Hi, guess what! I’m back at it again with my grade 9 year of PLP. Somehow I managed to make it here alive and well, with the exception of the overwhelming pressure of my school, social, and personal lives. Just kidding, I bet I really had you there. Once again kidding. At this very moment I’m sitting, iPad in hand typing away at what some would call, a “she just drank 5 shots of espresso” pace. And no, I didn’t just drink 5 shots of espresso, it was only 4. Kidding again. Anyway, back to the fact that I’m sitting here, typing on my iPad for my school portfolio post alive and well. I wonder what that hints to. Considering the was identity works I’m simply saying that there is a reason that I have the opportunity, the privilege to be doing these things. To be learning in a way that makes it fun and more beneficial. And to be surrounded by a diverse community rich with culture that all have something in common. Place.
Our first project of the year is entitled, “This Land is Us,” and had given us the question, “How Does Place Impact Who We Are?” Why don’t you try and answer this question without any research or background knowledge. It’s hard isn’t it. Yeah I would know. So how does the place in which we live impact who we are? In order to properly grasp an understanding of the answer to this question we took a trip up north and through vast terrain. You guessed it, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. This trip was amazing and I think that I got so much out of it going towards my project. Since I now realize that I neglected to explain what said project is, I will now do so.
Incase you haven’t read any of my blog from October 2018 – June 2019 I’m gonna refresh your brain and explain briefly that grade 8 was all about still images and worldview. As I am now one year wiser I’m starting to recognize that we started with a big idea that we are now working our way inwards on. Worldview was one of my least favourite words last year and now its seems to be one of my favourite. On our trip to Alberta, we began to talk about identity and culture of an individual or social group. This resulted in the making of our “people groups.” These seven groups defined the final product, a video explaining the answer to the driving question. But like everything in PLP, this come with a twist. Our class was divided into seven different groups that we would research and interview. Albertans, Artists, Business Owners, First Nations, Students, Tourists, and Wildlife. In these groups the driving question was fit to each subject. For myself, “How Does Place Impact Wildlife,” became the driving question I was so determined to answer.
Okay so that I’m all caught up here comes the checklist you’ll learn to love.
1. I have now explained that we are learning all about the making of videos and working with technologies to do so.
2. I have also explained that we are working with the idea of identity and culture and were asked, “How Does Place Impact Who We Are?”
3. Finally, I’ve given a basic understanding of what our project was all about.
Perfecto! So how did we get here. And by here I mean to the beginning of our glorious project. We started out by discussion what make place a part of who we are and how living in BC impact us. We mapped out some ideas surrounding the general idea including politics, geography, education, food, and many more. We tried to summarize what we meant by this and not going to lie, not a single person in that room spoke up about identity and culture. As we went on into our next milestones we began to get and idea of how place impacts an individuals personal identity without really speaking about the word or concept of identity itself.
As we continued with our travels through Alberta we reached Calgary in which we visited the Glenbow Museum as one of our many ventures in the city. At this beautiful museum we saw tons of art relating back to our driving question, some of which closely related to my specific group, wildlife. With each stop we learned more and more about how the place in which we live, learn, and strive in impacts us and those related to our people groups. The most beneficial stops on the trip for my specific group were definitely anywhere from the Lake Louise Gondola Tour to Leo Downey’s Buffalo Ranch so clearly the topic was difficult especially when it came down to choosing between my many interviews for my final video.
https://youtu.be/XB3zcTWeFn0
Now I know that is is a dreadfully long post and you’ve probably given up on reading it at this point. The final point I’d like to make is all about my understanding of the curricular competencies. Before Alberta we were introduced to the idea of curricular competencies that would act as a guide line for what we should be trying to recognize in each milestone. “Compare and contrast continuities and change,” was the big one that stood out to me. I feel that with the way my video turned out, I did a good job and not only made something that I’m proud of but also demonstrated my solid understanding of the continuity and change in the impact of place on wildlife. When I finally got to answer the driving question in my own words it resulted in the idea that the place in which we learn, grow, strive and adapt to life in become one of the biggest parts of our identity as individuals. I would not be the same person if I’d grown up in Ireland. I wouldn’t be the same person if I’d gone to Dorothy Lynas instead of Cove Cliff for elementary school. Our place seems like a widespread area. Some would say that the place they come from is BC or Vancouver. But I really believe that its the close to home place that hits my identity hard. Where I learned to ride my bike and multiply 5 by 7 have gotten me to where I am to today.
ciara ✌️
