October 30th Dance Night

I hope that you have fun at the dance tonight. You don't have homework due for me tomorrow so enjoy your night. Thanks to my stomoch bug, I will be making like the living dead at home. A first for me; I never miss a dance. :-(

Here are some classic dance moves for you to try:

October 29th

(This is how I feel about now)

Homework:

S.S. - Doll up your Interactive Notebooks because you will be asked to hand them in 4th block.

English - None

HCE - Sleep Poster due on Monday, November 3rd

French - None

Reminder:

So, tomorrow T.S. and E.G. bring those forms and fees in. Don't forget.

For an instant Halloween prize, write me a comment. I will be home sick tomorrow morning. Mr. Bryan will be spending the morning with you so be excellent hosts.

October 28th

Frankenstein: A Hollywood Classic

Only a few of you need to bring in your permission forms and fees for the Vikings' Exhibit Field Trip. Please have them all in tomorrow, so that I can tally the money and submit it to the office.

Homework:

Note-taking: Tomorrow you will get an open book test on the characters on our Global Simulation Airplane. Come prepared with the notes that you took on the passenger interviews. Some of you will need to consult with your classmates because your notes are not as complete as they could be.

Social Studies: Interactive Notebook Check Thursday, October 30th.

French: None

HCE: Sleep Poster due Monday, November 3rd (Get it done before the weekend to clear your way for Halloween fun)

The word is: Frankenstein.

October 27th

Reminder: a few of you still need to bring in your Viking Field Trip Slips and Fees PLEASE and THANK YOU. This is a curriculum based field trip and we will have activities to do that will contribute to your understanding of unit content in Social Studies.

Homework:

English: None (Div 5 and 6)
HCE: Sleep Poster due November 3rd (Div 5 and 6)
Social Studies: Interactive Book Collection on Thursday, October 30th (Div 5)
French: French Poem due Tuesday, October 28th (Div 5)

Hello there, is anybody reading my blog? If you are, leave a comment for an instant prize.

This week, October 27th-31st

(Nice dance moves, Mr. Halloween Man)

Reminders:

VIKING FIELD TRIP FORMS and $12 due by this Wednesday, Oct. 29th.

Monday, Oct. 27th -Wednesday, Oct. 29th at lunch: tickets go on sale for this Thursday's Halloween Dance lunch. They are $5.

November 6th -Photo Retakes

Academic Notes:

This week we will:

HCE - Look at our sleep diaries, analyze and draw conclusions from the results. Continue to work on the sleep awareness posters.

French - Describing people in French using adjectives

S.S.- The Vandals and the Anglo Saxons. We continue to learn about the "Barbarians" who migrated into what used to be the Roman Empire in Europe.

English - Bring your current reading whether it is a novel, a graphic novel or a magazine tomorrow. We will be beginning a regular, in  reading program. We will listen to some of our classmate's stories and respond to them. After watching the trailer for "The Conjuring", we will write a descriptive paragraph from the point of view of one of the characters.

And now for some more dancing moves from Mr. Halloween Man:

Pro D

I hope that all of you are sleeping in and recovering some of your sleep debt. Don't forget to keep your sleep diary to observe how your sleep changes over the course of the weekend. It will be interesting to see how your circadian clocks reset.

I am taking Pro D with Mrs Stewart. Our SMART board is up and running now thanks to a District Tech who installed the pen tray software. I will be learning how to use this equipment. I am really excited about its potential. So far, I have really just been using it as a projector so today I will learn how to design lessons on it.

October 22nd

Tomorrow is Exploratories so come prepared with fees, bathing suits, bikes, cookies, etc...

Homework:

English: Neat copy of the Scary Story is due on Monday, Oct 27th for both Div 5 and 6

French: The Acrostic poem is due on Monday for both Div 2 and 5

HCE: Keep your sleep diary current.

BRING IN YOUR PERMISSION FORMS FOR THE MUSEUM and IMAX THANK YOU.

