The Duff - mind map

Here is the mind map with the names of the characters from The Duff.

Year 9 - write an essay (A Letter to Connect)

source: http://nafs.gu.se/prov_engelska/exempel_provuppgifter/engelska_ak9_exempeluppg

During week 15 you will get the chance to work on your writing by composing an essay on the topic above. You will then get formative feedback to improve your writing for the national test part C.

Take a look here to avoid making grammar mistakes

Do you know how to avoid these grammar goofs? Check yourself.... :)

Year 8 - the Duff and film report

Yesterday you got to vote on what to work on next in English - and since we have to focus on writing for a while now - your options were three different written tasks. The one that the majority in the class settled on was watching the movie The DUFF and then write a film report about it. 

So, starting on Thursday we will start to watch the movie and here you have the knowledge requirements for the project. 

Prepare for the national tests in English

Link to reading and listening comprehensions from old national tests. 

Snapshots from today - NO H8!

Today's theme day on media and information literacy was a success. According to the students who evaluated the day - through a Google Form - the day had an interesting content and discussions that were rewarding. Later this week I will take a more thorough look at everything surrounding the day but I am pleased with how it went. The students in year 8 produced thought-provoking posters (made in Canva) with focus on #nohate. More posters will be added during the week. Have a look at some of them here:

Poster made by Limar

Poster made by Ceasar, Melanie, Alma, Ellen and Isabella

Poster made by William

Poster made by Afnan

Samir trying out Google Cardboard

No Hate - a theme day around media and information literacy

Miley Cyrus as photographed by Adam Bouska

Director Lee Daniels - photo credit: Adam Bouska

For many weeks I have been working on and planning a theme day at our school around media and information literacy (MIK in Swedish). Tomorrow's the day and I am very excited! Focus is put on No Hate and how to behave on the net and social media and the whole school is taking part! I will document some of the happenings here as they happen....on Instagram and Twitter we will use the hash tag #erikslundskolannohate. Why not join the cause!!??

No Hate

Jag <3 Internet

Vad är näthat?

Ses Offline?

Statens Medieråd - MIK för mig

Homework for year 8 for Tuesday week 12

Homework for Tuesday, March 22:

Find a news article - either on News In Levels or Breaking News English. Read it, summarize it and learn how to retell it in your own words. During the lesson on Tuesday you will retell the news article in your own words for a couple of people - including me. 

Remember to include the answers to the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? to make your summary really good. 

Best of luck!

Speaking like crazy! - year 8

Plan for Speaking like crazy! 

During weeks 10-12 we will focus on speaking and especially interaction, that is you speak to each other and respond to each other, work together and help each other out. :)

Foxfire - confessions of a girl gang - year 9

Plan for Foxfire

Questions about characters/actions/the movie:

1. The girls in Foxfire are very different, but despite that they are drawn to the gang community.Why, do you think? What is it that they find in Foxfire that they are missing in their lives?

2. Which of the actions and protests of Foxfire are reasonable and good? Do they ever cross the line of what is acceptable? When is the line crossed?

3. In Foxfire there are several guy gangs, but Foxfire is the only girl gang. How is Foxfire different from the guy gangs?

4. Describe the main characters (Maddy, Legs, Rita, Goldie, Lana, Snow White). What are their stories?

5. In Foxfire there is hardly one sympathetic man. Is that a problem? Why/why not?

Society/Looking at the world - questions for discussion:

6.The men that the girls hook up with and mug; are they innocent? Or are they automatically guilty from the fact that they are men and therefore part of the oppressive, patriarchal system?

7. Give examples of how oppression of women, racism, and anti-communism is illustrated in Foxfire. Do all women and black people have the same low status or are there differences between various groups? What are the differences?

8. What similarities and differences are there between the USA at that time and Sweden of today? Choose one similarity and one difference that you think are very obvious and describe these in detail. What could possibly happen in Sweden today and what would be unthinkable? Why, do you think?

9. Is it ever acceptable to break the law in order to achieve something that you think is very important?( that is, is it the end that justifies the means?)

10. Imagine that the gender roles were the reversed in Foxfire -- that the main characters were guys who protested against how they were being treated. How would that turn out? How would the world react to such a gang? Would they treat each other differently than the girls in Foxfire?

11. How do the boys in our class feel after watching this film, do you think? Do they feel wrongly accused? Is it still possible to feel for the girls in Foxfire?

Source: http://www.sfi.se/PageFiles/25108/FoxfireBpD4.pdf, translation by me

Skyping with Briarhill Middle School, Highland Village, Texas

Linnea and Matilda are telling the students about school lunches. A lunch at Briarhill costs 3 dollars and you could choose between e.g. chicken burgers, pizza, nachos, tater tots....In Sweden the lunch is free of charge.

Viktor, Oskar, Linnea and Matilda skyping with the students from Briarhill

The students at Briarhill Middle School

Viktor and Oskar

We had a great time skyping with Briarhill Middle School today - they have a 24-hour Skype-athon and on their blog you can read all about it. Briarhill is a school with around 900 students and the ones we talked to were between 11-13/14 years old. We found out that you can get your driver's licence when you are 16 years old, you need to be 21 to drink alcohol, the school has a team called the Bulldogs and they also have a fabulous gym and cafeteria. Thanks for skyping with us and making us part of your world tour!!!!! 

