Category Archives: Assignments

Mirrors

1. Choose an entry from mirrors_stories_of_almost_everyone– scroll around, find a title that intrigues you!

2. After you read it, what questions are you left with? What do you think it means?

3. Write a response, noting a short summary of what the topic explores, how you unerstood it, and connected it to other things in your life, or something it reminded you of.

4. Check over your work to make sure the topic sentence, supporting details from the text, and your critical, original thoughts are included.

Voila! You are done!

The Absolutely True Diary – Novel Study Assignment

ESSAY TOPICS for the ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

Essay Topics absolutely true diary

or Q 1-5, 8 or 11 at the back of the novel.

 

**PLEASE NOTE THE HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL USE OF THE WORD “INDIAN” IS ACCEPTABLE ONLY WHEN PEOPLE SELF-IDENTIFY  AS SUCH.

IN CANADA THE WORD HAS FALLEN OUT OF ACCEPTANCE IN FAVOUR OF A PERSON’S NATION, FIRST NATIONS, INUIT OR METIS; ABORIGINAL PEOPLE; AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AS REFERRING TO ABORIGINAL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. “NATIVE” SHOULD BE USED WITH CAUTION AND RESPECT TO THE CONVERSATION.

YOU SHOULD ONLY REFER TO “INDIAN” AS IT IS USED IN A HISTORICAL CONTEXT, WITHIN THE BOOK’S TITLE, OR TO REFER TO THE AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IN AMERICA, HAS NOT ADJUSTED.**

Bushido Bibliography

2economics

This website was a good one because it quickly summarized the main points needed for a good paragraph. it did not drag on with irrelevant information.

“Economics mainly developed in Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto. The population grew, Japan increased their trade, more roads and paths were established throughout the country, and a new system of government was established. These changes resulted in a wealth and accomplishment gain.”

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html

it is about Japan in isolation

3geography

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo

this is good because of the map on the site and the various sorces at the bottom
 This is a good link because it tells a story about compassion in a military setting. I think this is cool because now i can include a story in my S.A

4politics

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/598326/Tokugawa-period

It talks a lot about the politics of Japan during the Edo Period. It has a lot of other useful information as well.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html

This site has loads of info that you can use
http://www.nakasendoway.com/tokugawa-political-system/

if you search “edo japan politics” and the fifth one down
This link tells us about the politics of Japan, and compares it a little bit to other dynasties. It allows for you to analyze the politics, but it doesn’t help for anything except politics

5social – hierarchy

http://shogun2.heavengames.com/articles/history/the-caste-system-of-feudal-japan/

This website looks promising. It is useful because it provides quite a bit of information on Tokugawa Shogunate. It goes into detail about the social systems that he invented and people’s classes.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-edo-period-in-japanese-history/

This site is good because it is from a Royal Museum and has lots of information and pictures.

The link I sent highlights the Hierarchy of Japan during the Edo period.

 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-edo-period-in-japanese-history/

It talks about the leaders of japan and the social status

6social – isolation – religion

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-edo-period-in-japanese-history/

It talks about social structure, the year of isolation and the ending
of isolation. It also provides details about rulers, the edo period
and more!

7the shogunate

 

Link:     http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/541431/shogunate      via “Encyclopedia Britannica”.

This link is about the shogunate: what it is, and the history of the shogunate in Japan.
This link is a viable resource because it is a detailed and informative source for information about the shogunate, from Encyclopedia Britannica.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun

It is a good website because you can click on the footnotes and go to other websites. It also talks about everything within shoguns and shogunates

Difference between Analysis and Summary

ANALYSIS vs. SUMMARY

*        Summarizing is restating what the author has said, where analyzing is saying why the author says it.

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/summary-using-it-wisely/

 

Summary:  A brief paragraph describing and informing three or more of the following elements:

  1. Who: those involved
  2. What: the event or topic being covered
  3. When: time, period, era, night or day
  4. Where: the location, distance, place
  5. Why: the cause or causes
  6. How: the process(es)

Report: An extended summary that delves deeper into more descriptions and details of the above elements

 

Example:  This is a summary of the play Hamlet.

