Humanities with Ms. Abma

For those of you who did the New York Times  "What's Going On In This Picture?" challenge, here is the reveal of the caption attached to this picture. This week’s image comes from the Dec. 19, 2019 article “ Welcome to the Falcon Hospital. Please Take a Number. ”  The story is about a state-of-the-art falcon hospital in Doha, Qatar, which offers scans, surgeries and a link to a centuries-old pastime; falconry. The original caption read: The waiting room has perches for birds and for humans. The photographer is  Olva Morvan .

Dear Readers, Today's writing challenge is brought to us by   Letters Live   and actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Since 2013, Letters Live have been inviting performers to bring letters to life in memorable venues around the world. With our ‘Read A Letter’ campaign, we’re opening the stage extremely wide and would love for the world (you!) to share letters to the heroes on the frontline; letters to relatives in need; letters to strangers who have stepped up and made a difference; letters to neighbouring families, streets, towns and countries; letters from teachers to their isolated pupils or to the parents who now find themselves home-schooling; letters to those in power; letters to a population crying out for words of comfort. So, all you need to do is this: Write a letter of encourage, of love, of support to someone you know needs one. Film yourself reading a letter. Use your phone, like Benedict. If you're camera shy, point your phone at something else wh

Here is Dr. Robertson and Ms. Coles message on the Power of Music, so throw on some favorite tunes and take a dance break.  Don’t forget to answer the Jam or No Jam from last Friday’s blog and comment on why you chose Jam or No Jam. Here’s a video for wellness, made by various Canadian artists, to end a TV special called Stronger Together. Be well dear students, and reach out if you need it. There is an opportunity to join the GSA online community. They are inviting you to a virtual meet on Thursday, April 30. The information is on the invite below. If you have any questions about it please email Ms. Fabrig: Amanda Fabrig: apfabrig@cbe.ab.ca for more information. 

What's going on in this picture? Go to the  New York Times  page to discuss what in the world you think is going on here. We'll reveal the answer at the end of the week. 

Need a tutor?  I'd like to share an opportunity from the Werklund School of Education at the U of C. They are arranging to match up students with pre-service teachers to provide free tutoring online. Just request a tutor and take a survey identifying the learner's needs. More information and the request form are found here:  Werklund school tutor

From Monday's "what's going on in this picture?"  We reveal that the original caption from Oct 2010, reads:  Employees at the Wilkin & Sons jam factory in Tiptree, England, had cameras out for a tour by Queen Elizabeth II. Her visit came as the company celebrated its 125th year. Were you right? 

Dear Readers. Each week I will share a creative writing challenge. This is offered for all who want to maintain their creative skills and is not mandatory. And, I will enjoy reading and responding to your work. Writing challenge: How Can You Tell a Story About Your Life Right Now Through a Few Simple Numbers? Number of times you opened the fridge today? The number of Tik Toks you viewed? The number of hours you stayed in your bed? The number of walks you have taken with your dog? This writing prompt comes from The New York Times and there are more resources to help you think about the idea on the following link. Enjoy the challenge and the opportunity to share you thoughts with other writers.  The New York Times Writing Challenge

Hello all, We have a new wonderful site to keep you active and healthy on a beautiful day like today. Willow Park P.E. teachers have put a lot of work into creating this resource for you to participate in so check it out!  Willow Park Wild PE blog Your Google meet will be today at 3. The nick name is posted in our classroom. Remember to click the waffle, click Meet, click join and enter the nickname. If you have any problems getting into the meet please let me know either by commenting in the classroom or email. We will start by sharing our creative piece on the Borders short story for those who want to share. Then we'll move into our new assignment.

Students, please join in our new Monday activity "What's going on in this picture?" (or WGOITP?) Follow the link below to see the picture, think about: What is going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? Respond in the discussion by clicking the speech bubble below the photo to share your thoughts. We will find out the answer tomorrow! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/learning/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-april-20-2020.html This week you are wrapping up the assignment around the story "Borders", it is due Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon we will start this week's new assignment. We will meet Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm.

