Welcome to my blog!
When creating this section, I wanted a way to organize activities and materials that I really enjoyed using, or that I found really helpful in the scheme of a unit. Some of the resources and activities I mention are made by me, but others were taught to me by partner teachers and people I really respect. I wanted to include them because sometimes a folder of ideas gets over crowded whereas you can organize a blog with key tags and incorporate images and explanation at the same time.
Unit Wish-List (1)
I am a little sick of the pandemic (ha), but one day, I would like to do an interdisciplinary unit that explores the contagion narrative in contrast to historical records. I took a English elective online last year through Trent University and was drawn to the course description…
G8: Interactive Timeline
Relevance continues to be an issue with my middle school students, one that my grade 8 partner teacher and I have decided to focus on developing.
IB Learner Profile Posters
Last year, I rearranged my desks and found my eyes drawn to the IB Learner Profile posters that I currently had up on my wall. I had hung them up during my first year at Branksome and after 3 years, I was bored. I wanted fresh posters and something new. A quick browse of the internet didn’t reveal what I was looking for and so I decided to make my own.
G8: Socratic Seminar Prep
This year, my grade 8 partner and I re-vamped our human rights unit. Our school service coordinator planned a school-wide event on human trafficking and we chose to use this as the lens through which we explored the issue of human rights.
Creating Audio Guides
In working with students, and especially EAL students, I have noticed that pronunciation and unseen words can sometimes cause the biggest problems for accessing content and material.
G7 Middle Ages Unit
I must confess that I love teaching and talking about the Middle Ages. In no way do I claim to be an expert, but every year that I’ve had the pleasure of teaching a unit or even mere aspects of Medieval society is always a pleasure.
G7: Urban Environments Unit Overhaul
It is my second year teaching the grade 7 course at BHA and our department is in the middle of a curriculum review. Previously, we’ve opened the year with a general geography unit that follows the five themes of geography as dictated by American curriculum, and while I appreciate the structure the themes provide, the unit did not inspire awe and enthusiasm. I was ready for…
GOs: Cause & Effect, and Relevance
I am thankful to the colleague who introduced the fishbone chart to me. There are many ways to discuss cause and effect with students, and there are many forms of organization, but I like that with the fishbone chart you can easily include multiple points.
Novel Study: Choice Cards
I have vague memories of a novel project that I did in grade 6. At the time, I was reading Firewing by Kenneth Oppel. Each day in class, we would complete tasks outlined on different cards. As we completed a card, we returned it to a box and selected another. The cards were colour-coded and we were required…
