Chooo Choooo

Question of the Day:  On this day in 1889, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed.  Would you like to cross Canada on a train?  Explain your answer.  I have crossed much of Canada by train (I started in Toronto and came here, so I missed Quebec and Atlantic Canada).  It was a terrific trip -- you don't realize how big Canada is until you travel like that.  I had a nice little compartment with my own bed and bathroom, so it was quite luxurious (to me).  One night I went to bed and we were just approaching Lake Superior and when I woke up, we were still at Lake Superior.  The Great Lakes really are GREAT!

Warm-up:
Art 8:  Look at the textures you created.  What does each small rectangle suggest to you?
Drama 9/10, Theatre Production 11:  Do an activity (read a book, go for a walk, listen to music) as if you were the character you've been assigned in the role play.

Lesson:
Art 8:  Watercolour is a great medium for landscapes.  We're going to create a landscape.  It can be fictional (made up from your head) or what you see out the window or a combination of both.  Our first task is to create a sky.  Wet your paper thoroughly and then create your sky (a blue sky, a grey rainy sky, a brilliant sunset -- whatever you want).  You can make clouds by dabbing with a paper towel or tissue, or you can use your texture ideas with your brush.  Once your sky is dry, you can think about the foreground (which should be darker than your sky) -- a field of flowers, a water scene with boats, a city street, a silhouette.   If you want to apply one colour on top of another, you need to let the paint dry first.  You can work on this until Monday (June 8).

Here's one of mine:

Here are some terrific landscapes:
https://images.app.goo.gl/hdLVH9zvZXWejr6N9
https://images.app.goo.gl/GXpqNmem7M8TWiRe8
https://images.app.goo.gl/y4G4fr5mnqxatyLR8
https://images.app.goo.gl/B1aLE9Ggr2uLNUPR6

I don't intend that you copy them, but they give you an idea of what great artists have done.

Drama 9/10; Theatre Production 11:
Answer the following questions about your character:
1.  What do you know about your character?  Do you have a connection in the class?  (If it doesn't say so on your description, with whom might you connect?)
2.  What would your character wear?
3.  In rehearsal or in group work, how would your character behave?
4.  Would your character get an academic alert report?  If so, what would it say?  If not, what would their report card comment say?
5.  Answer this question as your character:  You see someone being bullied.  What would you do?
Answer these questions by Friday.

Tomorrow and Friday, we will talk about the extended role play and how we will do it.

Zoom meetings:
A Block -- Wednesday at 1:30 (you should have received your invitation)
B Block -- Friday at 12:30
C Block -- Thursday at 12:30

One group still needs to finish their heritage performance.  Your monologues are due.  Theatre Production, your theatre history project is due on June 17!

The Sound of Music

I will be in the school today, so I won't be able to answer your emails until Wednesday, probably.  For those of you who owe me a heritage play (one left for me to see!), you need to send it by Wednesday. For those of you who are behind in your work, I am sending out academic alerts this week.

Question of the Day:  What kind of teacher would you make?  Have you ever thought you'd like to be a teacher?  Why or why not?  What would you teach if you were a teacher?  Obviously, I would teach drama.  When I was your age, I said one job I would NEVER do was teaching.  (My mom was a teacher and I saw how hard she worked and how difficult it was.)  But now, I have discovered I love it.  Not so much teaching on line, because I miss the classroom and us working together on Drama, but I miss seeing you guys and watching your plays and thinking of ways to put your ideas on stage.

Warm-up:  (everyone)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLFVGwGQcB0
Listen to the above piece of music (Eric Satie's Gnossienne #1).  You can sit, lie down or move to the music.  Enjoy it.  Let your mind wander.  Breathe deeply.  This is good for relaxation and imagination.

Lesson:

Art 8:  Keep experimenting with using your brush to create texture.  Try a fingerprint, or put paint on a leaf or a piece of lego and see what happens.

Theatre Production 11 and Drama 9/10:  Drama 9/10 -  YOUR MONOLOGUES ARE DUE!

I am attaching the role play characters for both classes.  Find your character (the character's name is first, followed by your name in brackets)  IN YOUR BLOCK -- A OR B.  Read what it says and think about the character and check to see if there are other characters in the class who have a relationship with him or her.  They are separated into the two blocks so make sure you read the one for your block.  If you have any questions, ask in an email!

