Monday 29 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 29th


Inquiry Learning during math class.

We started out our week with a school wide assembly in the gym this morning.  After prayer and announcements, Ms. Grad and Ms. Norris asked the senior students to stick around for a quick meeting.  A couple of reminders from this meeting: We need some Grade 7 helpers for Grade 8 Farewell, Ensure you are following the dress code we have here at Deshaye (No muscle shirts, spaghetti strap tops). 
Once we got back to the class it was time for ELA (we decided to postpone AR until the afternoon) and we continued our Environmental unit by looking at Wind Power.  Students were split up into groups of 4 and each group was responsible for reading a few pages from the book, Generating Wind Power.  While reading their assigned pages, students are also responsible for taking notes on the key ideas from their section because tomorrow students will teach the rest of the class about the section they read. 

In Grade 8 Math we continued our unit on Volume by looking at a few different kinds of Problem Solving questions involving finding the Volume of a Rectangular Prisms, Triangular Prisms and Cylinders.  During the last half of class we did some Inquiry Based Learning and the students were split up into groups of 4 or 5 and were each given a different type of problem to tackle together.  At the end of tomorrows class each group will get the chance to teach the rest of the class about their problem.  Here's a few more pictures from our Inquiry Learning today:



After lunch we made up our missed AR time from 12:45 - 1:15.  AR update: We are now up to 7.8 AR Points Per Student! With only 4.2 Points to go and with so many students nearing the end of their books, I have no doubt we will achieve our goal by Wednesday! At 1:15 the students had Career Guidance with Mr. McCulloch before moving on to Social Studies at 2:30.  In Social Studies students got back into their Colonization Simulation groups and spent the hour working on the Treaty Negotiations for next class.  I'm really impressed with how well the students are doing with this and how serious they are taking it.  There are definitely some really creative demands and I can't wait to see how it all comes together when we have the negotiations next class. 

*Unfortunately I will be away all day at training session so there will not be a blog post tomorrow.  (I know the students are really broken up about this...)

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
7.3 is due on Tuesday

French
Food Picture Dictionary is overdue

Overdue Assignments:
1) Environmental Mural
2) French Picture Dictionary
3) Grade 8 7.2 handout
Reminders:
-Track Mini Meet on Friday (weather permitting)

Friday 26 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 26th


AR update: After our AR period first thing this morning the students are now up to 7.2 AR points per student.  That means we have less than 5 Points to go to reach our goal next week.  With so many students near the end of their books, I have no doubts that we will achieve it so we can have our movie afternoon! Instead of ELA today we had Social Studies from 9:30 - 10:30 and the students spent the hour preparing for the Treaty negotiations next week.  Each group was given a list of areas for negotiation and each had to assign a different member to be a "specialist" for that area when the negotiations begin.  Groups also had to examine their lists of minimal demands and work on creating a list of maximum demands for next week. 
In Grade 8 math the students were given the entire hour to work on their 7.3 assignment from yesterdays class.  * Remember: 7.2 is due on Monday and 7.3 is due on Tuesday. 

After lunch we had a quick French class from 12:45 - 1:10 and the students were given the period to work on completing their French Picture Dictionaries.  *Don't forget these assignments are due on Monday.  After French we boarded the bus and headed to the Imax to check out the movie, "Flying Monsters".  I've attached a link to the title if you would like to get an idea of what we saw today!


Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
7.2 is due on Monday
7.3 is due on Tuesday

 French
Food Picture Dictionary due Friday, April 26th. Now due Monday



Overdue Assignments:
1) Environmental Mural
Reminders:
-Track Mini Meet on Friday (weather permitting)

What We Learned Today...April 25th

The intense penny search!

