What We Did
I feel like our class was quite well behaved today, so we got through a lot of stuff.
Today we started off by discussing course selection. Ms.Lees explained that on Wednesday some counselors will be coming to our class to discuss our class options for last year. Choosing grade 8 courses was more of a practice round for the real thing: grade 9. Last year for grade 8 courses, there weren’t a whole lot of decisions to make. Our only options really were to choose whether we wanted to join band, and if not; then we just had to choose the order in which classes we wanted the most to least. There are MANY more course options for grade 9. Some classes are mandatory, such as; English 9, Socials 9,Math 9, Physical Education 9 and Science 9. If you aren’t taking a language, then you have room for 3 electives. If you are taking a language, (such as French or Spanish) then you can only take 2 electives. A few examples of electives presented for grade 9 are:
- Foods (cooking)
- Drama
- Choir
- Woodcraft
- Stained Glass
- Art
As you can see, there are several different options for grade 9, and it will definitely be a hard decision to make! Guess what? Even more classes are offered each grade, so by the time we get to grade 12, there will be dozens of options!

When the counselors come, try to listen tentatively; because they will most likely be able to answer all of the questions you have.

After we had finished our quick discussion with course selection, we moved on to the Geography challenge. We had two practice quizzes; one on Europe and the other on Celebrations around the world. I have to say that I fail almost all of the geography practices; there are just so many options and answers! The REAL geography challenge will be TOMORROW, and we will spend the whole class time answering 90 questions. Ms.Lees said that we don’t exactly need to study because geography is such a broad subject, and there are way too many facts to study. Plus, it could be on practically anything geography related, so I would have no clue where to start!
Once we were finished with the practice, we moved onto the main part of Humanities class today. We learned that we are going to start a project with our novel studies groups. We will do the project using a Concept map. Most of didn’t know what a concept map was, so Ms.Lees got us to brainstorm a criteria sheet to show us what a proper concept map looks like.

A concept map resembles a big web. The main idea goes in the middle, and details on the topic (in our case, our novel) come out of the middle. Our maps can/should include pictures, information bubbles (or paragraphs), charts/tables, Venn diagrams, a ranking ladder and many more things to help us grasp the idea of our novel and its era. We will also be peer editing each other’s concept maps, and the paragraphs we have written.

Right before class ended, Ms.Lees handed out some sheets of paper. One was a personal rubric criteria sheet for Concept Mapping, another was a Group Work Rubric, next was a Writing Process checklist and lastly was a sheet on how to do superb editing.
I am really excited to do the project, because I love the chance to show creativity. Now I just need to figure out how to get Jin and Jeffrey to behave….
Why We Did It
There are many reasons why we are choosing or courses so early within the year. One is that the councilors, teachers and other school staff need plenty of time to look over our choices and choose classes that will work for us and fit our needs. A machine is actually the one that makes our schedule, but the councilor still needs to make sure that it is even and there aren’t too many tricky subjects all in one semester. Another reason is so that for some reason we do change our mind about what classes we wish to take, we still have time to change it.

The reason for the councilors to discuss it with us is so that we have a full understanding of what we’re getting ourselves into. They should be able to answer all of our questions and if we are worried or can’t make up our minds, the can definitely assist us. Make sure that you ask ANY questions you may have on Wednesday, because others may be wondering the same thing.

The reason for doing the geography challenge practices is so that we are fully prepared and aware of what to expect on the challenge tomorrow. Many of us are slow at answering, so now we know what to expect t and how much time we have to complete the whole test. We also now know what kinds of questions will be on the test and have a pretty basic idea of our knowledge level for these types of question. If you got 0/10 every single time on the practices, I am sorry but don’t expect to get 90 on the actual test.
We went over the Concept Map criteria so that we ACTUALLY know what a concept map. I mind as well state the obvious: If you don’t know what a concept map is---- then how the heck do you expect to know what to do on the actual project? Ms.Lees worked hard to give us a pretty clear understanding of what is to be expected from us and our groups. It should be organized and colour coordinated. The lines should link and vary, our font should make sense and we should include linking phrases. She went into quite a bit of detail, and even showed us the grade 9’s examples ones for a reason! This way we know what she expects from us and can’t say we didn’t get what to do as an excuse.

Peer editing is quite an important step to our project because most likely you will make a mistake and not notice it, but others may notice it. If you go over it with someone else, then you have an extra pair of eyes and ears. They may be REALLY good at grammar, while you may be great at varying sentences. When you put your skills together, it can make your work even BETTER!

