Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.

Hello, I’m Aidan, and welcome to my Transitional presentation of learning. Over the past year, I’ve embarked on a journey of personal and academic growth, participating in various projects and experiences that have significantly shaped my learning. This presentation will highlight some of the key projects I’ve worked on, the skills I’ve developed, and the goals I’ve set for the future. Through these reflections, I aim to demonstrate how I have grown as a learner and how these experiences have prepared me for the challenges ahead. Thank you for joining me as I share my journey through grade 9 in the Performance Learning Program.

Over the course of this year, I feel that I have grown a lot, and come closer to who I want to be in life. If we look at the success behaviours, this is where I believe I am at this year, while close to where I want to be I still have to put in more effort to become the best version of me. I want to take a closer look at ownership, in the past, I believe I have shown good ownership with a multitude of things, such as at the start of the year, when I was playing games, I immediately realized that I should not have, and owned up to it, which helped me move on and grow past that.

Over the past year, I’ve engaged in numerous projects and activities that have significantly shaped my learning experience and personal growth. Each of these projects has helped me develop essential skills aligned with the PLP Success Behaviours, such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and resilience.

Let me start with one of the most impactful projects this year: the Italian Nationalism project. This project required in-depth research into historical figures like Giuseppe Garibaldi and the unification of Italy. Through this project, I not only learned about the historical context but also developed my research and critical thinking skills. I remember looking into various sources, looking at different perspectives, and understanding the things that shaped modern Italy. This project taught me the importance of thorough research and the ability to think critically about historical events.

Next, I’d like to talk about the The Loon lake experience! This retreat was more than just a break from the classroom; it was an opportunity to build confidence and teamwork skills through outdoor activities like archery and rock climbing. One particular moment that stands out to me was the team challenge course, where we had to work together to overcome obstacles. This experience reinforced the value of collaboration, as we had to support each other and think strategically to succeed, even if we argue about how to do so.

One of the most creative projects I worked on was the thriller video,“The Dark” This project was part of our video-making unit in Maker 9. The assignment was to create a new thriller using the skills we had learned from recreating a classic thriller. Working on this project with my friends was both fun and challenging. We came up with the idea of a man facing his fear of the dark, which involved creating suspenseful scenes and using various video editing techniques. This project enhanced my video editing skills, creativity, and ability to work effectively in a team. It also taught me about the importance of patience and perseverance, as there were times when progress was slow, but we kept pushing forward to complete the project.

Reflecting on my growth from grade 8 to grade 9, I can see a clear improvement in my skills and mindset. My writing has become more detailed and structured, and I have developed a better approach to learning and completing projects. For example, in the beginning, my posts were shorter and lacked detail. Comparing that to my recent posts, I can see the application of the writing tools I’ve learned, such as creating a hook and including more comprehensive details about the projects.

Moving forward, I have set several goals for myself. One of my main goals is to continue improving my video-making skills and incorporate more creativity into my projects. I also aim to manage my workload more effectively by setting achievable goals and maintaining a balance between school and personal life. By reflecting on my experiences and identifying areas for improvement, I am confident that I can achieve these goals.

In conclusion, this year has been a transformative experience for me. Through various projects and activities, I have developed essential skills that align with the PLP Success Behaviours, preparing me to advance to the next grade. I am proud of the progress I’ve made and am excited (and nervous) about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you for taking the time to review my TPoL and join me on this journey of reflection and growth.

Uprisings, old regimes gone, singularity. These are all things you can expect from the unification of Italy. Hey there, welcome back my learning portfolio! This project was all about Nationalism, and how it affected different countries! So, first of all, what is nationalism? Well, the definition from Oxford Dictionary is “identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”  More simply put, its the belief that your country is better than others. Our job was to learn about specific nations, and what nationalism did for them, I chose Italy, because I was intrigued by how fast it seemed to happen. The first thing we were assigned to do, was create questions, more specifically, a question for who, what, when, where, why, and how? My questions, as well as their answers are in this screenshot. 

