'You are allowed to lie.'

With every chapter we read of 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry, we are gaining more and more insight into Jonas' world and his Community.

Today he read his instructions for becoming the new Receiver of Memory.  His last instruction is simple: 'You may lie.'

What questions or thoughts do you have about lying (in the meaning of 'telling an untruth')?  What do you think of this rule being specified in his instructions?

Jonas is to be the Receiver of Memory

What might that be?  How is he feeling?  How do you think his parents might be feeling?

Tell me about tech!

I'm always aware that I don't know much about what you do with the tech teachers.  So tell me:

What was something you learned in specialisation today?

Mini-debates

What a great set of mini-debates we had today!  Well done on all of you for giving it a go and using that persuasive language to debate the statement "Contemporary music is socially harmful."

What was a highlight for you?  Was there a particularly good point made in your debate?

The Giver - Chapter 1

We've just read the first chapter of 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry, meeting the main character Jonas and his family.

Was there anything in this first chapter that you have questions or wonderings about?  Comment!

A debate on Monday

On Monday we will be working on our debating skills further, considering the following claim:

"Contemporary music is socially harmful."

Over the weekend, have a chat with family and friends about points supporting each side of this debate, so you come prepared on Monday with ideas and thoughts for our debate.

Week 3 Video Report

From Letele and Caitlyn

Roses in My Carpets

What a lovely, thought-provoking read aloud we had today.
What stuck with you?  What was your reaction?  Which part made you think?  Share your thoughts on this book!

Have a think about a debate topic

We are currently working on our debating skills.  On Thursday, we did an activity where half the class had to come up with arguments supporting a statement, the other half arguments against the statement.

We will do the same on Monday, but you will not be allowed to prepare as a team.  This means you'll need to think on your feet and have a few points prepared, so you don't repeat the point made by someone else on your team.

So start having a think about it over the weekend.  The statement to debate on Monday is:
'Girls and boys should be in separate classes at school.'
(DON'T post your ideas as comments though, you don't want to give your best ideas away - just this once it's not about sharing!)

Remember to think about reasons both for and against, regardless of what your own opinion is.

John Venn's 180th Birthday Doodle

John Venn invented the Venn Diagram, a simple but effective and now widely-used visual representation for comparing concepts.

The Google Doodle celebrating his birthday is a fun one; have a play!

http://www.google.com/doodles/john-venns-180th-birthday

Week 2 Video Report

Thank you to Nicole and Rosie for the Week 2 Video Report.  Enjoy!

End of Term 2 video report

Better late than never!  Sorry for not uploading this sooner.

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