Monday, February 2, 2009

Is it already wk 5?

Wow, time sure flies! I thought the year started out quite leisurely, but things have speeded up...with all the holidays and half days, I'm having a hard time tracking which class covered what! To keep things less complicated, I'll combine the lesson summary and learning points for Wk 3 and 4 in one post.

Lessons in Wk 3 and 4

Continuing with our theme of reviews this term, we explored game reviews. Our starting point was the 'Halo' game review in Essential Non-Fiction. We listed down some of the essential elements of a game review, and took a mini-journey through the history of video games. Remember the gameplay videos of Pacman, Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Nintendogs and Silent Hill? I used to play a lot of video games as a teenager, and Street Fighter was one of my favourites. Of course, times have changed, and gaming is now a multi-million dollar industry which even our government is trying to tap into by offering courses and diploma/degree programs in ITEs, polytechnics and universities. Of course, gaming does have its drawbacks, as it can be an unnecessary distraction or even an addiction.

I was very glad to see the majority complete the homework (Halo worksheet). We could then spend the time reviewing our answers and exploring other topics. Our next homework assignment was to download and play World of Goo, a great game from 2D Boy. After the CNY holidays, we used the computer labs to come up with a layout for a game review, based on designs and notes we compiled the week before.

This week, week 5, we'll have our first CNA lesson (I know 2LY had the lesson last week), and then we'll move on to book reviews. Along the way, we'll also cover comprehension passage analysis (what we do whenever we go through any of the passages in essential Non-Fiction) and oral communication skills, focusing on reading aloud and picture discussion.

There'll be a caption competition soon too!
Take care, eat well (not too well!) and get enough rest - there seems to be a nasty flu bug in the air.