For some context, I will explain a bit about the Italian uprisings and what that meant. The earlier 1848 uprisings were organized revolts that sought to produce an independent state, this state only lasted 16 months. One of the key figures of the Italian nationalist movement was Giuseppe Garibaldi, a leader and military strategist who played a crucial role in the unification of Italy. Garibaldi’s daring exploits, including his legendary uprising Expedition of the Thousand which was a campaign to overthrow the Bourbon kingdom of the two Sicilies (also known as Naples). This campaign succeeded, and in turn captured the imagination of Italians across the country and helped to raise support for the cause of unification. But Garibaldi was not alone in his quest for Italian unity. He was joined by other prominent figures such as Count Camillo di Cavour, the architect of Italian unification, and King Victor Emmanuel II, who would later become the first king of Italy. Together, these leaders and their supporters waged a campaign to free Italy from foreign rule and unite its separated regions under a single flag. They faced obstacles along the way, including opposition from foreign powers like Austria and France, as well as internal rivalries among other Italian states that wanted power for themselves, but in 1861, Italy officially became unified.

During this project we also learned about proper citations, so when researching our respective countries, we could give credit to our sources of information. We got the chance to practice this with a simple in class task where we had to write a paragraph about either slugs and snails. Overall this project was a great way to learn about what nationalism is and how it can affect people, and on a larger scale, countries. Until next time!

“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.”

Grade nine has been an year of improvement for me. Over the course of this year, I believe that I have grown considerably as a learner. The first thing I want to discuss is my learning plan. At the start of the year, I felt confident in myself, while also acknowledging my growth areas. Looking back, I can see that one of my goals was to improve at recognizing when something isn’t aiding my learning. I can confidently say that I have made progress in this area, which has improved my schoolwork.

Grade 8 was a challenging year for me. I was in a new school with new people and a different way of learning. When I compare my work from then to now, I can see a clear difference. For example, when I look at my post from my first-ever Winter Exhibition. I notice how short it was and that it lacked detail about the actual exhibition.

If I compare it to one of my most recent blogs, Exploring the shadows, the making of “The Dark” (which happens to be a personal favourite), I can see the writing tools that I have been taught coming into play. Not only do I have a hook, but the post is also filled with more detail and includes crucial aspects of the project.

Reflecting on my growth from last year, I can see that my goals have changed. Previously, when working on a project, I aimed to finish it for the sake of finishing. While I still feel this way at times, my learning goals have shifted. Now, when I work, I ask myself, “Am I learning this, or just doing it?” Most of the time, the answer is learning.

I discovered early on in the year that I am interested in video making, especially the aspect of crafting the story and incorporating my visualization into the film. For instance, in our “Thrill Us” project, I enjoyed suggesting scene ideas and letting my imagination run wild with creative ideas. Such as this shot here, where I figured it would be good if it was filmed right beside the main characters head, as if it was in a third person view.

My mindset towards PLP and work has also changed. When I used to struggle with work, I would get frustrated with myself, which only would make it harder for me to work. Now, I set goals for myself, and once I achieve those goals, I allow myself to relax. I believe I have learned to manage my workload more effectively than before, and my goal is to continue improving in this area as the workload increases with advancing grades.

Overall, I am proud of the growth I have achieved this year and am excited to continue learning and improving as I move forward in my PLP journey.

The story of Louis Riel: The Riel facts

Over time, the way we have perceived Louis Riel has changed. From being called an insane rebel to an Idealistic hero. Riel was born in Manitoba 1844, and died in 1885, but he lives on today through the province of Manitoba and its people. He grew up in a small town, with other Métis people. He started his education at the late age of seven when a school was established by a Christian Brother. He started his formal education at a law school in Montréal. But abruptly decided to go back to defend his people with his newfound knowledge.

Even today, there are people who still think of him in a negative way. There are three major statues of Riel that all portray him in different ways. The first statue made by Lemay and Gaboury was unveiled in 1973. This statue shows Riel as very frail, weak and bare. Somebody viewing this statue would probably think of him more negatively and this statue was how they chose to share that. The next statue, made by Miguel Joyal in 1996, is a much more positive depiction of Louis Riel, showing him fully dressed, standing tall, with a scroll in his hand. This statue looks proud, strong, and selfless. The final statue seems to be in the middle of the previous two, he is wearing a cloak, but nothing else and he is reaching towards where the moon is, as if he could reach out and talk to God.

