After 40 hours of canoe training and weeks of planning our canoe trip has officially come and gone. As we embarked on our bus journey and said goodbye to our canoe support vehicles, both nervous anticipation and excitement filled the air. After completing our three days of paddling, you have now entered into the class of those that have paddled through the "ScienceTrek Strait", survived the ticks, sandy food, and what "just around the corner" really means when measuring distance! Take the reader of your blog on a journey that paints a picture of the roller coaster of emotions you experienced on the trip along with the fallout after we hit land at the Victoria Boathouse.
What are you most proud of? Did you surprise yourself with your ability to cook without seasoning your food with a layer of sand? Please be sure to also discuss what you observed along the river basin about the natural and human impacts over time. Do more than just tell the reader what happened but lead them deeper into your experience. Your blog should be posted by Thursday, June 16th to the Blog Page of your Website.
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The creating, testing, tinkering, and racing are now blown away and now it is time to reflect on how your wind powered creation faired on testing day. Reflect on the following aspects with the goal of creating an blog response that dives into the deeper elements of your work. Within your response your should:
As I hear the words from my climbing partner that sets me free to climb on, my heart begins to race. I guess you could say I am a bit nervous. If you take a look at the sweat glistening on my forehead you would have guessed that I just finished running a half marathon. I wipe my forehead with my hand and respond with a weak, "Climbing!". I desperately grab for one of the first few holds and realize my previous action was that of a poor choice. My hand slides off the hold like a hockey puck sliding across a sheet of ice leaving me dangling by one hand mere inches from a padded demise. Luckily my belay partner has reflexes like a possum and they eventually take up the slack and save me from my padded plummet.
Take the reader of your blog entry into the world of climbing by roping them into a moment from your climbing experiences. It may be an encounter with not knowing knots, handling the pressure of pulling on “the black handle”, or the smallest victory that seems like you reached the peak of the mountain. Work to use vivid, climbing specific, and exciting language to pull the reader into your experience. Your entry should be posted to your blog page with a supporting and meaningful picture. The day of the Winter Triathlon had finally arrived! After weeks of anticipation, it was time for...
The skate. The Ski. The Run. The ongoing competition between ScienceTrek and EcoQuest would continue with the 7th Annual Winter Triathlon! The day was expected to be both competitive with others, but first-handedly ourselves. We were about to individually challenge ourselves to not only skate, but also cross-country ski and run in a triathlon-style format with pre-set heats and transitions between events. This day may have brought new experiences for you, or maybe it allowed you to put your skills and expertise to the test! Whatever the day brought your way, share in detail both your anticipation and progress as you worked to complete the Winter Triathlon. Did you surprise yourself? Describe your emotions as you crossed the finish line and realized you had reached success! Be sure to follow proper writing structure and utilize vivid and descriptive word choice to share your experiences from the day with the reader. Please have your blog posted to your website by Monday, January 31st. A quinzhee or quinzee is a “Canadian snow shelter that is made from a large pile of loose snow which is shaped then hollowed. A quinzee can be made for winter camping and survival purposes, or for fun.”
Congratulations! You have successfully prepared, built and enjoyed the final product of your quinzee! The process took time, hard work, determination and effort but overall, it was worth it. During the three step process, you may have experienced a variety of thoughts, feelings and emotions. Take us through your experiences at each stage of the quinzee process by expertly crafting a blog post. Your blog post must include reference to the following stages:
As you discuss each stage of the process, share with the reader your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Did building a quinzee take as much time as you thought it would? Which stage posed the most challenge? How did it feel sitting in your quinzee when it was done? What would it be like to use a quinzee for shelter during an extended period of time? The list of questions could go on, and on… Remember to use descriptive word choice as you describe each stage. The reader should feel as though they are right there sharing in the experience with you as they read! *Please have your final blog post uploaded to your website by Monday, January 10th.* It started as a cold, grey morning as we boarded our bus heading to Brightwater. So many questions began to flood my brain… Was I wearing enough layers? Wait, maybe I don’t have enough layers on… When will we eat lunch? What will we do for two WHOLE days? As I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, I looked up to realize that we had arrived. I looked around to see a beautiful landscape of rolling hills, the sun shimmering through the trees, and the Eco-Centre that would be our starting point for the day.
During our time at Brightwater, we took part in a variety of learning activities: (1) Field study and working to eliminate black knot fungus (apiosporina morbosa) (2) The role of fire and safe fire building (3) Land connection and connection through photography One of the pieces of our day included a solo reflection, in which you were asked to sit in solitude and further build your connection with the land. Share with the reader your observations and reflections during your 5 minute solo. Remember to use descriptive word choice to share with us your senses during this experience (i.e. sight, sound, touch, etc.). You may have also explored the concept of ‘place’ and how Brightwater reminded you of our travels and time spent as a class, or of another natural place of importance to you. It is important for us to appreciate the land and our ability to access wide-open spaces within our own backyard! Please make reference to the Blog Checklist as you craft your response. Your final post should be uploaded to your website by Thursday, December 9th. Now that we have spent time reading and analyzing the short story, “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury, it is your turn to reflect on the reading and powerful discussions in a blog post. Choose to respond to one of the following prompts:
Our first adventure as a class had finally arrived! Mr. Gurney and Mrs. Kon explained that we would be outside on our first adventure of the year for two days in a row and I didn’t know what to expect… What would we do for TWO whole days? Would we really be outside the entire time? And then there was this hint at challenges; what did they mean by challenges? All I knew was that I needed to catch some sleep and pack LOADS of snacks to get me through the two days of Day Camp!
When Thursday finally arrived I made my way to Meewasin Park (or the ‘Red Park’) and continued to wonder what was in store. I was greeted by classmates who shared in the buzz of anticipation with me. I took in my surroundings of changing tree colours and the crisp morning air. Before I knew it we were being led down a path to reveal the river and start-off our day camp adventures! Your Task: Take the reader of your blog on a journey of our days at Meewasin Park. Ensure to use exciting words, a variety of transitions, and be sure to avoid the "Tell About" (never heard of the tell about? It goes something like this... We got to the park, and then we did this, and then we did that, and then I ate a sandwich for lunch, and then...) Be sure to dive into the journey, not only the physical aspects, but also the thoughts and emotions of the two day encounter through the variety of activities that we took part in. As you share with us about your two days of experiences, please also include reference to your thoughts during the ‘Solo Reflection’. Do your best to follow a formal writing style, including proper paragraph structure, transitions and grammar. |
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June 2022
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