September 22

National Election – Day One – How Elections Work in Canada

Elections_Canada_Logo_svgToday we are going to learn how an election works in Canada.  To do this we will observe the web links and video below.

 

canadabycd2008

The Complete understanding (in opening)

http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=ces&document=part1&lang=e

 

The basic understanding (in conclusion)

http://canadaonline.about.com/od/federalelections/a/federalelection.htm

 

Check out the notes we took in class…

 

September 18

Sign up for the Global Blogging Challenge

student blogging challengeEdublogs is having a global blogging challenge!  It’s a 10 week challenge that will connect you to over 100 classrooms around the world that are blogging just like you.  Every week they will send out a challenge that will teach you how to become a powerful online writer by teaching you how to write share your ideas in interactive ways online.  By the end you will be an expert student blogger and will be sharing online content with students from across the globe.

Click the link below and fill in your info to register your blog.  Remember: when filling in the URL address that is the address that shows up in the address bar of your browser.  Your URL is namesschoolblog.edublogs.org.  For example: Athan’s URL is http://athansschoolblog.edublogs.org and Aaron’s URL is http://aaronsschoolblog.edublogs.org.  Be sure to type it in carefully so it is correctly entered.

 

Click here to register

September 17

Quickwrite – Choose One to Write About and Share

Quick-WriteQuickwrite activities are when you ahve several options about what you would like to write about.  You choose one and then write.  First you do a rough draft in your “rough drafts” notebook.  Then you edit it and share onto your blog.  Choose one of the options below to complete a quickwrite.

Quickwrite options:

1. Something I have never done before but I totally want to do is…

2.       name          heard a sound that made him feel sick to his stomach.         he/she         knew exactly what it was and they knew exactly what they were going to do about it.

3.                                            is better than                                         .

September 10

Global Reports – Let’s Start With Robots in Japan Just Cause That’s Fun

Did you know that the world’s first “robot hotel” is open for business right now in Japan?  No really, check it out!

CBC did a news story on it…
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/robot-staffed-hotel-opens-in-japan/
Eatch a quick video tour below…

Your assignment:

You are to write a reaction to this news story and post it to your blog.  To do this you will need to start by setting up your blog site with some basic features and then start a new blog post.  Mr. Ewert will show you how to do this in class.

Your reaction:  A well-written response shares several main items…

  • An introduction that allows the reader to understand what you are about to tell them.
  • Some basic information about the article or topic that you are writing about.
  • Your personal opinion about both the big picture idea and specific details
  • A Conclusion that likely leaves the reader thinking or engages them with a question

A good blog entry:  A great blog entry should include these elements…

  • A direct link to the news story embedded in the blog entry.  Watch this video to find out how to do that.
    • Mr. Ewert has made many helpful videos like this that you can watch anytime which you can find on his “blogging videos” page.
  • A picture or visual element that interests the reader to read further.  Go on google image search and find a great picture that goes along with the story.
  • Some direct links in case the reader wants to explore the topic further.
    • Consider links to news coverage of the story such as CBC, the BBC, or CNN covering this topic.  Or maybe a link to a youtube add for the hotel or another website with a reaction to the topic.
      • This keeps the reader reading and makes them consider coming back to your blog not only for your opinion but also as a source of further information on topics that interest them.

Make sure to look at the rubric closely to see how you are being assessed on this assignment.15.09.10 rubric – global stories