Six+D

Monday 8 June 2009

Hi Everyone

As you know by now, we are setting up the exhibition in the last two periods of Wednesday, and we will be presenting from 8-11.30am Thurs and Friday. That means that effectively we only have tomorrow to finish your presentations, and then the first 3 periods of Wednesday to practice and do final preparations.

I have passed your equipment lists to Mrs Patricia, but you should be prepared just in case the equipment requested is not available, especially video beams as there are not many in the section.

This afternoon we sat down and made a plan of where each group will be presenting and we will let you know tomorrow.

I hope your final preparations are going well and lets have a fantastic final day's preparation tomorrow!

Mr Ball

Monday 1 June 2009

Hi Everyone

By now you should have finished all of your work on Key Concepts, having researched and synthesized all pertinent information, writing down who found it and where. If you havent finsihed this task YOU SIMPLY MUST GET IT DONE! I saw some people doing this today; it should have been done last week.

As you know, this week is all about preparing your perfomance assessment. This morning I saw students working on their process journals, doing skills tables etc etc.

NO! It is vitally important that you coordinate with your group and bring in what you need to start putting together your presentation. What is each person going to do to move the project ahead? Who is bringing in a computer? Who is bringing card to start on the Poster? Who is finding the pista to start working on your gangster rap? Do work on process journals at home, use class time to collaborate!!

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU MAKE A LIST OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND A TIMELINE TO ORGANISE TIME IN CLASS WISELY THIS WEEK, OTHERWISE MORE TIME WILL GO BY AND YOU WONT BE READY FOR NEXT WEEK!

In terms of classes, you know that we have Science in the first two periods of Wednesday and we have Language 2 on period 1 Friday. The rest of the Unit time is pretty much available for you to use. You will have to stay after school some days in order to get finished, and I would say you may even need to work this weekend somehow, if even only collaboratively on your wiki.

Every group has a meeting tomorrow or on Wednesday with Claudia Fayad. The timetable is written on the board in your classroom.

Under this message I am going to post more info on your performance assessment so you are sure to read it. Any questions, lets talk tomorrow.

Congrats to the Hunger group, who really made an impact on raising awareness about Hunger this morning.

Please read the weekly to do list on the link at left

See you tomorrow.

Mr Ball

After answering the key concepts and making connections and drawing conclusions in your inquiry about " your chosen problem," check each key question has been answered thoroughly to show in-depth understanding. If so, now you are ready to plan and prepare your performance assessment!

In your performance assessment you must  demonstrate understanding of the central idea.   Ideas of what to do: 1- Make a plan.  How are you going to show the 8 key questions? Which types of product/forms of performance will you use to present your inquiry and show understanding of the C.I. 2- Use a calendar to plan your days and everything your group needs to prepare well for the exhibition. Make sure all the members of the group are aware of this calendar. Building the calendar together on your wiki is a possibility. If your time distribution is clear, then everyone will know the group´s expectations. What to do and when.  Think of: - meeting times so you can use time wisely and don´t get caught up by the deadline. - meet as much as possible during school hours. You have to sacrifice extracurriculars over the next 2 weeks, if necessary. - Assign responsibilities too. Who is doing what?

3- Prepare the presentation. It is time to prepare and make everything for the exhibition.

4- Resources.  Which resources will you need. Give a list to your tutor by Wednesday 3rd June if your group needs a laptop, video beam, extension cables; or inform us if you are going to be bringing your own.

5- Practise the presentation.  <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 160%;"> Check the time. No longer than 15-20 min max.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Great work 6D! I wanted to post a message to say I am proud of the hard work you did last night. Most groups have now simplified their Key Concept Questions and are showing evidence in their process journals of having synthesized information and finding answers. These answers are helping you get a better understanding of the Central Idea, and it is this understanding that you want to demonstrate during your perfomance assessment.

Next week our focus will be on the performance assessment; you will be working hard to get it ready, and I wanted to repost some info that Mrs Eleanor posted a while back on just what you need to show during the assessment

<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128); font-size: 143%;"> <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128); font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 110%;"><span class="wiki_link_new">  <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 110%;">

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">As you know you will have to present all your inquiry in the exhibition, therefore with your group, it is importa<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;"> nt to start thinking of the different possible ways how you will demonstrate understanding of the <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">central idea. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">... Have in mind that you are not simply presenting information....but
 * <span style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; color: rgb(128, 0, 0); font-size: 16pt;">As human beings we have the responsibility to propose solutions to the problems around us in order to build a better world. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">

<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 192%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Focus on demonstrating understanding of the central idea <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">...Look at the key words...in the central idea... How will you show this understanding? Think of the way you are directing the inquiry..are you showing understanding of the central idea?

