Some beach...somewhere

Title says it all!  School is becoming a chore and not something most of us are really enjoying much anymore.  I am still enjoying the material and the memories that exist in this building at the University but I'm spending a lot more time watching wakeboarding videos and boat shopping than I am thinking about school work (still getting it all done though).  This is not to say I dislike this whole experience, this is not true at all.  However, the relative lack of coherence in my thoughts on this post can lend validity to the fact that we all need nothing more than a nice beach somewhere, with a boat on the shore and a substantial amount of beer and rum back at the Cabin.
Cheers!  Almost there :)  

In a bit of a hole...

Sometimes these Saskatchewan roads drive me insane.  My truck is a two-wheel drive model and thus has very limited potential when it comes to sticky road related situations.  Anyway, I got stuck in a hole in the road today.  Actually, it was at the end of my drive way, which makes it sound even worse.  I consider myself a pretty capable person behind the wheel of a decent number of vehicles...but this was something else.  It was like Star Wars...in Return of the Jedi, when the Sarrlac (spelling?) pit swallows up people like M & Ms.  Those potholes swallowed up my front tires like they were nothing :(  Doesn't help that the front tires have no power and just sit there, while the two rear meats do all the work (which today was spinning a lot).  Maybe I need to buy that 2500 Diesel sooner than expected?

Hell was an ocean away...

I was reading a book on the Pacific War last night and came across a passage that I found interesting.  What I read may have been nothing new but it was a reminder to remember an aspect of war that doesn't typically make it into many of the "hollywood" style renditions.  Now, don't go thinking I don't appreciate hollywood now...because I most certainly do.  I have absolutely nothing against a good couple hours of kicking ass and possibly taking a few names (A.K.A the Expendables).  On the flip side of this coin is the the fact that war is so often fought with patience and the ability to keep your beans together (mentally).  In this book, it depicts the day after (remembrance of) Independence Day in which most of the men had a hell of a hangover.  Their boredom and the constant tension resulted in a bit of a riot when Ice cream was introduced into the mix.  A couple keeled over from heat stroke, while another had a good ol' time chasing a rat around camp in an effort to kill it.  Some were lucky enough to receive packages of both food and reading material to help with alleviation of that boredom and tension.  They were in hell, it just didn't seem like it some of the time. 

KABOOM!

Being a history major can be interesting as a dinner conversation starter.  When you tell someone this is your major they give you one of two responses: pride or pity.  Pride results from the other person sharing that same passionate interest (or at least appreciates why you're interested).  Unfortunately I more often received pity than a mutual pride in this topic of study.  This disinterest in all things history can sometimes disappoint me (but I think it's the result of history teachers than don't give a poop about whether their students actually care about the subject material).  Recently I picked up a book called KABOOM...which is ironically about the war in the middle east, Iraq in particular.  I have a particular interest in such events and so I picked this up as soon as I saw it.  Apparently the book is based on a blog written by Matt Gallenger, a U.S. soldier who served in Iraq.  His entries are about their lives in a war that he feels no one cares about.  He often expresses, along with his fellow soldiers, a distaste for those disaffected by the conflict.  His thoughts mirror mine...you dont have to agree or disagree with the conflict in the middle east...you just "...have to give a fuck" (Gallenger).

I would encourage you to pick up the book, but you can also check out the blog at the following address.  IT is a poignant and sometimes difficult read but above all it is something everyone should read in order to better get inside the head of a modern day solider in a contemporary conflict.

 http://kaboomwarjournalarchive.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=1

Web Quest Concept Map

Web Quest

1.  A description of the target learner including the entry-level skills and knowledge they need to begin this web quest.

This web quest will be aimed at the grade twelve level within the study of the treaties.  Students will need to enter this web quest with a basic understanding of why the treaties were signed and understand the cultural discrepancies during the signing of the treaties (the two cultures not understanding each other), which have led to tensions today.  While students should know the basics of the treaties (when they were signed and the basics of what the First Nations wanted from each), they need not know the Saskatchewan treaties in detail, as they will be examining them further in this web quest, in order to synthesize and present the needs and wants of each side of the treaty signing.  Students will need to have basic computer skills (such as word processing) but will need to be taught how to use Garage band to record their pod casts. 

2.  A specific reference to the appropriate Saskatchewan Education Curriculum Guide.  Give the http address, subject and topic(s)/themes/concepts selected from the curriculum guide

This web quest fits in nicely under Unit two in the grade 12 curriculum guide, particularly the theme of Forces of Change: The Road to Confederation.  This guide can be found at http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/docs/history30/unitii.html#core

3.  Develop a concept map showing the relationships between and/or among the topics you have selected and the context in which they appear in the curriculum.

4.  A statement of the higher-order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis or evaluation) question for your students to answer.

What did the first nations and the representatives of the crown want and need from the signing of the treaties?  What were their individual motivations?

5.  A brief statement (rationale) of why the topic you have selected is important to your students.

Contemporary Canada faces many political and racial challenges surrounding the historical event that was the signing of the treaties between the Crown and the First Nations people in Canada.  It is crucially important to the future of Canada that our young generations develop an understanding of why and how these treaties were signed and the ramifications they have had on us today.  By investigating and presenting a simulation of the treaty signing, students will gain an intimate viewpoint on the motivations of both sides during the signing and better appreciate the frustrations that many First Nations still feel today. 

6.  A brief outline or teaching activities you intend to use with your students.

-Instruction on the basics of treaties signed in Saskatchewan.  Give limited information, as students are to investigate and research the details of both, in order to present their understandings of the motivations of both sides during the signing. 

-Students research the details of one of the treaties signed in Saskatchewan, with particular attention to what motivated each side before and during the signing. 

-Working in groups, students will examine the information they have found and develop a script and outline for a short radio play, involving representatives of both sides of the treaties.  Students will act out the signing of the treaties with careful attention to historical accuracy and focusing on the details of the treaty, what each side wanted and making this clear in the dialogue.  They would need to finish their radio plays with an epilogue by the characters explaining what they actually got out of the treaty (as opposed to what they actually wanted going in). 

7.  A brief summary of the resources (human, computer, and software) you will need to implement your plan.

-Enough computers for student groups

-iMacs equipped with both garageband and a microphone

-Students would need to be trained in how to use this technology.  While not difficult, time still needs to be set aside for training

-Groups would need privacy to record; so planning would be required to keep the rest of the class busy while each group records

8.  A sample of Internet sites you found that can be used by your students to complete their web quest.

http://k-12treatyeducation.gov.sk.ca/Support-Resources/

-Government documents related to the treaties.  Students could use this as a good starting point on choosing which treaty they wish to research for their web quest radio play

http://www.otc.ca/ABOUT_TREATIES/Treaty_Information_Sheets/

-Basic information on the treaties

http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/ao20262.html

-Specific government information on the treaties

http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/treaty_6.html

-Specific information on treaties signed in Saskatchewan

http://www.devdaily.com/apple/mac/garage-band-create-podcast/CreateAPodcast.shtml

-Information on using garageband to record a podcast

9.  A statement of how you intend to evaluate the product of the web quest.

-Rubric for end product of radio play (criteria mainly focused on historical accuracy and representation of the treaties as opposed to acting ability)

-Peer evaluation of work during process: research, planning and implementation

Slack Line :)

I got introduced to this particular summer sport by a good friend of mine this summer. Not at this level, but you can burn away many summer nights practicing by the river :)