This week we have been putting the final touches on our presentations and practicing our delivery. Everyone is very nervous and has been working quite hard at making sure that all of the information we have is accurate and presented clearly. Next week we find out, Whose Got Renaissance Talent!

Happy Easter! I hope that everyone had a restful Easter break and that the Easter bunny was generous to you. This week we have been working on gathering and interpreting information about our inquiry questions, and beginning to build our presentations. Keep in mind that the criteria for our presentations are:

• 5 slides
• Minimal to NO text
• Present the information as if you were the individual (first person) 

I am hoping that we will be ready to begin presenting on Thursday of next week. 

We also wrote our second School Wide Write this week. The topic choices were:

• How am I different from other people my age?
• What is my ideal Whitehorse?

An extra short week this week with lots of reflection and preparation for student-led conferences! We also spent some time working on our Renaissance Thinker projects, working hard to make sure that our inquiry questions were clear and focused, and most importantly open to research. Our learning goal is to avoid questions which are too narrow and limited to fact-based information (ie. When and where was this person born? What were their most famous achievements?).

This week we have been working on a project where we will be synthesizing our learning about some of the key Historical Thinking Concepts (significance, continuity & change, cause & consequence) and showing the impact that a particular innovator had on the European Renaissance. 

Our first step was to generate some background knowledge about our assigned thinker, and to develop 3 focus questions that would help us to explore the impact that they had on that time period and beyond. Once we have had our research questions approved, we can begin our investigation.  

This week we used primary and secondary sources about the Guttenburg Printing Press to help us to respond to the question: How does technological innovation lead to change? We also sorted the consequences of this invention into short and long-term consequences. 

My Gr8s have done some very thoughtful and thorough learning this past few weeks on their Significant Events of the Middle Ages mind map project. I was very impressed with the focused research, insightful and collaborative mind mapping and thoughtful reflection that was done. If your mind map has been completed and handed in,  grab a good book and enjoy your break!

Letter essay due: March 29th 

Now that we have refreshed our understanding of Historical Significance and Cause and Consequence, we are attempting to apply it to our learning about the past. Humanities 8 is working towards determining the 3 most historically significant events that led to change during the Middle Ages in Europe. This week, we have been working on researching and recording historically significant events that occurred between the 5th and 15th century. 

Change Events 5th-15th Century Handout

This week we are building our understanding of what the period known as the Middle Ages (5th-15th century) were like in Europe as well as reviewing and extending our understanding of the Historical Thinking concepts: historical significance, and cause and consequence.

This week's post will be a bit of a catch-all one. I was away last week and was unable to post the week's assignments, and now here we are, back after a (hopefully) relaxing long weekend. And I am thankful.

Last week you interviewed someone who has experienced the 8th grade in the past and you were to examine the similarities and differences between their past experience and your own experience today. This week we have been working towards gathering our interview "data" and pulling the information together in a presentation. Here is the handout for the past 2 weeks (Project and presentation):

Then & Now Interview

   

This week we will be working on deepening our understanding of Historical Significance and how it can help us to understand the past. Here are the handouts for this week (check back later as more documents may be added):

• "Best of Times" investigation of recent past
• "Hatching" short story by Jean Little