November 28th

Today's course summaries:

English Div 5: You watched the screen version of Harrison Bergeron and then compared it with Kurt Vonnegut's text version.

Math Div 4: You Tessellated organic shapes as inspired by Escher

English Div 4: You did a reader's theatre for Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and then discussed the Dystopic qualities of this short story.

S.S.: You were given a work block to complete your research and to start organizing your notes. Some of you are beginning to work on the expressive part of this inquiry otherwise known as "the project". Past Due: Viking Research and Notes


Today's word is: equality

November 27th

NOTICE: All OUTSTANDING assignments need to be submitted by this Friday, December 1st for marking to make it in for the first term. (See the lists on the "To do" board to see if you have work outstanding)

Course summaries:

Math: You were introduced to Tessellations and created a few of your own using standard, geometric shapes.

S.S. Div 3 and 4: You were given a research block and asked to submit your research for marking. If you completed your notes and had them marked, you were given the next step to this Inquiry: Construct and Make Meaning. Essentially, you are now organizing your information or facts into groups under subtitles of your own design.

English Div 5: You conducted a readers' theatre and read

English Div 4: You listened to "All the Summer in One Day" by Ray Bradbury and discussed it. Then, you determined whether it was dystopic based on the criteria chart.

Today's word: Forget

This week, November 27th to DECEMBER 1st

This is Ms Bertucci's last week and December 1st marks the realization of her 25 year dream to become a teacher. You helped make it happen.

Math: Ms Bertucci is serving up some fun with Tessellations this week to conclude her practicum in this subject.
Here is a lifelike Tessellation so you know what you have in store...


English: This is Ms Bertucci's last week of her teaching practicum and she will be continuing to explore Dystopian Fiction. You will be asked to write some of your own dystopic scenarios relating to our Mars Mission. These assignments are in class assignments so if you are absent, make sure to come in at lunch when you return to complete the work that you missed. There is a list on the "To Do" board of students who have outstanding work that needs to be submitted for credit.

S.S.: We will be finishing up the research end of our Viking Inquiry. You will hand in those Research Booklets for marking tomorrow and we will be looking at how to organize information into categories and subcategories. NOBODY should be working on the project beyond finding and organizing information. Stand back from the poster board people!

AND from Ms Abell's desk:

Science - Interactive notebooks were collected on Thursday before students left for their long weekend. I have evaluated the books that were handed in and made suggestions where I could to improve. The notebooks will be handed back tomorrow. We are graphing this week! We are looking at how to determine which graph is appropriate and how to construct line, bar and pie graphs (sequence in that order). Practice graphs will be given initially for practice, but then data will be given to create graphs that will be evaluated. Please check blog for concrete due dates etc. http://workspacedemadamea.blogspot.ca/

FSL - students will be writing an -er verb quiz on Tuesday (they were given a crossword to help them review last week). We will also finish up reading the children's stories for an oral mark and by the end of the week we will be looking at new vocabulary concerning the family. 

Today's word is: Tessellation

Thursday, November 22nd

Course Summaries and Notices:

S.S. Div 3: You used the block to research and work on your project notes. You are finding out really interesting stuff about the Vikings. The research packages are due on November 27th.

English Div 4: You analyzed the Lottery and filled out a "Dystopia Check-List Chart". You listened to "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury. Check the To Do board to see if you are missing work; some of you are and don't seem to care.

English Div 5: You filled out a "Dystopia Check-List Chart" looking specifically at "The Lottery" and "The Pedestrian". You then listened to Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day".  Check the To Do board to see if you are missing work; some of you are and don't seem to care.




Have a Great Weekend.

Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov 21 and 22nd

Course Summaries and Notices:

English Div 4 and 5: Please look at the To Do Board to see if you are on missing assignments lists. This is your "to do". Many of you did not submit The Lottery response. You are continuing to explore dystopia by looking at its opposite, Utopia. You brainstormed what an ideal country would be like. Then, you read an African American folk tale describing a Utopia and inferred what the people who wrote it lived like to wish for such a world. After that, you revisited your own Utopia and wondered why you hoped for the items that you listed.

Math Div 4: You did a review on fractions and then wrote a quick assessment to see where you are at with that skill.

S.S. Div 3 and 4: You were given another RESEARCH block. A reminder that ONLY the research for the project is due on November 27. The reason behind this goes back to the first unit. How do you know what you know about your topic? Show me the evidence or your audience will not believe you. Once you prove to me that you know what you know, I will be teaching you how to organize information into subcategories. THEN, and only then, will I allow you to even start a project. We will decide on a reasonable due date as a class based on how much build/write/create time that you think you will need.