Year 9 - prepping for work on digital literacy

Starting tomorrow we will start working with digital literacy in year 9. Here is a snapshot of what we will do. 1. Evaluate websites using a checklist 2. Self-assessment of digital skills 3. Searching for facts and information from the Internet about an American state. 

Snapshots from today - Valentine's Day posters - year 8 and 9

Today we had an exhibition in year 8 and 9 for students who have English and Swedish instead of modern languages like German, French or Spanish. We have focused on Valentine and how to write an ode to someone or something. The students have tried to express themselves in English or Swedish. Some of the students have only been in Sweden a short time, so I was extremely impressed by their work. Add chocolate snowballs, chocolate cookies, cider and some yummie candy hearts and you have students that enjoy mingling and putting their works on display. Each visitor at the exhibition was also asked to give positive feedback on post-its. 

Natalia writes a positive comment....

Felicia and Amanda prepare the drinks

Amanda, Linnéa and Felicia are prepping to greet the visitors

Malak makes chocolate snowballs

Gabbe opens the cocoa box....

8B: Summary of the first 11 chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

8A - Summary of the first 11 chapters of Careless

A Google A Day - keeps your digital illiteracy away?

Well, this was fun! And challenging! And a bit ... difficult, actually... I am in the planning process of my digital literacy project that will start during week 10 in my year 9. So I came across "A Google A Day" - where you get a few questions and you can collect points (the quicker you are the better) in your hunt for the correct answer. Try it - not as easy as one would expect at first and something that I'll use as a topic for discussion later on. :)

Simple checklist for evaluation of websites - digital literacy

A little ahead time I put these up here just to get you acquainted with them. During week 10 we will work with digital literacy and the checklist below. We will also do certain parts of Skolverket's exercises about digital literacy as well as their self-assessment. If you want to, have a closer look at it already..

Self-assessment from Skolverket:

Results from test year 9 - code words

(Era mentorer samt Lollo har lista på kodorden)

Bedömning av skriftlig förmåga på prov

9A

Elev:

January = lägre A-nivå

February = E-nivå

March= F-nivå

April = A-nivå

May = lägre A-nivå

June = lägre A-nivå

July = C-nivå

August = E-nivå

September = övre E-nivå

October = övre C-nivå

November = C-nivå

December = övre E-nivå

Spaghetti = C-nivå

Meatballs = komplettera en uppgift innan bedömning

Pizza = E-nivå

Tacos = lägre C-nivå

Chicken wings = övre E-nivå

Pasta = C-nivå

9B

Elev:

Rose = F-nivå - komplettera

Dandelion = F-nivå - komplettera

Daffodil = E-nivå                                            

Lily = E-nivå

Daisy = lägre C-nivå

Bluebell = lägre A-nivå

Dahlia = C-nivå

Carnation = övre E-nivå

Birch = lägre C-nivå

Spruce = komplettera innan bedömning görs - missförstått en uppgift

Fir = lägre A-nivå

Oak = E-nivå

Willow = A-nivå

Elm = lägre C-nivå

Beech = E-nivå

Aspen tree = övre E-nivå

Mountain ash = A-nivå

Maple tree = övre C-nivå

Juniper = lägre C-nivå

Palm tree = F-nivå - komplettera

OBSERVERA! BEGREPPEN "LÄGRE" OCH "ÖVRE" ANVÄNDS FÖR ATT VISA ATT MAN ANTINGEN LIGGER I RISKZONEN NEDÅT ELLER ÄR NÄRA ATT AVANCERA MOT NÄSTA NIVÅ.

Results from test year 8 - code words

8A: Bedömning av skrivförmågan

Elev:

Monday = E-nivå

Tuesday = F-nivå, komplettera

Wednesday = E-nivå

Thursday = A-nivå

Friday= C-nivå

Saturday =  lägre A-nivå

Sunday= C-nivå

January = A-nivå

February = lägre A-nivå

March = C-nivå

April = C-nivå

May = C-nivå

June = C-nivå

July = övre C-nivå

August = övre E-nivå

September = A-nivå

October = E-nivå

November = E-nivå

Left = F-nivå - komplettera en uppgift

8B Bedömning av skrivförmåga:

Elev:

Spring = lägre A-nivå

Summer =  E-nivå

Autumn = A-nivå

Winter = A-nivå

Red = E-nivå

Blue = A-nivå

Yellow = C-nivå

White = lägre A-nivå

Turquoise =  lägre A-nivå

Black = lägre A-nivå

Pink = lägre C-nivå

Purple = övre E-nivå

Grey = C-nivå

Green = övre C-nivå

Brown = lägre A-nivå

Beige = A-nivå

With = lägre C-nivå

Right = prov ej helt klart - göra färdigt med Pernilla

OBS! BEGREPPEN "LÄGRE" SAMT "ÖVRE" NÄR DET GÄLLER NIVÅ, ANVÄNDS FÖR ATT VISA IFALL MAN ÄR I RISKZONEN NEDÅT ELLER ÄR NÄRA ATT AVANCERA TILL NÄSTA NIVÅ. 

The English Grove - year 9

Students in year 9 will document their theme project "The USA and Canada" on their blog The English Grove  in a couple of weeks' time....check it out!