The way we have looked at Louis Riel has changed over time with us taking a better look at our history and how everything actually happened. During the years that Riel gained infamy, the majority of white people viewed him as insane, and a lunatic. Many of these thoughts came from how much he believed that he was doing God’s work and that he was the messiah. The character of Riel is shown many different times, starting with him helping defend his cousin’s ranch*, and even helping make the town of Batoche, which he nicknamed the “city of god”. Even though Riel knew that defending the land of the Métis people as well as their rights would make his life harder, he did it without hesitation, showing his selflessness, and true dedication to his cause.

When Louis Riel was

*War stories. “Red River Rebellion: The Métis Nation’s Fight for Survival | Nations at War | War Stories”.

You can feel the suspense in the air, will it work? Everything has led up to this moment, you push the first ball… It’s a success! Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. How do ideas drive change? that was our driving question, and in this project we learned about revolutions, a lot of them. We also got to learn about Rube Goldberg machines and how they work. The project revolved around how revolutions affect everything, one of the first things we learned about were the stages of a revolution, and how eventually a system similar to the one before the revolution happens, we did an infographic all about that.  We also read Animal Farm, which I found interesting to read, albeit the ending was rather sudden. This was our project for the winter exhibition, unfortunately I was sick so I could not attend, but my group members did really well.  For our final product we had to build a big Rube Goldberg machine, that was a metaphor for a specific revolution! My group got assigned to the Haitian revolution. We also had to document the process of making the machine, its up on YouTube now! Metaphor Machines! Ideas can drive change by the people with new ideas and hopes for a better world, ideas make people motivated, and are the reason that we live in such a good place in the world. Overall I very much enjoyed this project, it really stuck out for me because it combined a lot of creativity, with video making, and learning about history. See you next time! 

As you near the stairwell you feel a presence, as you peek over, you see nothing but a laundry basket, but when you turn around something is in front of you, you try to scream but you are already gone. Hey there! Welcome back to another post, this ones about what my most recent maker project was. In Maker 9 it’s all about Video making skills, and for this assignment we got to make our very own thriller! Before this specific project we had to recreate a thriller as close as we could from scratch, from the skills we learned doing that, we were assigned to make our brand new thriller! So me and three of my friends made a group, and one of them came up with a great idea. “A man goes to his therapist to try and solve his fear of the dark, the therapist recommends exposure therapy, when the man is home he needs to do the laundry, normally he would turn the lights on but instead he keeps them off, when he is walking back up from the basement he finds a monster right in front of him”.The Dark. Pretty good right? Well we all got to improve our video making and editing skills, looking back there are still things I would revise but that’s just more help for next time! Making this video took patience, sometimes we didn’t fully get along, or progress was barely being made, but in the end we persevered and worked together as a team, not a group to make a finished product we could all be proud of. This project helped me as a learner understand how we can use the moving image. I now know I can confidently and proficiently make small videos

Hey there, welcome back to my blog. Recently the whole of PLP 9 went on a retreat out in Maple ridge, more specifically, Loon Lake. When we arrived, I was a little bit unsure, but very quickly I realized this was all to help us improve ourselves. We started the very first day off with a variety of different outdoor activities! I got to do archery, which gave me more confidence in myself, both physically and mentally, over the next day as well I continued to do Rock climbing, low ropes which promoted team building and planning. During these outdoor activities we also did indoor sessions with the head of loon lake retreats. In these indoor sessions we were taught how to find good things about ourselves. Some of the things we did however can’t really be talked about on here because they are private and shared between PLP 9. This retreat has helped get to know my fellow classmates that I spend the majority of my weekdays with, I got to bond with many of them on a closer level as well, I think that one of the reasons for this, was the energy and the sense of accomplishment everyone shared, we all supported and cheered each other on, we encouraged and helped others if they were unsure. All of this helped us to really bond, and I know that I left that trip better of than before. There was a driving question “how do the choices we make set our future path?”. I now know that we all have to be thoughtful about what we say and also take into context as to how it might affect others, the choices we make will alter our future and shape who we become, so we need to make sure the right ones are made.

