Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years!

Today's film, Joyeaux Noel, was full of not only amazing visuals and music (aside from the atrocious lip-synching) but it also has a great message of love, acceptance, comraderie and togetherness.

I wish you all a very restful break filled with family, friends, food, fun, fondue, french fries, fatouche, funny movies, fudge, Family Guy, etc etc etc....

Remember about the essay that is due when we get back; we will be working very closely with these so be sure that you do them! And do them soon, while the story is fresh in your mind.

Again, all the best over the next two weeks.

Mr R

The Wars information

I just found this site online and thought it would be very useful. Use it to spur your own thoughts, but remember, this is information for a play that is being staged in Vancouver; as such, not all of the information/events are the same as in the book.

http://www.vancouverplayhouse.com/_files/pdf/plays/the_wars_play_guide.pdf

Diploma Prep

The government has posted some guides for Diploma Exam prep on the following websites. Be sure to check them out - especially English - and if you have any questions, come see me.


http://education.alberta.ca/students/exams.aspx
http://education.alberta.ca/media/604806/ela30-1_student_guide.pdf

Perfect Timing

It needs to be stated that our discussion of the book, The Wars coincides perfectly with Remebrance Day and all of the ideas and celebrations that go with it.

Be sure to take a moment from your day and reflect on this one fictional character and the thousands of real ones like him who gave their lives in the war.

The Posters are Beautifully done...

I have yet to closely look at your posters and study guides, but they appear to be very well done; full of symbolism and relevant images, etc.

As for the upcoming exam, you are expected to know the five stories that were discussed in class as well as those literary terms that we initially looked at on the handout: approximately 1 - 33.

If you have been in class, if you have been active in discussions and group work and if you have kept up on assignments, you will do fine.

Comments

First of all, I am sorry to those of you who have been contributing to the blog. I will be more active on this thing from now on.

If you make a comment, please leave your name at the end of your post so that I know who is using this board.

And please do not be afraid to ask questions!!!! That's what this is for!!!!

Context - The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a time of immense struggle for many people across North America. Both the film we recently viewed and the short story we will soon be examining are set in and around this time.

By understanding the many challenges that were faced by the characters in the film, we have a better chance of empathizing with the characters in our short story.

"Context" is an important term that you must know. Make sure you are clear on both the definition and how it is used in practice.

Identities

With all of this talk about identities, I want you to begin taking things from the stories that we read. When we read "The Boat," we are presented with people who sacrifice a great deal for those that they love; when and where has this happened to you? In our next short story, two characters start out on a similar path and then greatly diverge. Why, and how, do changes such as this happen? Are there stories from your past that prove this point?

Problem Areas

Although we do have a full year to deal with problem areas, it would be best to get started right away. If there is an aspect of English LAnguage Arts that has given you great difficulty in the past, you need to communicate this to me as soon as possible (preferably not on this blog, but rather in person).

Today was a good - and very boring - start to the course. I look forward to this next year.

Mr R

Identity and Conflict

Identity and Conflict are both important topics that we will be discussing over the duration of this course. Our short story unit will serve as an introduction to these topics - be sure to look for ways in which the various authors create identity for their characters, and likewise, how these characters find identity in spite of numerous conflicts.

English 30-1 Blog is up and running!

Here we go...