Category: Assignment Info

Hello Everyone,

Our time outdoors during this unit has resulted in great discussions about how walking is great for your physical and mental health and how being in nature makes us feel relaxed and calm.

Let’s give some ideas to the school about what it could look like! Invent a natural space you would enjoy spending time in during your breaks. What natural elements would you include? Get creative! Remember, this is not a playground, so no playground equipment. Think trees, rocks, natural space, garden, etc.

Try to include math in the way you design your elements! Can angles, perfect circles, and/or Fibonacci play a role in your design? How will your elements work with the surrounding natural space rather than against it?

Here are the steps for the project with a partner!

1. Make an individual brainstorm plan
2. Measure the actual space. We will be basing it off of the space beyond the swings in the upper intermediate playground area.
3. Compare ideas with multiple classmates to further develop your ideas
4. Get a partner, and on grid paper, begin to plan out a space together. Each block is equal to 2 feet.
5. Start thinking with your partner about what the scale will be for the box I will provide for your project model. Set the scale and tell Ms. D.
6. Brainstorm what materials you may need. I have lots of things including pieces of wood, sand, clay, paint, and more, but maybe you want something specific from outdoors or from home?
7. Create the model! Go crazy!
8. Write an explanation and reflection about your model on your e-port. What went well in your design process? What would you change for next time? How did it go working with a partner? Do you think this model represents a natural space someone could actually build? Is it doable?

Here are the criteria, which will be put into a rubric for your thinking!

• Show an appropriate sense of scale when creating elements in your natural space. (applied math)
• Include only natural elements and have a variety of different types of things to make the space interesting.
• Include math patterns we discussed during this unit in your design, as well as angles, shapes, equidistant measurement, balanced thinking,
• Show thinking, through the model and your reflection, about creating a realistic space that will allow all ages to relax and enjoy the natural elements you included.
• Use a variety of materials to represent your natural elements.
• Show evidence in your reflection of your design process, including ways you would improve the process for next time, how you worked with materials, and how you worked with your partner.
• Create a model that shows time and effort. (neatly done, colour, interesting to look at)
• Provide a written explanation that further details your thinking and design process.

The written explanation for your project is due by June 14th. The model is due at the latest by June 25th.

Websites As Food For Thought:

Oberlander Landscapes in Vancouver

Nine Buildings Inspired by Nature – BBC

Mathematics Garden Design

Pictures of Math in Garden of Versailles

Parc Guell Math – Gaudi

Geometry of Gaudi

The Mathematics of Play, Video

Mathematical Art of MC Escher

MC Escher Math Gallery

Nature and Architecture

10 Ways Architecture and Nature Can be Combined

Reconnecting to Nature Through Landscape and Design

Andy Goldsworthy Art

James Brunt Artist

Ten Best Roof Gardens

Math-Inspired Playground

How Fibonacci Can Make Your Garden Beautiful

Chihuly Gardens and Glass

Elements of French Garden Design with Math

The Magic of Islamic Geometric Design

Five Elements to Creating a Nature Play Space for Children

How 3D Printing Helped Us Build a Nature Space

 

This post is for use in class when Ms. D refers to different articles and videos we need for discussions. Thank you!

Math:

How Plants Tell Time, TED Ed

The Science Behind Natures Patterns, Smithsonian Magazine

Can One Math Pattern Explain All Nature? YouTube

Alan Turing’s Patterns in Nature, Wired Magazine

Math Patterns in Nature, The Franklin Institute

Some zebras are developing odd stripes, humans may be to blame, CBC

The unexpected math of origami, TED Ed

Describing nature with math, PBS NOVA

Nature by the Numbers, Golden Ratio and Fibonacci, YouTube

Doodling in Math Class, Fibonacci Part 1

Doodling in Math Class, Part 2

Doodling in Math Class, Part 3

Painted with Numbers, Math Patterns in Nature, The Guardian

The Magic of Fibonacci, YouTube

Incredible Geometric Shapes Found in Nature, YouTube

Fibonacci in Nature Go Figure

The Golden Angle Go Figure

Fibonacci and Spirals, Fractal Foundation

Videos, Fractal Foundation

Pi and the Fibonacci Sequence, PBS

 

Science:

How Nature Gets Its Rhythms, TED Ed

Bird Video Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Quizzes from the NCC to Learn About Animals

