Tuesday, Sept 19th

PHOTOS TOMORROW!

My courses today:

Div 5 English and Fire Drill: We didn't get much accomplished, but we did begin our look into word choice and character development using Golding's novel as one example.

Div 4 Math: We completed the definition sheet together. You will have a matching test on these terms this Friday.

Div  4 S.S.: You were shown two videos on the different types of historical evidence, primary and secondary source evidence. You were then given a list of historical evidence from our period and asked to sort it into primary, secondary or both. Next class we will determine the pros and cons of each. You will get a "Think About It!" Quiz this coming Tuesday on these sources, their pros and cons.

Today's word: Toonies (for Terry that is!)

This week, September 19th to 22nd

A busy week for us ahead.

Photo Day is this Wednesday the 20th. Don't forget your comb.

This Thursday is Fox Fest in the morning and the Terry Fox Run in the afternoon. You will be learning social responsibility and rallying for a cause. Certainly, cancer research and Terry's legacy is a good cause to start off with. You are encouraged to bring a Toony for Terry this week.

Also, this Thursday is Meet the Teacher Night. We will be in our classrooms from 6:30 - 7:15. All parents and teachers will be invited to come to the gym after 7:15.​​

Here is a brief summary of what I hope to achieve in my courses this week in the face of  Photo and Terry's Day:

Math: We will continue to work with improving fluency with basic facts and number sense. In preparation for learning Pythagorean Theorem, we will be taking a look at Area and Perimeter. Practice sets will be done in class. If students want to explore the topic further, I recommend Khan Academy's free site for lessons, practice sets and performance tracking. Emphasis on the free.

English: This week we will continue to read Lord of the Flies​ and we will be focusing on character development. Through this study, we will look at how Golding masterfully uses words like descriptive adjectives to bring his characters to life so to speak. We will be looking at adjective use and word order as a part of this focus. 

​Social Studies: We will be distinguishing between primary and secondary sources of historical information. Students will investigate the pros and cons of each type of information source. They will be assigned a project by the end of this week that entails looking into the primary and secondary sources of personal history. Some students have wanted privacy around this in the past and the assignment is very adaptable to accommodate for this, if need be. I want kids to have fun with it and learn something in the process.

And here is Mrs Abell's notes on the week for her courses. Check out her blog linked on the right hand side of this page for updates daily throughout the week:

French 

This week will involve students sharing previous experiences (if any, none is needed) with French as a Second Language. We will look at a course outline and make some decisions based on student interest. This week's focus will be on the comparison of English and French. Students will be surprised by how much they actually already know!

Science

We have been working on setting up an interactive Science notebook up until now. This week, we will focus on what it takes to be a scientist and what qualities are seen in each letter of the grading system that we currently use for assessment (A, B, C+, C, C- and I). Homework was given last week concerning the components of an interactive notebook (you may have noticed your child colour a grid of sorts). This is due on Wednesday if it is not already complete. I invite you to ask your child about what is involved in an interactive notebook. 

As always, if you have any questions about the week, please do not hesitate to email us. We believe that open communication is key to an effective learning community :-) Today's word is a name: Terry

Sept. 15th

A summary of my classes today:

Social Studies Div 4: You completed your historical evidence studies.

Art Div 4 and 5: We did a conch study and drawing. Some of you finished your mandalas.

We team built in the afternoon.

Sept. 14th

A summary of my classes:

Math Div 4: You were given time to work on your math definitions and examples in your groups. I will give you time to finish this up in class tomorrow, first thing.

S.S. Div 3: We viewed a video account by a holocaust survivor, an example of a primary source of information. Then, you viewed a video that went further into defining primary information and secondary information. You were given a handout th at listed types of historical evidence. Next class we will sort that evidence into primary and secondary. We will be looking at the pros and cons of each type of evidence.

English Div 5: We discussed the story elements in a Lord of the Flies so far. You listened and read to pg. 24 of the pdf and time mark 26:32 of the audio book. No homework. Don't read ahead this is a group experience across the Grade 8 class.

Neighbourhood lamp building challenge all afternoon.
Today's word is: lamp

September 13th

Tell your parents about the Firefighters' workshops today.

Here is a summary of my classes:

English Div 5: You were introduced to William Golding's Lord of the Flies, our Grade 8 Book Club Book. You read the pdf while the audio book was read. We got to page 14 of that pdf. Please do not read on as we are going to be focusing on the characters' transformation. I would like to experience this together as a class.

Math Div 4: You did some mental math work and we continued to look at patterns in Division that allow us to make rules for divisibility.

Today's word is: extinguisher
(No, do not try this at home!)

September 12th

Here's a summary of my classes:

Special Guest Darcy Abell of the Sooke Fire Department gave a presentation on fire extinguishers. As a consequence, I am buying a bigger one for my home and moving where I keep it to beside the exit.

Social Studies: You continued to analyze evidence from the past in groups.

Math: You defined multiplicative thinking and looked at patterns in your times tables and divisibility rules. No homework, but I recommend reviewing your times tables. There are an assortment of drill sites on line or you can use a deck of cards to select two numbers to multiply for review.

English: Lord of the Flies. You listened to 11:39 on the audio tape/ page 14/290 of the pdf. All grade 8s are reading this book; consider a Grade 8 Book Club Book.

No homework, but here is a secret word for our draw on Friday: conch

Sept. 11th, 2017

Today in my classes:

There is no homework, but envelopes need to be in and you need to have a binder organized with dividers and lined paper for my classes; many of you have not attended to these tasks so please do as soon as possible.

Div 4: We met the counsellor, Ms Campbell. She told you how to access her help and gave you the KidsHelpPhone.ca site and phone number (1 800 668 6868). We came up with an initial list of classroom jobs and their "real world" equivalents.

Div. 3 S.S.: You finished the group activity around assessing evidence from the past.

Div. 4 S.S.: You were introduced to the course and the term goals. You started the group activity around assessing evidence from the past.

Div. 4 Math: You did a mental math game.

Div. 5 English: You were given the term goals for your binder and a writer's checklist featuring the 6 traits of writing. You completed a writing sample to assess next class.

Div. 4 English: You were given the term goals for your binder and a writer's checklist featuring the 6 traits of writing. You completed a writing sample to assess next class.

Today's word is: Peculiar