October 21st

Keep those Viking permission forms and the $12 entry/bus fee coming in. I am missing some blue, general permission forms also. Check the front board to see, if you are missing this slip

Homework:

S.S. - "Meet the Barbarians" fill in main points under Franks using pages 21 to 27 in the text for information due. Wednesday, October 22nd

English
- Neat Ghost/Scary Story due on Monday, October 27th
- Notes on "Haunted Victoria" due tomorrow for collection (Oct. 22nd, Div 5)(Oct 23rd, Div 6)

H.C.E.
-Keep your sleep diary to track your sleep over the next two weeks (the teen version was distributed in class)(Div. 5 and 6)

French - Acrostic Poem with adjectives due Thursday, Oct 23rd (Div 5)

October 20th

Get a good night's sleep tonight. In Health and Career today, we reviewed how too little sleep affects the teenage brain and it is not pretty.


Reminders:

Vikings' permission form and payment is due ASAP. Thank you.

Homework:

HCE: Keep your sleep journal current.This is for your information and for a future activity. You will have class time next week to work on your "Sleep Poster", but you should come to that class prepared with images and supplies that you will need to complete the task.

English: You should finish Quotations' Worksheet #1 and #2 listed on the course link, if you didn't finish them in class. See this week's course link.

S.S.: None.

This week, October 20th to 23rd

I am in the middle of reading the rough drafts of your "Scary Stories". What a perfect evening to read these stories; I just might have to sleep with my lights on and with one eye open.

This week, we will:
Health and Career - look into sleep and the teenage brain;
English - review how to use quotations, publish the good copy of your scary stories, read non fiction articles on ghostly themes;
S.S. - explore "The Franks", another "Barbarian" group;
French - learn some French adjectives to describe yourself and others.

Those of you who had extensions because of illness should hand in your missing assignments tomorrow.

October 16th

(Here is a disturbing picture for an entry to tomorrow's draw)

Exploratories started today and I hope that all of you are happy with your choices. I had a lot of fun with my group in Viva Mexico.

Homework:

French: You will present your French Family Trees tomorrow. Come prepared and don't get a big L in my notebook...for late, of course.

English: Proofread/edited stories are PAST DUE and should be in my English marking basket. I am taking them home for the weekend. I have read some...they are impressive.

October 15th

 

Today we watched a musical version of Emily Carr's childhood. Thanks to the PAC who funded this cultural piece of Canadiana. It was very entertaining and informative.

 

EXPLORATORIES TOMORROW

 

Homework:

 

English: Editing/proofreading "Scary Stories". You will be submitting them for marking tomorrow. Then, I will spend my weekend reading them and will be probably so scared that I won't sleep.

 

French: You will present your family trees on Friday...so they must be complete. Check out this week on the course link for the marking rubric.

 

S.S.: No homework.

 

This is what Mrs Bridal will look like after a weekend of reading 56 scary stories:

 

"No, please. Make them stop!!!!" This phrase for an entry.

 

This week, Oct 14th to 17th

I am really stoked at the response that we have had from your parents with regards to our Vikings visit. It looks like this very educational field trip will be a go.

This week:

English: We will review editing/proofreading work. We will peer edit/proofread your ghost stories.

S.S.: We will finish looking at the Goths and turn to the Franks...another group of "Barbarians" (aka anyone who wasn't Roman)

French: We will finish our family trees and present them en francais to the class.

Homework today:

English: Edit/proofread your rough, ghost story draft

S.S.: None

French: Practice talking about your family tree.

Remember to check Mrs Abell's link for homework in her subjects!

Todays word is ABELL.

The Vikings -- Royal Victoria Museum

VIKINGS IN VICTORIA -- LET'S GO SEE!


DON'T FORGET the notice that went home today asking for volunteer chaperones for a trip to the Vikings Exhibit at the Royal Victoria Museum. I just might voluntell Mr. Bridal to come chaperone on his flex day.
Vikings and the Viking Age are a topic of study for Grade 8 Social Studies so this opportunity links very nicely with what we are/will be learning in class. I have been to the exhibit and it is really informative. There are a lot of primary sources of information on the Vikings which trump our dusty, secondary source textbooks.

