Thursday 19 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 19th

Working with their little buddy!


This morning we kicked off our day with the usual AR period from 9:08 to 9:38.  Instead of ELA, we headed down to Ms. Sutherlands classroom to meet up with our little buddies.  Over the next hour we worked with the kindergarten students to create paper Advent Wreaths that they could take home tonight.  As always, I was very impressed with the amount of patience that our Grade 7/8s displayed while working with their little buddies.  They did such an awesome job again today and I know Ms. Sutherland was very thankful for the help!

In Grade 8 Math we spent the first part of the hour going through the 4.4 assignment before students began to work on their Unit Review and Practice Test from their textbooks.  Don't forget our Unit Exam is tomorrow!  To aid in studying I would recommend going though both text book assignments as well as each of the unit 4 handouts. 

After lunch the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and since it was their last class before Christmas, Mr. Fuchs let them pick the game of their choice to play for the period.  At 1:23 we had Science and the students wrote their Interactions in Ecosystems Unit Exam.  During the last hour of the day Mr. Csada came by for Social Studies and the students wrote their Systems of Government quiz. 

Here's some more pictures from today:





















Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math:Grade 8:
- 4.4 is now overdue
-Math Unit Exam is tomorrow, December 20th

Religion:
Advent Calendar Assignment is now overdue. Please make sure it is in tomorrow

Reminders:

-Please get all overdue assignments in by tomorrow!


- Last day of classes is tomorrow

Wednesday 18 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 18th


This morning we started out our day with the usual AR period for the first half hour.  At 9:38 we prepared an Advent craft that we will work on with our little buddies tomorrow morning.  Once we finished up the craft, the Grade 7/8's were given the rest of the period to study for their upcoming Social, Science and Math tests.  In Grade 8 Math the students were given an outline for their test on Friday and they spent the hour working on their Chapter Review and Practice Test. 

After lunch Ms. Postma stopped by for Arts. Ed and they began to work on their new Music Project about the 5 elements of music.  I will post this project on the blog once I get my hands on it! At 1:38 we took some time hand back and go over both the Percy vs. Perseus writing assignment as well as the Religion Saint Assignments.  During the last hour of the day the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they spent the period finishing up the Beep Test.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework



Math:Grade 8:
- 4.4 is now overdue
-Math Unit Exam is now on Friday, December 20th

Religion:
Advent Calendar Assignment is due tomorrow, December 19th

Science:
Science Unit Exam is on Tomorrow, December 19th  *Check out the Science tab at the top for the link to the Jeopardy Study Game!

Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.

- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 17th


Designing our cupcakes today!

This morning we kicked off our morning with a half hour AR period of silent reading.  At 9: 38 Mr. Meyers stopped by to give a guest lecture on Christmas. As always, Mr. Meyers was an absolute pleasure to have in our classroom and I know the students were happy to have him back again! He taught the students so much in such a short time. Some of the topics he covered were: the full Christmas season, the history of the three wise men, the Christmas linebacker and the tradition of boxing day. I know I speak for everyone when I say we can't wait until he comes back after Christmas!

Instead of Grade 8 math, the students spent the hour decorating the cupcakes that they baked last week.  They did such an excellent job decorating the cupcakes and the designs ranged from Christmas Trees to Snow Banks with Candy Canes.  We managed to make it through the entire hour with minimal casualties (Only two cupcakes were lost...one due to to a lack of icing and one due to a taste test by a near by teacher!) 











After lunch we had Religion and the students were given the half hour period to work on their Advent Calendars.  Note: The original due date for this assignment was tomorrow.  However, I have postponed it one day due to the Christmas Concert tonight and it will now be due on Thursday.   In Science we spent the period reviewing for the test on Thursday by playing a game of Ecosystem Jeopardy.  If you would like to check out the game we were playing today check it out here During the last hour of the day the students had Health with Ms. Zwingli and they worked on an assignment in their Fully Alive textbooks. 

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework



Math:Grade 8:
- 4.4 is due Tomorrow.
-Math Unit Exam is now on Friday, December 20th

Religion:
Advent Calendar Assignment is due on tomorrow, December 19th

Science:
Science Unit Exam is on Thursday, December 19th

Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.

- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Monday 16 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 16th

One of our wonderful Advent Calendars!

It's finally here! The last week of school before Christmas holidays is now upon us.  While many of us are already looking a head to next week, we can't simply forget about this week.  We've still got lots to do before the holidays so be sure to continue all the hard work right up until 3:30 on Friday!