June 2020 Role Plays for Drama 9/10

B Block

Alan (Azaad):  Alan hasn’t grown up yet.  He likes to play pranks on people and acts like a little kid, giggling happily when people get fooled.  He likes to put elaborate Lego structures together and watches “Paw Patrol”.  He loves Minecraft and Roblox.  He is a tattletale and always follows the rules himself.  He has excellent penmanship and likes to draw.  He plays with the neighbourhood kids – he is about a foot taller than all of them.

Kirk (Kevin L.):  Kirk scares people.  He tried to start a fire last year in the woodshop – thank goodness Mr. Trenton knew to keep an eye on him and caught it before it got out of hand.  Kirk doesn’t always pay attention in class and has a reputation for daydreaming.  He has been tested as “gifted” but his marks don’t reflect the testing.  Every January, he sticks a sign on his shirt that says, “International Fear Day” and when the teacher asks what there is to be afraid of, Kirk says, “everything”.

Joanie (Juliet):  Joanie loves performing.  She is an accomplished dancer and has always been in the school plays.  She is outspoken and often uses crude language to shock people.  This embarrasses Joanie’s mother.  She is friends with Cassandra, but is quite mean to her.  She has dropped Suzanne as a friend – she’s just too weird, these days.  She has gone to school with Arthur since elementary school – she thinks he’s kind of funny.    Joanie is very smart, but hides it.  Guys don’t like it when you’re smarter than they are.

Carla (Chloe):  Carla chose Accounting on her course selection form but her handwriting was so bad, that the counsellors thought she meant Acting and put her in this class.  She doesn’t really care that much.  Carla lies all the time.  She says she’s been in commercials and plays at Gateway.  She is always on her phone – she’s addicted.  If the teachers try to take it, she’ll walk out of class.  She doesn’t help much with her assigned groups.  She just waits to be told what to do.  She spends a lot of time in the washroom.

Patrick (Peter):  No one ever knows if Patrick is telling the truth.  He is interested in global affairs and is a member of the Model UN Club at school and represented North Korea at the last conference, wearing an authentic North Korean army uniform.  He has a gun license and collects and refurbishes antique firearms, some of which “shoot wonderfully”.  He is always trying to organize “epic” events with his group of rather “nerdy” male friends.  He tried to get everyone to chip in and buy a World War II “armoured personnel carrier” but no one took him seriously.  It can be frustrating when you have these great plans and your friends have no vision.  He claims his father has arranged a medical internship for him this summer in Cambodia.

Marta (Michelle):  Marta is a bossy organizer and likes to be in charge.  Her nickname is “Little Mother” – kids don’t mean that as a compliment.  As soon as she is assigned a group, she starts giving orders.  At home, she has three younger siblings and she takes care of them most evenings, while her parents are at work running their restaurant business.  She likes to cook.  She is good at cleaning the house.  She doesn’t get enough positive feedback at school.  The teacher tells her to “take her foot off the gas”.  She has no idea what that’s supposed to mean.

Kristian (Kevin P.):  Kristian is a helper.  He likes to help people out.  He helps the teacher and has asked to be a TA next year.  He always volunteers.  He never argues – if someone disagrees with him, he nods and says, “that’s a good point”.  He doesn’t like to see people unhappy or in trouble.  “It takes more muscles to frown than to smile!” he likes to say.  He wants to be a social worker when he grows up.  He wants to work with troubled teens.  He sits next to Spencer in class and encourages him to talk – wouldn’t it be great if he found the way to inspire someone to face their fears?

Nick (Noel):  Nick is a really mean guy.  He points at other kids and laughs when they perform or when they say something sincere or get emotional.  He picks out people’s weaknesses and makes jokes about them, for example, he makes fun of Alan’s interest in Lego, or Patrick’s interest in military hardware.  He is impossible to work with.  He sneers at everything.  He uses his phone to film people when they perform and shares the video on social media.  He talks a lot about how much money his family has.  He plays hockey and his dad is his coach.  He often gets in fights at the rink.  His dad doesn't mind.

Adam (Ali):  Adam is a loud, energetic guy whose best performances involve him becoming enraged.  Everyone remembers his one-person scene in which he argued with a telemarketer – his face got bright red and at the end, spit was flying!  The class cheered that performance.  He loves performing but has a low opinion of himself.  He is a terrible student and struggles with reading – he can’t seem to remember what he reads.  He has trouble concentrating.  He is an air cadet – he likes the discipline.

Suzanne (Sarah):  Suzanne is a kleptomaniac.  She can’t resist taking things sometimes, even if they’re of no use to her.  She took Alan’s Rubics cube out of his backpack.  She isn’t interested in solving it but it was so funny to see him looking for it.  She feels like if she has something that belongs to someone else, she has a little bit of control over them.  Sometimes, she borrows things from people and “forgets” to return the item.  She has a little collection on her bureau at home.  She used to be friends with Carla and Cassandra, but they are trying to distance themselves from her.  She has noticed and it worries her.