6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World, TED

Suzanne Simard How Trees Talk to One Another, TED

Nature is Everywhere, We Just Need To Learn to See It, TED

Plants Use an Internet Made of Fungus, TED Ed

What is a Fungus?, TED Ed

Reasons for the Seasons, TED Ed

Where We Get Our Fresh Water, TED Ed

Symbiosis, A surprising tale of species cooperation, TED Ed

Why do we harvest horseshoe crab blood, TED Ed

A simple way to tell insects apart, TED Ed

Birds of the World Database, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Sounds of the World, Birds.net

University of Victoria Ethnobotany Plant Profiles

Inside the Killer Whale Matriarchy, YouTube

Jellyfish Predate Dinosaurs, How did they live so long?

Hydrothermal vents, Geysers of the Deep 

Taking a Lichen to Lichen, Island Nature Blog

Lichens, Go Hiking

Bees, SFU

BC Species Explorer, BC Government Website

Fern Identification, Stanley Park Ecology Blog

Tree Book BC

Ocean Networks Canada

Arctic Diversity, Ocean Networks

E-Flora BC Plants Database at UBC

Seaweeds and Sea Grasses BC Coast

Seaweeds the Ocean’s Superfood and Where to Get It

Edible Seaweed of the Pacific Northwest

Slideshow All About Seaweed

TED, the Roots of Plant Intelligence

Can Plants Talk to One Another, TED Ed

Got Seeds?, TED Ed

Why we’re storing millions of seeds, TED Talks

Zoology UBC Mushrooms Database

The Electrical Blueprints that Orchestrate Life – Ted Ed

 

Health

Trees are not just for the birds, Birds Canada

Nature’s Sounds Improve Well Being, CBC

NCC Nature Tours

The Healing Power of Plants

Blue Space is the New Green Space

 

Socials and Social Responsibility:

TED Ed Climate Change Game of Tetris

TED Ed Climate Change Series of Videos and Lessons

Bill Nye Climate Change National Geographic/YouTube

Bill Nye 5 Things to Remember About Climate Change, YouTube/Nat Geo

Scientists team up with First Nations to revive herring stocks, CBC

Healthy Food Systems for a Healthy Planet, David Suzuki Foundation

Intact Forest, Boreal Forest Conservation

Disappearing Frogs, TED Ed

Difference Between Global Warming and Climate Change USGS (plus other articles)

Reforestation, Impact on Climate, TED Ed

Threat of Invasive Species, TED Ed

Invasive Species in BC

Burnaby Climate Action Plan

From the top of the food chain down, rewilding our world, TED Ed

Buildings Made of Fungus Could Live, Grow, Biodegrade, CBC

Climate Solutions 101

The Indigenous Science of Permaculture

Walking in Two Worlds, Inuit-Led Research in the Arctic, Science World

How Science and First Nations oral traditions are converging, CBC

Article List of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Western Science Connections, Stitcher

Clam Garden Network

Our Home on Native Land Maps

The Great Bear Sea Curriculum Video Links

13 Moons of the Wsanec

Silolem Moons

Moon Phases from First Nations Perspective, Teacher Blog

First Peoples Interactive Map BC

Secwepemc World View You Tube

Mysteries of Ancient Clam Gardens

Aboriginal Uses of Plants

SFU Ethnobiology Database for Indigenous Names/Uses of Plants and Animals

Inuit Sky (Astronomy)

Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change Movie

Sacred Relationship Videos About Aboriginal Connection to Water and Land

First Nations Traditional Foods Fact Sheets

Climate Change Bill Nye, Found on YouTube

A Subsistence Culture Impacted by Climate Change, Alaska, PBS

Keepers of the Coast Movie, Vimeo

Northern Abalone in Haida Gwaii

Why Beavers Matter, CBC

Eyes and Ears on the Land and Sea Movie, Vimeo

Indigenous Plant Diva, Vimeo

11 Foods Already Being Impacted by Climate Change, Rolling Stone

Micro organisms and their role in combating climate change, TED Talk

Sea Urchins in Haida Gwaii

Kelp Forest Disappeared in Haida Gwaii, and here is how they were revived

Indigenous Knowledge and Ocean Science, TED

Pacific Northwest Forests Deliberately Planted by Indigenous Peoples

What’s In the Air You Breathe – Ted Ed

Genetically Modified Grass Can Suck Toxins Out of the Ground – CBC

 

