In Core, my class uses many different activities to help us learn the history and English material. The main thing we do for English is SVG, or Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar. SVG consist of vocabulary words and activities, along with pages of practice with basic concepts like capitalization and apostrophe placement. For history, we mainly do Cornell Notes, a specific style of notes that is proven to help with studying and remembering. We also take tests on the SVG, which have to do with both the vocab and the concept. Some other activities in Core combine`both subjects, like write a poem about or in the style of what we're learning about in history, or reading and responding to a realistic fiction book set in the place or time of the current history unit. An example of that is our Shabanu Response document, which we add to after every chapter. Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind is set in Pakistan twenty or thirty years ago. Some others are the Fall of Rome Poem and Andalusian Poetry, which are either about, or in the style of, a certain history unit. We even do simulations that help us act out the history unit, like the Traders and Invaders Simulation, that reenacted the fall of Rome.
The 30-15-10 list is a accumulation of the thirty most common prefixes, the fifteen most common root words, and the ten most common suffixes. These words have been learnt through a period of ten weeks, ten word per two weeks, except one group of fifteen. Now Core students are preparing for a test on all of the prefixes, roots, and suffixes. Quizlet provides an excellent way to study; Speller, Learn, Test, Scatter, and Space Race are all fun ways to study. For some reason, Space Race and Test do not show up on the embedded set, so if you want to use them, click "Study these flash cards" in the bottom left corner, or follow this link. Once on the Quizlet page, you can play Space Race and take the Test along with the other games. To switch from activity to activity on this page, select an option from the "Choose a Study Mode" in the bottom right corner.
Quizlet is a very good way to study, and I have done extremely well on every test that I used Quizlet to study for. The different activities make it easy to learn the terms and provide a great way to solidify definitions. Also, records and "game champions" allow for friendly competition that helps students strive to be the best. Quizlet is also the main tool used in this experience, and it was a very useful tool that was easy to learn. Quizlet reminds me of a project we recently did in Science where we made our own set or twenty-two flashcards
Quizlet is a very good way to study, and I have done extremely well on every test that I used Quizlet to study for. The different activities make it easy to learn the terms and provide a great way to solidify definitions. Also, records and "game champions" allow for friendly competition that helps students strive to be the best. Quizlet is also the main tool used in this experience, and it was a very useful tool that was easy to learn. Quizlet reminds me of a project we recently did in Science where we made our own set or twenty-two flashcards
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind is a historical fiction novel set in Pakistan 20 or 30 years ago. Shabanu, the main character, would rather be able to help her father tend their camels than get married. Even so, she loves her future husband, Murad. Unfortunately, after Phulan's future husband, Hamir, is murdered by the vicious landlord Nazir-Mohammad, Phulan marries Murad and Shabanu must to marry the brother of the landlord: Rahim-sahib.
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind was included in our curriculum as an accompaniment to our history unit of Islam. The story did include some Islamic practices, but mainly focused on the life in Pakistan around 30 years ago. For almost everyone in America, arranged marriages, or marrying in early teens is a thing of the distant past, but Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind shows how many people still practice marriage techniques now considered obsolete.
While Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind was the first accompaniment book of the year, later in Core we also read books that supplemented our studies of Japan and the Middle Ages. While little tools were used in the reading of this book, I became very good at ignoring the recorded speaker and reading the book myself.
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind was included in our curriculum as an accompaniment to our history unit of Islam. The story did include some Islamic practices, but mainly focused on the life in Pakistan around 30 years ago. For almost everyone in America, arranged marriages, or marrying in early teens is a thing of the distant past, but Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind shows how many people still practice marriage techniques now considered obsolete.
While Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind was the first accompaniment book of the year, later in Core we also read books that supplemented our studies of Japan and the Middle Ages. While little tools were used in the reading of this book, I became very good at ignoring the recorded speaker and reading the book myself.
For some reason, you must click the green flag twice to start with all of your hearts.
This game lost much of its quality when uploaded online. If you possess the Scratch software, or are willing to download it for free, you can use the file below.
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Download Scratch here
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The Crispin project was done after my class finished reading the novel Crispin The Cross of Lead. We could choose to represent our knowledge of the book in a multitude of ways. I chose the change and development of the main character (Crispin). The project itself could be anything teacher approved, so I made a Scratch game. The project starts out by showing Crispin's poor view of his life. His confidence builds as events lead to his escape from his hometown but is then crushed when he is forced to swear loyalty to a traveling entertainer. However, the entertainer, known as Bear, helps him build his confidence even more, and he is a new person at the end of the story. Creating the project helped me realize the different points at which Crispin's view of himself and the world changed, for better or worse.
This project reminds me of a similar one I did for French. We were assigned a history project, and like this one we could choose what to do. I chose to make a game and created a simulation of a manhunt after a minor aristocrat executed in the Reign of Terror. Scratch was the main tool used and as always, the limited functions of Scratch gave me an opportunity to stretch my mind which trying to achieve the results I wanted.
This project reminds me of a similar one I did for French. We were assigned a history project, and like this one we could choose what to do. I chose to make a game and created a simulation of a manhunt after a minor aristocrat executed in the Reign of Terror. Scratch was the main tool used and as always, the limited functions of Scratch gave me an opportunity to stretch my mind which trying to achieve the results I wanted.