Andrew (Aymen):  Andrew has always been the lead in the school plays and he loves performing.  He is going to study theatre at UBC when he graduates.  He likes to do magic tricks.  Sometimes Andrew’s honesty gets him in trouble.  He says what he thinks and people can’t take it.  Too bad.  He’s not here to be everybody’s friend.  He likes Joanie.  She tells it like it is.  He is independent – he doesn’t need anyone’s help.

Arden (Athena):  Arden has trouble making connections with other people.  She never feels like she gets what is going on.  She tries to “fit in” but feels like she’s being fake.  She can never think of anything to say to people.  Sometimes, she goes and sits behind a box in the theatre just to get some peace.  She finds the faces of everyone overwhelming sometimes.  She prefers animals to people.  She has an imaginary friend named Ray.

Chester (Charlie Du):  Chester is always late, and he’s always in a rush.  He has a lot of stuff going on.  He is very charming.  Everybody likes him.  His best friend is a mirror – he loves his hair and takes a lot of care with his clothes.  He has excellent manners.  He likes Drama because he likes to be the centre of attention.  He is popular and enjoys walking into a room and having everyone look towards him and smile.  He has a great twinkling smile himself.  He shows his teeth when he smiles.

Abe (Ammar):  Abe is interested in psychology.  He has a copy of the DSM at home and reads through it and analyzes his classmates, for example he thinks Chester has narcissistic personality disorder.  He thinks Arden might be on “the spectrum”.  He doesn’t tell people his diagnosis – he doesn’t want them to worry.  Abe is active on Student Council.  He doesn’t believe in democracy – some people are not smart enough or well-informed enough to vote.  He shrugs when people argue with him.

Addison (Aariz):  Addison is a serious, hard-working person.  He has stage managed all the plays for the Drama Club since grade 9.  He loves being in charge and organizing things.  He carries a clipboard and likes to make lists.  He likes working with technology and is interested in how things work. (Once he almost electrocuted himself when trying to fix the lights in the theatre.)  People have nicknamed him “Boss” – he likes it.  He is very mature.   He loves school and thinks he might become a teacher.

Ernie (Ethan Hung):  Ernie is very quiet and very shy.  People often don’t even notice that he’s there because when he’s assigned to a group, he sits about a metre away and doesn’t speak until they’ve planned everything and then says, softly, “is there anything I can do?”  Ernie’s older brother is a doctor and their mother thinks Ernie should follow in his brother’s footsteps, but Ernie isn’t interested.  He doesn’t like people enough to want to help them.  He likes math.

Sherman (Shaun Johal):  Sherman is a new student at Steveston-London.  He has come from Prince Rupert and has lived a rough life, working part time in the logging camps while his mom worked in the kitchen making meals for the loggers.  Sherman and his mom are living with his uncle, Joey, to get away from his mom’s abusive boyfriend.  Sherman is artistic and resourceful.  He is good at adapting to new circumstances.  He’s not afraid of a fight if it’s for a good cause.

Nancy (Naomi L.):  Nancy is a happy girl who enjoys her life at school and participates in a variety of clubs and organized the school coat drive for the homeless.  She asked Rebecca what it’s like to sleep on the streets and Rebecca said, “try it yourself, if you want to know.”  Sheesh, she was just asking.  She is the captain of the swim team and is a very good competitive swimmer.  Nancy likes to be comfortable.  She always brings a hot tea to class and always wears a big scarf to keep warm – swimming first thing in the morning isn’t easy.

Jordan (Josh Q.):  Jordan is motivated and ambitious.  He is determined to “exceed expectations” and is never satisfied with his marks.  He is one of those people who asks, “how did you do on the test?” and when the person says they got a C+, he says that’s good, but when they ask how he did, he’ll say he failed because he got an 85%.  He gets a lot of pressure from home – both his parents are lawyers – his mom is on the city council.  He plays the violin and tennis, both at a very high level.  He wants to go to an Ivy League school.

Phineas (Philip S.):  This is Phineas’s fifth school in three years.  His family moves a lot.  He doesn’t know why – his parents rarely talk to him.  Sometimes they’re gone for days and he doesn’t know where or why.  He knows how to make friends.  He walks into a room and always says “hi” in a friendly way, but not too friendly.   Phineas is not a good student – it’s hard to keep up when you’re always moving.  He likes Drama because it helps you meet people without being creepy.  He likes to play basketball.  He has reached out to Sherman because he knows he’s new too.