November 20th

Thank you Mr McKenzie for covering the class while Mrs Bertucci and I did training at the board office for an inquiry project that we want to do with you.

This is what we had planned for you:

Math: You were given a review of multiplying fractions and then a short assessment on that skill.

SS: Both divisions had investigation or research blocks. Div 3 your research booklet is due on Nov 22nd and Div 4 yours are due on Nov 27th.

English: You read The Lottery, a Dystopic short story, written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. You had questions to answer on this story. Did it remind you of a contemporary teen dystopia?


today's word is ...sacrifice

This week, November 20th to 23rd

Calendar Notes:

Early Dismissal Thursday, November 23rd at 11:58. The bus schedule has been adjusted accordingly.
Parent Teacher Interviews 1 to 7 Thursday, November 23rd (see the Journey Middle School Homepage for instructions)
Pro D Day, Friday, November 24th

Subject Notes:

S.S.: You will be given class time to research and complete notes on a topic of your choice addressing this question: How were the Vikings an advanced civilization? Div 3's last work block is November 22nd and Div 4's is November 27th. While you are encouraged to think about your ideas for your project, you are discouraged from starting until you have finished, submitted, and had your notes marked.

English: Mrs Bertucci is teaching a Dystopian Fiction Unit. You will be reading short stories and writing your own Dystopic stories as a part of this focus study.

Math: Mrs Bertucci is conducting a review of operations with fractions. You are being coached to think like a problem solver.

And from Mme Abell's desk:

This week in Science we will be looking at the exciting world of data organization :0)​ No homework is to be expected, but I will be collecting interactive notebooks again on Thursday before you leave for a long weekend.

In French we will be finishing off reading the children's books that were due last week. You will also be practicing for another -er verb test that will be on Tuesday, November 28.

(Several of you have not yet handed in their interim report cover pages with your feedback, please inquire with them :0/)

Here's to a short, but fabulous week.

Mrs Bridal and her band of merry teachers at Journey

For an instant prize tell me this saying from a very famous dystopic piece by George Orwell, 1984...

Wednesday and Thursday Nov. 15 and 16th

Course Summaries:

Math Div 3: You wrote a retest on adding fractions. Most of you did really well; the mistakes that you were making were mechanical. You were adding incorrectly, you didn't determine the lowest common denominator, or you didn't simply your answer. These are easy to fix, but they require time and an attention to detail.

English Div 4 and 5: You finished your notes on Dystopia. Div 5 started to present their Literary Bumper Stickers.

Social Studies Div 3: You have used 2/4 research blocks for your inquiry topic. You will be asked to submit that research for marking on November 22nd at the end of class. (DIV 4 Your first work block will take place tomorrow).


Today's word for an instant prize. Conform.

Tuesday November 14th

Class Summaries

English Div 4 and 5: You started a new unit on Dystopia today and tricky Mrs Bertucci had you believe that she had started one of these new world orders in the classroom. Teen Dystopian Fiction is one of the most popular genres out there and you are going to delve into it starting now.

Math Div 4: You wrote a review assessment. Mrs Bertucci was able to get a good feel on how well each student understands fractions, compares fractions, and operates with fractions. While some of you are very fluent with fractions, others need more time. So, we are going to provide an overall paced review.

S.S. Div 4: You were assigned the Social Studies Inquiry about Vikings. The link to the project can be found on the SS link under Unit 2. This is a Guided Inquiry and you are at the "INVESTIGATE" stage. You will be given 4 research blocks to research your own inquiry. Partners are allowed, but the usual caution applies: working in a partnership should not be an excuse for not finishing on time. If you anticipate that being a problem, don't work with a partner.


Today's word is UTOPIA for an instant prize  SEE ME before Recess to get it.

This week, November 14th to 17th

Calendar Notes:

Wednesday: Birth of the CPR Presentation 9 to 10

Friday is Litter Literacy (We will be cleaning up the grounds for all to enjoy)

Thursday, November 22nd is early dismissal (12) and PARENT/TEACHER interviews (1 to 7). Mrs Abell and I interview together so that we can report on all the academic subjects. Please go to the school website for updates on the registration start date and system.

Course Notes:

S.S.: The Viking Inquiry has been launched and you are sailing off into your research to find out more about a topic of interest. The question we are investigating in this inquiry is: How were the Vikings an advanced civilization? To date you should have a topic in mind. We will set a date for research completion this week.