Hello students, I want to let you know about a cool virtual concert experience. It is free and there's something for everyone - whether it's Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, The Rolling Stones or Jimmy Fallon. So if you're looking for something to do on Saturday, tune in or follow  #togetherathome You will need to sign up to get access to the live stream concert. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/connect/togetherathome/

Hi guys, It's almost the weekend! We wont be meeting today, but will next Tuesday. Today I encourage you to work through the "Borders" assignment and ask any questions via email or a private comment on the assignment. A common question for the question page is "how long should it be?" Make sure you are using specific examples from the story and address exactly what the question is asking. You should be able to explain thoughtful reasoning behind your opinions in a few paragraphs per question. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with for your creative response! That assignment is due next Tuesday. If you wrap up that assignment early, please check out my post about the Personal Story Project.  I am planning to go through your podcast responses ASAP so keep an eye out for those "returned" assignments with feedback.

Hello all, I wanted to let you know about an opportunity for you to share some of your experiences over the past month. If you get published it is something you can put on your resume! It's also great way to develop your writing skills and process these changes. This is not for class but is an extra way to direct all your pent up thoughts into story-telling. Teen health and wellness has put out a  Personal Story Project  This is from their website: Sharing stories is a powerful way to connect with other people. By sharing their own personal stories, teens can connect with others who are dealing with the same challenges that they are. If a story is accepted for publication, it will be published online in Teen Health & Wellness. All published authors will also receive a certificate of achievement from Rosen Publishing and a monetary gift. What would you like to tell other teens who are dealing with the same fears, challenges, and concerns about COVID-19? Write from your

Hi all, There is a new assignment in the classroom for the week. This week we are reading and responding to Thomas King's short story "Borders". Click on the google classroom assignment to access the instructions and questions. It is due Tuesday, April 21.

Dear Students, Here is a message from Dr. Robertson and Ms. Coles. And, if you are looking for  good books  to read remember the Calgary Public Library has many on-line books and audiobooks. Go to  https://calgarylibrary.ca/   and check it out!  CBE has a relationship with the CPL. To access the resources follow the links to the CPL's digital collection and log in as follows:  For Students: ·         Student Username is their school gmail username ( ie  janed147  Do not include the @educbe.ca) ·         Student Password is  1234567   (seven digits)   eBooks and AudioBooks To access eBooks and AudioBooks on a personal device, download the  Libby app   onto our device (tablet or cell phone). In Libby, click on Add a Library and add Calgary Public Library. Log in using above username and password. Then browse eBooks and Audiobooks to borrow! They will be automatically returned when the loan expires. Reminder: CPL purchases a certain number of d

Hello students, Today we have a new assignment posted in our Google classroom called the "Indian Act Podcast" Check it out!

The Fine Arts team at Willow Park School along with Studio Artist Mark Vasquez-Mackay are a vital part of our learning community. They are an incredibly talented and caring group of individuals who understand how important the arts are at a time like this to nourish and sustain that creative aspect of our humanity. As a result, they have created a blog for all students and families as a community to visit and contribute to. The blog is called  Fill the Well  and it is a capacious handbag of artworks, inspirations and activities to fill your soul. We invite you to visit the site regularly.  https://willowparkfa.blogspot.com/ Feel free to submit your work or get in touch by emailing me at htabma@cbe.ab.ca

Hello students and families! My name is Hannah Abma (she/her) and I teach art (grade 7-9) and humanities (grade 9) at Willow Park. I am passionate about teaching art and art history and how it connects to so many things! I enjoy painting, ceramics and embroidery and especially like find unexpected beauty through scientific imagery, or in everyday life. In my spare time I love hiking, baking, and indoor gardening with my partner Danny and my dog Yams. Thank you for welcoming me into the community and working with me as we move forward with a creative and adaptive learning in humanities! I look forward to continuing to learn with you all. Feel free to contact me at htabma@cbe.ab.ca All the best, Ms. Abma