Categotry Archives: Humanities

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My Atomic Habits Learning Intention

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In Atomic Habits by James Clear, I’ve learned that small, consistent actions can create big changes over time. My goal is to understand how habits form, why they stick, and how I can use that knowledge to improve not only my school life but also my personal goals. I want to become more aware of my daily routines and find ways to shape them into something that supports who I want to become.

Project launch

Within the launch of this project we’ve made a habit snapshot mindmap. This showcased my habits I have set in my life, whether they’re intentional or not.  

Learning Intention

My learning intention for this project is to understand how habits form, why they stick, and how I can use that knowledge to improve not only my school life but also my personal goals. I want to become more aware of my daily routines and find ways to shape them into something that supports who I want to become.

What I’ve Learned So Far

One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from Atomic Habits so far is that small improvements build up and are more important than they may seem. When you get just 1% better every day, those small improvements eventually turn into major progress. I’ve also learned that systems are more important than goals. A goal gives you direction in where you want to go/what you want to do, but your systems, the habits you repeat every day,  are what actually move you forward. You can’t just set up goals for yourself and expect it to happen. It’s important to made a mind map of sorts, or a way on HOW you will get where you want to.

James Clear also talks about how habits shape your identity. Instead of saying “I want to be organized,” it’s more effective to start thinking “I am someone who stays organized.” That mindset shift really stuck with me because it shows how small actions can change how you see yourself.

Areas I Want to Explore Further

  1. Habit Stacking: I want to learn more about connecting new habits to old ones. For example, if I already check my phone after school, I could make a deal with myself to first review my homework list or tidy up my desk before doing that. This could help me create routines that feel more natural and doesn’t completely
  3.  change my lifestyle.
  4. Breaking Bad Habits: I’d also like to explore how to make bad habits harder to do. For example, putting my phone in another room while studying or setting a timer to limit distractions. I think learning how to make bad habits less convenient could really help me focus and stay consistent.

Connection to My Vision, Mission, and Values (VMV)

This connects strongly to my Critical Thinking value because it pushes me to question why I do certain things and whether they actually help me. It’s easy to act out of habit without realizing it, but this book reminds me to look deeper into my choices and challenge what is or isn’t in my best interest.

It also connects to Agency because creating and maintaining small, realistic habits helps me take ownership of my progress. Whether it’s finishing assignments on time, improving my grades, or just staying organized, I’m learning to set goals that are measurable and check in on them regularly. 

Connecting to the Driving Question

The driving question for this project is “How can improving by just 1% each day help me take responsibility for my learning, strengthen my habits, and create balance and purpose in my future career and life?”

For me, it means focusing on progress instead of perfection. Each small action, whether it’s studying for five more minutes, keeping my space clean, or reviewing class notes after school, this all helps long term growth. By improving a little bit each day, I’m learning how to take full responsibility for my learning, build stronger habits, and create more balance in my daily life. These lessons will continue to guide me in school and beyond, helping me grow into the person I want to become. The habits I create over my lifetime will change, but its not solely about what habits I put in place, but that they stay consistent. 

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My Learning Intention Blog Post, WW2

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Categories: Humanities, Tags: , ,

 

 

In class, we’ve been exploring the idea that history is written by the victors, and that the way we remember events like World War II depends on who is telling the story. These things influence how we see the past, what we choose to remember, and even what we forget.

As far as my knowledge of WWII, I’ve read books as well as 6 or 7🤷‍♀️ movies and shows, and I have some basic understanding from my own research. Once this project ends I want to be able to have a good conversation with someone about WWll, where I know enough information to fully contribute and engage with them. Below is an overview of where my knowledge is right now with World War II.

 

My knowledge 

World War II is one of the most important and devastating events in human history. It began in 1939 when Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland. This caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and soon the conflict spread across Europe and beyond. Fighting broke out on land, sea, and in the air.

Especially in contrast to World War I, WWII introduced not just new forms of warfare, but the quality and quantity of weapons increased drastically. It caused more destruction and higher death tolls than ever before because of advanced weapons like tanks, airplanes, bombs, and machine guns.

One of the darkest parts of WWII was the Holocaust, where millions of Jewish people and other targeted groups were killed by the Nazi regime. This was horrific event powered by hatred and discrimination, that, like most wars, is still talked about today.

The after effects of the war, especially for the soldiers who made it back, were hard. Many, if not all, struggled with  insomnia and or PTSD, however it was known as shell shock.

What I want to explore/learn more about 

As I continue this project, I’m excited to learn more about WWll in general, but if I had to be specific, I want to learn more about how the war affected everyday people, including families, children, and communities who lived through it. I think it’s important to understand not just what happened in battles, but how the war changed people’s lives. Second, I want to explore how countries rebuilt and recovered after the war, how they handled loss, rebuilt cities, and tried to create peace after so much destruction.

 

VMV

For my vision missions and values I want to connect back to two section, self regulation and engagement. For engagement, I want to consistently stay engaged in class and actively participated in discussions. Listening to presentations and taking notes I’ve found notes to be extremely helpful to look back on, and complete the final project. Additionally, coming ready to learn when walking into the classroom helps me stay engaged and be ready to learn. For the self regulation section, I want to work on managing distraction. Managing distractions helps me connect to my other values, like taking notes. A way I can manage distraction is making sure to sit with people who have the same values, and separate myself if they become too distracting.