This morning we began our day with our usual AR period and I made sure I calculated our class points first thing.  I am happy to say that we are over half way to our goal of 12 Points as we are now at 6.7 AR Points Per Student after two and a half weeks.  Those numbers are great and I am confident that we will reach our goal by the end of the month!
In ELA we looked a sample of coal and a spin wheel and discussed the engery implications of each when examing renewable and non-renewable resources.  Students then got into pairs and became "Coal Miners" and were tasked with searching the classroom for coal deposits in the form of 250 pennies.  Every 30 seconds students had to stop mining and head back to their desks to dump all the "coal" they found during that round.  Students did this four times and then headed back to their desks and were asked to count and document the amount of "coal" they found during each round.  Using this data they created graphs to help them answer their response questions.  At the end of class students made connections between their experience during this activity (finding it harder to find pennies after each round) and the reality of non-renewable resources today.  In Grade 8 math we moved on to the next concept of Unit 7, "Volume of a Cyinder".  *Handout 7.2 is due on Monday, April 29th.

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and continued to work on their Radio Play assignments. From 1:15 - 1:50 we had French and the students continued to work on their Picture Dictionary Assignments. *Being the gracious teacher that I am, I have decided to give the students until Monday to hand their assignment in.  At 1:50 we had Religion and continued to look at the Post-Resurrection stories from The Bible highlighting the different encounters people had with Jesus after his Ressurection. We will continue this next class as begin to look the theme of Hope and the impact it has on our Faith as Catholics.  During the last hour of the day the students had Ms. Norris again for Phys. Ed and spent the period working on different track jumping events. 

Here's some more pictures from our Coal Mining today:





Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
7.2 is due on Monday

French
Food Picture Dictionary due Friday, April 26th. Now due Monday

ELA
Environmental Mural is due Wednesday, April 24th (end of day) Now due Friday!

Overdue Assignments:
1) Quinn's story reflection
2) Cinquain Poem
Reminders:
-We are going to the Imax on Friday at 1:15

Tuesday 23 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 23rd

The Plains asking the British if they will negotiate with them.

This morning we had our usual AR period from 9:00 to 9:30 before moving on to ELA.  AR update: We are now up to 5.8 AR Points Per Student with exactly one week left in the Month of April.  I think we can definitely meet our goal of 12 Points if all students continue to do their part and read!
In ELA the students continued to work on their Environmental Issue Murals.  Due to the fact that the students worked incredibly well today I have decided to extend the due date for this assignment to Friday.  So the Mural Assignment will no longer be due tomorrow (cue the applause!).

In Grade 8 Math we continued our Unit on Calculating Volume by learning how the find the Volume of a Right Triangular Prism.  Students seemed to catch on quite quickly to this concept so they began working on Handout 7.2 for the second half of class.

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and continued to work in groups on the Radio Play they have been assigned. At 1:15 Mr. Csada came by to teach Science and the students continued to look cells and also got pumped up for our Imax trip on Friday.
During the last hour of the day we had Social Studies and before they split up into their Colonization Simulation Groups, we had another Buffalo hunt here in the classroom.  Unfortunately times are getting even tougher for the groups as the Buffalo are becoming harder and harder to come by (due to over hunting) and only the British and the Plains were able to find one today.  We have now moved on to the part of our Simulation where the groups have began learning about Treaties and negotiations and groups spent the rest of class focusing on specific Treaties they could sign with the other groups.  I'm really excited for the next class as both the European and First Nations groups will be negotiating Treaties for the duration of our next class.


Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
7.1 is due on Tomorrow

French
Food Picture Dictionary due Friday, April 26th.

ELA
Environmental Mural is due Wednesday, April 24th (end of day) Now due Friday!

Overdue Assignments:
1) Quinn's story reflection
2) Cinquain Poem
Reminders:
-We are going to the Imax on Friday at 1:15

Monday 22 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 22nd

RIP Smart Board! We will miss you...

This morning we headed straight down to the gym after the bell for a quick school wide assembly led by Mr. McCulloch.  (Ms. Grad and Ms. Norris were away today)  Once we got back to class the students grabbed their Ecological Murals and went straight to work in the Multipurpose Room to work because there was a bit of work being done to our class.  *Reminder: these projects will be due at the end of the day on Wednesday!
Due to the work going on in the senior classes, our Math class needed to move spaces for the hour which meant we were unable to do the planned lesson for today.  Instead students were given the option to write a re-test for the Unit 6 Exam or work on their 7.1 handouts from last week. 

