Blog 24 - Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Last blog of 2018!

Tell me about your BEST/WORST Holiday memory?

Was 2018 a good/bad year for you?

What are your expectations for 2019.

Explain.

Blog 23 - Monday, December 10, 2018

Midterms, the Christmas Holidays and Christmas Break are right around the corner.  I am sure you have A LOT on your mind!

 For this blog, you could discuss something you feel passionate about!

Be creative and write about something you feel important or something you would like to tell your audience. 

You must remember your audience. It is not simply Mr. Katz reading this blog!  If you will be ranting, you need to leave their name out of this. You could give them a pseudonym (example: Mr. Ed) or simply leave their name as anonymous. Make sure your language is appropriate. Do not go on swearing tangents.

Blog 22 - Wednesday, December 5, 2018

NETFLIX announced that its prices will increase starting in 2019.

Do you enjoy watching NETFLIX?
What do you watch?

Do you feel that the price increase is WORTH IT?

Explain.

Blog 21 - Monday, December 3, 2018

Do you like watching movies?

What is your FAVOURITE movie?
Who are your FAVOURITE actors?

Do you think you would make a good actor?
What genre of movie do you see yourself starring in?
(comedy, action, horror, crime, etc.)

Blog 20 - Monday, November 26, 2018

There will only be ONE (1) blog this week!!
(no school Thursday or Friday)

Ms. Carbray is sadly finishing her third internship here at St. Thomas.

What lesson(s) did you really enjoy?
What has been Ms. Carbray's strengths?
What feedback can you provide her with for her fourth and final stage; before she becomes a teacher?

Explain.

Blog 19 - Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Do you follow a sport(s)?
What sport(s) do you follow?
How important a role do sport(s) play in your life? Explain.

Blog 18 - Monday, November 19, 2018

This week is pride week at St. Thomas. 

What is your favourite thing about St. Thomas? Explain.

Blog 17 - Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Now that your first high school term is over, explain what you learned about high school. 

Did you meet your goals. 

What are some goals for Term 2.

Blog 16 - Monday, November 12, 2018

Last week, a video circulated in the news showing a teen with cerebral palsy (nervous system disorder) being bullied into lying in a stream so his classmates could use him as a human bridge.

The mother of this Grade 9 boy said it was “shameful other teens stood by and watched without intervening.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/glace-bay-high-school-student-cerebral-palsy-bullying-1.2663152

Have you ever witnessed someone being bullied? 

Did you do anything to stop it? 

Could you have done anything differently? Explain.

Blog 15 - Monday, November 5, 2018

There will only be one blog this week!

At the end of The Outsiders, Ponyboy begins writing a book.

If you were to write a book, what would it be about? Why?

Blog 14 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Halloween should always be FUN! It is a time when we get to dress up and eat LOTS of candy!

Tell me about your BEST Halloween memory?
Explain.

Blog 13 - Monday, October 29, 2018

This weekend, another shooting happened at a place of worship in Pittsburgh.
11 people died, 6 were injured.
It seems that every week there is another tragedy in the United States.
President Trump recommends that there be security guards in front of all schools and places of worship.
Will this alleviate the problem?
Do you believe anti-semitism is still present today?
Explain.

Blog 12 - Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The Greasers and Socials are about to RUMBLE! 

In rumbles, people get hurt and could possibly die.

Is fighting the best way to solve a problem?

What are other possible ways of solving an external conflict?

Have you ever been in a conflict with someone? How did you resolve it?

Explain.

Blog 11 - Monday, October 22, 2018

An important part of my English class is to make you aware of what you post on-line and what it means to be a good digital citizen.  

Being a good digital citizen includes:

- being aware of your digital footprints;

- demonstrating safe and respectful online etiquette;

- not cyberbullying, sexting, or posting inappropriate photos and/or videos,

- making important decisions about what to post to social media sites; and,

- not downloading or uploading inappropriate content

For this blog, I would like you to CREATE an important Digital Citizenship message using MEMES!