When thinking of how you will show your understanding ...... brainstorm and consider which options of different products or performances you have or which different roles of an expert you could take, to show this understanding.

Look at the examples you have in your classroom since the beginning of the year..these lists can give you lots of ideas...and use your creativity!

Wednesday 21 May 2009

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> 1. Have you had a look at some of the other wikis yet? Use the Exhibition 09 Groups and Wikis Directory link to the left and have a look at how other groups are organising their information. =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> 2. We have put the Weekly To Do list, Inquiry Cycle, and Skills and Attitudes on the Wiki, their links are also on the left. =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">As we discussed today, In your process journal you need to make double pages for each concept question, and do the following; =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> **<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Answer each key question synthesing the information your group has obtained until now. Leave a double page for each question, as a group you should sit down together: ** =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> Answer the questions  =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> What you understand from the information in your own words. Include who found the information and where the information was found (reference) =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> How you are planning to use it and show it in the exhibition =====

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">How about you make a new page on your wiki for each concept question, and as each group member brings in information you can read it, synthesize it and prepare what you need to write in your process journals. **=====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> In order to make sure that you have all the information you need to cover all the concept questions, why dont you organise a table with the information you need for each concept question, and who is responsible for finding it? I found an example of this at this link, check it out! =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> http://insecurity6.wikispaces.com/dividing+responsabilities =====

See you tomorrow!

Sunday 18 May 2009

Hi Guys

Here is a copy of our timetable so you are better able to plan for your group work. The periods that say Tutor normally be available for your group work. However, If you are going to plan an activity please check with me first; the timetable is quite flexible so we might have something else planned; however we usually can say what we are doing for sure about a week in advance. You can be pretty sure that we will be studying Unit p4&5 Tues-Fri.

Thursday is laptop day.

THIS WEEK WE HAVE PRUEBA DE SABER FROM 8-12 ON THURSDAY.
 * 6D Timetable ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * 7.30 || 7.40 || 8.20 || 9.00-9.40 ||  || 10:10 || 10.50-11.30 ||   || 12.00 || 12.00-12.40 ||
 * Mon || Tutor || Tutor || Maths ||  || Maths || Music ||   || PE || PE ||
 * Tues || Maths || Drama || Tutor ||  || Tutor || Tutor ||   || Tutor || Tutor ||
 * Weds || Science/L2 || Science/L2 || Dance ||  || Tutor || Tutor ||   || L1 || L1 ||
 * Thurs || Maths || Tutor || Tutor ||  || Tutor || Tutor ||   || Tutor || Tutor ||
 * Fri || L2/Science || Maths || Maths ||  || Tutor || Tutor ||   || Art/Tutor || Art/Tutor ||

See you tomorrow,

Mr Ball

Sunday 17 May 2009

Hi 6D I hope you had a really nice weekend and are going to arrive full of energy for this week's work. Last week was a difficult week for us as we had lots of interruptions; Pruebas de Saber, Intercasas, Assembly for teachers day etc.

So, we really had trouble concentrating on focusing on research and gathering information for our projects. This week we are going to have to work hard on gathering information and beginning to process it. I can see that on your wikis you have started to post some information, but how relevant is it??

In your groups you are going to have to come up with a detailed list of resources. You will also have to organise which group member is going to look for what information, and then toward the end of the week, you need to meet and start to process the information that you will need to answer your Lines of Inquiry and show understanding of your Key Concepts.

I am going to come around tomorrow in the first 2 periods, and see the following


 * your planner; it should be completed by now
 * a detailed list of resources
 * your reflections on your mentor meetings
 * your process journals, to see how you are going with writing down skills, attitudes etc
 * talk abut how your group is working together

I look at your Wikis every day; congrats to Maria Antonia R, Maria Camila S, Juan Jose, Eduard, Mr Pombo amongst others who are really helping their groups by working hard on them.. Good to see that most groups have posted their LOI and Key Concepts; remember all work you do should aim at answering these and showing understanding of the central idea.

See you tomorrow and have a great week!

Mr Ball

Hi 6D

This page is just for us. Please click on "Notify Me" above and every time I put info on this page you will recieve an email.

Good luck with your planners and research this week!