Language Arts:

Raven Stories

Raven Goes Fishing Story/Video

The Raven Symbol in art

Common Raven Overview, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Common Raven, National Bird Project

Squamish Legends Database

Raven, a Haida Creation Story, YouTube

The Raven in Haida Culture

The Raven and Oral Traditions BC First Nations

Make 1,000 Ravens for Reconciliation

Vimeo, What is Difference Between Raven and Crow

Caw vs Croak Crow vs Raven Sounds YouTube

Raven and Crow Training Test YouTube

 

Hello Everyone,

We are lucky to have had several virtual field trips, and we are learning about BC Nature such as raptors, seaweed, plant life, birds, ecosystems, forests, and more.

We are connected to all of these things in so many ways. We are impacted by them and we have an impact on them with our human activities, as well — both positive and negative.

We will be learning about how individuals are combining indigenous traditional knowledge with western science to better understand the balance of our ecosystems in BC and to protect the amazing place we live in.

I will ask you to do a bit of further research on one non-human organism in BC you do not already know a lot about. Pick one you feel really connected or drawn to! We did animals for our form and function project, so try looking at other organisms, too. You need to pick a different organism, and I encourage you to look at other important parts of our ecosystem such as plants and trees. Please choose it in the next two weeks.

Each person will be doing a different organism, so we have 24 different studies to learn from. We want to find out these things by May 21st, Friday, recording the information in our journals.

1.  What is the taxonomy of the organism?
2.  Where would I find it in BC? Use specific terminology in terms of ecoprovince as discussed in class and type of ecosystem or biome.
3.  Is the organism endangered or is it on any of the lists of concern?
4.  Is it a consumer or producer, and what is its food web?
5.  How are humans connected to this organism?
6.  How has human activity impacted this organism?
7.  What is our responsibility to this organism? What can we do to protect it?
8.  Is there a First Nations name, symbol, meaning, or use for the organism?
9.  How would I draw this organism?

We will use this information to do three things:

1.  We will write a short description that answers these questions, due June 4th, Friday, using 3-4 complete paragraphs, and complex sentences. It needs to be typed and have a picture of the organism on it. Use size 12 font, include a title and your name. Send to Ms. D for printing.
2.  We will write a first-person poem about the organism due June 10th, giving a voice to the organism, as if you were the organism yourself. The poem will be added to our poetry journals. It needs to be typed, size 12 font, with a title and author. The poem may be in any style we have discussed in class. It needs a minimum of 15 lines. You will be presenting it out loud to the class before we leave for the year. More information to come on that presentation.
3.  Creation of Sue Coccia Art: We will also do an additional art project with the information we gather, and I will discuss how you will use drawings and your research to create Sue Coccia inspired art.

We will be reading the novel Skeleton Tree which is an exciting tale of adventure, survival, and interacting with nature!

As we read, we will be thinking of deeper questions that help us with greater reading comprehension. To do this, we will use QAR – Question Answer Response. There are four types of questions you can ask:

1.  Right There Questions: These are questions you can find right away in the text, such as, “What is the name of the main character?” These questions help us know the basics of what is going on in the story.
2.  Think and Search Questions: These are questions you need to look in two separate places in the text to answer, so they are more complicated to think about. For example, “Why did Johnny decide it was a good idea to ask for help from his neighbour?” In one part of the text, we may see the part where Johnny made the decision, but in another section, the author may explain why the neighbour would be able to help.
3.  Author and You Questions: These are questions that involve you thinking about previous knowledge and combining it with what the author says. For example, “Why would the main character want to have a dog come with her on the trail for safety?” The author may have said the character felt safer having a dog with her, and then you can add to it by saying dogs are protective animals that people often take with them on trails in case they encounter other animals or want to walk by themselves.
4. On My Own: You can answer these questions on your own without reading the text, but the question is related to your reading. It is just you won’t find the answer in the text. You have to use your previous knowledge and own critical-thinking skills. For example, “Do people need to be able to survive in the wilderness? Should wilderness survival skills be mandatory learning for everyone?”