The sheets will come in handy during the project. We can look at the rubrics to try to improve our projects and to know how we can get the best mark possible. The editing sheet will help us improve both our sentence structure and our peer’s sentence structures. The writing process worksheet teaches us the steps to making a wonderful, structured paragraph. It also reminds us what to look for when proofreading.
Connections/Reflections
I am really glad that the councilors are coming in to discuss our options for next year. Without them I would be completely lost. There are so many wonderful courses to choose from. I really want to take cooking, woodwork and art; but I will only be able to choose 2 electives. Plus I haven’t had art yet, so I am not sure if I will enjoy it or not. But I am trying not to worry, and do plan on asking the councilors about this. I have two older sisters and they are both telling me to choose different things, I am so confused!

I think it is important to start being able to make decisions at a young age so that when we are older and are in University or have job we can consider our options and make the best decision possible. We have to make decisions every day; whether it’s something big such as moving or something small like what flavor of ice cream you want. A few jobs that you need to be a talent decision maker to excel in are: a judge, a principal, a police, or a doctor.

My sister is very good at geography and is always making fun of me because I don’t know where many countries are. I remember one day she gave me a map of Europe and asked me to label all of the countries, but I refused to. Looks like it came back and bit me in the bum! Today we had to label a map of Europe and I was quite clueless. I guess that taught me to listen to my sister.
Being good at geography is very important if you want to go on a vacation. You can’t just randomly point at a place on the map and say “I am going there tomorrow!” No way! Before travelling or even moving, you need to consider some key things. You need to know the climate and what the weather is like there throughout the months. Where it is and how close it is to your current home and relatives (flight fees can be expensive.) The population and what month is the busiest with tourists. Its capital city and the main cities around it. The land features (mountains, lakes, ocean, etc.) The countries laws and the type of money they use. What language they speak. Their celebrations, customs and religions. These are just a few important things that you SHOULD know. They will definitely aid you when deciding where to visit. Historians, travel agents, pilots, and teachers are some occupations that need to be excellent at geography.
My family is going to Las Vegas in the summer, and I know that my parents seriously considered the climate before deciding where to visit. This way we knew what to pack.

I have never heard of a Concept Map before, but it sounds quite similar to a normal web. I am really appreciative that Ms.Lees went over the criteria and handed out all of the worksheets because I will definitely use them. I was looking at the grade 9’s webs and thinking “wow, these are complicated. What’s going on?” But now I pretty much understand what they were trying to accomplish.

In grade 7 we did next to nothing using webs; but let me tell you, we did a TON of writing. My teacher was a writing machine, so I am grateful that when it comes to writing, I know a lot of important things. We also used marking rubrics often, so I am pretty clear on how they work and how to use them properly. I love making charts and diagrams to represent things on project, and I love making posters. This is exciting!

Making posters reminds me of grade 5 because we did lots and lots of posters; many even on h
history. I did a BIG project on King Henry VIII, and it was 31 pages long. I have a feeling that even though there were several centuries in between King Henry VIII and the Middle Ages, they had a lot in common. Hopefully my knowledge on him and his era with help me with this project. I find it so interesting how much we have accomplished and invented over the centuries. Thank god toilets were invented before I was born!
Homework
We don’t have any specific homework for tomorrow. But there is a lot of catch up work you should be finished. You were supposed to have finished your novel by now, but if you haven’t, get to it! Your notes should also be almost finished or finished. Make sure to hand them in as soon as possible.

You don’t HAVE to study for geography challenge tomorrow because it doesn’t count for marks. If you are very about the challenge and want to go far with it, then study your heart out!
Tips
-when you don’t have any homework, I suggest you look through your binder to make sure you are caught up on ALL of your work
- It is okay to talk with the people close to you from time to time, but make sure you stay on track and keep your voice down so that you don’t disturb those around you.
- Whenever you are behind on your work, go in during FLEX to catch up and get extra help.- If you miss a day, make sure to either email Ms.Lees (you can find her email on the school website) or ask one your study buddies. You should have at least 2 people in our classes numbers or emails by now.
- If you are unable to complete your assigned work, make sure to email Ms.Lees to let her know. If you have a good reason, then she will usually let you off the hook and give you extra time to finish it.
-If you need help with your blogs, you can look at other group's blogs, or check out the English Grade 9 homepage and blogs.
-Even if you didn’t compete in the spelling bee in the theatre, it’s still important that you improve your spelling skills for the future.
- Finals are coming up, and I suggest that you make sure you are up to date with your Humanities homework so you have time to study the next few weeks.
- Don’t stress about the Geography challenge tomorrow! Just try your best and use your background knowledge.
- If you know you are going to have a lot of homework tomorrow, don’t procrastinate and do your homework today so that you aren’t loaded tomorrow.
Here is a link to the grade 9 course selection:
http://www.sd36.bc.ca/frshts/cselection%20books/Grade9.pdf
Here is a link that gives more information on concept mapping: http://users.edte.utwente.nl/lanzing/cm_home.htm

Schedule:
Monday: Olivia
Tuesday: Alice
Wednesday: Daniel
Friday: Luke

ALICE IS DOING HER BLOG TOMORROW!!