Math: You will be writing a review quiz on Tuesday and then starting a unit comparing fractions, decimals, and percent. This is a part of the curriculum, but also incredibly important to understand for life.

English: You are going to begin a new unit this week. Your Literary Devices bumper stickers look great and will adorn the alcove for your parents to see.

Here's to a great week

Today's word is: bizarre

November 9th

Today's Summaries:

Math Div 4: Some of you used dice to construct random fractions to divide in a competition. Others chose to do the classic "worksheet", you solved a series of division questions involving predetermined fractions.

The Victoria Youth Orchestra came and performed. Here is a sample of what we saw:

Today's word is: orchestra

Nov. 8th

Today's Summaries:

English Div 4 and 5: You reviewed some more literary devices and were assigned a bumper sticker to work on in class. This is a graded assignment so if you were away, you are expected to catch up.

S.S. Div 3: You were assigned the beginning of an Inquiry. You have to come up with a topic that speaks to the question: How were the Vikings an advanced civilization? You will get a research block tomorrow. The research that you do is as important, if not more important, than the project work. How are you going to make your project credible (believable)?

Math Div 4: You were given a practice set converting mixed numbers to improper fractions. This is a foundation skill that you need to multiply mixed fractions. Again, many of your difficulties are based in slow math fact retrieval; you can speed this up or improve your fluency by practicing this daily. All you need is a deck of cards and 10 minutes a day...the rest is up to you.

Today's word is what type of literary device this is an example of.......

November 7th

Today's summaries:

English Div 5: The "Literary Devices" lesson was continued.

Math Div 4: You worked on multiplying mixed fractions. This required you to review how to convert a mixed fraction into an improper one. Some of you were challenged by this.

Remembrance Day: You were given the guide for the Legion's Remembrance Day Contest. Then, you were given some inspiration to write, draw, or create a remembrance day creation.

S.S. Div 4:  Viking boat building (or you continued to work on your creation)

Today's word is ...the word that describes what literary device the chef is using in the cartoon.

November 6th

Today's Summaries:

Math: You did some math fluency work with dice. Operations with fractions continue to be the focus.

S.S.: Mrs Bridal was teacher in charge today, so you were shown a documentary on the Vikings.

English Div 3 and 4: You were given a lesson on "Literary Devices" and a handout to complete listing the devices along with supporting examples.

Today's word is: ironic

This week, November 6th to 10th

Interims, informal reports that focus on work habits, are going home for the subjects that I teach on Monday.

Things are going well if you are in the always and most of the time columns. If you have a sometimes or never checked, this means that you have an area to focus on and improve.

If you have any questions about your interim, email or visit me and I can explain it to you.

Academic Notes:

English: This week you will be working on a Literary Device Activity and then beginning a Dystopian Unit with Mrs Bertucci, our student teacher.

Math: You will be multiplying fractions this week with Mrs Bertucci. Some of you need to practice your 2 to 12 times tables at home. How do you know if you need to do this? If you can't answer 7 x 9 without pausing and using your fingers, you need to do some drills using a deck of cards like we have done in class or go to a site like multiplication.com. We expect fluency in Grade 8 and you need to work on it to make that happen.

S.S.: You will be learning how to conduct an inquiry. We will be investigating a question around the Vikings. Part of inquiry is formulating the question and we will be reviewing how to do this as well as how to research to answer that question. Copy and paste is not research, it is plagiarism, and we will be discussing what this means.
 
Here's to a great week,
Mrs Bridal and Mrs Bertucci

Happy Weekend

Great fun swimming on Friday. Have a great weekend.

November 2nd

Today's summaries:

Math Div 4: You used manipulatives to visualize what you are doing when you multiply fractions. Many of us know the steps to multiply, but have no idea why we end up with the result that we compute.

S.S. Div 3: Like all engineers, today you learned from your longboat-building mistakes. Many a Viking sank to the bottom of our North Sea today (aka Mrs Bridal's kiddie pool). Back to the drawing board.

English Div 4 and 5: You edited and put together the final copy of your alternative ending for the Lord of the Flies.
The word is to be found under the...


sea.

Nov 1st

Yesterday's summaries:

English Div 4 and 5: You were given a lesson on peer reviewing. Then, you were given a sheet to complete while you edited and proofread a peer's work.

S.S. Div 3: You were given a block to complete your Viking Longship.

May Div 4: You multiplied fractions by whole numbers using manipulatives (fraction circles).

Today's word is under this cute gif:

November