 

Driving question 

The driving question for this project is “how do stories media and propaganda shape how we remember WWll” Stories, media, and propaganda shape how we remember World War II by influencing the way events are told and understood. During the war, propaganda was used by all sides to control public opinion. Whether it was posters, films, or news broadcasts, these messages didn’t always tell the full truth, but they shaped how people saw the war at the time.

After the war ended, stories and media continued to shape memory. Movies, books, and documentaries often focus on certain heroes, battles, or tragedies, while other experiences are left out. For example, many stories highlight the bravery of soldiers or the victory of certain nations, but not always the suffering of civilians or smaller countries. Because of this, the way we remember WWII today depends a lot on who is telling the story.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, WWII changed history in countless ways, but just as important as the events themselves is how we choose to remember them. I’m excited to learn more throughout this project, and demonstrate what I learned in the final blog post! 

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Comic Quest WW1

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Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , , , , ,

 

Intro

This project was all about ww1, learning about the causes and effects of it, and then creating a comic book about it! Out of all the humanities project this year this has been my favorite, I love to draw, so i enjoyed this, but learning about the historical aspects was also very interesting. Without further ado lets get into this! 💪

World war 1 notes

Okay, so before we even started the planning for this graphic novel, there was a lot we needed to learn about ww1. There was lots of researching involved and class activities. For example, we watched videos on ww1, and took notes, as well as reading a graphic novel about ww1. 

This is the ww1 graphic novel, it’s very interesting with great visuals! Reading this book didn’t just help with learning more about ww1 but also how to structure a comic book, and all the different aspects that go into it.

 I enjoy art but I’ve never explored the making of graphic novels, nor did I have any idea on what different aspects of them meant or how to make them. The research part in this project wasn’t just about ww1, but also how to make a comic book! 

 

 

 The criteria for the comic book included:

  • A minimum of 1 Splash Panel
  • A minimum of 1 Open Panel
  • Reverse
  • Bleed
  • Close-up
  • Longshot
  • Narratory Blocks containing your narratior ‘
  • Speech Ballons containing dialogue ,
  • Thought Bubbles containing character thoughts*
  • Sound Effects
  • Labels and Captions

Below descriptions of some of the criteria  

 

Story planning

The first part of creating a comic book is of course, creating a story! I wanted mine to be a bit different from the usual storyline a man going to war, I decided. I wanted to show more of a behind the scenes perspective, so my comic book was about Clara Mitchell, a women woh joined the camouflage corps. Once my idea was planned out I drew a draft of the general panel layout, this helped guide me through the making of my comic.

 

Comic book progress

We were warned at the start of this project that everything would pile up quickly, and staying on task was important, especially since the due date was firm as its the end of the year. I knew i needed to lock in, outside and inside school! I created a system, coming prepared with a game plan before showing up to class, so I didn’t waste the time that was given to us. Anyways, wow after many weeks and LOTS of drawing, I’m ready to show the final product!!!

Finished product 

Response to the driving question 

The driving question for this project was “how can researching historical significance of World War 1 inform and enhance the storytelling in a graphic novel I create?” Historical information in a comic crucial, but even more so when talking about such a significant moment in history such as WW1. You can’t just throw in random facts and add inaccurate images because it looks cool. Furthermore, since I’m putting this novel out to the public its my responsibility to not spread false information.

 

Conclusion 

Overall, this project was ver enjoyable and taught me a lot. Being able to mix history with something I love, like drawing, made the whole thing even more enjoyable! I’m honestly really proud of how my comic turned out. It took a lot of work, but I stuck with it and created something that’s both creative and meaningful. I feel like I improved my time management, creativity, and focus throughout this project. Now that it’s finished, I’m proud of what I created and how much effort I put into it. Out of all the projects we’ve done this year, this one was by far my favorite, and I’ll definitely remember it!

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🇨🇦In The Name of The Nation🇨🇦

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Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , , , ,

Intro

The big idea for this project is that “collective identity is constructed and can change over time.”  Since nationalism was a key focus in this project we researched quite a bit about it, which then led into our group video. Let’s get into it🇨🇦

Researching Nationalism 

We watched videos, took notes and learned about nationalism history and consequences. Learning about the positive and negative impacts of nationalism, understanding the history and how it shaped countries all led to the final video about Canadian confederation. 

I’ll add the notes I made below. 

 https://s.craft.me/6mqY94nFHfpeiN 

American nationalism presentation

We were given groups to research about the nationalism in different counties, for example, my group and I talked about America. This wasn’t necessarily a hard project since it was a small presentation answering a few questions. The Idea was to to learn how to take notes, reviewing case studies and know how to present that to the public in a way that can be understood.

 

The final product

All the the researching, note taking and presenting led up to the final video. Now you may be wondering, what final video? As a group, we were tasked to create a persuasive promotional video, advocating for a territory to either join Confederation OR remain sovereign. My group and I chose Quebec! Thee next few days were used to research, and create a script for this video. 

I’m very proud of 1. How our video turned out, and 2. The script. The idea of our video was that it was going to be a debate between two people, and why or why not they wanted to join confederation. I had the idea for two important people to appear from the future (with a magic button of course) and give important insight on the debate. The idea came to life and with a comedic aspect! (Hint.. Donald Trump🟠) 

My group 

My group for this video were Sven and Evelyn, I’ll add their blogs below

Evelyn: https://www.blog44.ca/evelyns/

Sven: https://www.blog44.ca/svenz/

Our video:

https://youtu.be/_J5MDTCJcis

Response to the driving question 

The driving question for this project was “how has Nationalism’s influence shaped the global structure? Moreover, how has Nationalism impacted the establishment of Canada as a nation?”

