February 28th

Tomorrow is The Yes 2 Know Summit at Journey. Pizza lunch will be served courtesy of our Parent Council.

Math Div. 4 - You were given a sheet to complete in class relating decimals, fractions and percent. Some of you still need to finish it at home. The link is here.

English Div 5 - Reading - Finish The Midwife's Apprentice; compare and contrast your character and that of  your character in the Game of Fief.

English writing portfolios should include these items to be considered a complete sampling of your writing:
**1. Medieval Character Write Up  Draft and Typed
2. Dragon Paragraph Typed
3. Viking Attack Paragraph Typed

Div 4 Applied Technology with Ms Syme - We learned how to use applications on Google Docs to collaborate, read a document and create a summary.

***All TERM 2 work needs to be in for March 6th.

February 27th

Academic Notes:

English- We read The Midwife's Apprentice. If you want to read at home you can find a link to a free pdf version of the book. This book can be put into this free software so that it is read for you. The goal when reading is to focus on historical detail especially around the medieval way of life.

Your English writing portfolio should include these items to be considered a complete sampling of your writing:
**1. Medieval Character Write Up  Draft and Typed
2. Dragon Paragraph Typed
3. Viking Attack Paragraph Typed

Please note that I will not post this again. We will have computer lab time to work on this, but I recommend that if you are a slower typist, that you do the work at home to get it in for this Friday.

S.S.- We took some time to work on our map. This is not due. We will finish it in class on Tuesday.

This week, February 27th to March 3rd

Thank you to Cassidy for this Monday morning image.

Calendar Notes:

March 1st - EMCS Registration Forms are due. After this point, you will have to deal with the High School directly.

March 1st - YES 2 KNOW- Youth Empowerment Conference
A conference for Grade 8s will be held at Journey all day. The conference is being put on by the Journey Student Council (Yay Cassidy for writing a successful grant proposal to fund this event!)

March 6th is the last day for term 2 assignments to come in for grading. My verification forms are due on the 7th and I don't get extensions.

Academic Notes:

Math: We are doing a unit on proportional thinking using percent, ratios and rates.

English: We are finishing the novel, The Midwife's Apprentice, which we have been reading to look into the historical fiction genre. Our writing focus has been improving word choices and sentence fluency to build good paragraphs.

S.S.:  We will begin our inquiry project this week and continue to do some mapping activities around the Game of Fief.

Today's word is: kindness

Wednesday, February 22nd

IMPORTANT DATES:

Open House at EMCS tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.

Course Selection Forms need to be in by March 1st for EMCS. After that date, you have to deal with the school directly and risk not getting your electives of choice.

ASSIGNMENTS:

At  present all assignments are in class in Math, S.S. and English. Homework is for students who weren't present or weren't productive in class. I have concerns about the latter.

Monday, February 20th

Calendar Notes:

Wednesday - EMCS Counsellor, Al Phipps, will be visiting to show you through the Career Cruising program. He will want to know who is intending on going to another High School so that they can plan accordingly.

Thursday - The auto dialer has sent out an email about EMCS' Open House. I really recommend that parents attend the open house if they have any reservations about the school. You will be impressed at what they are up to up there.

The stomach flu is going through our class.

Academic Notes:

S.S. Div 4: We ran a social experiment exploring government or human management systems. It was frustrating and illuminating.

Math: Div 4 wrote their Fractions Unit Final which I just finished marking. Many of you achieved a perfect score which is quite an accomplishment. Many have shown real improvement over the course of the unit which is what we love to see. I will have both your tests and posters back to you tomorrow.

S.S. Div 3: Mapping the Land of Fiefs...exploring scale with a mapping challenge. This is an in class assignment. You will have next block to finish it.

English Div 5: We power read The Midwife's Apprentice taking note of historical detail and the author's use of language.

This week, February 20th to 23rd

Thanks to Emily for this cute meme.

This week is a short one, but there is a lot going on:

Math: The fractions final is on Monday, first block. It is a short assessment. If you can multiply fractions by whole numbers, fractions and mixed numbers as well as divide fractions by whole numbers, fractions and mixed numbers, you are ready. Make sure to have your "How to" Fractions poster done for the test because it is due and will get you credit toward your grade. This week we start a new unit on proportional thinking (percent/ratio/rate)

S.S.: We will be practicing medieval diplomacy this week. You will be mapping the land, dividing into fair parcels and competing for the best one. You will also be assigned an inquiry project on Wednesday that will revolve around your role in the Game of Fief.

English: We will continue to read  and analyze The Midwife's Apprentice, an example of historical fiction.

Here's to a great week.

Today's word is: test

February 15th

Academic Notes;

Math: Students completed a set of practice questions to review multiplying fractions and mixed numbers. The final has been moved to Monday to accommodate Carnaval at Journey.

English: Div 4 went to the library to complete published copies of their descriptive character paragraphs and to exchange books.

English: Div 5 went to the computer lab to complete published copies of their descriptive character paragraphs and to exchange books. We also reviewed verbs and did some exercises around that part of speech.

S.S. Div 3: You reviewed systems of government through a STEM social experiment. You were asked to submit feedback in class for a participation mark of 5.

Today's word: verbs

February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day

Math: Thank you to Mr Nagy who gave a review lesson on how to multiply fractions, if one of the terms is a mixed number. He did a bang up job. Tomorrow we will do a review lesson on how to divide fractions, if one of the fractions is a mixed number. Again, if any of you are having difficulty with this or any of the other concepts being taught. Please come in during lunch, before or after school for some 1:1 support.

English: Both Division 4 and 5 were given a parts of speech review lesson on verbs. The idea is that you will use "vivid verbs" and choose better words to describe actions in your writing. The lesson can be found on the English course link.