As we read, you will keep a REMARK to mark your place in the book. We will make one quickly in class before we start reading. It is a bookmark with pages, so you can write down:

1.  QAR Questions and Answers
2.  New vocabulary and their meanings
3.  Random thoughts that occur to you while reading

When we are doing with our reading of this book, I will be asking you to do a mini book report in your e-portfolio, which will be due no later than June 11th. I will post criteria for it as we get closer to that point, so you know what to do and what to include.

We will talk more about this in class. I think you will enjoy the book!

Ms. D

 

 

Independent Project Update!

Your notes were due April 30th. If anyone wants to upgrade, they need to show me their notes during a silent reading period.

Many of you are still working on your primary research, which is due by Monday, May 31st. I have talked with each one of you about what kind of research you are doing.

If you are doing an interview, you need to provide me with a copy of the questions you are asking, even if it is an interview you are doing at home. This way, I can help you expand on the questions if need be. All questions need to be sent to me ASAP in email. Thank you to those of you who have already done this! Think about how you will use this interview in your presentation in a creative way. Document your interview and turn it in with your project.

If you are doing an experiment, you need to document your experiment with a lab report using the scientific method. Please take pictures of what you do, so you can include them in your presentation. We would like to see parts of your process, not just the final product!

If you are doing a model or creating something, you need to take pictures along the way. Document your process as well as the final product, so you can include it in the presentation.

If you are doing a survey, you need to send Ms. D a copy of your survey first, and then I will help you send out the survey to our community. Think about how you will report on these survey results in a graph or chart in your presentation.

If you are doing an observation or visit to a location,  you need to document it with notes and an explanation of what you chose to do. Please include pictures and any other information you found from the observation/visit.

Next, we will be talking about your presentation and bibliography. The Presentation and Bibliography are due Tuesday, June 15th.

We will do presentations for Cohort B in class on Wednesday, June 16th as a group.

Here is how it will work:

We can’t have the presentations to the greater community in person due to COVID, but we can present to our own cohort in our classroom.

1.  You are presenting to a group, and you need something engaging they can see or interact with. Each person will do this differently, so please don’t feel like you need to do exactly what everyone else is doing. You just need something engaging for your audience to look at while you talk. So, you can decide, do you want them to look at a poster, a trifold, your experiment, a series of photos, charts, graphs, a model, a handout of information, a cartoon, etc. Just looking at a computer screen isn’t enough. No one will have time to read all of your PowerPoint on presentation day, unfortunately.
2.  If you create something electronic, then that will allow you to share with the entire community who can’t be there on presentation day. For example, I can post links on the blog to any Book Creator books, PowerPoint slideshows, Microsoft Word documents with paragraphs of writing, or photos that you may have. While people won’t read all of your PowerPoint on the presentation day, PowerPoints can still provide a great slideshow for them to see, and then others can read your PowerPoint on the blog.
3.  During the presentation day, you can use: a computer, an iPad, one individual desk worth of space, chair, and wall space for putting up posters.
4.  You will want to think about the key points you want to share and have them ready. When someone comes up to you on presentation day, you want a short and sweet version of the key information you found out. I suggest writing it on an index card, which I can provide to you.
5.   Your bibliography can be in your PowerPoint, Book Creator book, or in an MS Word document. You don’t need a paper handout of the bibliography, but I will need to be able to see it in one of these formats.
6.   Somewhere in your multiple presentation pieces you need to answer these questions or have these parts:
   1.  What is your topic?
   2.  Why were you interested in this topic?
   3.  What were the questions you had when you started?
   4.  What are your key findings?
   5.  What kind of primary research did you do?
   6.   What new questions do you have?
   7.  Bibliography

We will go over all of this in class. We decided as a whole class group to not do ZOOM or another complicated presentation method, as we have 24 students who need to present, and more students were interested in doing a group share on the same day. Thank you to the students for helping with discussion and decision making about our projects.

We will have computers available daily, but some work will need to be done at home over the next month and a half, so please keep some time after school each day reserved for project work.

Ask questions if you need help along the way!