Nationalism has shaped the global structure by motivating European powers to expand their empires and spread their influence. It led to colonization in places like Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. In Canada, nationalism played a key role in uniting British and French settlers and forming a shared identity that led to Confederation in 1867. It helped build Canada into an independent country, separate from British rule. However, this nationalism focused mainly on European settlers and excluded Indigenous peoples. Laws like the Indian Act and policies such as residential schools were created to erase Indigenous cultures and force them to adopt the settler identity. So, while nationalism helped establish Canada as a nation, it also caused long-term harm to Indigenous communities.

Conclusion 

 Throughout this project, I learned a lot about the effects of nationalism and Canadian Confederation. I always find projects like these helpful, since they’re not usually topics I’d explore on my own. But learning about them made me realize how important they are to understanding the world today. Nationalism has shaped so much of our history, for better and for worse and it helped my understand how identities and countries are formed. I also think our group worked really well together. Everyone did their part, which made things way smoother and more fun to work on. Overall, this project taught me a lot, not just about history, but about working as a team and thinking more deeply about the different perspectives and events that shaped how Canada became a country.

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Frankenstuffies The Rise of Change!

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Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , , ,

 

Intro

Another blog post….😃 lots has happened, for example this frankenstuffy project! This Frankenstuffy project was so much fun, from making and designing a stuffy (abomination) of my choice, to creating a story and learning all about the Industrial Revolution. The final product of this project was a video about my stuffy, the time and area he lives in, and how he deals with it. However, even with all the fun aspects of sewing stuffies and whatnot, this project is based off of the Industrial Revolution, so of course we did some research!

 

Learning about the Industrial Revolution:

I don’t want this blog post to be a step by step of what we did, so these are in my opinion, some good key points of the research we did. 

 

Urbanization game

At the very start of this project we did an urbanization game. We started off with a grid background, (this is all digital of course) and for a few days straight we had 5-15 minutes to draw parts of a town. Even though this was done in groups, It was very stressful for me. The whole purpose of this exercise was to see how urbanization worked. So, if we added 50 houses, we took away some trees to account for this. My groups final product is down below! 

 

Note taking and collaboration with classmates

There was lots of great information I learned before creating my frankenstuffy. As a class, we watched informative videos while taking notes, or came together as a group to discuss what we learned.   

 

 

 

Creating my frankenstuffy

OKAY MY FAVOURITE PART!!!! I was able to use my creative, artistic wonderful, beautiful, gorgtastic skills to create none other than Peter Malarky! He is the main character of my story, with a well thought out background, history and lifestyle. He is a brave sole and I treasured the moments I had while making him.

 

This is a time lapse of me creating the one and ONLY Peter Malarky

For some darn reason it will only put a link in, not a video!!!   

IMG_0693

 

Character resume and Storyline

Before any filming could happen Peter needed a backstory and character traits! I created a large pamphlet about Peter, and any facts you may need to know about him. Additionally, after I few drafts I finished the storyline and chose a few important sections to include for the video. There was so much I didn’t include in the final draft, so I’ll show a bit of the ideas I had. 

 

Final video draft/overview

 

 

 

The final product of my video

I’me not sure why, but for some reason, the final video was really easy for me. We had so much class time to do it and i worked a few times after school, so it got done fairly quick! The idea for creating the video was, either get a photo of your frankenstuffy and animate it in certain backgrounds, OR attach string to your stuffy and move it around in front of a provided green screen. (There’s also the option to do both which is what I did) here is my final video!

 

  

 

 

 

 

My response to the driving question 

The driving question for this project was “How can we, as writers, weave historical details into our creative storytelling to convey a clear and impactful message?”

 Weaving historical details into creative storytelling in my opinion, is about making your work still have important relevant information, while also making it an engaging story so a clear message can be conveyed. For example, You do your research, look into what life was like in the Industrial Revolution and pick out relevant facts that help your characters and plot, not just random dates or events. By mixing genuine historical information whilst still making it an engaging story, you can make your message clear and impactful. For example, characters in my video open up an apothecary shop, using this opportunity I added information about time relevant things they would sell in their shop such as valerian root and Teatree.

 

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, I learned a lot throughout this project, from learning about urbanization and the Industrial Revolution, to designing and bringing Peter Malarky to life. I showcased my time management skills and had loads of fun! Thanks for reading my blog and stay tuned for more.🫶

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Vive Les Machines À Métaphores❄️ Winter Exhibition ❄️

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Categories: Humanities, Uncategorized, Winter exhibition, Tags: , , , , ,

 

Intro

Welcome back! It’s been so long, but I’m here to talk about the Winter Exhibition, what led up to it and the “Vive Les Machines À Métaphores” project as a whole! In this project we learned that factors precipitate revolution and that  they have shaped the modern world view. There was so much that went into all of this, starting off with the book Animal Farm, by James Orwell. Let’s get into it!

Reading Animal Farm

Animal Farm is a representation of the Russian Revolution, and since later on we would be making metaphor machines BASED off of revolutions this was a very informative book to read and gave me a lot of perspective on revolutions.

Each character in the book has specific people they were based off of, for example, Old Major represents Karl Marx, Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin, Squealer represents propaganda, and Boxer is a representation for all the Russian labourers and workers. This information isn’t 100% important to the blog since I know not everyone reading this has read the book, nonetheless it’s still good to have!