After lunch we had French and the students continued to work on their Food Picture Dictionary assignments.  As we are nearing the final classes for this project, I'm starting to see some really incredible assignments come together.  I can't wait to see all of the finished products at the end of the week.  (Don't forget these assignments are due on Friday).  At 1:15 the students had Career Guidance and continued to work on thier Pink Slip assignments from last class.  Finally, during the last hour of the day we had an extra Math class and students were given their new usernames and passwords for IXL.  (We recently purchased over 150 student accounts so our class will have access to the website for the rest of the year, and grade 7's will have access to theirs next year as well)

Due Dates & Homework:Math:
Grade 8
 7.1 is due on Wednesday

 French
Food Picture Dictionary due Friday, April 26th.

ELA
Environmental Mural is due Wednesday, April 24th (end of day)

Overdue Assignments:
1) Quinn's story reflection
2) Cinquain Poem
Reminders:
-If you have not returned your Track and Field permission forms, please get them signed and handed in by Monday.

Friday 19 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 19th

Getting the gym ready for the Family Dance tonight!
AR Update: Our class is now up to 4.5 AR Points Per Student after 2 weeks!  With so many students deep into the books they are presently reading, I have no doubts we will reach our goal of 12 Points by April 30th!
At 9:30 the students had ELA and they continued to work in their groups on their Environmental Issues Murals.  Rememinder: These assignments will be due next Wednesday, April 24th.  In Grade 8 Math we went over the Unit Tests from last week as a class before moving on to the assignment for 7.1.  We also discussed today that if students would like a chance to re-write their Unit 6 test, they can do so during the Lunch hour on Monday. 

After Lunch the students had French and continued to work on their Food Picture Dictionary Assignments.  As a mentioned yesterday, these assignments will be due next Friday, April 26th. 
At 1:15 the students had Science with Mr. Csada and wrote their quiz on the Parts of the Microscope. 
During the last hour of the day the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and were split up into groups to begin practicing a radio play.  I believe for this assignment, each group has been assigned a different script and each group will get the opportunity to record them on the iPads and create an actual Radio Play. 

*Remember if you are performing a dance tonight, meet at the school at 6:30.

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
Remember if you would like to re-write your Unit 6 Exam, it will be on Monday, April 22nd.
French
Food Picture Dictionary due Friday, April 26th.

ELA
Environmental Mural is due Wednesday, April 24th

Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
Reminders:
-If you have not returned your Track and Field permission forms, please get them signed and handed in by Monday.
 

Thursday 18 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 18th



We started out our morning with a brief AR period before moving on ELA.  Due to our Easter Mass beginning at 10:30, students boarded the buses at 10:00 in order to make it to the Church on time.  This meant that instead of our usual hour long ELA class, the students had a half hour period instead. With this in mind, I have decided to give the students a little more time to work on their Environmental Mural Assignment and will set a tentative due date for next Wednesday, April 24th. 

From 10:30 to 11:30 we went to Christ the King for a wonderful mass that was planned by Ms. Kondzielewski and the Student Liturgy Team.  A special thank you to everyone who was involved in the Mass as it was absolutely wonderful!

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and they quickly rehearsed their Tableau's before they presented them to the rest of the class.  At 1:15 we had French and continued to work on the Food Picture Dictionary Assignment.  Note: This assignment will be due next Friday, April 26th.
During the last hour of the day the students had Phys. Ed with Ms. Norris and spent some time learning about the skeletal system in the classroom before heading to the gym to play a game of the students choosing. 

Grade 8's: Please remember to email me the picture you would like on your Farewell star tonight

Due Dates & Homework:

Math:
Grade 8
 Remember if you would like to re-write your Unit 6 Exam, it will be on Monday, April 22nd.
 