Arthur (Arvind):  Arthur is a “wild and crazy guy”.  He loves to tell jokes and goof around.  He likes to fall off his chair at least once every class.  When he falls, he jumps up right away and yells, “whoopah!” like he was doing a trick in the circus.  He does impressions, like Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau and even Boris Johnson.  He likes using props and dressing up in costumes.  He and Joanie are friends and have been in the same class since elementary school.  He often yells across the class, “hey, Joanie, get a load of this!”  He has trouble sitting still.  He likes to climb.

Tamara (Tracy T.):  Tamara is interested in fashion and likes to draw pictures of clothes and purses and shoes.  She would like to become a designer when she leaves school.  She has excellent posture and thinks her classmates are quite childish.  She hates dirt, insects and poverty.  She belongs to the International Issues club and is interested in social justice.  For prom last year, she designed a gorgeous prom dress out of garbage bags and then she wore it to the dance.  She loved the looks she got.

Rebecca (Rachel):  Rebecca is a troublemaker.  She has anger management issues and has missed a lot of school because she has run away from home and been found hanging around on Granville Street and even slept in the doorway of the Granville Cinemas with “friends” she says are actually living a real life, not the phony existence people at Steveston-London think is so great.  Her parents dragged her home and now they watch her like a couple of hawks.  She hates school and thinks everything they teach is stupid.  Who cares about history and math when the world is coming to an end?  She thinks Nancy is stupid and useless.

Kale (Keith):  Kale is a whiner.  He always thinks he might be sick and describes his symptoms to anyone who will listen and used to ask people to feel his forehead to see if he has a temperature.   Now he scrupulously wears a mask and stays two metres from everyone.  His hands are actually sore from washing them so much.  Kale missed quite a bit of school because he is so worried about his health.  His mom is also worried and will often bring hot soup or an extra sweater to school to help him out.  Sometimes, Kale has to leave the room just to compose himself because he feels very anxious with all the people around him.

Spencer (Simon):  Spencer is selectively mute.  In Grade 4, he stopped speaking and although he has been through therapy, he still rarely speaks.  He doesn’t make eye contact unless he is forced to and often after he looks someone in the eye, or forces himself to speak, he has to leave the room and not come back.  He will go outside and hum and rock until he feels calm.  No one knows what happened in Grade 4 – before then, he was just a regular kid.  He likes to play chess.  He’s friends with Kristian.

Cassandra (Claire):  Cassandra tries really hard to get people to like her.  She spends the money she earns at McDonalds buying clothes to make herself fit in with the “cool kids”.  She and Joanie are friends, but Joanie isn’t always very nice to her.  She likes Chester, but no one knows that.  Cassandra has had lots of boyfriends, but her relationships don’t seem to last.  Her exes say she’s too needy.  She’s not friends with Suzanne any more.  She had to choose between Joanie and her and she chose Joanie.

A Block

Vincent (Vik):   Vincent is very quiet and very shy.  People often don’t even notice that he’s there because when he’s assigned to a group, he sits about a metre away and doesn’t speak until they’ve planned everything and then says, softly, “is there anything I can do?”  Vincent’s older brother is a doctor and their mother thinks Vincent should follow in his brother’s footsteps, but Vincent isn’t interested.  He doesn’t like people enough to want to help them.  He likes math.

Chester (Charlie Cao):  Chester is a “wild and crazy guy”.  He loves to tell jokes and goof around.  He likes to fall off his chair at least once every class.  When he falls, he jumps up right away and yells, “whoopah!” like he was doing a trick in the circus.  He does impressions, like Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau and even Boris Johnson.  He likes using props and dressing up in costumes.  He and Viveca are friends and have been in the same class since elementary school.  He often yells across the class, “hey, Viv, get a load of this!”  He has trouble sitting still.  He likes to climb.

Nancy (Naomi C.):  Nancy tries really hard to get people to like her.  She spends the money she earns at McDonalds buying clothes to make herself fit in with the “cool kids”.  She and Viveca are friends, but Viveca isn’t always very nice to her.  She likes Brian, but no one knows that.  Nancy has had lots of boyfriends, but her relationships don’t seem to last.  Her exes say she’s too needy.  She’s not friends with Suzanne any more.  She had to choose between Viveca and her and she chose Viveca.