Note Taking

While reading Animal Farm I made sure to make many notes, whether that was general observations from the book, or if I was making connections to the actual Russian Revolution (which comes in handy later on…)

There was a LOT of not just note talking in this book. Every few days, we would do chapter overviews with the class, and everyone including myself, made discussion questions to ensure everyone knew what was happening in the book.

In addition to this, I made sort of character cards for all of the important characters in the book as well as the roles they played.

My animal farm note taking: https://s.craft.me/OaMYkzVwMyUtO4

Cranes theory

The largest and most important part of this note taking was learning about cranes theory. This consisted of his definition of a revolution and all of the stages in one. A revolution is made up of four stages, incubation, moderate, crisis, and recovery. Learning all of these stages helped quite a lot when I made the infographic, which was an explanation/run through of the book and which parts fit into which stages of a revolution. (It’s mentioned more in depth later)

 

Animal Farm infographic:

This is my infographic of Animal Farm after a few revisions, and I’m quite proud of it!

 

 

 

 

Russian revolution

 

Choosing My Revolution

Everything I did for note taking in the Animal Farm project, including the infographic I’m going to be doing AGAIN! However, this time I would be researching a revolution! I needed to choose my top three out of 5 revolutions, and then I would be sorted into a  revolution group. My top three choices were Russian, French, and American. In the end I got the Russian Revolution! I was sorted with a few other people who would be my group members for the rest of the project.

 

Researching the Russian Revolution

Everyone in the class, no matter what group, individually researched their revolution before coming together with their group. To have a full understanding of the Russian revolution I made a timeline, overview, researched important people, and made notes on each stage of the revolution. Most, but not all of what I did was necessary, however I know my learning style and doing the amount of research and the way I did it helps me understand the project.

All of my research on the Russian revolution, timeline, cranes theory etc is here!

Link to all my research:  https://s.craft.me/Rxpob0aRoDRv0o

 

Russian Revolution infographic:

After researching our revolution, we were tasked with creating an infographic, similar to the one we made for Animal Farm. Once each group member completed their individual infographic, we combined our knowledge and design skills to create one final, refined version. The layout closely resembles my original design, so I decided to showcase this final infographic instead.

 

What is a metaphor machine/Rube Goldberg machine?

A metaphor machine and a Rube Goldberg machine are very similar.

A Rube Goldberg machine is a complicated machine or contraption designed to do a very simple task. It uses a chain reaction, where one step leads to another, like dominos falling or a ball rolling, to complete the job. For example, instead of flipping a switch directly, the machine might use a ball, a pulley, or something along the lines of that to make it happen. It’s named after Rube Goldberg, a cartoonist who drew funny, overly complex machines.

Now, a metaphor machine is the same thing, however each or most actions represent something. For example, since my machine was based off of the Russian Revolution, the actions were based off of certain events in that revolution. It’s a creative way to show an idea using actions or objects!

Action Script (planning the exhibition)

This was pretty early in the planning process, so lots has changed! My group and I made a planning document, consisting of ideas for each stage. Here it is!

Document: https://s.craft.me/mYVZkujWXv6Tbj

 

Teamwork Problems

Okay so…. I think the contributions leading up to the exhibition were pretty uneven.🥲 Throughout the project I felt I was doing most of the work. This isn’t directed at the whole group, and even so, everyone I worked with was WILLING to help, however I felt like most of the time I had to tell them exactly what to do for it to be done. Again this isn’t true all the time or for everyone, however some group members weren’t very good at giving larger contributions without support. Because of this I guess I felt the need to take the leadership role, or be more bossy? Honestly this wasn’t something I enjoyed doing, and keeping people on task and being bossy isn’t much fun. Looking back, a lot of work was done at later dates rather than earlier ones, and it caused a lot of stress leading up to the exhibition.

Some of this was bad luck, like one of our group members calling in sick day of, or another group member that was gone the first week and a half, or that we had no backboard for the first week, unlike or fellow class mates.😅 USUALLY, I’m very organized, but since I couldn’t count on EVERYONE it was a lot harder. Moral of the story, you need everyone to put in a 100% for it to go smoothly. Yapping about what sucked isn’t helpful though… and this is a reflective blog post so I should.. well.. reflect!

This experience taught me a lot about teamwork and the importance of balanced contributions. While I stepped up as a leader when needed, I realized how stressful it can be to take on too much. Next time, I’ll work on setting clearer expectations with the group early on and assigning tasks more effectively to ensure everyone is equally involved. I also learned that starting earlier and having a backup plan for unexpected challenges, like absences or missing materials, can help prevent last-minute stress.

How the exhibition went

The 2-3 hours before the exhibition were VERY VERY VERY CAPITOL V, STRESSFUL. This ALSO includes the whole day leading up to it! It was stressful for all the reasons I said before of course, but 2 very important actions of our machine were left to the last second, and the mechanics for them were not planned to the best of our abilities. That day, every chance we got, including lunch, one group member and I as well as a wonderful friend, worked on it. The last 2-3 hours of prep time were very stressful. Thankfully, the machine worked in the end, but unexpected changes were being done last minute, and well, it wasn’t as perfect as I strived it to be. I’m really proud of myself for problem solving in the end though, despite everything. The actual exhibition was great to my surprise! Not because it was perfect, we didn’t always get good runs but we knew what we were talking about and were confident explaining our machine to the audience. In short, we had fun! We served root beer (representing beer) and pretzels, which represents the food Czar Nicolas 2nd served at his coronation. At the very end we all felt relieved, and happy after the stress, and now we had the night to rest! Here are videos and photos from the day of! (Some of these are preparation videos)

 

Trial run video:

IMG_1023

 

 

5 seconds after everyone finished presenting….