Science:
Quiz is tomorrow

Overdue Assignments:

1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
 
Reminders:
-Please get the Track and Field permission forms signed and handed back in by tomorrow.
 
-Grade 8's don't forget to email me the picture you would like on your star for Farewell tonight!

Wednesday 17 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 17th

One of the Murals in progress!
This morning we started out our day with Accelerated Reading time from 9:00-9:30.  We are now up to 3.6 Points Per Student, only 8.4 more points to go!!  From 9:30 - 10:30 we had Religion and watched the short news clip, Quinn's List, which is about a family that created a bucket list for their terminially ill infant.  This video tied in perfectly to our discussions last class about Loss and Death as well as Hope and the Ressurection.  Students were also tasked with identifying how they saw God present in Quinn's story. 
At 10:45 the students had Phys. Ed with Ms. Norris and they worked on a few skeletal system handouts before heading to the gym to play a quick game of dodgeball. 

After lunch the students had French and continued to work on their Food Picture Dictionaries during French.  These projects are coming along very nicely and I'm very excited to see the final projects!
At 1:15 the students had Career Guidance and they spent the hour working on their Resumes.
During the last hour of the day students had ELA and continued to work on their Environments Issues Murals. 

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
Handout 6.6 is over due
Grade 7:
McCulloch -
Weber -

Science:
Quiz is on Friday.

Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
Reminders:
-Students, make sure to check Edmodo over the weekend and log into the e-text book. If you cannot get into edmodo or your e-text, please send me an email and I will send you your username and password again. My email is m.j.bresciani@rcsd.ca
-Grade 8's don't forget to email me the picture you would like on your star for Farewell.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 16th

The scene during our debate today!
AR update: We are now up to 2.8 AR Points Per Student after only a little of over week of school. If the students keep up their great reading habits each day at school as well as at home, I have no doubt we will reach our goal by April 30th!  In ELA the students continued to work on their Environmental Mural Assignment.  Most groups have now finished their research and have moved on to actually designing and painting their Murals.  I will provide the students with a due date for this assignment during tomorrow's class. 
In Grade 8 Math we began our new unit, "Understanding and Calculating Volume".  During today's lesson the students learned what exactly "Volume" is and how they could calculate it for various Prisms. 
Below is a video that highlights what we covered in today's lesson:


After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and began to work on the vocal portion of their Drama Unit.  I believe students will be working on Radio Plays over the next couple of weeks in Arts. Ed and I will be sure to post their final projects here on the Blog once they are completed!
At 1:15 the students had Science with Mr. Csada and they continued to look at Cells and even got a sneek peak at the IMax movie we will be seeing next week.  *Students, don't forget you have your Science Quiz on Friday!
During the last hour of the day the students got into their Colonization Simulation groups for Social Studies and we had a debate about the treatment of the First Nations groups at the hands of the Europeans.  The primary focus of the debate was whether or not the First Nations groups should be allowed to hold Pow wows anymore.  The Europeans felt that the First Nations groups should stop and conform to European ways, while the First Nations groups argued that Pow wows are an important part of their Culture and no one should be able to take that away from them. Things are changing very fast in our unit as we continue to move ahead in time and students will be starting the final stage of this unit during our next class.

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
Handout 6.6 is due on Wednesday, April 17th
Grade 7:
McCulloch -
Weber -

Science:
Quiz is on Friday.

Health - Interviews are due tomorrow
Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
Reminders:
-Students, make sure to check Edmodo over the weekend and log into the e-text book. If you cannot get into edmodo or your e-text, please send me an email and I will send you your username and password again. My email is m.j.bresciani@rcsd.ca
-Grade 8's don't forget to email me the picture you would like on your star for Farewell.

