Gary Coyle’s Grade 8 Humanities

Now that you have viewed the film adaptation of the novel, it’s time to put on our critical thinking hats. In two well developed paragraphs critique the film versus the novel. Was this a satisfactory adaptation of Animal Farm? Please post your critique to your blog. As always make sure you use specific evidence to back up your opinion (including proper in-text citations).

Today we are going to revisit the idea of commenting.  Commenting is import to BLOGS as it turns your writing into a dialog. As you remember a thoughtful comment usually does one of the following:

• Agrees and adds supporting information
• Moves the topic in a new direction with new evidence or a new interpretation of evidence
• Disagrees respectfully by adding contradictory evidence

Remember when responding to a BLOG posting challenging ideas is acceptable and encouraged, however singling out individuals for criticism is not.

In order to practice this skill, please spend the next ten minutes reading the BLOG postings of your classmates. After you have finished, respond thoughtfully to ANY postings from two of your classmates.

To refresh your memory here are some possibilities of how you could start your comment.

(Insert their name here)This made me think about…….
(Insert their name here) I wonder why…….
(Insert their name here)Your writing made me form an opinion about…….
(Insert their name here) This post is relevant because…….
(Insert their name here)Your writing made me think that we should…….
(Insert their name here) I wish I understood why…….
(Insert their name here) This is important because…….
(Insert their name here) Another thing to consider is…….
(Insert their name here) I can relate to this…….
(Insert their name here) This makes me think of…….
(Insert their name here) I discovered…….
(Insert their name here) I don’t understand…….
(Insert their name here) I was reminded that…….
(Insert their name here) I found myself wondering…….

Remember at the end of the quarter you will need to send me your “best” comment for evaluation.

 Ideas for comment starters synthesized from Vicki A. Davis at http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

Hi Gang…

Unfortunately, I’m out sick today. Today is a very critical day in our pre-production. By the start of class tomorrow you must have your script written and be ready to create the storyboard. As a result there are three things that must get done today.

• Review the sample script -> Conflict VC Sample Script.
• Spend the first half of the period finishing your research if you need to.
• Spend the second half of class writing your script and make sure you post it on your blog BEFORE you leave school so I can review them tonight.

Remember you have divided the topic up so in effect each of you is writing your own mini-script (that is 2-3 minutes long) that we will merge together tomorrow. Focus on getting your part done, THEN help others. So you understand, time is so critical to us because next week is our only time to film using VC. Pitale and Podorsek’s classes are following us so we need to be done producing by next Thursday.

Use you time well, get a lot done, make me proud and I’ll see you tomorrow.

-Mr. Coyle

Major Points From Last Week:

• WWI
  • Web Quest –  Scavenger Hunt – Review Answers
  • Life in the Trenches
  • Propaganda
  • Poetry Project – Peer edit
  • Timeline
  • America Enters the war and the end of the war
  • Poetry Project worktime
  • Quiz
• PP – How to write a good PP question
• Fables and Allegories – View and discuss ”The Birds” and a part of a Simpsons episode
• Intro –Animal Farm – Read aloud Chapter 1
• Sing “Beasts of England” 

Reflection

Please post your response to the following on your BLOG.

With which character in Animal Farm do you most closely identify? Using examples from the novel (and a proper in text citation)  justify your comparison.

image from http://aminsabeti.persiangig.com

Major Points From Last Week:

• 43rd War Journal – share with others
• 43rd War – Characters and Ideas
• Central America Map
• Where does 43rd War Take Place? – Paragraph with support
• What’s the Big Idea? – Connecting American Revolution with 43rd War
• Touchstones Discussion – Child Soldiers
• Blog Post _ The King is Dead
• WWI – Scavenger Hunt
• WWI – Video The Great War

Reflection 

Please post your response to the following on your BLOG.

In some countries, joining the military is mandatory, in other countries, optional. For example, in Israel and Singapore both men and women are required to perform two years compulsory military service right after high school. Does your country require military service?  If so, how do you feel about this? If not, under what conditions would you ever join the military to defend your country?