 

IMG_8506 IMG_8506 IMG_1047

 

My response to the driving question

The driving questions for this project was “What Factors Precipitate ‘Revolution’ and How Have They Shaped the Modern World?” Revolutions happen when people become discouraged by existing conditions, for example poor working conditions or food shortages. When their basic needs or rights aren’t met, people push for change!

For example, the Russian Revolution got rid of a strict monarchy that had been ruling forever, and replaced it with communism. This changed how politics and economies worked, not just in Russia, but all over the world.

Conclusion

The “Vive Les Machines À Métaphores” project was a challenging but rewarding experience that taught me so much about revolutions and their impact on the world. From reading Animal Farm to researching the Russian Revolution and building a metaphor machine, I learned so much! Despite the teamwork challenges and last-minute stress, I’m proud of what my group and I accomplished, and the Winter Exhibition itself turned out to be a success.

This project gave me valuable lessons in collaboration, leadership, and problem-solving under pressure. Looking back, I can see how much I’ve grown from this experience, and I’m excited to carry these lessons into future projects. Thank you for reading my blog you absolute diva💜 I hope you enjoyed it, and stay posted to see what happens next😨

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Unlocking My Peak Potential!⛰️

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Categories: Humanities, Maker, Tags: , , , ,

 

 

Intro:

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted and a lot has happened! I am now in grade 9 and my class and I have just recently travled to Alberta! There were ups and downs throughout this trip and I’m here to tell you all about it! 

For every field study we do (this is the second one I’ve done, the first being our trip to Oregon) there is a driving question. This trips driving question was, “how can we become the best version of ourself?” Let’s dive right in!

 

 

Driving question:💯

The driving question of this project was “how can we become the best version of ourself?” Since these blog post are different for everyone, how I become the best version of myself is unique to me. 

Throughout the Alberta trip there were many long hikes where I wanted to quit, I was tired at times and just wasn’t up to it. However, I learned to preserveir through these hikes, sometimes with the help of my peers, and other times I was able to help others preservere as well.

 I learned becoming “the best version of myself” doesn’t happen overnight, and still, even after this trip, im not the best version of myself. Because become the best version of yourself is lifelong process and you don’t always have to do it alone.

 

Banner in the Sky 🧗‍♀️

 

This brings me to Banner in the Sky. Now, you may be wondering, what is Banner in the Sky? Banner in the Sky is a book, (a very old one I might add) by James Ramsey Ullman. This is a project we did leading up to the Alberta trip. Banner in the Sky is about Rudi Matt, a young boy in the Swiss Alps, as he dreams of climbing a peak no one dared to climb but his father, who lost his life in the process. Rudi’s courage and determination drives him to chase his dream and prove himself as a climber. Since this IS a blog post I’m going to be completely honest. For me, this book was too slow paced which I dont do well with, so it wasn’t the most entertaining read to me (there were some pretty interesting parts though.) However,  it definitely ending up relating to our Alberta trip! I remeber looking back on Rudi’s preserverence and strong mindset while climbing, and pushing myself to do the same. ⛰️

 

My book note taking!

https://s.craft.me/XwqAmTC3OQu127

Here are some photos from the hikes we did!: ( I apologize it’s not the clearest photos)

 

Interviews

Interviewing was a large part of the Alberta trip and something I can tell you I was not looking forward to!!!! Now, my dislike for this really had nothing to do with the project. I’m the type of person that isn’t naturally comfortable talking to people I dont know, let alone interviewing them!😬 This field study pushed me to step outside my comfort zone, and learn how to become more comfortable talking to people I dont know. Our task throughout and after the trip was to combine the interviews we made into one big clip about the “Ten Essentials of Life.” These Ten Essentials of Life questions were originally based off of the Ten Essentials of Hiking. For example, one of our interview questions was “have you ever been stuck in someone else’s shadow?  This was (loosely) based off sun protection (an essential when hiking.) These interviews were quite freindly and conversation-like, starting off exchanging names and asking if we could interview them for a school project. A big part of the interviewing helped me grow on my core competencies, for example, in the “questioning section” I gained a better understanding of asking questions and researching information! Once my final video was made, I loved how I could see all my hard work coming together! I’ll put it down below if you are interested in watching what I made when it was all put together?

 

My group members blogs:

Siena: https://www.blog44.ca/sienaj/

Ian: http://www.blog44.ca/ianw/

Marcus: http://www.blog44.ca/marcusr/

 

The Ten Essentials of Life Video:

 

 

 

Silent Video

Along with the viral video (which I’ll talk about in a second) the silent video was my favourite to make! Siena, Cloe, and Maya were my group members and we did a pretty rad job if I do say so myself! The goal of this silent film was for it to be, 1. Black and white, and 2. Without any words! This video was filmed in the ghost town, at three valley gap and it turned out amazing! Unfortunately we made this after a VERYY long drive, so we were all pretty tired, however the comedy in our film kept us going! Throughout this video I learned how vital it is to exaggerated facial expressions when you don’t have any words to show your feelings!