My Rome Poem
This project was a free verse poem that my Core class wrote after we studied varied documents about the cause of the fall of Rome. It had to be at least ten lines, and have at least one instance of each poetic element of alliteration and rhyme. After we had all typed our poem, and helped each other through Google Docs, we went into the computer lab and inserted borders and pictures into the document. This project was meant to take the place of a test, and help us review and relearn everything we had studied about the decline of Rome. It was also supposed to serve as an introdution to the elements of poetry, and so it fell into both English and History categories.
I think that this was a very effective way of learning the material we were supposed to cover. Our class had done numerous thing on and about the fall of Rome, so we were more than prepared to write this. After our poems were written, verse has a way of sticking into one's head, and so many people probably remember their poems, or at least the ideas the poems got across. The class was also given varied examples and demonstrations of a free verse poem, along with alliteration and rhyme. There is really no way better to remember something than doing it right after you learnt it, and that is what this project helped us do.
This project reminded me of a similar one that I had worked on in sixth grade. I wrote it about Spartacus, the gladiator warrior, and ended up putting his whole story into an extremely long acrostic title. Also, my sixth grade class was a more technology oriented class than most and it was where I learnt to do most things that I can do now on computers. Another connection I have is to my Roman Empire document. Although the subject was slightly different, my classmates and I worked on the doc in the same way, commenting and helping one another.
During this project, my core teacher showed the class how to insert clip art. While I already knew how to do that, she gave us the idea of inserting a picture of a border, and wrapping the text in front of it. A few of my classmates and I were already aware of the "wrap text" function, but hadn't thought of using it in that way before. This is also the first time I have taken a screen cliping with word, and I was gladly able to do it easily and without much difficulty, and can think of many ways to use that tool. I was also able to use the "Paragraph with Picture" element on Weebly for the first time, and am adjusting to it rapidly.
I think that this was a very effective way of learning the material we were supposed to cover. Our class had done numerous thing on and about the fall of Rome, so we were more than prepared to write this. After our poems were written, verse has a way of sticking into one's head, and so many people probably remember their poems, or at least the ideas the poems got across. The class was also given varied examples and demonstrations of a free verse poem, along with alliteration and rhyme. There is really no way better to remember something than doing it right after you learnt it, and that is what this project helped us do.
This project reminded me of a similar one that I had worked on in sixth grade. I wrote it about Spartacus, the gladiator warrior, and ended up putting his whole story into an extremely long acrostic title. Also, my sixth grade class was a more technology oriented class than most and it was where I learnt to do most things that I can do now on computers. Another connection I have is to my Roman Empire document. Although the subject was slightly different, my classmates and I worked on the doc in the same way, commenting and helping one another.
During this project, my core teacher showed the class how to insert clip art. While I already knew how to do that, she gave us the idea of inserting a picture of a border, and wrapping the text in front of it. A few of my classmates and I were already aware of the "wrap text" function, but hadn't thought of using it in that way before. This is also the first time I have taken a screen cliping with word, and I was gladly able to do it easily and without much difficulty, and can think of many ways to use that tool. I was also able to use the "Paragraph with Picture" element on Weebly for the first time, and am adjusting to it rapidly.
Andalusian POem
After reading the book Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, we wrote a poem in the classic Islamic style: an Andalusian poem. That is, a poem about nature which usually does not state the subject in direct wording, but describes in with the five senses, almost like a riddle. Instead of rhyming verse, I wrote this poem in free verse with each line ending in "me." The last stanza breaks the purposeful monotony and turns into a rhyming couplet. As always, creating the style of poem myself helped me learn the style, and I think this project was a very effective way to learn.
This poem reminded me of my Rome poem, see above for description, as we were expressing our learning through a poem. This also reminded me of the haiku project we did for both Core and Computers, in which we wrote a number of the poems to show the development of the characters and plot. There were not very many tools used in this poem, but I am proud of the way that the background addition turned out. I added it similar to the way I did on my Rome poem.
This poem reminded me of my Rome poem, see above for description, as we were expressing our learning through a poem. This also reminded me of the haiku project we did for both Core and Computers, in which we wrote a number of the poems to show the development of the characters and plot. There were not very many tools used in this poem, but I am proud of the way that the background addition turned out. I added it similar to the way I did on my Rome poem.
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Popes and Kings ClashDuring our medieval unit in Core, we learned about the struggle for power between religious and political leaders. We were assigned to create a comic which demonstrated one of the most famous conflicts between Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV. In my comic I used humor and moderate fictional violence to illustrate the main points: The bishop they were arguing over, the attempt by King Henry to attack Pope Gregory with German forces, the excommunication of King Henry, and the return of King Henry to the Roman Catholic Church after he begged in the snow for three days. To create this project, we had to know the facts and events behind everything, and so this was an effective learning tool.
This reminds me of the many art tasks we have in French, where we have to draw a part of French culture to familiarize ourselves with it. It was interesting using Strip Generator, and I discovered many things. First of all, a lack of proper materials can be used to generate humor. I also discovered many ways of using what I had to create a viable image. I learned that it is impossible to edit a published strip, and had a LOT of practice taking screenshots, as I had to split my comic up into multiple strips. |