March 31st

Oh my...
Don't be doing this on April 10th...EMCS Soccer Academy Hopefuls scroll down for information.

Homework:

English: The neat essay with your mark sheet attached is due on Thursday. Submit it to the English bin.

HCE: Memorize/learn the laws around consent.

French: ER, IR, RE verb test on April 10th (Div 5) and April 2nd (Div 2); Music Videos should be in production.

And today's word is: "Scorpion"

March 30th

EMCS Soccer Academy Student Want-to-be's:
On Friday April 10 from 12:00 to 1:30. EMCS will be hosting a training session on our field for all grade 8's interested in joining the EMCS Soccer Academy next year.  They are expected to wear appropriate gym wear and have cleats and shin pad.

Homework:

English: Essays due Thursday.

HCE: Memorize and learn the 2008 law around youth and consent. Ignorance of the law is never a defense, but learning it is good self defense. 

Todays word is "consent"

This week, March 31st to April 2nd...APRIL?????

(You are under attack!!!!)

Calendar Notes:

No school on Friday or Monday next week; it is Easter weekend.

Student Council meets on Thursday in Mrs. Abell's room. All grade 8s interested in organizing year-end activities are encouraged to attend to help the committee decide/plan events.

Report cards go home on April 10th. Now, you should be looking to make a strong finish in the third term.

Academic Notes:

English: This week we will proofread and edit your 5 Paragraph Essays. Also, we will begin our "Outsiders" novel study.

HCE: April is month that I address sex-ed. We will be having a guest speaker come to talk about the topic, but we will also cover the subject across three HCE blocks. The first lesson is on "consent" and the legal definitions around that term. If your parents are concerned about the topic or would like to instruct you around this subject at home, please contact me via email. I am very matter of fact in my approach and the focus is keeping safe/happy. Please refer to the course page for the lesson.

S.S.: Viking Attack. You will be attacked by vikings on Wednesday and you will describe what your experience was like based on your position in feudal society.

French: RE verb conjugation and French music videos are on the agenda for this week,



Yikes! They are coming to get you....run to your castles!

Today's word: seige.

March 26th

Tomorrow afternoon we will welcome the students visiting from Natori, Japan. Thank you to A.K. and M.W.'s families for hosting Japanese students. This is an excellent opportunity for all of us to extend our horizons.

Homework:

English: Rough draft of essay should be done by Friday; the Final Copy is due on Thursday, April 2nd.

S.S.: Castle Real Estate Ad due Friday.

French: Select your music for the lip sync assignment by Friday.

Today's word: Japan

March 25th

We are writing essays and some of you need to kick it up a notch. Five Paragraph Essays take more planning and effort. Welcome to the next level Grade 8s.

Homework:

English: Rough Draft of the Compare and Contrast Essay due Friday (in class time will be provided, but you should be working at home too)

S.S.: Castle Real Estate Ad due Friday (in class time will be provided)

French: Music for the Lip Sync should be chosen by Friday

Today's word: "Birthday"

March 24th

Oops


I didn't post yesterday. How did that happen?

March 23rd

J.T. this is for you...

Homework:

Overdue homework and assignments are due by March 30th. If not complete by then, an I will be assigned.

English: Complete the Venn Diagram., if not done in class.
HCE: Start tracking your marks in English. This is an ongoing assignment and is due at the end of third term.

Welcome Back (March 23rd to 27th)

(Monday morning...)

I missed you, Division 5 and 6!

Reminders:

Bring your school supplies on Monday so that you are prepared to work because we are preparing to work you; this list includes pencils, erasers, pens and paper.

This Friday we will be welcoming students from Natori, Japan for a one week friendship exchange. Next year, we will send our students to Natori. Students in grade 9 at EMCS can participate. This is something to think about and save up for.

Term 2 ends on Monday, March 30th (All incomplete work needs to be submitted by this date to prevent an I on the 2nd term report).

Report Cards go home on April 10th.

Academics:

English: We will be reviewing how to construct a formal, 5 paragraph essay. Then, we will write a compare and contrast essay on the two versions of the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button". This essay will be the first mark entered in the third term.

HCE: We will be learning how to track and calculate percents and grades. I will require you to keep track of your English grades this term so that you know what you are getting and, more importantly, when you are missing important assignments. Of course, you can and are encouraged to track your other subjects.

S.S.: We will review the concept of feudalism and your roles within our game of "Fief". We will investigate castle design and function as well.