 

“The play Hamlet is one of betrayal and death.  In the beginning of the play Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius kills Hamlet’s father with poison.  He does this because he wants to be king, and he wants Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother.  Hamlet is very upset.  He becomes even more upset when Claudius, his uncle and his mother, Gertrude, announce they are to be married.  Hamlet cannot believe that they would do this after such a short period of time.  Hamlet then decides to kill his uncle to get revenge.  However, Hamlet waits to do this.   In the meantime Hamlet’s girlfriend Ofelia goes crazy and drowns herself.  Hamlet is also haunted by his father’s ghost.  At the end of the play, Hamlet dies.”

Analysis: examines the summary elements described above in order to look for their meaning in the following contexts:

  1. Relationships, trends, patterns
  2. Roles of people, places, objects, situations
  3. Consequences or results of events, decisions and processes
  4. Causes and their effects
  5. Advantages and disadvantages/ gains and losses
  6. Strengths and weaknesses

Example: A Freudian analysis of the play.

“Hamlet explores betrayal and death caused by several levels of poison: physical, psychological and social.  All of these poisons are intertwined on a psychological level.  Hamlet was first affected by Claudius’s physical poison—the poison that he had poured into the King’s ear, killing him.  After Claudius killed the King social poison spread throughout the kingdom like a disease.  The rebels began to call Laertes Lord, disrupting Hamlet’s claim to the throne, ‘How cheerfully on the false trail they cry’ (IV, V, 87).  Hamlet’s suppressed desire, the Oedipus complex, for his mother led to his own psychological poisoning, ‘Go not to mine uncle’s bed’ (III, III, 153).  He was upset that he desired to kill his father, as his uncle did, in order to possess his mother.  Hamlet desired to seek revenge on those who had hurt him, which was caused by his id, ‘Here thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, Drink of this potion’ (V, II, 330-333).  However, Hamlet hesitated to kill his uncle because of his moral super ego, ‘How I stand then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all asleep’ (IV, IV, 56-59)?  These inner psychological conflicts prevented Hamlet from acting until it was too late, and death was already knocking on his door, ‘The potent poison quiet o’er-crows my spirit’ (V, II, 359).” 

 

 

Difference between Analysis and Summary

Posted by msandhu on November 10, 2011

Writing a summary or an analysis seems like the easiest assignments but they can be very confusing. Many students confuse and mix summary with an analysis. They sometimes know what a summary is but they also think of analysis as a summary. However, they are two different things. A summary is rewriting what the story is about, but putting it in your own words. An analysis is breaking down the reading into smaller parts and examining it. I have put together some of the common factors that each one of them include.

SUMMARY

Writing a summary is not only limited to English classes. There are many other courses that you can take and you might have to write a summary. A summary is a report of author’s viewpoint. A summary is rewriting what you have read in your own words. One can think of the summary as the short version of the original writing. You should tell the reader what were the main and important points of the writing. Your summary should include the thesis or the main argument of the paper. In the summary, you should not include your opinion or what you think the author is trying to imply by writing it. It should only focus on what the author has written. Summary should also not include any kind of evaluation by the reader. You should not write what you think are the author’s strong or weak arguments.

One of the other important information the summary should include is the name of the book or article, the author’s name and the publication information. The publication information is when that piece of writing was first published (Date or year) and where was it published? This information usually goes in the introductory paragraph which is also going to include the thesis statement of the writing you have read.

The summary should also be formal. You should not address the author by their first name; use only their last name of the author. It is typed and usually only one paragraph depending on what you are writing about. I have only listed some of the most common factors that need to be included in the summary. Your instructor could give you a different structure they want you to follow and other guidelines.