 

My lovely group members blogs:

 

Maya: N/A 

Siena: https://www.blog44.ca/sienaj/

Chloe: http://www.blog44.ca/chloer/

 

The Silent Film:

 

 

 

Viral video

For the viral video or “TikTok trend” our goal was to create a viral travel video of places we saw throughout our trip! Even though this was an individual video, you could choose if you wanted someone to be in it. I chose the love of my life, Elsa😍

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Reflection throughout the trip/everyday activities

 

Throughout the trip we made reflections every day, about how we felt. It was a good way to reflect on our mood and learning throughout!  To get ready for the longs days we need  to get up early, to get ready obviously but also. To have breakfast. Every day a new group was on breakfast duty, and this said group needed to get up even earlier! I am NOT a morning person so this definitely tested my ability to adapt to new situations!💤 I adapted to this by setting up MULTIPLE alarms! ( my favourite was the Brooklyn99 intro)

 

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, this field study was a great learning experience and I had lots of fun along the way, learning (or improving) many new skills, like interviewing strangers, or simply getting up early! I hope you enjoyed reading my journey in Alberta and stay tuned for more posts!🫶

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The Wilderness Must Be Explored

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Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , , ,

The Wilderness Must Be Explored!

 

Introduction 

Wow, it has been quite a year! So much has happened and school is almost over. Let me tell you about the project “the wilderness must be explored.” 

 

The Oregon Trip

So much happened on the Oregon trip and I had so many new experiences! For example, I learned how language inspires adventure, which I’ll talk more about later. I also gained a better understanding of what a PLP field study is really like. A highlight of my Oregon trip was weirdly the car drive! My friends and I had a sleep train and it was pretty funny and oddly comfortable.

 

 

My Adventure Book

On the field study we went to many new places and had lots of new experiences! To document all of our things down we put it in an adventure book. Even though at times the work became a lot, I ended up pushing through and having a lot of fun! I even created my own theme, to make the adventure book  more “me.” If you would like to check out my adventure book, I’ll put the link below!

 

My Individual Ad

Before the spring exhibition came along, everyone needed to create an individual ad. after many revisions I finally came up with this final draft! This is my Oregon ad I have created. In addition to making Oregon ads, my group and I chose a slogan. Our slogan was “No challenge, no change.”

 

The Spring Exhibition!

 

The Layout

since my group is number 5, we got lots of space to showcase our work, which I’m very happy about!

 

 

Our Food🌳

This is the food we made for our project! Since my group is Challenge and Growth we decided to make some growth themed plants. The brownie bites were the soil, and the cake pops were trees!

 

 

 

How it Went

The spring exhibition wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t good either. Before people started arriving it was a bit stressful making sure that everything was going to be set up on time. However, once people started arriving I would say our performance was quite good. Everyone was interested in what we had to say, and of course who doesn’t love food? Although, as the hours went by, my group as well as many others got quite tired.🥲 I was trying my best to make sure everyone stayed on task but near the end it got pretty hard! Overall I would say we did well, my group and I stayed on task as much as possible for grade 8’s. The spring exhibition was overall a great learning experience and I had a lot of fun!

 

 

My Group Members Blogs:

Make sure to check out my group members blogs as well!

Blog44/Emiliaw@seycove.ca

Blog44/robinc@seycove.ca 

Blog44/Carmynk@seycove.ca 

Blog44/Oliverf@seycove.ca 

Blog44/Sawerl@swycove.ca 

 

 

How Does Language Inspire Adventure?

Languages inspires adventure in many difference ways. For example, it allows us to share stories, understand many different perspectives and connect with our peers. Whether it’s through books, conversations or travel, language encourages your curiosity and desire to explore.

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the Oregon trip and the spring exhibition were filled with adventure and learning. The Oregon trip showed me how language inspires exploration. Creating an adventure book and an ad taught me the importance of embracing challenges. Language drives peoples curiosity and helps us to explore the wilderness and all it offers. Overall this was a very fun project and I’m exited for future projects!

it’s officially the last week of school till summer!☀️ I most likely wont be posting till after September, so stayed tuned and have a great summer break!🕶️⛱️

 

 

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My T-POL!!!

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Categories: Humanities, Uncategorized, Tags: , , ,

T-pol

Introduction 

“Wow, It has been quite a year! I’ve learned many new things, some I enjoyed, some I didn’t. Although this year is coming to an end I’m exited to share my experiences with my friends and family later on. This is my T-pol, transitional presentation of learning, lets get started.  

Declaration of Learning (basically a cult speech) 

“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.

My growth as a learner:

The first thing I’m going to be talking about in this section is humanities.

Humanities

Reflecting on my humanities class, I’ve experienced significant growth as a learner. The example I want to use for this this is the Oregon trip.  

The Oregon trip

Even though it was a very fun experience we had many things planned throughout the day. This isn’t to say thats a bad thing, however it was a lot! Our learning and trips needed to be documented on the adventure book and since we did so many things on the Oregon trip, the work piled up pretty fast! Iv’e always been good at time management but usually getting assignments done meant not taking my mental health into consideration. Through the Oregon field study I am proud to say I’ve overcome this! I had a great time and still got all of my worked done. None of it was rushed and I’m proud of the overall aesthetic and outcome. Of course, like anything, not all of the fun things were in the same spot, therefor lots of driving was happening!🚍 this is when I got most of my work done. On top of that, I still ended up sparing times for chats with friends, movies and naps on the car rides, so i’m pretty proud of myself! You should also know I NEVER nap so this is a big deal for me.