Suzanne (Samantha):  Suzanne is a kleptomaniac.  She can’t resist taking things sometimes, even if they’re of no use to her.  She took Bradley’s Rubics cube out of his backpack.  She isn’t interested in solving it but it was so funny to see him looking for it.  She feels like if she has something that belongs to someone else, she has a little bit of control over them.  Sometimes, she borrows things from people and “forgets” to return the item.  She has a little collection on her bureau at home.  She used to be friends with Viveca and Nancy, but they are trying to distance themselves from her.  She notices, of course, and feels badly.

Andrew (Avi):  Andrew is a serious, hard-working person.  He has stage managed all the plays for the Drama Club since grade 9.  He loves being in charge and organizing things.  He carries a clipboard and likes to make lists.  He likes working with technology and is interested in how things work. (Once he almost electrocuted himself when trying to fix the lights in the theatre.)  People have nicknamed him “Boss” – he likes it.  He is very mature.   He loves school and thinks he might become a teacher.

Brian (Bismarck):  This is Brian’s fifth school in three years.  His family moves a lot.  He doesn’t know why – his parents rarely talk to him.  Sometimes they’re gone for days and he doesn’t know where or why.  He knows how to make friends.  He walks into a room and always says “hi” in a friendly way, but not too friendly.   Brian is not a good student – it’s hard to keep up when you’re always moving.  He likes Drama because it helps you meet people without being creepy.  He likes to play basketball.  He has reached out to George because he knows he’s new too.

Jordan (Jack Li):  Jordan is a helper.  He likes to help people out.  He helps the teacher and has asked to be a TA next year.  He always volunteers.  He never argues – if someone disagrees with him, he nods and says, “that’s a good point”.  He doesn’t like to see people unhappy or in trouble.  “It takes more muscles to frown than to smile!” he likes to say.  He wants to be a social worker when he grows up.  He wants to work with troubled teens.  He tries to be friendly with Edith, but she isn’t interested.

Marina (Madeline):  Marina chose Accounting on her course selection form but her handwriting was so bad, that the counsellors thought she meant Acting and put her in this class.  She doesn’t really care that much.  Marina lies all the time.  She says she’s been in commercials and plays at Gateway.  She is always on her phone – she’s addicted.  If the teachers try to take it, she’ll walk out of class.  She doesn’t help much with her assigned groups.  She just waits to be told what to do.  She spends a lot of time in the washroom.

Ezekiel (Eason):  Ezekiel has always been the lead in the school plays and he loves performing.  He is going to study theatre at UBC when he graduates.  He likes to do magic tricks.  Sometimes Ezekiel’s honesty gets him in trouble.  He says what he thinks and people can’t take it.  Too bad.  He’s not here to be everybody’s friend.  He likes Viveca.  She tells it like it is.  He is independent – he doesn’t need anyone’s help.

Serena (Sydney):  Serena is motivated and ambitious.  She is determined to “exceed expectations” and is never satisfied with her marks.  She is one of those people who asks, “how did you do on the test?” and when the person says they got a C+, she says that’s good, but when they ask how she did, she’ll say she failed because he got an 85%.  She gets a lot of pressure from home – both her parents are lawyers – her mom is on the city council.  She plays the violin and tennis, both at a very high level.  She wants to go to an Ivy League school.

Kandy (Krystal):  Kandy is a bossy organizer and likes to be in charge.  Her nickname is “Little Mother” – kids don’t mean that as a compliment.  As soon as she is assigned a group, she starts giving orders.  At home, she has three younger siblings and she takes care of them most evenings, while her parents are at work running their restaurant business.  She likes to cook.  She is good at cleaning the house.  She doesn’t get enough positive feedback at school.  The teacher tells her to “take her foot off the gas”.  She has no idea what that’s supposed to mean.

Ellie (Eva): Ellie is a happy girl who enjoys her life at school and participates in a variety of clubs and organized the school coat drive for the homeless.  She asked Edith what it’s like to sleep on the streets and Edith said, “try it yourself, if you want to know.”  Sheesh, she was just asking.  She is the captain of the swim team and is a very good competitive swimmer.  Ellie likes to be comfortable.  She always brings a hot tea to class and always wears a big scarf to keep warm – swimming first thing in the morning isn’t easy.

Chad (Charles Wang):  No one ever knows if Chad is telling the truth.  He is interested in global affairs and is a member of the Model UN Club at school and represented North Korea at the last conference, wearing an authentic North Korean army uniform.  He has a gun license and collects and refurbishes antique firearms, some of which “shoot wonderfully”.  He is always trying to organize “epic” events with his group of rather “nerdy” male friends.  He tried to get everyone to chip in and buy a World War II “armoured personnel carrier” but no one took him seriously.  It can be frustrating when you have these great plans and your friends have no vision.  He claims his dad has arranged for him to work as a medical intern in Cambodia this summer.

