlow to create a narrated PowerPoint slide show.  You should, at some point, pause the video to hand-draw your own copy of the map using rectangles in the way I did.  By the end of this exercise, you should have mastered the four signpost states and some of the other countries we discuss or you read about.

SS 11: Friday, 7 October

Today I collected your "The Nature of Canada in 1900" paragraphs.  We also did an activity to highlight the nature of the conflict and competition that helped lead to the First World War and did a worksheet highlighting some key vocabulary terms linked to the causes of the war.  We also viewed a PPT on Europe in the era prior to the war. 

We read pp 21-24 in the text and completed Ex # 3 (outlining the chronology of the events that led to fighting in the war).  Please ensure these two things are done for homework.  Expect a quiz on Tuesday.

Today we took our brainstorming activity from yesterday's class (what was the nature of Canada in 1900?) and moved it forward with a lesson on writing the perfect "so-what" paragraph.  We used the worksheet shown above to help organize our ideas and give us complete arguments to use in our paragraphs.  Please hand in your finished paragraphs and your completed what/so-what tables tomorrow.

SS 11: Wed 5 Oct

On Monday we reviewed for the government unit test that we wrote yesterday.  Today we had a PPT discussion on the nature of Canada at the turn of the last century.  Tomorrow we will do a "what/so-what" activity and then write our first paragraph.  There is no homework.

SS 11: Thursday 29 Sept

Today we started our review in preparation for the government unit exam.  We began with a quiz and then took turns identifying and explaining the significance of the terms on page 2 of the workbook.  We covered #1-39.  We'll do the rest on Friday.  You should expect your exam on Tuesday (I will be absent).

SS 11: Wednesday, 28 Sept

Today we discussed affirmative action and preferential hiring and discussed/finished the worksheets up to #21.  We also finished the PPT on human rights.  Please complete Ex # 22, 23 and 24 for homework.