– Ps no photos, WordPress wasn’t working when I tried to add photos, sorry!

Just kidding, November first was Take your kid to work day, an event for grade 9s meant to show them what some jobs are like, as well as to teach them what their parents do everyday. I got to go to work with my Dad, who is a firefighter for the City of North Vancouver! But what was really cool is that all the kids who had parents working for the city got to go on a tour! It started at the town hall.then after we went to the police station, we got to see the all of the cells and how they were cleaned, the garage and where stolen vehicles go, followed by the briefing room where we got to see all the different types of jobs there are in law enforcement, such as a pilot, a bomb specialist, a media specialist, and much, much more! Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to film anywhere other than the lobby.

After the Police station we got to see the library. Sure, it might not be as interesting or cool as the police or firehall, but there are people out there who love doing what they do for their community at the library! And we shouldn’t discourage them from that. While we were there we got to see behind the curtain and see the innermost workings of the library. I got to see how books are sorted after someone drops them off, how different libraries are all linked, and how different jobs at the library work!

After lunch I finally got to go to the firehall, this is where I got to learn about different types of fire, A fire(woods and normal combustibles), B fire, (combustible liquids and chemicals) and C fire (electrical) as well as the different types of fire extinguishers to use on them. I had to make a video on how my day went, I am pretty pleased with it, but hey, how about you see it for yourself!

Magical YouTube link. They also had a demonstration on fire safety, where they would talk about flash over and back draft. As well as an example of how smoke is unburnt fuel for the fire, which is why wherever smoke goes fire will follow. This means that you should always keep your door shut at night and if you are trapped in a building with fire blocking your exit, close all doors and any windows or places smoke might get through. My absolute favourite part of the whole day was operating the ladder truck, I got to go 110 feet in the air! It was pretty wobbly though.

My take your kid to work day was a great learning experience and I truly think that I learned quite a bit, it was really fun, and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to do it with.

As I got onto the school bus I had no idea that I would soon be amongst sky blue lakes, giant majestic mountains, and crisp fresh air. I went to Alberta with 23 other PLP learners, we went there to learn about geography and how it can impact us. We first stopped at Chraigellachie, where the last spike is. The last spike is the place where the Canadian Pacific railroad was finished, it is a historic place because it is where two sides of Canada were connected by a railroad. Our next stop was at Three Valley Gap, where we went into a ghost town and learned about the history of the surrounding area, we also stayed in a hotel right beside the ghost town. On the second day in we got to go on a few much smaller hikes that really introduced us to the breathtaking views of Alberta. Later in the day we got to learn about rogers pass and how the engineers of the CPR had a difficult time with getting through the mountains. The next day we woke up bright and early to go on the longest hike I have ever been on, I really liked it, just walking through the mountains for hours on end, where everything is so peaceful and quiet (aside from the 24 kids being loud as they made their way up).

The next day held one of the coolest experiences I have had. We got to go onto a glacier and learn about how it was formed and how much it has decreased because of climate change. I even got to do an interview for my maker project! (See Story finding in the Rockies!) during this trip we got a book to write in about all the places we have been to, as well as answer the driving question. How has the geography of the west shaped who I am?.

Over the next few days we got to go on a few more hikes and learning places. One of the coolest days was when we went to the Cave and Basin, the birthplace of Canadian national parks.

After we looked at the cave, we went up the mountain beside it, called sulphuric mountain because of the high concentration of sulphur. The hike was beautiful, during it we got to learn about how scientists had a laboratory at the top of the mountain and it served as a cosmic ray station and helped contribute to international geophysical year.

Overall I think that the geography of the west shaped who we are by teaching us how to learn, adapt and grow to new environments that pose challenges not come across before, this can be proven by the lab at the top of sulphur mountain teaching us that no matter where you are there is always something new to be learned, by the last spike showing that humans can accomplish and conquer an entire country if they put their minds to it. There are more examples I could put but what’s the fun in that? You should go and try to find examples of your own! This trip was amazing and the teachers have been really supportive of us all, thank you!