Winsome (Wendy):  Winsome is interested in fashion and likes to draw pictures of clothes and purses and shoes.  She would like to become a designer when she leaves school.  She has excellent posture and thinks her classmates are quite childish.  She hates dirt, insects and poverty.  She belongs to the International Issues club and is interested in social justice.  For prom last year, she designed a gorgeous prom dress out of garbage bags and then she wore it to the dance.  She loved the looks she got.  She likes to think outside the box.

Edward (Ethan Yee):  Edward is a loud, energetic guy whose best performances involve him becoming enraged.  Everyone remembers his one-person scene in which he argued with a telemarketer – his face got bright red and at the end, spit was flying!  The class cheered that performance.  He loves performing but has a low opinion of himself.  He is a terrible student and struggles with reading – he can’t seem to remember what he reads.  He has trouble concentrating.  He is an air cadet – he likes the discipline.

George (Gabriel):  George is a new student at Steveston-London.  He has come from Prince Rupert and has lived a rough life, working part time in the logging camps while his mom worked in the kitchen making meals for the loggers.  George and his mom are living with his uncle, Joey, to get away from his mom’s abusive boyfriend.  George is artistic and resourceful.  He is good at adapting to new circumstances.  He’s not afraid of a fight if it’s for a good cause.

Warren (Wilson):  Warren is always late, and he’s always in a rush.  He has a lot of stuff going on.  He is very charming.  Everybody likes him.  His best friend is a mirror – he loves his hair and takes a lot of care with his clothes.  He has excellent manners.  He likes Drama because he likes to be the centre of attention.  He is popular and enjoys walking into a room and having everyone look towards him and smile.  He has a great twinkling smile himself.  He shows his teeth when he smiles.

Laurence (Lucas Liu):  Laurence is interested in psychology.  He has a copy of the DSM at home and reads through it and analyzes his classmates, for example he thinks Chad has narcissistic personality disorder.  He thinks Benjie has “Peter Pan syndrome”.  He thinks Edward has oppositional defiance disorder.  He doesn’t tell people his diagnosis – he doesn’t want them to worry.  Laurence is active on Student Council.  He doesn’t believe in democracy – some people are not smart enough or well-informed enough to vote.  He shrugs when people argue with him.

Benjamin (Benson):  Benjie hasn’t grown up yet.  He likes to play pranks on people and acts like a little kid, giggling happily when people get fooled.  He likes to put elaborate Lego structures together and watches “Paw Patrol”.  He loves Minecraft and Roblox.  He is a tattletale and always follows the rules himself.  He has excellent penmanship and likes to draw.  He plays with the neighbourhood kids when he goes home from school – he is about a foot taller than all of them.  Some of the parents think he’s too old, but his mom backs him up.  He is the leader with the little kids who think he’s cool.

Edith (Emily):  Edith is a troublemaker.  She has anger management issues and has missed a lot of school because she has run away from home and been found hanging around on Granville Street and even slept in the doorway of the Granville Cinemas with “friends” she says are actually living a real life, not the phony existence people at Steveston-London think is so great.  Her parents dragged her home and now they watch her like hawks.  She hates school and thinks everything they teach is stupid.  Who cares about history and math when the world is coming to an end?  She thinks Ellie is stupid and useless and she detests Viveca.

Jeremy (Jakob):  Jeremy is a really mean guy.  He points at other kids and laughs when they perform or when they say something sincere or get emotional.  He picks out people’s weaknesses and makes jokes about them, for example, he makes fun of Benjie’s interest in Lego, or Marina’s obsession with her phone.  He is impossible to work with.  He sneers at everything.  He uses his phone to film people when they perform and shares it on social media.  He talks a lot about how much money his family has.  He plays hockey and his dad is his coach.  He often gets in fights at the rink.

Viveca (Viaan):  Viveca loves performing.  She is an accomplished dancer and has always been in the school plays.  She is outspoken and often uses crude language to shock people.  This embarrasses Viveca’s mother.  She is friends with Nancy, but is quite mean to her.  She has dropped Selena as a friend – she’s just too weird, these days.  She has gone to school with Chester since elementary school – she thinks he’s kind of funny.    Viveca is very smart, but hides it.  Guys don’t like it when you’re smarter than they are.

Back to school for some!

I know some of you are going to school today and I wish you the best on your return to SLSS!  Make sure you follow the rules and keep two metres away from other people.  Bring your own stuff and make the best of your time at school.  I'll be there on Tuesday.