Monday 15 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 15th

Post-Buffalo Hunt, some happy and some not so much
We started our morning out with a quick school wide assembly in the gym before returning back to the class for AR.  In ELA the students continued to work on their Environmental Mural Assignments.  Most groups are still working on the research phase of the assignment, but some groups have actually begun to construct their Murals and they look awesome! I'm really excited to see everyones finished product next week!
In Grade 8 Math most students continued to write their Unit 6 Test that they started on Friday.  Once students finished they were given time to finish up Handout 6.6 or any other homework they had. 

After lunch we had French and students were given the half hour to work on their Food Picture Dictionary, which is their mid-unit assignment.  Students are really working hard on this assignment and I will assign a due date on Thursday.  The date will just depend on how much progress is made over the next two classes.  At 1:15 the students had Career Guidance with Mr. McCulloch. Just a reminder that the Interview assignment is due this Wednesday!
During the last hour of the day we had Social Studies and the students got into their Colonization Simulation Groups.  As we approach Stage 4 of the unit, groups are starting to notice there is a shortage of Buffalo (the British and French learned this lesson the hard way today) as well as quite a bit of animosity between the European groups and the First Nation groups.   Tomorrow we will have a debate to discuss the way that the First Nations groups are being treated at this point in our Simulation.

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
Handout 6.6 is due on Wednesday, April 17th
Grade 7:
McCulloch -
Weber -

Science:
Quiz is on Friday.
Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
Reminders:
-Students, make sure to check Edmodo over the weekend and log into the e-text book. If you cannot get into edmodo or your e-text, please send me an email and I will send you your username and password again. My email is m.j.bresciani@rcsd.ca
 
-Grade 8's don't forget to email me the picture you would like on your star for Farewell. 

Friday 12 April 2013

What We learned Today....April 12th

All decked out for Beach Day!
This morning we had our usual AR period from 9:00 - 9:30 before moving on to ELA.  In ELA, we quickly reviewed the key points about Green Energy and Sustainability that we learned from the past two videos.  Students then got into groups of 5 or 6 and began to work on their new assignment: Environmental Issues Murals.  For this assignment students will need to select an issue that is facing our environment today, and using only images, create a mural that depicts the issue. 
In Grade 8 Math students were incredibly excited (not really) to write their Unit 6 Math Test. We will be starting Unit 7 on Monday which deals with Surface Area and Volume.

After lunch the students had French and they continued to work on their Food Picture Dictionary assignments. I have not determined an exact due date for this assignment but I will post it next week based off how much time we have for French. 
At 1:15 the students had Science with Mr. Csada and began working on their second Cell Lab. I've been informed that this assignment will be due next Friday, April 19th.   During the last hour of the day the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and continued to practice and even preform their Fairy Tale Tableaus with Ms. Norris.

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
Handout 6.6 is due on Tuesday, April 16th
Grade 7:
McCulloch -

Weber -

Science:
Quiz next week...Tuesday I believe

Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
Reminders:
-Students, make sure to check Edmodo over the weekend and log into the e-text book.  If you cannot get into edmodo or your e-text, please send me an email and I will send you your username and password again.  My email is m.j.bresciani@rcsd.ca

Thursday 11 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 11th

The Taste of Victory!!....Which happened to taste like Dominos
Daily AR update: We are up to 2.1 AR Points Per Student after only 4 days of school, which is an excellent start to our month!  After AR we had ELA and the students watched another short video entitled, "Green Energy".  While viewing the video, students were once again tasked with taking jot notes down for the Big Ideas.  Once we finished the video, we had a lengthy class discussion about what exactly "Green Energy" means as well as what our future might look like with or without the use of Green Energy. 

In Grade 8 Math, we went over what types of questions will be on their unit test tomorrow.  Students also had the opportunity to review all material from Unit 6 as well as ask any questions of concepts they were unsure of. 

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Norris and they worked on their Tableau projects.
In French we looked at the eating habits of our families through learning various questions and responses.  Students were also given their Mid Unit Assignment, which is to design a French Food Picture Dictionary.  We will be working on this assignment for the next few classes and I will post a due date sometime next week. 