ANALYSIS

An analysis is breaking a large topic into smaller pieces to better understand the subject. In an analysis you are not telling the reader about the main viewpoints of the author or what the writing is about, it is examining the structure and the details of the writing. You break the story into smaller parts to understand it better. Many instructors do not want you to express your opinion about the subject discussed in the paper. You can only give your opinion on how well the author did to convince the reader.

The first paragraph should be the introductory paragraph and it should include the title, author’s name, and publication details. You can also give the reader some background information on the subject being discussed in the writing and then give the thesis statement of the paper. First paragraph can also have a short summary about the paper.

In your analysis paper, you should address what is the main argument that the author is making and how well do they support the argument. The other factor to address is how reliable are the sources, and the authority that the author cites to make their argument strong. An analysis paper can also include the strengths and weaknesses of the paper and how they affect the argument being made by the author. You should also examine the tools like statistics, examples or citing of an authority to analyze the author’s reasoning for writing the paper. The other points one could address in their analysis paper are does the author address the opposition’s view point and does he/she attempts to refute it. Many instructors do not want you to express your opinion about the subject discussed in the paper. You can only give your opinion on how well the author did to convince the reader.  However, depending on your class level and your instructor it might be different and you might be allowed to express your opinion on the subject matter and tell whether you agree or disagree with the author.

It is very easy for many students to confuse analysis with a summary. They both have few similarities in the introductory paragraph but overall they have different structures. Most of the analyses or summaries will include many of the factors that I have listed above but you should always ask your instructors about what structure and guidelines they want you to follow. The structure and the information you put in your summary or analysis might also differ because of your class.


Editor’s note: While what Mohanjit says here is an excellent guideline as to the difference between summary and analysis, as a teacher, I’d feel a bit remiss if I didn’t mention that even with such seemingly fundamental terms as “analysis” and “summary,” teachers often have different understanding of what words mean. So, be aware that in addition to this excellent overview, your instructor may be looking for something specific in your analysis as well.

http://writingcenter.cos.edu/2011/11/difference-between-analysis-and-summary/

Bushido Hostage Scroll Asssignment

In a research project, presented in a flexible format of the groups’ choosing (multi-media, report, part-performance), a history of the Edo is required to be constructed to provide an education to a young Daimyo hostage.

part-

Hostage Scrolls must contain answers to the following curriculum questions:
  • In what ways did Japan isolate itself from the rest of the world?
  • How did isolation during the Edo period lead to changes in Japan?
  • How did the changes resulting from isolation affect Japan economically, politically and socially during the Edo period?
  • How did the physical geography of Japan affect its worldview?
  • How did the shogun use the feudal system and the hierarchical social classes to maintain control of Japan?

Students are encouraged to use creativity in their Scrolls with paper or digital visuals.

Research beyond the textbook is expected, with correctly cited footnotes & bibilography.

Drafts will be reviewed prior to presenting scrolls in class.

 

Marked on: Social Studies Rubric

 

Resources:

Bushido Bibliography

Edo backgrounder 2

Edo backgrounder

Ch. 4 Worldviews

PBS Empires: Japan

Francophone Rights Timeline

Francophone Rights Timeline

– 1608 Samuel de Champlain founds the city of Quebec, establishing New France

– 1774 Britain passes the Quebec Act
– recognizes the rights of Francophones to their language and identity

1867 Confederation makes Canada a bilingual and multicultural country
– The Francophone-Anglophone alliance is established

– 1890 Manitoba Schools Act is passed
– Abolished public funding for Catholic Schools
– Made Manitoba an officially English province

– 1892 Haultain Resolution and North-West Territories Ordinance Number 22
– Proceeding of assembly be in English only
– English becomes language of instruction in schools
– Only in North-West Territories

– 1969 The Official Languages Act is established
– Reasserts the equality of French and English as official languages in Canada

– 1982 The Charter of Rights and Freedoms confirms official bilingualism
– Creates official language minority rights

– 1990 Supreme Court Confirms Francophone right to school boards

– 2005 Across Canada, Francophones outside Québec have established more than 25 school boards
– Including 5 in Alberta
– Alberta has 26 publicly funded Francophone Schools

 

Source: http://officialanguagerightscanada.weebly.com/francophone-timeline.html

 

 

Ch.4 Collective Rights Jigsaw

Students should read and prepare key notes and answers to critical questions in chapter 4 with a partner. Groups will share their notes and a summary presentation to the class Tues-Wed (as prepared).