Thursday, Oct. 9th

Today we continued to explore our characters in the Global Simulation.

Homework:

French: come prepared with photos, pictures to complete your family tree (the goal here is that you are able to speak about family in French using a picture reference)

English - Scary Story rough copy due on Tuesday. Neat letter due in class on Friday. Time will be provided, but if you are a slow, careful worker, do it at home.

S.S. -none
HCE-none

Today's entry: you must comment about your character in the Global Scenario. Who are you?

Wednesday, October 8th

Bring back those exploratory forms tomorrow for your best crack at your first choice. If you are missing a copy, go to the school website "Exploratories" for one.

Homework:

English - Your character sketch is due tomorrow. They will be graded.

French - Voici ma famille. Family Tree assignment due Friday. (Div 2) Wednesday

HCE- None
S.S.- None

Sorry...the secret word is "wipeout"...which is what my computer did before I could add the secret word.

Tuesday, October 7th

It is October and we are writing classic ghost and scary stories in English. While we are aiming to scare our fellow classmates, we are also setting the goal of writing a solid narrative using clear and descriptive language so that we convince our listeners/readers that our story is "real".

Homework:

English:
1. Character Sketch for the Global Simulation is due this Thursday.
2. The planning page and the rough draft of your story should be complete by Tuesday, Oct. 14th. You will be given 2 class blocks to work on this.

S.S.: Div 5 - Complete the Map that was given out in class today. You need to fill in the legend and neatly colour the land and water bodies. Make sure that what you are colouring is land or water.

French: None
HCE: None

Today's word is: "Ma famille"

Some excellent pointers from expert ghost story tellers...

Oct 6th

Today, we learned about your developing teenage brains in health and career. Your parents might be interested in viewing the info graphic and the Nature of Things video on "Surviving the Teenage Brain". The reason that we are studying your brains is to learn how to best learn with them as they "under construction".

Speaking of which, homework:

Health and Career- you should have a complete set of notes in a t-chart format on the changes that your brain is going through and how these changes might impact how you learn. You can go to the course link page for information.
English- you need to complete the Character Sketch for the Global Simulation. Go to this page link to find a copy of sheet that you need to fill out. We will be conducting interviews between characters on Thursday and if you have not developed your character, you won't be able to answer your interviewer's questions.
French- none
S.S.-none
REMEMBER: In grade 8, if you are sick or absent, you are responsible for your homework. Use a buddy to collect handouts and use this blog and course links to stay up to date with information.

The secret word today is for the Hacky Sack Team in our Global Simulation: "Hacky Sack". Here is a video clip from 1985 about this great, new sport:

This week, October 6th to 10th

This week in academics:

Social Studies: we will be looking at one of the popular theories for the fall of Rome:The Barbarians! 

English: we will be writing the neat copy of our letters to the mayoral candidates, developing our Global Simulation characters and constructing a scary set of ghost stories.

French: we will be talking about your families...in the Global Simulation.

Health and Career: we will be learning about your teenage brains.

Today's word is: "Barbarian".

Today, Oct. 2nd

(I think that I need to lose the perm (wig) )

So, today you were given parts in a global simulation. Both divisions are characters on Delta Flight 666, destination unknown. You will develop your characters in English. The plot, that comes later and it will thicken.

Homework:

Binder check tomorrow.... have you completed, dated and ordered your in class work...I will be checking.

Div 5: French Quiz

If you weren't here today, you might want to watch the safety video (Is it the 80s in our simulation? This is a question about setting that we will need to ask.):

Oct. 1st

Today Cops for Cancer rolled in and we watched as 4 Journey students had their heads shaved for a very good cause.

Homework:

Rough Draft of the letter to the mayoral candidates. Go to this page for the formal letter format. We have had two work blocks in class for this so claiming that you don't know what this is, doesn't work. due tomorrow

French Review test on Friday -What are cognates? How can we use them to understand French? How do you say I like, I don't like a sport in French?

Binder Check and Interactive Notebook Check on Friday. Get organized. I will be sending an email to your parent, if you have not attended to this very important task!

Today's word is: organize!