I'm humbled by the work that was displayed for teachers by teachers and it makes me always question the journey and direction that I am undertaking. Those three questions that I shared with you earlier this year (see below) are again at the heart of the learning journey.
- What are you learning?
- How is it going?
- Where to next?
Anyway, enough about me- what did we get up to today in class? Isn't that the question you want answered first?
Homework
if not completed in class, complete the review practice on the principles of angle measurement- use of class activities (open-book) is recommended
complete the reading assignment/questions showing comprehension of the information about Raoul Wallenberg in Warsaw (reading booklet is needed to answer the questions)
Reminders
sign up for the talent contest outside the music room
Grad hoodies have arrived and will be distributed to students who have paid for their order. Thanks.
Science Olympics Team- please remember your permission slips.
General Day
Started our morning with Unit 3 Latin and Greek vocabulary activity- students are really doing a great job on them- today we learned the phrases ad nauseum and vice versa
Novel Connection and extension: we attempted to tackle a quick presentation of the nature of PROPAGANDA and it's use in war (we considered the Cold War years between North America and Russia and JFK's bluffing of the Russian threat to use atomic weapons in the 60's)
A student (and colleague from another school) recommended the novel The Boy Who Dared about a young German who mounted his own anti-Nazi campaign to try to spread the different perspective that he was understanding from the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) which he was listening to on 'pirate radio'. As it was in our class library I introduced it as a next possible read. I am impressed with how many students have now completed the reading of Milkweed.
I only gave it to them last week and I didn't (until today) request that they read it independently!!!! It is very encouraging and I think a novel circle activity will encourage the rest to read it too.
French -posters- need to complete the 'table top skits'
Math- time to review the skills and end-knowledge on the properties of angles. Today was meant to be independent practice. There will be a review test next week for the unit.
Physical Education
DEAR time- allowed reading or continuing the incomplete work on the math and/or reading activities.
Social responsibility/Human Rights (Personal Planning) A short 15 minute video called Daniel's Story was shown to the students (ties into the themes for language arts, social studies and personal planning)
It is a compilation or composite of actual German Jewish families designed for children (it does not rely on graphic or horrific images to make its point) which describes their plight and experience being persecuted by the Nazis.
The students completed a "Makes me think " log after the video and a discussion of the 'blue eyes/brown eyes' experiment was undertaken. I am most impressed with the number of students who were moved to find compassion for those affected and were able to elicit this in their written responses which were powerful and showed evidence of deep thought.
The learning intention in the themes we have incorporated are all focussed on answering the student's questions that were posed in the KWL activity last week. We have made progress on two of the five questions to date. 1. Why were the Jewish people targetted? and 2. Why did people just watch it (let it) happen?
I would have to say (for such a harrowing and complex topic) that many of the students are showing deeper understanding of the different facets of the answers to the questions they asked. History does not happen in a vacuum and the circumstances of the situation in Germany are still ripe for being played out in countries and communities around the world- the KKK, the white supremacy movement is there maybe underground but there are many examples of propaganda and prejudice that can easily lead to persecution today. So when students and parents ask why learn about the Holocaust my conviction is that we may remember in order that we not repeat such inhumane atrocities (of course genocide is not eradicated by any means but I'd like my students to know their responsibilities and to find compassion for the rights of others.
Father Neimoller's famous "When they came for the communists, I didn't object because I was not a communist, When they came for the Socialists... Then they came for me- And there was no one left to object" is so profound.
There was no time left for art today - I'll ensure to include some art time in tomorrow's classes or my name will be 'mud'.
Dismissal
Have a good evening.
Mrs. J.
No comments:
Post a Comment