Question of the Day:  I expect most of you have seen the news about what has happened and is happening in the United States.  Martin Luther King Jr. said, "the riot is the language of the unheard."  What do you think of that?  When I saw the horrible video of George Floyd being killed, I heard passersby asking the police to let him up and telling them that he was a human being.  It is hard to see a person being treated like that by people who are supposed to uphold the law.  I thought what would I do in that situation?  My first thought was I would call the police, but of course, in this case, the police are the criminals!  What could you do?

Warmup:
Everyone:  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/28/arts/design/thomas-eakins-gross-clinic.html?
This is a link to a great article in the New York Times which shows a painting by Thomas Eakins called "The Gross Clinic" (the doctor in the painting is named "Gross").  The writer walks us through this dramatic painting and teaches us about composition, the use of detail, metaphor, staging, character and colour.  As artists, we can all learn a lot from this great work.  Follow along and look at the things Jason Farago points out.  If you just glance at a picture and say, "oh, that's nice" or whatever, you don't notice all the fascinating details that help tell the story.

Lesson:
Drama 9/10:  Your monologues are due.  You can send me a video recording of you performing it (remember to use lots of expression, think about gestures and wear a costume you think expresses the character) or you can perform live.  I will begin the live performances at 1 p.m. with a Zoom.  You will perform only for me.  The rest of the people will wait their turn in the waiting room.  If you want to do it live, send me an email before 12:30 p.m.
Theatre Production 11:  In the period you've chosen to research, think of how they would use light and sound to create the spectacle of theatre.
Art 8:  Remember when we explored textures with our pencils -- we did what they call "rubbings" putting something textured under the paper and colouring over it with our pencil.  Today and tomorrow, experiment with texture using paint.  Use your brush in a variety of ways to see what textures you can create.  Use a different colour for each small rectangle of texture.

Have a great weekend!

If any Drama 9/10 student wants to recite your monologue one on one with me, I will set up a Zoom meeting at 1 p.m. on Monday.  You will be able to sit in the waiting room until it is your turn.  I will invite you in and you can recite and then you can leave and I will invite the next person.  It should go fairly smoothly.  If you want to do it this way, just send me an email before 12:30 p.m. on Monday.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  Remember to wash your hands and keep two metres away from other people.

If you have not done several assignments, I will have to send an academic alert to you and your parents.  I will list what you are missing in the report.  You need to make a plan to get caught up.  The end of this crazy school year is quickly approaching.

I will be at school all day on Tuesday.  I hope to see some of you there.  Make sure you observe the safety protocols and bring all your own gear that you need to do your work.   The health declaration is on the honour system.  If you have any of the symptoms of COVID 19 (difficulty breathing, headache, fever, sore throat, tiredness), you need to stay home.  If you have been out of the country in the last 14 days, you need to stay home and isolate yourself.   It is a support and tutorial model so it is helpful if you know what you want to work on and are able to ask questions of the teachers who are there hoping to help you.

Safe and Sound! Lessons for May 29

Question of the Day:  If you had a chance to speak to the Grade 7's who are going to come to Steveston-London Secondary School next year, what would you tell them?  (I usually tell them to take Drama, because I think it's really important and also for a Grade 8 who is new to the school, it's a good way to meet people.  I also tell them that they might feel nervous at first, but before they know it they'll feel at home.  I usually advise them to go to Grade 8 camp, too, because, from what I hear most students enjoy it.)

Warm-up:
Art 8:  Think of what sort of wash would be good to act as a background for your pressed flower or leaf.  You can use more than one colour, you can make it look like a summer day with clouds or the colour of a field of flowers just like the one you picked, or a leafy green tree for your leaf to be in.  You can use a piece of crumpled paper to dab the paint, or you can dab with something that has an interesting texture (water colour paint will wash off).  Let the wash dry.

This is a wash I made.  I used green and yellow-green paint and I took a grass stem and dragged it across the paper.  I think it will look nice with the ferns I am pressing.
Drama 9/10:  This is a game called "Crossing the circle" and usually we play it with the class, but you will have to imagine the class is with you.  Maybe everyone does it at 3 p.m. this afternoon (May 29) it will almost be like you're with your class!  (I say 3 p.m. because I hope everyone is awake by then!)  Find yourself a place where you can take five steps without turning.  Take five steps as if you were sneaking up on someone.  Take five steps back as if you were in a marching band.  Take five steps as if you were walking on a tight-rope.  Take five steps as if you were walking away from someone who really made you mad.  Take five steps with a scenario of your own choosing.
Theatre Production: 
https://images.app.goo.gl/u1YSHTKUnhShxXoQ9
Look at the picture at this link.  It is a painting of Kabuki theatre.  What does the painting tell you about this style of theatre?