During the last hour of the day the students had Phys. Ed with Ms. Norris and they worked on a few assignments regarding the skeletal system before heading to the gym.  While I'm talking about physical activity, I would like to mention that over the next week or so Ms. Norris and I will be spending recesses learning a traditional Filipino Dance, Tinikling.  I would encourage all students to come and join us as we learn this dance.  It is a good way to stay active and stay out of the cold as well as learn more about another culture.   So please feel free to join Ms. Norris and I at each of the recesses tomorrow!

*Note: Students were given Usernames and Passwords to access our new Social Studies e-textbook today.  In order to access it from a home computer they will have to go to:
http://www.pearsonetext.com/secure       or download the free app in the Apple App Store (iPad only)

Here are some more pictures from our Pizza Party:



The Aftermath!
Full Stomachs.













Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Grade 8
Handout 6.6 is due on Tuesday, April 16th
Grade 7:

McCulloch -

Weber -
Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Written Rant
 
Reminders:
-Grade 8 Unit 6 Test is tomorow
-Tomorrow is Beach day so be sure to wear your summer gear and maybe we can give winter the boot altogether!

Wednesday 10 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 10th

The Plains Tribe performing a dance for the British.
We started off our day with our usual AR period from 9:00 -9:30.  Currently our class is at 2 AR Points Per Students and with a goal of 12 AR Points we are well on our way.  At 9:30 we had ELA and students finished viewing the video, "Environmental Science for Students" followed by a class discussion about what the students took out it.  We had quite a lengthy discussion about Sustainability and Deforestation as well as possible benefits of living in an Urban community versus living in Rural one. 

After lunch we had Religion and continued to discuss "Loss" and "Death" and what we as Catholics believe happens after death.  Students then broke into groups and each read a different Post-Resurrection Story from the bible highlighting the different encounters people had with Jesus after his Ressurection.  After Religion the students had Career Guidance with Mr. McCulloch and students worked on a Gender Stereotype in the Workplace assignment as well handed in their Vacation assignments. 

A gift the British recieved today.
During the last hour of the day the students got back into their Colonization Simulation groups and had the first post-war meeting with their new group members.  We are starting to near the end of the unit as we are already into the early 1800's and will be into the 1900's by next week. 

*Students, if you haven't already written the Social Quiz on Edmodo, please make sure you complete it tonight.

Due Dates & Homework:
 
Math:
Grade 8
Pg. 234-235 - Due Tomorrow, April 11th
a) 4, 5, 6, 11
b) 4-6, 9-13
c) 4-6, 9-17
Handout 6.5 is also due on Thursday
 
Grade 7:

McCulloch - 9.1 Explore Integer Addition

Weber - Chapter 7 Exam tomorrow.

Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Science Cell Drawings (The first one)

Reminders:
-Tomorrow is our Battle of the Classes Pizza Party!
-Grade 8 Unit 6 Test on Friday, April 12th.
-Friday is Beach day so be sure to wear your summer gear and maybe we can give winter the boot altogether!

Tuesday 9 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 9th

Don't forget to wear your pink tomorrow!

We started out our morning with our first post-Battle of the Classes AR period.  I informed the students that if as class we can maintain an average of 12 AR Points Per Student this month, I will reward them with a movie afternoon at the end of the month.  This means that once again students will each have to do their part to help our class reach this goal!

In ELA we continued to read the story Rumpelstiltskin, and students were tasked with identifying the Conflict, Cause and the Resolution they saw within the story.  After we completed this task, students began to view the video "Environmental Science for Students".  This video focuses on some of the environmental issues facing our world today.  It also highlights the ideas of Sustainability as well as Renewable and Non-Renewable resources.  While watching the video students were tasked with taking notes that would help them better understand it when we discuss the video as a class. 
In Grade 8 Math the students continued to work on Pg. 134-135 and also started to work on Handout 6.6 .  *Reminder we have our Math Unit 6 Test this Friday, April 12th. 