 

My Adventure Book:

https://read.bookcreator.com/649bnmuNfzYQ7EX98xwuds4pfFF3/x79my59MTKuSidyMpOYtYg

 

When we got back from the Oregon trip almost everyone had a revision, including me! That doesn’t mean we did a bad job though, there were just small details that could have been added. I have revised my Adventure Book based off of the feedback I received, and I’m waiting for a mark from my teacher! I was and still am extent, a person that doesn’t like revision and just enjoys getting things over with even if the grade isn’t the best. However, not just in the Oregon trip but being in PLP as a whole had helped me grow on that. I’m going to continue to work on accepting feedback And knowing that I won’t always get things perfect on the first try, because everyone learns by making mistakes! 

Science

I really enjoyed PLP 8 science throughout the entirety of this school year! There weren’t really any downs with science, and overall, I learned quite a lot! For example, in the project “Small but Mighty,” I gained a greater understanding of cell biology. I discovered how cells function and interact within living organisms, which was fascinating. The Small but Mighty project had a few assignments within it, but the one I would like to talk about revolved around collecting samples of places in the school I thought would carry germs. I collected samples from two water fountains in the school, both in completely different areas, to examine the difference in quantities of the bacteria.

 This project helped me appreciate the complexity of life at the microscopic level and how dirty the school actually is. Once my field journal was done (this is where I was writing my observations) I got some feedback and was able to accept it and revise based on the feedback I got! Like I said before, I think I’ve gotten better at receiving feedback and moving forward with the new knowledge gained.

 

Feedback Voice Note :

RPReplay_Final1718415501

In addition to becoming better at receiving feedback, I continue to build  upon my strong work ethics in completing assignments on time and using my time wisely without overworking myself. For example, when we had the in between car rides on the Oregon field study, I used that time to get my assignments done or at least get a manageable start on them. By taking advantage of this time, I was able to maintain a balance between my academic responsibilities while still enjoying the experience to the fullest of my abilities. Time management is a critical skill that will be very important as I move forward. This trip helped me gain a greater understanding and value of using the available moments I’ve been given wisely.

An area for improvement 

I’m writing about my area of improvement in this science section, but if I’m being honest it’s relevant in all my classes. Self doubt is something I’ve been trying to work on the past few months and is something I’m going to try and focus on next year. This topic is going to come up later since it’s a part of my everyday life. Even when I know I know the answer, I still don’t trust my judgement that I am correct. This has also been brought up by my peers and teachers. In the future I’m going to try and work on trusting my gut and knowing when I need to ask for help or when I can just believe in myself.

My Self Assessment For The Success Behaviours 

#1 Accepting Feedback

I’ve always been okay at accepting feedback. Not amazing, not horrible, just neutral. However, since a large part of PLP revolves around revision, i’ve gotten quite good at it! At the start of this year I DESPISED revision of any sort! I would have preferred to just get it done and over with even if the grade wasn’t very good. As this year has continued I realize how important revision actually is. I’ve handed things in before thinking they’re at the best of my abilities and gotten so much helpful feedback that I wouldn’t of noticed otherwise. In my previous school years the only feedback I would receive would be given after the grade was handed out, so there wasn’t much I could do about the outcome. I am proud to say, thanks to PLP, I’ve become an expert at accepting feedback. (not to say I’m perfect, because if I’ve learnt anything, its that theres always room for improvement. 

#2 Resilience 

Resilience or persistence is something I try to have constantly. It’s something I’m monitoring myself on. When I’m faced with more significant challenges or setbacks I tend to get overwhelmed and instead of seeing what I could do to fix whatever problem is at hand, I struggle to see the big picture and my brain is just clouded with doubt. Moving forward I’m going to try and work on this by breaking down challenges into smaller, manageable steps. I’ll focus on what I can control and take one step at a time. By setting small, achievable goals, I can build confidence and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. I’ll also remind myself to take breaks when needed and seek support from others when I feel stuck. This approach will help me stay clear-headed and continue moving forward, no matter what challenges arise. 

#3 Contributions 

Throughout this year, I have actively participated in discussions and activities, both in and out of the classroom. I consistently contribute ideas to group work and discussions, ensuring that my input helps to drive our projects forward. I engage with my peers, listen to their perspectives, and collaborate to develop creative solutions. For example, in the spring exhibition I tried to make sure everyone stayed on task not only at the exhibition but also leading up to it. This ensured that the exhibition ran smoothly and everyone’s stress was lowered, even if it was just by a little bit.  My involvement has enhanced my own learning experience as well as positively impacted the outcomes of our group efforts.

Something I Succeed In

Something I succeed in is organization.  At the start of September we were introduced in an app called “Things.” This has helped me tremendously with staying on task with my work in or outside of school. When my life outside of school is “well organized” its a lot easier for me to focus on school. This could mean simple things like having a clean room or having scheduled times to get my things done. For example, I clean my fish tanks every week on Saturday around 11AM. I don’t plan anything at that time because I know thats something that needs to get done every week. With this routine, I’m able to have a less stressful life overall and still leave room for fun, like hanging out with friends.