Ms. D

Hello Everyone,

As we continue our unit on the Nature Connection, here is a summary of what we are doing for Language Arts, which is intertwined into all of our activities:

• Latin Words: To better understand our discussions around taxonomy and the classification of animals in science, we are studying Latin prefixes and suffixes, which are often used in scientific terms. They are also useful for gleaning the meaning of words we don’t know, as Latin is the root of the English language. There are tasks in each student’s binder, and we will do these as we have time until the end of the year. Students also have a handout on Homographs that we will handle in the same way. These learning activities are ongoing until end very end of June, and I will do checks in class to see they are coming along.
• Descriptive and Figurative Language: As we go outside for our walks and discuss our connection to nature, we are working on being descriptive with our vocabulary. In class, we have done some exercises in our journal to begin this journey. We will practice giving active voice to the things around us in nature, even the things that are not alive, through the use of personification. We will discuss metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia, and other figurative language tools we can use to describe things more vividly for the reader.
• Poetry: Students will practice making haikus, cinquains, free verse, and other short forms of poetry, which also reading nature poetry available in a large selection of books in the classroom. We will be making a small journal of our favourites and presenting one to the class. Details to come in a later post.
• Skeleton Tree: We will be discussing how one can survive in nature, and the relationship between people and the land, through the novel Skeleton Tree. Students will use the Question, Answer, Response method as we read, which encourages them to think of deeper questions and to notice details while reading. We will do this together as a group, then students will produce a brief e-port book report.

More details to come about the specific assignment details and due dates. This is just a summary of what we are doing.

I encourage everyone to please keep journal entries neat for their poetry entries, which will make creating your journal easier, so you can find the poems you have made.

I also suggest keeping up with poetry assignments, as we may have one each day. If you need to take it home and finish, it can be homework to make sure your poem is complete, so that the next day we can move on to new work.

Thank you,

Ms. D

In class, we have been talking a lot about biodiversity! We have covered key concepts and vocabulary such as ecology, ecosystems, food chains, abiotic and biotic elements, biomes, and keystone species.

Here are some of the videos we watched, in case you would like to see them again:

Bill Nye Biodiversity

TED Ed Why is biodiversity so important?

What does biodiversity do for us?

We also watched Planet Earth’s Pole to Pole, which showed us the many biomes and amazing diversity of life we have, stretching from the Arctic down to the Antarctic.

Using the books in class and the websites below, please do the following:

1. Use the map handout I gave you. Give it a title, make a legend, and then colour the map to show where the different biomes of the world are. We listed them in our journals.

2. Using the other handout I gave you as a guide, for each biome, please find out its general location in the world, its characteristics, and then 3 plants and 3 animals you might find in each biome. The first biome can be done on the handout. The others you can record in your journal.

3. You may work with a partner in class, but you need your own map and information in your journal.

DUE:  April 23rd, Friday

Biomes Websites:

Blue Planet Biomes

NASA Mission Biomes

BioExpedition YouTube Types of Biomes in the World

YouTube Putting the History of Earth in Perspective

BioExpedition Website Types of Biomes

The Wild Classroom Biomes

MBG Net Biomes

Kids Do Ecology Biomes

UC Museum of Paleontology Biomes

ASU Ask a Biologist Biomes

Nat Geo Biomes

Build a Biome Game

Vimeo Biomes of the World Video

PBS Learning Arctic Tundra Video

PBS Learning Desert Biome Video

PBS Learning Biomes Slideshow

Biodiversity Websites:

AMNH Biodiversity for Kids

TedEd Can We Bring Back Species that are Extinct?

AMA 50 Bird Species and the Sounds They Make

TED Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World

Go Hiking  Lichens of Vancouver Island

For Fun When You Are Done:

The Cornell Lab Bird Academy Games

The Cornell Lab Bird Videos

TED Ed Can we build a perfect forest?

National Geographic and CAS iNaturalist

Naturescapes Tours

BC Trails Birding 101 Backyard Birding

 

 

 

Hello Everyone!

Now that everyone has a topic of passion for their independent project, we are actively doing research.

