Tag Archives: Where I’m From Poem

Name-Ball Pass, Where I’m From, Destinations, and More: Update for Monday, 12 September 2011

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This week we really hit our stride.  Here’s what shook down:

Name-Ball Pass

This game is great for working on goal setting, problem-solving, and – to some degree – learning the names of classmates.  After a few tries we managed to pass the ball from person to person in a not-too-shabby 13 seconds.  Here are the instructions for this icebreaker:

Speaking of passing, check out this clip featuring some of Magic Johnson’s best assists (NOTE:  This is an all-ages blog so I won’t include any examples of extremely prolific passer Wilt Chamberlain’s in action):

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz9M3_15w1o[/youtube]

Revisiting the Where I’m From Poems

Dave asked you to get into small groups and discuss the question:

How do you feel your personal journey and influences have provided you with the qualities to be an effective teacher?

Destinations for the SRL in the MY Cohort

Clarity of purpose is important in any endeavour and it’s particularly important in education.  To that end, I shared a PPT slideshow that outlines, in very general terms, our objectives for the year.  Here’s the presentation:

Me in a Bag Speeches

In our ongoing efforts to get to know you all better and to give you an opportunity to hone your presentation skills, we’ve assigned a Me in a Bag speech.  Here is the outline and criteria sheet associated with the task:

Seeing as a picture is worth 10X10X10 words, Dave and I each modeled a speech for you.  Dave spoke about his Canuck’s lunch kit, a set of ukulele strings, and a photo of his daughter.  I referenced my push up bar, a book on horse race handicapping – Commonsense Handicapping by Dick Mitchell, and my Spinal Tap concert shirt.

Our post-speech analysis was structured into a feedback sandwich as per the structure indicated in the graphic below.

We’ll use the “sandwich” format to provide feedback on your speeches.

Please have your bag and three objects from your life ready for class on Monday, 19 September.  Remember that one of the objects needs to reflect your experiences in the “middle years.”

Intro to Self-Regulated Learning

To end class, Lynda Hutchinson delivered a short presentation on SRL.  I’ll post the PPT slideshow when I have it.

That’s all folks.

– Lawrence

My Journey to the Middle: Update for Wednesday, 7 September 2011

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Burning questions were in short supply today so we forged ahead with our action-packed agenda.  It included…

Administrivia

Insert “laundry list” of items here.  Dave and I spoke about the following:

    • Disability Letter
    • Religious Observances Letter
    • Getting your CWL & CMS account set up
    • This Middle Years blog and its URL (which you already have or you couldn’t read this :] )
    • E-Coaching
    • TEO website and publications
    • Purchasing the EDUC 310 Reading Package at the bookstore
    • Buying a 2GB- 4GB flash drive to hold videos from class

Four-Corner Name Tags

We gave you some time to design a Four-Corner Name Tag to help everyone get to know you as quickly as possible.  In addition to your name, the name tag included – as far as I can recollect – an image related to:

  • your favourite drink
  • a hobby / favourite activity
  • place you’ve visited or would like too
  • your favourite snack [Thanks to Will T. for reminding me of the 4th item – LH]

You can find a description of a slightly modified version of the Four-Corner Name Tag activity here.  You can find the coolest name tag ever below:

My Journey to the Middle

In an effort to get to give us some insight into your background, Dave presented you with a writing task, a Where I’m From Poem.  The first Where I’m From Poem was written by George Ella Lyon and it’s read here accompanied by moving images.  I found it on the interweb and I think it’s called a video clip.  Here goes…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdnHl_yW1dQ&feature=related[/youtube]

After showing you the model, we engaged in some pre-writing in response to prompts and, ultimately, we each drafted our own Where I’m From Poem.  After 20 or so minutes, Dave and I collected to pieces to read as a “ticket out the door“.

That’s all the goodness we could fit into today’s proceedings.  We’ll see you next week.

– Lawrence