A meme is a generic message about a behaviour that is passed around on-line.

Using makeameme.org, create a MEME about being a GOOD Digital Citizen.  

On the blog site, write an explanation about the meme you've created.  Explain why you've chosen that image? Explain the text on your meme!  How is your meme effective?

On classroom, I want you to submit your meme by copying and pasting it to a Google document and then TURNING it in!

Blog 10 - Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Today is a HUGE day in Canadian History.

Cannabis (marijuana) is now legal across Canada. 

Do you have any concerns about legalizing marijuana? If so, what are your concerns?

Do you think the legalization of marijuana will be good or bad for Canadians?

Explain.

Blog 9 - Monday, October 15, 2018

Ponyboy and his siblings (Darry and Sodapop) have their differences, but inevitably they love each other a lot.  They are family after all.

Tell me about your siblings? Do you have any?

What is your relationship with them? Do they bug you? Do you bug them?

If you are an only child, would life be better or worse with a sibling? 

Explain.

Blog 8 - Wednesday, October 10, 2018

In Chapter 4 of The Outsiders, Johnny and Ponyboy run away to Windrixville.

If you could live on your own with one friend, who would you want to live with?
Why would this work?
What challenges would you two face?

Blog 7 - Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Since Thanksgiving is around the corner, we need to remember to be thankful for what we have and thankful for who we are surrounded by.

For this blog, write about someone you feel deserves a BIG THANK YOU!

Why do they deserve a BIG THANKS?

Explain.

Blog 6 - Wednesday, September 26, 2018

In chapter one of The Outsiders, Ponyboy explains that the greasers are considered like family to him. 

Do you think it’s possible for friends to be considered family? 

Explain why or why not.

Do you have any friends you’re so close with, you consider them family? 

Blog 5 - Monday, September 24, 2018

Ponyboy loves being at the movies ALONE.

Do you like being ALONE? Why is it important to have ALONE time?

How do you feel after being ALONE?

Explain.

Blog 4 - Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Hurricane Florence, which made landfall in North Carolina on Friday, completely devastated most of the Carolinas and caused widespread flooding. Hurricane Florence has flooded rivers (swells of 60 feet above regular water levels), roads, and houses.

Many residents had to abandon their homes and everything inside them. 

If your house was flooded, and you could only take one item with you, what would that item be? 

Explain.

Blog 3 - Monday, September 17, 2018

What decade were your parents born in?
Would you want to go back to that decade?
What from their decade sounds interesting?
Explain why or why not.

Blog 2 - Monday, September 10, 2018

In the short story "The Winner" by Peg Kehret, the protagonist enters a poetry competition and writes a poem that she is confident will win.

Write about a time you won a competition or game and felt very proud of yourself.

Blog 1 - Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Tell me about a time when you were impressed by someone or something.

Explain why you were so impressed.

Welcome - Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Welcome everyone to our class blog!

• Here you will be able to post your blog entries and make comments on your peers' blogs.

• The purpose of blogging is to give you the opportunity to share and express your thoughts and ideas without the worry of making spelling and grammar mistakes. Therefore, you will not be graded on your spelling and grammar but rather on the ideas and thoughts you present and how well they answer the day’s blog questions.
• Follow the rubric (see classroom notes).  Blogs will be evaluated in Competency 3 (producing texts/writing) and are a significant part of the Learner Profile.

Some important rules to consider when posting your entries:

1. Make sure you are signed-in with your Google account (@lbpearson.ca) 
2. Avoid long confusing sentences. Be clear with your ideas. Use short sentences.
3. You need to reply to your peers’ blog entries but remember to be respectful, polite, and considerate; any form of disrespect, bullying, threatening and/or taunting will be taken extremely seriously and addressed with administration.
4. Blogging is a great way to get your message out to the class/teacher.  Don't lose the privilege of being a successful student blogger.
5. Have fun! Don’t be shy to disagree or challenge ideas!