So May is rapidly drawing to a close. As was the case with the last several months things have been going very well in Grade 11 English and Grade 10 Computer Science. The students and I have been having a good time using inquiry to expand knowledge and interests in a variety of subjects. Both groups of students are very hands-on, open to discussions, and active in their learning, which is awesome. Great things have been happening.

This week is a bit of an anomaly because of the Victoria Day long weekend, which is immediately followed by the Northwestern Ontario Track & Field Championships in Thunder Bay. Almost half of the Grade 11 English class and several from the Grade 10 computer class are participating, (and props to them for their academic and athletic pursuits!)

ENG3U – Grade 11 English students will have this week to work on their Independent Study projects. These projects focus on tales from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Students will develop literary essays on topics of their interest/choice as well as engage their classmates (and me!) in presentations/activities to share their tales. Some of the ideas they’ve shared make me pretty pumped for the culmination of these projects.

Next week, students will come together in three groups to present their interpretations of a scene from Macbeth as a culminating project for that unit. Normally these presentations would be this week but with the number of absences, a bit of flexibility on everyone’s part is required. These presentations are going to be awesome. The fact that most students memorized their lines in two days is a testament to how this group works.

Between now and June, we will also tackle Beowulf, which is such a wickedly awesome story. Looking forward to it!

ICS2O – Grade 10 Computer Science students are working on their final HTML/CSS projects. The scope of the projects involve creating a website for a business/organization, (either an existing one or one they make up). Students are busy using design elements and coding skills to make this project come together. I’m especially impressed with students who have gone above-and-beyond in their practice of web coding. Two are experimenting with Javascript, which is really cool because it’s all self-taught. Amazing, really. It’s awesome to see these websites come together.

I owe a debt of gratitude to nodehost.ca who graciously donated web server space to my students so they could upload their websites and host them for free. Thanks, guys!

There are only about four weeks left until exams start. For students going on the GCHS Outers Spring Trip, that time’s even less. It’s time to keep buckled down, to work hard, and to let me know if there’s anything I can do to help ensure a successful semester. Thanks!