What to do for secondary research (we talked about ALL of this in class.):

• Find resources for your research! We are actively doing research until April 30. You  need to use both book and internet resources.
• Go online to order books from the public library. They are doing “pick ups” so you do not have to browse in the library, but if you are able to quickly visit and pick up resources, that is great.
• Ms. Ho, our school librarian, has been ordering books from other school libraries, including the high schools, and they are gradually coming in to the classroom. These books can’t go home, but you can take notes on them during class time.
• Check out your own books on your topic from the Suncrest Library. We have library every Thursday.
• Use an encyclopedia online to get information on your topic if possible.
• Find websites on your topic. Remember to think of all the synonyms of the words related to your topic as you do Google searches.
• Use websites with appropriate endings — .edu, .gov, .org.  Avoid those with .com, and avoid websites with lots of ads.
• Avoid blogs that give opinions rather than facts.
• Avoid entertainment articles that have games, ads, or other distracting elements. If it is a reputable source of information, there will be less of this.
• Use websites that have a specific author, and are not older than 2015.
• Take notes in your journal, under the section for Independent Project, and using the chart. Remember to ask questions first, recording them on the left, and then record resources and answers on the right.
• Use the Wonderings Wall question method discussed in class to ask deeper questions during the process of research.

What do I record for secondary resources, so I can make a bibliography for the project?

• You need to do a bibliography in May. Do not worry about making a formal one right now. Just make sure to record the information about the resource in your notes, so you can make a bibliography later.
• For a BOOK:  Record the title, the author or editors, the publisher, where it was published, the copyright date, and the pages you used.
• For a WEBSITE:  Record the name of the website, the name of the article you used, the date of the article, who wrote the article or the name of the person who made the website, the date you accessed the website.
• For a MAGAZINE: Record the title of the magazine, the date of the magazine and issue number, the name of the article you read, the author, and the pages used.
• For other resources, please come see Ms. D and we can talk about it.

What to do for primary research (this is required, choose one, and make sure to document your primary research with written observations, photos, or a lab write up.):

• Interview with an expert on the topic. (Before you do an interview, write down your questions and ask Ms. D to review them with you. Record the person’s answers, their name, and the date of the interview.)
• Observations at a location, or of someone doing something related to your topic. (It is a good idea to take both written observations, the dates you took the observations, and take some pictures to share later as part of your presentation.)
• Lab experiment. (Use the scientific method to do a lab write up. Take pictures to document the process so you will have them for your presentation later. Write down the dates you conducted the experiment.)
• Build something. (Document your design process with a draft drawing or plan, notes about how the process is going, and pictures so you have them for your presentation later. Record dates about when you did certain things in your notes.)
• Do something. (Try something for the first time, document the experience, and take pictures so you have them for your presentation later. Record dates about when you did certain things in your notes.)

Next Steps?

• Let Ms. D know what your primary research is, so she can help if needed.
• Record your resource information.
• Let Ms. D know if you are having trouble finding resources.
• Take lots of neat notes, as you will be required to show them to me.
• Begin working on what your primary research is, as that can take lots of time..
• We will talk about how to present (as there are lots of options) at the end of April, and focus on that during the month of May.

Due Dates?

• Secondary Research Notes — Due April 30th.
• Primary Research — Due May 31st.
• Presentation and Bibliography — Due June 11th
• Presentation to Community  — Approx. June 16 — Method for presentation and specifics of that date to be communicated later, given we have to figure out health and safety concerns first.

Thank you, everyone, for all of the great work you are doing so far!

What is it?

As part of our studies on media, we have been analyzing what the parts of a news story are, as well as identifying the steps a reporter takes to create an interesting news story for the public.

Everyone will be creating their own news reports! Some students may choose to do a newspaper article, and others will choose to do a broadcast news report.

If you are doing a newspaper article, it is best to work on your own. If you are doing a broadcast news report, you may decide to work by yourself or in a pair. No more than two people in any group, please, and you need to work with someone you haven’t done a project with previously.

What are the steps?