This morning we began our day with a half hour of silent reading from 9:08 to 9:38.  We are so close to reaching our point total for this month and if everyone continues to read diligently each day, I'm positive we'll reach it by Friday!  Instead of ELA this morning we had Religion and the students were given the entire hour to finish up their Advent Calendar Assignments.  Note: This assignment is due on Wednesday and we will probably only have one more half hour period to work on this assignment.  If students are not near completion of the assignment, I have asked them to take it home tonight to work on.  At 10:53 the students that were not at band worked on Math for the hour.  The Grade 7 students worked on IXL.com while the Grade 8's went through their quiz from Friday and were given the rest of the period to study for their exam. 

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Postma and they worked on their Music Genre Assignment.  At 1:25 we headed down to the gym for an Advent Liturgy as well as our Month End Assembly. We were also treated to some great music as the Deshaye band students played numerous Christmas Carols in front of the entire school.  During the last hour of the day Ms. Zwingli stopped by for Health. 
Upcoming Due Dates & Homework



Math:Grade 8:
- 4.4 is due Tomorrow.
-Math Unit Exam is on Wednesday, December 18th

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is now overdue. Please hand in tomorrow if you haven't yet.
Religion:
Advent Calendar Assignment is due on Wednesday, December 18th
Science:
Science Unit Exam is on Thursday, December 19th
 
Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.

- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Friday 13 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 13th

Working with their little buddies!

Well, Friday finally came after a week packed with some extreme temperatures and lots and lots of indoor recesses!

We kicked off our morning in the usual fashion by taking the first half hour of the day to silent read for AR before heading down to the kindergarten room again.  Today we were helping our little buddies create a Christmas tree decoration using yarn and empty toilet paper tubes.  Once again our Grade 7/8s did a wonderful job with the little ones and I actually had quite a few people complimenting how kind and caring our class has been with their little buddies.  Well done everyone!

In Grade 8 Math the students were given the hour to write their Unit 4 Quiz and work on assignment 4.4 if they finished early.  Grade 8's, don't forget your Unit Exam is on Wednesday, December 18th so be sure to do a little studying each night this weekend.  If you are looking for some extra practice I would recommend the chapter review and practice test in your text books as well as IXL.com. 

After lunch we had Religion and the students used the half hour to work on their Advent Calendar Assignments.  At 1:08 we headed right back down to Ms. Sutherland's room to work with our afternoon little buddies!  During the last hour of the day the students had Social Studies with Mr. Csada and they continued to work on their government and senate scandal assignments. 

Here are some more pictures from today:











Upcoming Due Dates & Homework





Math:
Grade 8:
- 4.4 is due on Monday, December 16th
-Math Unit Exam is on Wednesday, December 18th

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is now overdue. Please hand in tomorrow if you haven't yet.
Religion:
Advent Calendar Assignment is due on Wednesday, December 18th
Science:
Science Unit Exam is on Thursday, December 19th

Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.

- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Thursday 12 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 12th




 We started out the day with our usual AR period from 9:08 to 9:38 before heading down to the Kindergarten room to work with our little buddies.  Once we arrived at Ms. Sutherlands classroom the Grade7/8s quickly paired up with their little buddies and began creating gingerbread houses together.  Once again, the the grade 7/8s did an absolutely wonderful job with the kindergarten students and really demonstrated the excellent leadership skills that each person in our classroom possess. Well done everyone!

In Grade 8 Math the students began to work on the assignment from 4.4 on solving problems when combining percents.  The students will have the remainder of tomorrow's class to work on this assignment after their quiz.  Our unit test will be on Wednesday, December 18th, so be sure to start studying this weekend!

After lunch the students had Phys. Ed and after doing the beep test yesterday, they were given the period to play the game of their choice.  At 1:08 we headed back to the kindergarten room to make gingerbread houses with our afternoon little buddies.  During the last hour of the day we headed to the gym for the Staff vs. Student Volleyball game.  The studented battled hard but unfortuntaley came up short and lost the best of three sets, 2 games to 1.  Good job guys!

Here's some more pictures from our kindergarten adventures today:













Upcoming Due Dates & Homework





Math:
Grade 8:
-Math quiz is tomorrow, December 13th
- 4.4 is due on Monday, December 16th
-Math Unit Exam is on Wednesday, December 18th

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is now overdue. Please hand in tomorrow if you haven't yet.
 
Religion:
 
Advent Calendar Assignment is due on Wednesday, December 18th
 
Science:
 
Science Unit Exam is on Thursday, December 19th

Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.

- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 11th



Workng hard on the Hot Chocolate in a Bag!
This morning we kicked off our day with a half hour of AR from 9:08 to 9:38. Instead of ELA today, we used the hour to work on our Christmas craft for the concert and cafe next Tuesday.  The craft that our class was responsible for making was Hot Chocolate in a Bag and man did we ever do a good job!  In only one hour we managed to make sixty two bags and we still have some left overs so we will be creating a few more tomorrow. 

Our finished product!
Step One: Hot Chocolate!










To follow suit from this morning, the Grade 8's spent the next hour after recess baking cupcakes for our Christmas Craft sale. We will also be working with the cupcakes again soon as we will need to decorate them with colourful icing.  Unfortunately for the Grade 7's, the Grade 8's were the only students baking today because this is part of their PAA (Practical and Applied Arts) mark.  The students will be peer and self assessed on their participation from today's class and it will appear on the second term report card. 

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Postma and they examined different genres of music and began to work on a research assignment on two genres of their choice.  At 1:38 we had Science and continued to learn about the different changes in ecosystems and how the terms Species, Population, Community and Succession relate to it.  We also began to investiage the six different Biomes around the world and will continue to look at this tomorrow. During the last hour of the day the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they participated in everyones favourite cardio activity....the Beep Test! 

Here are some more pictures from today:
















Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:

Math:
Grade 8:
- 4.3 is due now overdue
-Math quiz on Friday, December 13th

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is now overdue.  Please hand in tomorrow if you haven't yet.

Reminders:
-Please bring empty Kleenex boxes to school to help build our advent calendar.
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.

- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 10th

Working on their Decomposer Lab!

This morning we started out our day with the usual AR period from 9:08 to 9:38 before moving on to ELA.  With 9.3 Points Per Student, we only need another 0.7 Points in order to reach our goal!  In ELA the students were given the hour to finish up their "Super Sized Trading Card Assignments".  This was the final class period to work on this assignment.  If students are not finished it will be need to be completed for homework tonight.

In Grade 8 Math we moved on to 4.4 and learned how to solve problems involving taxes and discounts through combining percents.  We will continue looking at this concept on Thursday as we will not have math tomorrow because the Grade 8's will be baking during this time for the Christmas Cafe.  Please remember to bring a muffin tray or egg beater tomorrow for our baking. 

After lunch the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they.... At 1:23 we had Science and we finished up our Decomposer Lab before discussing how changes within ecosystems affects all things.  During the last hour of the day the students had Health with Ms. Zwingli and they continued to work on their emotion poems.

Here are some more pictures from today:

















Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:

Math:
Grade 8:
- 4.3 is due on December 11th
-Math quiz on Friday, December 13th

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:

Reminders:
 
-Grade 8's: Please bring a muffin tray or egg beater from home for our baking tomorrow.
-Please bring empty Kleenex boxes to school to help build our advent calendar.
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.
- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Monday 9 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 9th


This morning we kicked off our week with a school wide assembly and liturgy in the gym before heading back to class for AR.  Once the students finished up their reading period we moved on to ELA and they were given the entire hour to work on their "Super Sized Trading Card Assignment". Students, don't forget this assignment is due on Wednesday, so be sure to take it home tonight and tomorrow if you still have a lot left to do!  At 10:38 the band students headed to Leboldus, so the rest of the class utilized the hour by working on the Advent Calendar assignment.

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Postma and they presented their tempo song choice assignments from last week.  At 1:08 we had Religion and the students were given the half-hour to work on their Advent Calendar assignments.  During the last hour of the day Ms. Zwingli stopped by for Health and the students worked on a poem assignment. 
Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:

Math:
Grade 8:
Pg. 142 - Due on December 10th
a) 5, 7, 8, 10, 12
b) 5, 8-13
c) 5, 8-16
- 4.3 is due on December 11th

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:

Reminders:
-Please bring empty Kleenex boxes to school to help build our advent calendar.
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.
- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Friday 6 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 6th

Opening his gift from our advent calendar!

This morning we started out our day with AR from 9:08 to 9:38.  With just one week left to meet our goal, we are up to 7.4 Points Per Student.  We are so close to our goal and I'm sure if everyone continues to complete their daily reading we will easily meet our goal!  During ELA we continued to work on the "Super Sized Trading Card" assignment for the entire hour.  *Don't forget this assignment is due on Wednesday, December 11th.  In Grade 8 Math the students continued to work on the assignment from Pg. 142 from yesterday as well as their 4.3 handout.

