Ms. Kassam's Humanities Blog

January is in the books! Update: Report cards went home on Thursday. Please return signed envelopes right away. This week we developed our own island nations and established the ten most important worldviews to guide our island. We then, suddenly, met people from other islands and had to figure out what to do with these people who were so very different from us, and had different values and beliefs. I was super impressed with what I observed going on in both classes around this work. This will lead into our study of Japan from the 1600's to the 1900's. Next week: Please have Read Theory completed through to #22. Finish your assigned Japan novel chapters. Finish your Island Reflection. We will assign our Science Olympic colours and begin working on our flag. Have an awesome weekend!

After a week of very cold weather, this week was full of heated discussions. We finished off our study of the Renaissance and one of our discussion topics related to expansionism - debates ensued. Japan is our next area of study in terms of developing worldview. To launch our exploration, students developed their own island and identified worldviews and emblems which represented their values and beliefs collectively - debates ensued. We read a short story called, "The Landlady" and students outline the story pyramid - further debates ensued. Needless to say, it has been a lively week here in Room 104! Next Week: Monday - ensure you've read the chapters for your Japan novel study (Nightingale: 1-3, Chrysanthemum: 1-4, Puppeteer: 1-3) Thursday - Report Cards go home Friday - PD Day (no school for students) Have a lovely weekend!

Welcome Back! The first week can often feel long, but we've been so busy that it seems to have flown by. This week we worked on finishing our narratives, learning about persuasive paragraphs and finishing up most of our Renaissance learning. Narratives: - finish editing and revising (read it aloud one more time before you print it) - use your rubric to ensure you remembered to include everything in your assignment - staple in the following order: one point rubric with peer feedback on top, then the narrative, and the actual rubric on the back Persuasive Paragraph: - complete your Orereo pages: include any research you may have done for specific examples - you will need to have this completed for the in-class, individual task on Monday during class Next Week: Monday - narratives and Orereo sheets (must bring a reading book with you) Friday - Kid Inventors' Day