Chapter 4 is up

Lina, Nikhil 118-122

Vik, Shafir 123-127

Cade, Aidan 127-135

Cameron, Justin 136-140

Colin, Evan Lemke 141-144

Thomas, Patrick, Amanda 145-151

Madison, Matheson, Juan 152-158

Hailey, Nicholas 159-161

 

Quiz Questions – Groups should include any relevant notes on the following curriculum questions:

Short Answer

  1. In what ways has the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms fostered recognition of collective rights in Canada?
  2. In what ways does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms meet the needs of Francophones in minority settings?
  3. How does the Indian Act recognize the status and identity of Aboriginal peoples?
  4. How does legislation such as Treaty 6, Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 recognize the status and identity of Aboriginal peoples?
  5. How do governments recognize Métis cultures and rights through legislation (i.e., treaties, governance, land claims, Métis Settlements in Alberta)?

ESSAY Qs

  1. To what extent does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms meet the needs of Francophones in Québec?
  2. To what extent should federal and provincial governments support and promote the rights of official language minorities in Canada?

My plan currently is to have an open-book, open-note quiz on the questions above. (MCQ or matching style may be considered).

Alternative essay questions relevant to collective rights as part of the idea of Canadian identity are welcome for consideration.

Book of 5 Rings Assignment

For the Revised version: SS & LA Rubrics.

Expectations:

-Citations

-Correctly formatted & proof-read

-Includes a thesis (overall “big ideas” of what you thought), topic sentences for each “big idea”, evidence and support for each sub-point

-Discuss what the content of the 5 rings says to history, and to us in general

-organization, examples & language are key!

Please re-submit for improvements to your scores at any time.

DRAFT

Prepare a draft of a historical primary document analysis on the Book of 5 Rings. You may choose to examine one book in depth, or the entire works. You may also choose topics and categories of reference, depending on the subjects within the text you find most appealing, or refer to Humanities topics as a basic framework (such as culture, economics, or geographical influences).

Please read “How to analyze historical documents” backgrounder attached in preparation for reading the Book of Five Rings.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT WORKSHEET TO AID YOU
Graded on SS & LA Rubric

Gr8 & 9 mid term marks ready

Great news. I have read and marked most outstanding assignments for gr. 8 and 9 from report card last to date.

Quite a few people are missing submissions. Rather than put zero, I have neither counted missing assignments against, nor for, any accumulation, unless it is a major assignment. I will give an overview of which ones are the major assignments Monday.

Why did it take so long?

Originally, in December I was told I needed a) a new rubric specifically tailored to every assignment b) to decide upon and take only the last assignment produced by students close to the next report cards. Formative feedback was relied upon largely instead.

Since this time, I have been allowed to change strategy and use a writing for SS and LA rubric for most assignments, cutting down my creation of rubric time immensely. Last assignments in the term will instead be weighted more than those at the beginning. You can find all the rubrics here.

Because of these January adjustments, I am confident I will be able to continue to give you timely feedback for the remainder of the year.

Please note: I will only  be able to provide feedback on Google docs, in-person and on paper only until email suspension is lifted.

Most people have shown a delightful improvement, however, students missing submissions will see a significant drop because the assignments are worth more (being more labour-intensive)  and there are fewer of them this term, so far.  I will be making a round to individuals who are missing items and clarify questions so you may make up past work confidently.

Thanks for your patience!

Gr 7s – I expect to be done marks by Wed (perhaps earlier).

P