After Lunch we had Religion and to tie in with Easter, we began discussing the concepts of "Loss" and "Death" and will begin looking at "Hope" and "Resurrection" in tomorrow's class.  At 1:15 the students had Science with Mr. Csada.  *Reminder: There will be a science quiz next week!
During the last hour of the day we had French and spent the first part of class looking at different prounouns as well as basic questions regarding food.  We got quite a lot done today and the students will most likely be ready to start their mid-unit assignment in our next class.

*Students, if you haven't already written the Social Quiz on Edmodo, please make sure you complete it tonight.

Due Dates & Homework:
Math:
Pg. 234-235 - Due on Thursday, April 11th
a) 4, 5, 6, 11
b) 4-6, 9-13
c) 4-6, 9-17
Handout 6.5 is also due on Thursday
Health:
Vacation Assignment due Wednesday

Overdue Assignments:
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Science Cell Drawings (The first one)

Reminders:
-Tomorrow is Pink Day so remember to wear your Pink tomorrow!
-Thursday is our Battle of the Classes Pizza Party!
-Grade 8 Unit 6 Test on Friday, April 12th.
-Friday is Beach day so be sure to wear your summer gear and maybe we can give winter the boot altogether!

Monday 8 April 2013

What We Learned Today...April 8th

                                              This felt appropriate for today!

It felt a little weird writing "April" in the title, as it seems like only yesterday I was writing "September" in my posts! These past seven months have just flown by and I'm sure we'll be in June with the blink of an eye.  I guess it's true, time really does fly by when your having fun and I can honestly say that I've had an absolute blast with our class this year!

To start off our day we headed to the gym for a school-wide assembly.  Ms. Grad spoke with the students about the transition from the Lenten Season to the Easter Season and as a school changed the cloth on our Alter from Purple to White.  During this assembly Ms. Folk also came up to announce the winners for the Battle of the Classes competition from last month.  And the winner was.......(Drum Roll Please)..........with 18.4 AR Points Per Student.........The Bresciani Barbarians!!  I am so proud of each member of our class, each did their part to help us succeed in this competition.  Even more impressive is the fact that our initial goal was 10 Points and we almost managed to double that last month.  Well Done Everyone, I'm sure you will all enjoy your Pizza Party on Thursday.  You Deserve it!!

In ELA we continued to look at the different kinds of literary conflict as well as conflict resolution as well as the different Plot Components.  Students then were tasked with identifying specific Conflicts and Plot Components for a specific passage from The Lorax.  To end the class we began reading the fairy tale, "Rumpelstiltskin" and students will continue to look at this story tomorrow.  

In Grade 8 Math, we quickly reviewed our concept from last class, "Applying Fraction Operations".  Students then worked on an assignment from Page 234 of their textbook.  (Full assignment is posted below).  *Reminder: We have our Unit 6 Math test this Friday, April 12th. 

After Lunch we had French and continued our food Unit by learning a few more "ER" Verbs (Manger, Preparer, Preferer, Aimer) as well as one Irregular Verb (Prendre).  Students also reviewed how to conjugate each of the "ER" verbs and learned how to conjugate the verb "Prendre".
At 1:15 the students had Career Guidance with Mr. McCulloch and he has made their Vacation Assignment due on Wednesday, April 10th. 

During the last hour of the day we had Social Studies and debriefed what happened during our War from last class.  We also went through a Power Point that highlighted King Philip's War, which was an actual war that happened during the time of Colonization.  *Remember to take the quiz on Edmodo tonight! Group code is: oor7ny

Due Dates & Homework:

Math:
Pg. 234-235 - Due on Thursday, April 11th
a) 4, 5, 6, 11
b) 4-6, 9-13
c) 4-6, 9-17

Health:
Vacation Assignment due Wednesday

Overdue Assignments: 
1) Lenten Booklet Plan & Service****
2) Cinquain Poems
3) Science Cell Drawings (The first one)

Reminders:
-Please Bring Ms. Grad an updated Note of Permission for going out for Lunch.  
-Grade 8 Unit 6 Test on Friday, April 12th