Computers: Division 4 had time to type the neat copy of their "Medieval Character" descriptive paragraphs. Most finished the task, but some need more time. I may be able to provide that tomorrow.

I love my class and so does my daughter who was visiting from UVic; she says you were, "a lovely bunch of kids". She is delighted to have been mistaken for a TOC as she is only 4 years older than you!

Today's word is: "lovely"

This week, February 14th to 17th

Hope you all enjoyed time with your families.

This week:

Math: Fractions Unit concludes on Friday with an evaluation otherwise known as a test. You are to complete a "How to Work with Fractions" poster to use in the test and to submit for a mark that same day. We will be doing review and practice this week leading up to the test.

S.S.: We will be dividing up the land into 5 fair chunks. We will be doing this using a technique called a Fish Bowl discussion. To divide land up fairly, we will need to consider what geographical features make land "valuable"; to do this, we will have to consider our needs as Medieval people.

English: We will continue reading The Midwife's Apprentice. Division 4 will get one computer block to publish their descriptive paragraphs on their Medieval character. We will be working with vibrant verbs this week to animate those characters.

Here's to a great week!
Today's word is... family.

February 9th, not quite a snow day, eh?

So before the mass exodus....

Math: You worked on a fractions poster that summarizes the 4 operations with fractions. We did a general review of addition, subtraction and multiplication. Tomorrow, we will review division. This poster will be due the day of the Final Exam which is on Friday, February 17th. You will be able to use the poster as a prompt.

English: You read chapter 2 of The Midwife's Apprentice. We got to know Karen Cushman through an author's interview.

And then half of you rushed out of here fearing for your lives ;-) So, my teaching day finished and my day of supervising began.

Hey, A SNOW DAY! February 7th

Hopefully, you checked the news and did not crawl your way to school today. Schools are closed because of unsafe driving conditions and slippery school grounds. Please get off of your devices and enjoy this rare event.

To adjust for this day, the Math Unit Final will now be on February 17th, so that all the topics can be covered and reviewed before the test date.

ENJOY THE DAY.

February 6, Snow Day, No Way!

So today was business as usual.
Stay tuned to the news, Sooke District's Superintendent, Jim Cambridge, will notify the press if it is a "snow day". Otherwise, I will be running classes tomorrow

Math: We conducted a general review and we started a fractions poster for use during the exam. If you weren't here go to the Math link and find this project at the bottom of the page dedicated to multiplying and dividing mixed numbers.

S.S.: We reviewed how to look critically at an Anglo Saxon map and to analyze what knowledge the Anglo Saxons had and didn't have about mapping. Through looking at what they didn't know, we highlight what we know and use at the moment. Technology will change that.

English Div 5: You were given one block to type your paragraph. Most of you finished your paragraph by the time the day was done.

Today's word is: blizzard.

This week, February 6th to 11th

On Friday, students will be given an interim report to take home.

This report:

1. is informal (it doesn't go into the student files);

2. is to inform students on their progress to date in Math, English and S.S.;

3. provides a letter grade which is subject to change based on their performance for the remainder of the term.

As a step towards becoming independent learners, students are also running through self assessments. Recognizing strengths and accomplishment is important, but so is identifying weaknesses and areas for growth.

On the horizon in my subject areas:

Math: There is a Fractions unit exam on February 15th. 

English: Students will get one computer block to type the neat copy of their medieval character description. Brainstorming, drafting, proofreading and editing was to be done in class. However, if students need more than one hour to type a page, they can do the work at home.

S.S.: We will be doing map work at school. There won't be any homework unless students miss the class; they are expected to make classes up, if they do.

Today's word is: assessment

Thursday and Friday, February 2nd and 3rd

English Div 4 and 5: We read The Midwife's Apprentice. The question you were focusing on while reading was "how does the author use good word choices and sentence structure to enhance her writing?" This so that you can do the same with your writing.

S.S. Div 4: You went through a mapping review. The focus was mapping concepts like scale, mapping projections, direction, bias in mapping and grid systems. The lessons can be found under S.S. Unit 4, if you were missing.

Math Div 4: We continued to explore how to represent dividing fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by fractions visually. Many of you began to see the algorithm. On Friday, we took notes on that algorithm. Next week will be dedicated to division practice followed by an overall unit review.

There is no homework for the weekend, but I recommend a general review of math concepts for the final fractions exam which is on Wednesday, February 15th (Topics covered so far include: comparing fractions using a number line, modelling and carrying out operations with fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, multiplying whole numbers and fractions, fractions and fractions, dividing whole numbers and fractions, fractions and whole numbers. Future topics include: dividing fractions by fractions, multiplying and dividing mixed numbers, order of operations with fractions and word problems with fractions).

February 1st

Academic Notes:

English Div 4: You wrote the beginning of a paragraph describing a dragon with particular attention paid to adjectives and strings of adjectives to improve word choice. No H.W. in class only.

English Div 5: You read the first chapter of a historical novel set in Medieval times, The Midwife's Apprentice. The novel is intended as a study of the genre. However, we will be looking at how the author employs the six traits of good writing.
You were given 30 minutes to write a paragraph describing a dragon with particular attention paid to adjectives and strings of adjectives to improve word choice. No H.W. in class only.

Math Div 4: We finished the lessons on dividing fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by fractions. We will do a practice set in class tomorrow to develop that skill. Again, I recommend downloading Khan Academy's free app for further practice or explore their site online which is also free. If you do not have internet, I have a low tech option for further practice. The Math Unit Exam is on February 15th. We have a lot to cover before that date.

S.S. Div 3: We did a cartography review specifically scale and grid systems. You can find the lesson on the S.S. wiki under Unit 4.

Today's word is ...dragon