French: Verb conjugations will be reviewed including etre and avoir.

Hope you had a good rest because it is back to work on Monday.

I look forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrowwwwwww.....

Today's word is "awake".

Mrs. Bridal

Happy Spring Everyone

The English teacher approves of this play on words....

Happy Spring Break

But before you leave for a much deserved break, hand in:

1. Benjamin Button Comprehension Questions Chapters 7-11 (neatly staple and with name)
2. Benjamin Button Compare and Contrast Notes (neatly staple and with name)
2. (Div 5) Social Studies Covers and Journal Entry #1
3. (Div 5 and 2) Recette a la sandwich

When we get back, I will be marking those and finalizing letter grades for the second term.

Since I am not there today, I will be bringing an extra big prize for the draw on the Monday we return.

HAVE A GREAT BREAK EVERYONE.

March 4th

Homework (What we did)

French: None (We worked on our "La recette a la sandwich")

English:
1. Chapters 1-6 plus vocabulary due in on March 5th
2. Chapters 7-11 plus vocabulary due in on March 5th
3. Notes on F. Scott Fitzgerald VS. Eric Roth version of Benjamin Button due in on March 5th
(We viewed Eric Roth's film Div 5 to 1:31 and Div 6 to 1:03. I have been taking notes on the board to model how to pull information from a visual text like a film. These notes will be used to write a compare and contrast essay, so don't lose them.)

S.S.: Journal Cover and Entry #1 due on March 5th (We heard samples of how the Anglo Saxons and Anglo Normans spoke during the feudal period we are modeling. No, we aren't going around speaking with an English accent; we sound completely different. Food was also discussed including the possibility of making pottage.)

HCE None

Today's phrase is from the movie: "plain as paper." Who does it describe for a prize?

March 3rd

Homework (What we did)

French: None (We worked on the recipe for a sandwich to review food language, numbers and articles)

English: Questions 1-7 and definitions are due Friday, March 6th/ Compare and Contrast Film vs Novella Notes are due March 6th too (We spoke about the difference between screenplays and print fiction. We began watching Eric Roth's screenplay adaptation of Benjamin Button and took notes to compare both versions' story elements. We will be writing a compare and contrast essay in the future.)

S.S.: Journal Entry due Thursday, March 5th (You were given a computer block to research and write your journal entries. This was the second of two blocks dedicated to this purpose.)

HCE: None

Today's word is: "aging"

This week, March 2nd to 6th

This is the last week before Spring Break, so come prepared to work hard because we have a lot to cover.

*Please note that homework will not be assigned over the holiday for Mrs. Bridal's classes. However, students have been asked to read a novel within the Sci Fi/Fantasy genre over the break. When they return, they will be asked to review the book for the class. Graphic novels are acceptable choices and they can be particularly entertaining in this genre.

Calendar Notes:

Friday, March 6th, Blocks 1 and 2. Journey Hockey Tournament. (Please note that blocks 3 to 5 are academic; Mrs Abell and I will be delivering lessons and providing followup exercises to master the skills taught in those lessons. In other words, this is a working day.)

Academic Notes:

English - This week we will finish reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Then, we will compare the written text with the screen version; the two are very different, but the question is why did Eric Roth, the screenwriter, choose to make those radical changes in the plot? We will review story elements' terms to compare and contrast the two versions of the story.
HCE - Cyber-safety is our topic this week. We will review how to lock down your privacy settings on social media sites to protect yourself against cyber bullying and cyber stalking.
Social Studies - We continue to investigate what Feudal life was like in Medieval England. The "Day in the Life" journal entries and the cover page are due on Thursday. Please refer to the course site for the project criteria. This criteria was reviewed in class, but if students want to achieve the best results, they should review the criteria before composing or creating their work.
French - We will review IR/ER verb conjugations. Also, we will conclude our food's unit with a "recette a la sandwich" mini project.
The class is open Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch, if students need the support or have to catch up after an absence. 
Math - we will continue to work on dividing fractions, practicing three different methods (using drawings/number lines, common denominators and invert and multiply).  Homework is expected for Monday (due Wednesday), with a comprehension quiz on multiplying and dividing fractions on Thursday.
Science - we will be drawing using the scientific format we have been looking at in class.  Monday will be simple, Tuesday we will be looking at live speciments :-)
The drawings on Tuesday will be handed in to be evaluated.

Today's word is: repugnant (from The Curious Case of B.B. and one of my favourite words)