 

My Intentions for September/What I can Improve on

As you may have remembered, I mentioned earlier something I wanted to work on. In September, I intend to trust my own knowledge and abilities more fully in my schoolwork. I often doubt my answers and seek help even when I know I’m capable of solving the problem independently. To improve, I plan to remind myself that I have the necessary skills, recognize when I’m asking for help out of self-doubt, and regularly reflect on my progress. By focusing on these actions, I aim to reduce unnecessary dependency on others, demonstrate my true potential, and strengthen my self-confidence!

 

Conclusion

In reflecting on this past year, it’s clear how much I’ve grown both academically and personally. From mastering time management and revision in humanities, to developing a deeper understanding of science, I’ve gained valuable skills and knowledge. The Oregon trip and various projects have shown me the importance of balancing work with well-being, and how feedback can be a tool for growth rather than a setback.

In terms of my personal development, I’ve learned to better accept feedback, build resilience, and make meaningful contributions to my group projects. Moving forward, my goal is to trust my abilities more and rely less on seeking validation from others.

As I step into the next chapter of my learning journey, I’m excited to apply these lessons and continue growing. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my presentation and for your support throughout this year. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead!

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Echos of Colonization!

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Categories: Humanities, Tags: , , ,

Echos of Colonization! 

 

Introduction 

Hello my little sunshine. 🌞I haven’t posted for a while because I have more interesting things to occupy myself with, so my bad. 😔 Although you probably don’t spend your time reading a children’s blog so it’s all good. For this project “Echoes of Colonization” we were put into groups, mine consisting of some phenomenal Homo sapiens, Eloise, Evelyn, Elsa and myself. Prior to starting a keynote presentation that would be presented to grade 11s, as a class we discussed and researched indigenous people, colonization and things that related to that. Once we had a good amount of knowledge to get started, we decided what topics we would each talk about in our presentation. My group and I chose to talk about gender roles and health within the indigenous communities.

 

Two things we talked about in the presentation

Unlike the other groups, mine had one extra person, therefore instead of presenting about one topic we talked about two. Elsa and I focussed on the health aspect of the presentation, whereas Eloise and Evelyn focused on the gender roles. Even though we each had certain aspects we wrote about, everyone had researched a bit about each others’ topic to get a better understanding of the project as a whole.

Health 

The health topics I focused on were the following:

  • Indigenous health pre colonization 

I mentioned the diverse diet, positive healing practices, spiritual beliefs and strong community relationships. Strong mental and physical well being.

  • The Haida indigenous group

For this slide I explained in further detail how this specific group was affected by colonization. These details include:

 

  • the Smallpox outbreaks

Talking about how it affected Haida Gwaii, and the losses they faced.

  • British colonizing Haida Gwaii
  • The challenges Haida faced and how their lives were impacted.
  • Haida belonging to one of two social groups (raven and eagle)  

marriage customs maintained balance between these groups.

Gender roles 

While this was not my main research topic, I’ll mention the highlights.

Past

  • European colonization introduced patriarchal structures 
  • Increased gender based violence against women because of colonial policies 
  • Indigenous gender diversity and non-binary identities were suppressed or erased under colonial rule.

Present

  • gender roles still uneven 
  • protest for gender equality
  • more freedom to choose your sexuality and gender

 

How the presentation went

My group and I, like my classmates, had a chance to present to two groups. I’m really happy that we got this chance because to be honest the first time we presented the keynote didn’t go very well. This is mostly because we had spent so much time working on the actual presentation and notes no one had much time to practice presenting. Therefore, when we got to present again, my group as well as myself did much better. We knew what to work on and conveniently unlike the other presentation, knew the grade 11’s we were presenting to!

Now for some reason the photo is SIDEWAYS AND I DONT’ KNOW HOW FIX IT. So I’m sorry about that.😔

 

The photo below is the feedback the grade 11’s gave us!

 

 

Some things I could work on

I find whenever I present in front of people I start talking very fast since I get lots of anxiety performing in front of others. To improve my presentation I’ll work on a few key areas. I can start by taking deep breaths before speaking to stay calm and centered. During the presentation, I’ll use pauses to gather my thoughts and allow the audience to process the information. I’ll focus on speaking clearly and articulating each word to slow down my pace. Lastly I can seek input from others which will also boost my confidence and presentation skills. Practicing these techniques regularly will help me speak confidently and effectively during presentations.

How I answered the driving question🏎️

For this project the driving question was “what were the consequences of colonization.” There are many consequences of colonization, some examples being loss of land, resources or people introducing new diseases. My group and I demonstrated our knowledge of the project and of the driving question throughout the presentation. In our

presentation, my group and I scampered into these topics,🤓👆 showcasing our understanding of the project’s driving question. For instance, our discussion of smallpox highlighted one of the significant side effects of colonization. Through both the presentation and extensive note-taking, I demonstrated a thorough grasp of the impacts of colonization.”

 

reflection on my individual keynote

For my individual keynote I believe I successfully demonstrated my understanding of consequences of colonization. I do agree with the feed back I got though, which was to look at the audience a bit more. It’s something that I’m going to try and work on in the future.

 

Success criteria 

This was the success criteria for the Echos of Colonization project! I believe my group and I did a good job over all!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I learned a lot in this project even though its not something I was ever passionate to learn about, I found myself-enjoying it! I’m exited to see what project I’ll be learning about next,(which I will definitely be posting about so stay tuned!)🫶

Shout out to my group partners, check their blog post out to!

Elsa❄️⛄️:http://www.blog44.ca/elsaw/

Evelyn:http://www.blog44.ca/evelyns/

Eloise:http://www.blog44.ca/eloiseg/

 

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