Lesson:
Art 8:  Send me your wash of watercolour with the shapes you found when you started dabbing.  Make sure you outline the shapes with black marker.  Check to make sure you are up to date with your sketches (look at the blog).
Drama 9/10:  Plan your costume for your monologue performance.
Theatre Production 11:  I hope you have chosen a period in theatre history to research.  I have tried to give you an idea of some of the periods you might find interesting.  The first thing to do is gather your ten fun facts.

I went in to the school today to be trained in the safety protocols for the school opening on Monday.  It is a support and tutorial model, which means the purpose is to help you with your online studies and not to teach new lessons.  You must be able to declare that you are healthy and have not knowingly been exposed to someone with the virus and have not been out of Canada in the last fourteen days.  You must bring all your own supplies and must maintain social distance while you are in the school.  If you are coming into the school, you must make sure you wash your hands and do not touch your face and do not share drinks or food with each other.  I am looking forward to it, even though it is not like normal school.  At least, it is a step towards normal!

You need to contact me if you think you are behind in your work, because after your zoom meetings this week, I am sending out academic alert reports to let you and your parents know if you are having difficulty keeping up.  These reports are meant to be a little signpost to remind you that we are getting close to the end of the semester and that soon we will produce report cards!

Lesson for May 28 -- Learning at a Distance

Question of the Day:
Are you being scrupulous about social distancing?  (I am.)  If someone gets close to you, what do you do?  (I back away.  I feel annoyed when people do it, but I don't get nasty about it or anything.  I felt annoyed at the grocery store the other day.  They make you stay behind the plexiglas and don't want you to put your groceries in the cart yourself, so I did that -- that's fine.  But then the cashier wouldn't put the groceries in the cart either!  What was I supposed to do?)

Warm-up:
Drama 9/10:  More stretching!  Sit at the end of your chair.  Stretch your hands behind your back and interlace your fingers.  Try to keep your palms together and roll your shoulders in circles.  Try to lift up your chest.  To extend the stretch, try to lift your arms.  Hold the stretch for about five seconds.

Still sitting on the end of your chair, make sure your feet are flat on the floor and your hands on your knees.  When you breathe in, push out your chest.  When you exhale, tuck your chin into your chest and roll your shoulders forward.  When you breathe in, your chest goes out, and when you exhale, roll your shoulders forward and tuck in your chin.

Stretching helps to relax you.

Theatre Production 11:  Send me your ideas about "light after lockdown" (by Friday).

Art 8:  Go outside and pick a flower or a leaf or a stem.  Bring it into the house and put in between two pieces of paper or into a book and then put heavy books on top and leave the plant there (it might take a week or two to dry out and flatten out).

Lesson:
Drama 9/10:  Practice your monologue (out loud is the only way to memorize it).  Think of the character you are playing.  You might want to think about how your character would dress.  You will be expected to perform your monologue on June 1.  You can film yourself and send me the video or you can perform it live on Zoom.
Art 8:  Yesterday, you prepared a wash by wetting paper thoroughly, then stroking across the page with the brush with paint, and then dabbing at the paint with a crumpled piece of paper.  Now that it has dried, look carefully at the wash you've made.  What shapes were made by the dabbing of crumpled paper?  Use a black sharpie or felt marker or dark pencil to outline the shapes you see.  You might see realistic shapes, like flowers or mountains or a forest.  Or it might look like abstract shapes like triangles, polygons, random shapes.  Either way, outline some of the shapes with your marker.  I'll show you my examples tomorrow at the Zoom meeting. "Shape" is another element of art (along with line, texture, value and colour).  Remember -- "Something Happened" is due now!
Theatre Production 11:  Work on your theatre history project.

I watched a play online this morning.  It was a one-man show called "Sea Wall" and performed by Andrew Scott, who played Moriarty in "Sherlock".  He is a wonderful actor.  It is a great performance (a monologue, something like what you're doing in Drama 9/10, but this performance is 34 minutes long) and there are all sorts of great supporting films in which Andrew Scott talks about his process in creating a character, telling the truth onstage (the emotional truth), using empathy and even learning lines.  Just a warning -- if you decide to watch the film, it does have some swearing in it.  Here is the link to the film on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j01kVmBoJW0

Zoom meetings:
C Block -- tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:30
B Block -- Friday at 12:30