1. Your audience is “students at Suncrest,” so brainstorm a list of news article/report ideas that you could report on. It will need to be something that you will be able to write a full article about, and it needs to be interesting to your audience.
2. After you have chosen an idea, brainstorm how you will gather evidence and information to help you write the article. Who will you interview? What observations can you make? What research will you need to do? What pictures will you need to take? What data or math numbers can you gather for this article? How might you present the information (graph/chart)?
3. Begin the research and gathering process. Record your findings in your journal under two journal pages called “News Report Notes.” Take pictures using an iPad, or with a device at home if needed. Make sure you have access to your photos at school by saving them in your email or on One Drive.
4. If you are doing a newspaper report, use the handout “Writing a News Report,” as well as any news reports you have seen online and in print, as a guide to writing all of the parts of a news report. Make an outline for your article first (a list of what you will talk about) and then begin drafting it in your journal or on the computer.
5. If you are doing a broadcast news report, make sure you watch some news reports online, or some live interviews done by reporters. Then, make an outline for your article (a list of what you will talk about) and begin drafting it in your journal or on the computer.
6.  After you make a rough draft, make a final copy. Make sure to edit it by reading it aloud. Have a peer also edit it carefully for you. Fix any errors.
7.  If you are doing a newspaper report, begin using the tools available on Microsoft Word or any other program you prefer from the Microsoft Suite, to begin the layout of your article. Make sure you think about spacing, the format of the headline versus the body of the article, pictures you want to include, and any charts or graphs that may be helpful.
8.  If you are doing a broadcast report, begin practicing saying your script out loud. Practice at home in front of an audience. Decide how you are going to present your report — in the studio or live on the scene? Do you need a microphone or a news reporter’s desk? What kind of background might you need? What kind of costume will you wear to show you are a reputable reporter? What kind of voice and tone do news reporters use?
9.  Share your presentation. For newspaper reports, share your report with me so we can share it with the community. For broadcast reports, present your news report in class.

What are Ms. D’s expectations?

• I can choose a topic for my news story that is of interest for my intended audience.
• I can use critical-thinking skills to gather factual information for my news article or broadcast.
• I can conduct interviews with students or staff to gather information for my report.
• I can create my story using all of the key elements of a news report.
• I can express my ideas clearly in writing, editing carefully for conventions, and using complex sentences, conjunctions, and transition words.
• I can use tools such as interesting vocabulary, an appealing layout, numbers/charts/graphs, props, or an expressive voice to better communicate my ideas and catch the audience’s attention.
• I can collaborate well with a partner if I choose to do the project with one.
• I can share ideas about my local community in a news story format.

When is it due?

Presentations and articles submitted no later than April 6th, as we will be moving on to another unit at that time.

Hello Everyone!

We have been talking a lot about media literacy, with a focus on how advertisers and those who produce media use specific strategies, gimmicks, or tools to get our attention and sell products to us.

Using these tricks, I would like you to create a product and sell it to us through an in-person commercial in front of the class.

What are you making?

With a partner or individually you will make a product and then figure out a way to sell it to us in a short, live commercial in front of the class.

The product needs to be an actual object, not a service you are trying to sell.

You need to use specific strategies we have discussed (found in your journal or binder) to create a compelling commercial that makes us want to buy your product.

What are the steps?

1. Brainstorm in your journal what your product will be.
2.  Using the applied design process, you will draw a picture of your planned product first, so you have a plan in mind. Decide what materials would be needed and make a list in your journal. I would like to see this as part of the project, so I can see your planning process.
3. Discuss what you will do to package or present the product so it is appealing. Think back to our notes about the cereal box or to other advertisements and packaging you have seen.
4. Decide who your audience is? How will you appeal to that specific audience? Will your audience really want the product?
5.  Build a prototype of the product along with its packaging.
6. Give the product a name, and then decide what the slogan or gimmick might be for selling it.
7. Write a script for the commercial. If you are working with a partner, both of you need a speaking role. The commercial can be a direct sell to the audience, or it could be a skit. Think about other commercials you have seen for ideas. The script should be no more than 2 minutes long.
8. What other things will you need to set the scene? Decide if you need a costume while you are doing the commercial. Do you need any props to help you create the setting where the product is used? Do you need anything in the background that can be hung up on the board?
9. Practice presenting. You need to rehearse before doing it in front of the class. It would be helpful to memorize your lines, as reading a script for a commercial won’t be as effective.

What does Ms. D expect?

• I can create a product by myself or with a partner using the applied design planning process.
• I can work collaboratively with others if needed to produce a project.
• I can present my ideas clearly to an audience using appropriate volume, enunciation, tone, expression, and pace.
• I can create a commercial script that incorporates thinking about how advertisers sell things to their audience, including some specific wording from the resources Ms. D provided about how people sell products (see your binder.)
• I can create a commercial and product that incorporates thinking about how advertisers use a brand name, slogan, packaging, and other gimmicks to sell a product.
• I can explain who my audience was for the commercial, as well as how knowing my audience influenced my design choices for the product.

When is it due?  March 10th at the latest.

Have fun working on this project!