Hello, everyone! Here’s hoping everyone’s been great. Things in class are moving along nicely as we move into the month of May. Most students have been doing a phenomenal job of catching up on assignments, collaborating with others, developing skills, and improving their learning. It’s been so good!

ENG3U Grade 11 University English is working towards finishing Macbeth. I have been so impressed with the group work in this class as students collaborate to build an understanding of Shakespeare’s language. Our focus has been on the meaning of the play and then translating that into understanding emotions, movement, and other elements of a theatrical production. This has translated into co-creating success criteria for a presentation of a scene. As students complete the play they will have a performance-based culminating activity. I’m excited!

ENG4C Grade 12 College English students have just completed their Business English culminating task. This involved writing a report using the perspective of a consultant hired to improve learning and life at GCHS. Students worked together to develop ideas, refine formatting, and create great-looking reports. They are now working on a Short Story Visual Project, which I’m looking forward to sharing. Next up will be Animal Farm!

ENG4U Grade 12 University English has just finished Ishmael. Our culminating task is a short literary essay. This essay is important as it provides practice and feedback that leads into the Independent Study Unit. Students will use the discussions, questions, and seminars we conducted for the novel as a basis for formulating their thoughts in the essay.

Thanks again to students who have been working hard to improve their success in class. You guys are all fantastic – and the end is in sight! 🙂

Hello! April is all but gone… just like that. Midterm report cards were provided to students on Tuesday, April 26 so if you’re a parent and you haven’t seen it, it’s time to ask for it. I’m also available to speak with parents/guardians/students if there are questions.

Here’s the plan for this week and next:

ENG3U Grade 11 University English students are almost in the middle of Macbeth. So far, students have been great at deciphering the text, making connections, finding meaning, and having conversations about the play. We have done some acting of short snippets after students figured out meaning and emotions. We will continue doing Macbeth stuff next week, working to complete it.

ENG4C Grade 12 College English has been focusing on Business English this past week. Students have talked about planning and organizing documents, APA style, letter formats, and reports. The class has started their culminating project and this will keep us busy for the next few days.

ENG4U Grade 12 University English students are almost done with Ishmael. We have had some great discussions about the philosophy within the text through Socratic seminars. We will work to complete the novel next week and then begin a critical analysis of the text through an essay.

Thanks to all students for great work. The next two months will almost certainly fly by and then…Summer!

It’s great to be back in class and back into the swing of things. This week, teachers will be finalizing midterm marks and submitting them to the office so they should be arriving home in a week or two. Once again, I’d like to thank my awesome students for their patience and great work over the past two crazy weeks. They have created some great short story projects, (including videos, paintings, and pieces of writing). The key is student choice!

This week, we’re moving ahead with more fun. Here’s the weekly update:

ENG3U Grade 11 University English begins Macbeth this week! This is my favourite Shakespeare play and I hope to inspire students to enjoy it, too. It has everything: witches, a deranged lunatic, and violence! We will work on interpreting the meaning of the text and appreciating the performance aspect of the play. To start, here’s a bit of background:

The ENG4C Grade 12 College English class will begin a short unit on Business English. This unit focuses on report writing, business letters, the job market, and knowledge that colleges will require, such as APA style. This unit is mostly hands-on writing. Mr. Burns explains the importance of business:

Finally, ENG4U Grade 12 University English  will continue studying Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael this week. Students spent last week creating projects on ancient civilizations, (many of which are referenced in the novel) and rants on “things about society that grind your gears”. I’m hoping to share those rants here. We will take a more focused look at the novel and what, exactly, Quinn things we should do to save the world. Should we be “Leavers” or “Takers”?

Thanks, and enjoy your week!