Welcome to Division 1! (and a little bit about me)

Welcome! (This image is labelled for reuse from Google images.)

I am so looking forward to getting to know you all and to begin our learning journey together! This is my 9th year at Emily Carr School. I just figured out that this means that the first class of grade 7’s I taught at this school are now beginning their 4th year of university (if that is their chosen path). Amazing, how it all goes so quickly!

I’m equally amazed at how learning at school can make us more deeply aware of the world around us, change our world views, and gain new and more complex skills. I look forward to your asking many questions, and our making new discoveries together!

Thinking about learning
The process of learning, or how we learn, is something that deeply interests me, and I invite you to reflect on your own learning process. For example, do you like to learn in a group, or do you like to work quietly by yourself? What topics are you interested in? Do you prefer learning from a book, having a discussion, going on a field trip or watching a video? Do you pick up new ideas quickly, or do you need time for new ideas to sink in? These are just some of the things we’ll be thinking about this year.

What I like to do
On a more personal note, I love spending time in the natural world. I’ve just spent a wonderful summer on Galiano Island, watching the ravens and listening to the wide range of unlikely and surprising sounds they make. Swimming in the cold ocean, experimenting with new recipes and sharing food with friends on our shady deck are some of the other activities I enjoy there. I love to hang out outside in the evening, and only go indoors when it’s much too dark to see who you are talking to. What do you like to do in the summer?

What I read last summer
Reading is something else that I deeply value. This summer, I read a couple of literary classics, about the lives of women set in the early 20th century. Historical fiction transports me to a world that no longer exists, kind of like time travel! Another engrossing book I recently read is “Elephant Company,” by Vicki Croke. It is an actual historical account (not fiction) about Billy Williams, a British man who lived and worked with elephants in Burma (now Myanmar) after World War 1. The personalities, habits and intelligences of elephants are fascinating to me. They are such incredible and lovable creatures!

The YA novels I read this summer include “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, and “We Are All Made of Molecules” by Susin Nielson. Both of these novels have a male protagonist, around 13 years old, and are told with a strong sense of humour. If you’re interested in checking them out, they are both in the Carr library in the ‘mature reads’ section.

Leave a comment!
And speaking of reading, we’ll be doing lots of it this school year, and also spending lots of time talking about our reading. So now I turn it over to you. Add a comment to this blog, and let us know what favourite books you read this summer.

Again, welcome to Division 1. I’m looking forward to a great year!

Ms. Angel

34 Comments
  1. Hey div. 1!
    I didn’t read that much this summer. I reread Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone, by J.K. Rowling. This book is about a boy who has magical powers, and attends a magic school called Hogwarts. He learns that not all wizarding families are good.

  2. Looking forward to being in this class!! This summer I’ve read Mangas (Japanese Graphic Novels), and I read throughout more less 20 volumes of Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama.

  3. Hi. The books I read over summer were the Harry Potter books. I really liked them. I am on the last book now and I am almost done the series.

  4. Hello fellow people in this universe!!!!!
    I am looking forward to this year of school and I hope you are as well.

    The book I read was my Big Fat Zombie Goldfish. I also had to do work during summer.

  5. Hi everybody, I’m excited to be in div. 1 this year!
    This summer I didn’t get a chance to read that much, however I did read a few books. The books I did have a chance to read were The Selection and The Elite, both were in the same series by Kiera Cass. They were about a group of girls trying to become the One. Right now, I am in the middle of a book called The Joy Luck Club, it is about 4 mothers and their daughters, and their journey of immigration from China to the USA. I enjoyed all the books I read and would recommend them.

  6. Hi everyone. This year I got a chance to read some books. I read some Diary of a wimpy kid books. I also read this book called Babe Ruth and me. I forgot the author but it was a good book. It’s when a kid and his father travel back in time with a special card.

  7. Looking forward to being in this class this year, the books I have read throughout the summer are: City of Lost Souls – Cassandra Clare, Vampire Diaries – L.J. Smith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling and Marked – Cassandra Clare

  8. This summer I read 5 books Of mice and men, Around the world in 80 days, Animal Farm, The Three Musketeers and Huckleberry Finn, and also I am half way done Ten thousand leagues under the sea.

  9. Hi everybody 👋🏼😊
    This summer I read I Zombie and tried reading the Seven Wonders series, up to #2, but unfortunately I was unable to finish the series as I couldn’t find them at my local library. Summer sure went by quick!

  10. Looking forward to being in your class this year! This summer i read: Anne Frank’s Diary; based off of Anne Frank’s life. I also re-read some of the Divergent series by Veronica Roth.

  11. I am reading a book called ” Enders Game ” I have read it before and it is a real page turner! Here is a short summary or maybe a long summary about it. So it’s about this kid that was kind of like chosen to be a kind of a person who does these games against other teams and as he gets used to it he gets really good and smart of how to win. The main objective of the “game” is to get to the other side and get through this door while the opponent team is shooting at you. Any ways, as “Ender” is now good at the game he keeps on going forward to become a pro at other things and the game. So that’s all I’m going stop there so you can read the book. See ya! 🤓😄😀🤑😋

  12. hi i have been reading war in the 1900s it is a cool book because it is like one man shot Leeds to world war one and then hitter was mad so he took over Europe and then canada gave britten weet to make bread and hittler did not want to see him lose so he comited suiside

  13. I read Percy Jackson this summer but i didn’t read a lot of it. The book were reading the “Breadwinner” is very interesting.

  14. Hi everyone
    this summer I read The vacation where a boy is left with his 2 aunts after his parents left for a vacation in Africa as missionary.

  15. Hi everyone, I read almost all of Roald Dahl’s books and really enjoyed reading them. My favourite books were “Going Solo” “Boy” and “The BFG”.

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