Sjodin's Blog

The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking. Brooks Anderson, Once Around the Sun Assignment: To select a socio/political issue and present a story and message about it in the form of a photo essay. You will find many helpful tips for this assignment at www.collectivelens.com For this assignment, choose a subject that you care about. Take a series of photos and select approximately ten to twelve of these to display in some organized format to relate your story. A detailed assignment sheet is available in the classroom. For now, take the time to peruse the linked website and the links within it.

Please take the time to become familiar with this blog site. While I will occasionally post assignments this site is primarily intended to provide you with links and study support materials. Remember that in order to successfully post comments you must have a google mail account. All comments are moderated by me and must be accompanied with your first name only.

Consider the many allusions and inspirations for this poem. Find your voice.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2364353/Review-of-Literary-Terms-Fiction-and-Form

Consider the following: What choices does the director make to highlight the tension and emotional climate of this short story? Why does this community hold the lottery? Does this story present a conflict? If so, explain. With the exception of Tessa, why are there no dissenters? What rituals or sacrifices exist in our world today? Are there some that have outworn their purpose or reason?

Welcome to the blog - the classroom beyond the classroom. Feel free to browse the many links and labels along the side. I will periodically being posting videos, comments, assignments and web links to help enhance your studies. You are invited to post comments. Posting comments to this blog is one way to contribute to discussions we will be having in class. Note: you need a gmail account and are asked to use your first name. Anonymous posts will not be published. Please refrain, however, from including your last name. Have Fun! The content for this summer course has been selected to support (at times loosely)two thematic ideas: 1) What makes a hero? and 2)What is the trouble with normal? Reviewing the embedded links will provide you with useful information to support your studies. Take your time to view these web links and prepare comments and/or questions for discussion in class.

All Grades! Follow this link and write a multi-paragraph response to the question "How does being a part of a gang relate to the need for identity?" Explore the website, submit your composition (if you choose) and bring me a copy for credit! Make reference to anything we have read, viewed or discussed in class. Share your thoughts!

Link to this website and explore! Young men and women are creatively working to affect real change in the world through textual and media arts! Publishing opportunities galore! http://citizen.nfb.ca/blogs/category/citizenshift/

Check it out! Here is what a group of Montreal students are doing to protect culture from corporate influx into our public lives: http://citizen.nfb.ca/node/7102&dossier_nid=1093

Follow the link to watch this creative ad and determine: 1) the intended audience, 2) the main purpose,and 3) the message. http://www.pomegranatephone.com/

View each of these following ads and comment. Explain your response with detail. What is the message? How is it communicated? What techniques are used and who is the target audience? What do you think about the effectiveness of these ads? The following ad almost spoofs the other with a more direct topic. What is ironic about it?

Well, it's not my normal approach to viewing this world, but inspired by another writer and in light of the Utopian/Dystopian project, I thought I'd share: In no particular order. . . 1) Litter - I'd say "garbage", but truth is, I've seen garbage put to some unique and creative works! It's not garbage itself that I can't stand, it's carelessness for the environment and spaces we live. Beauty and aesthetic affects mood. I wish we would all just simply clean up after ourselves, both in small and large scale ways. 2)Impatience - I get most impatient with impatience. Yes, that's ironic. Especially when people are impatient with each other. What's the rush?! Why not pause, breathe and go with the flow just a little more? 3)Poverty - can't we share? 4)Telemarketers who don't stop talking to me when I say I am not interested. I feel the persistent attempt to persuade me to buy something I already know I don't want insults my intelli...

Many music and song artists have written about their hopes and fears for now and the future. Covered recently by American Idol star, David Archuleta, John Lennon's song "Imagine" is probably one of the most popular. Click the link to read many interesting facts about the song! (Check back to this post for upcoming links)

In groups of not more than four people you are to create and present a vision of Utopia or Dystopia using both text and visual media. Your creation must be compiled and presented in one of the following formats: * power point * poster (see the side link on how to make an effective poster) * movie * travel brochure/pamphlet * a blog spot (see me for help) * your idea (please see me before beginning) * 3D format with written essay In creating your vision be sure to include aspects that tie to several of the themes we have discussed in class. For example, how will issues linked to housing, food, water and health be organized in your vision? What of equality and human rights? Gender relations? Power? Money? Education? Arts and culture? How will conflict be resolved or managed in your vision? What of the environment? **You must include a minimum of four of these aforementioned elements. *Also, link key quotes from your novels to...

"Did I say how magnificent the assistants were? ... insightful, curious, genuine, fun to hang out with... each with their own fascinating story... especially given that every continent of the planet, and many of the world's religions and cultures, skin colours, and traditions, were represented." * read more of this feedback by visiting the comments on the first Living Library post. Moscropians - you rock!

We had 32 "Books"visited by over 300 Moscropian "Readers" at our first Living Library event. Many of the guests offered appreciation to our students for the myriad of respectful and intelligent questions. So far, feedback from many has been resoundingly positive. Overall, there is a general plea for more; more days, more "books", more time. Many staff and students have come forward with offers to organize our next one! I am in the process of reviewing the debriefing forms filled out by both volunteers and readers, and am eager to share this feedback with you. For now I will say that it was intriguing to see how quickly word spread throughout the school about the transformation of the library. Students who were not scheduled to visit the event were lining up at the door and working to find their way in. I was pretty sure too, to have seen faces reappearing throughout the day, hopeful at a chance to "read another book." I am pondering over wh...

This Friday students from several classes are invited to visit the Moscrop Library that will be transformed into a Living Library for the first time. What does this mean? Courageous and interested volunteers from the surrounding community will be here "on the shelves" as "Living Books", each person with a title that reflects some aspect of his or her identity or life experience, an aspect where there exists some element of stereotyping or prejudice of within our culture and society. Admittedly, it is difficult to grow up without internalizing at least some of the misinformation or generalizing we see and hear about people who belong to one group or another. Media often distorts, confusions go unchallenged. On this day students and staff are invited to check out a "living book", to "take out a prejudice ", "face a stereotype", or simply learn about another by exchanging curiosity and discussion. Each one of these courageous Books l...

Okay folks, follow the link here to play R&J Jeopardy!

Find lots of information about word origins (etymology) and expand your vocabulary. Practice the activities and impress your friends with wild words! Stay tuned for this year's Moscrop Spelling Bee to be held in the Multi-Purpose room. Come down and cheer on your brave spelling friends! Follow the link to the CanSpell site!

Spelling Bee Laughs!

Hi All, Need help understanding Shakespeare? Check out this link: www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom/guide/page1.shtml Click on the Students section and read over "Shakespeare's Life". Be sure to do the quiz at the end. Many of the questions on this site will appear on your in class quiz! Have Fun!