After lunch we had Religion and the students were given the entire period to work on their Advent Calendar assignments.  As the students work through this assignment, I'm beginning to see some truly creative calendars in progress.  I can't wait to see the finished product as I know they will be nothing short of amazing!  During the last hour of the day we had our Month End Assembly and we had a lot going on.  Some highlights from the assembly were: recognition for our volleyball players, recognition for students who made their AR point club, and our wrap up for the Philippines Fundraiser.  There we some pretty interesting looking teachers after the winning classes from our fundraiser had a chance to give them a "make-over".  Thanks again to everyone for helping to make our fundraiser such a big success. ($2210!!!!) 

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:





Math:
Grade 8:
Pg. 142 - Due on December 9th
a) 5, 7, 8, 10, 12
b) 5, 8-13
c) 5, 8-16

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:

Reminders:
 
-Please bring empty Kleenex boxes to school to help build our advent calendar.
 
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.
- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Thursday 5 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 5th

Enjoying their Science Lesson!
 


*Don't forget we have our Month End Assembly tomorrow.  Remember to bring clothes to dress Mr. Csada up in as part of our Philippines Fundraiser!


This morning we started out our day with AR before switching things up a little bit.  Usually we would have ELA directly following AR, however, today Mr. Csada came by to teach Social Studies instead.  During the hour the students worked on an assignment about the Senate Scandal as well as a paragraph question dealing with the Maasai culture.

In Grade 8 Math we continued our lesson from Tuesday on finding the "Percent of a Number" and built off of it to learn how to find the percent when it is in fraction form.  The students surprised me with how quickly they picked up this concept today as it is typically one of the concepts students seem to struggle with at first.  Once we finished the teacher directed portion of the lesson, the students began to work on their assignment from Pg. 142.  (The full assignment is posted below)


After lunch the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they did some circuit training before working on basic basketball skills.  At 1:23 we had Science and spent the first part of the class observing our "Decomposers in a Bag" experiment before learning about the Carbon Cycle.  We also spent a little bit of time discussing the issue of "idling" and the effects it has on our planet.  During the last hour of the day we had ELA and the students were given the entire hour to work on their "Super Sized Trading Card Assignment".  *Don't forget that this project is due next Wednesday, December 11th.

Here's some more pictures from today:

















Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:




 
Math:
Grade 8:
Pg. 142  - Due on December 9th
a) 5, 7, 8, 10, 12
b) 5, 8-13
c) 5, 8-16
ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:

Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.
- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 4th




Today we had the priviledge of spending the entire day at the Science Centre. To start out our morning we spent the first hour participating in a scavenger hunt around the Science Centre called the "Enviro Games Cup".  For this activity, students were given booklets with various questions and tasks to accomplish that dealt with Ecosystems and Biodiversity.  This was awesome because it was focused on everything we have been learning about so far this year in Science!  Once the students finished up the scavenger hunt they were given the next hour to explore the rest of the exhibits around the Science Centre before we gathered for Lunch. 
Working hard on this morning!
After lunch we quickly headed over to the IMAX to check out the short documentary, "Kenya 3D: Animal Kingdom".   The documentary focused on the diverse wild life in Kenya that features such aniamls as lions, African elephants, Cape buffalo, leopards and black rhinos, just to name a few.  The film also explored the journey of two young Maasai as they participated in their ritual safari, which means "long journey" in Swahili.  The documentary itself was amazing and I couldn't believe how in sync it was with everything we've been learning this year in Science.  Today was a great day and I was really impressed with how well each and every student represented themselves and our class at the Science Centre. (Although I didn't expect any less, as we have one amazing class!)


Here are some more pictures from our field trip today:














 


Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:

Reminders:
-Christmas Concert is on December 17th.
 
- Last day of classes before Christmas Holidays is on December 20th.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 3rd



Today's Advent calendar winner opening his gift!

As you could probably guess from most of my posts, we started out our day with the usual AR period from 9:08 to 9:38.  With just one week to go until our deadline, we are up to 6.8 AR points per student.  If everyone continues to do their part and can finish their current book by next Wednesday we should definitely meet our goal of 10 points!  In ELA the students were given the period to work on their "Super Sized Trading Card" Assignment.  These assignments are really coming along nicely and I can't wait to see all the finished products next week!

In Grade 8 Math we quickly reviewed how to convert between percents, decimals and fractions before learning how to find the percent of a number.  We got half way through this concept and will wrap it up on Thursday.  Below I've posted a video that reviews what we learned in class today:



Our decomposer labs!
After lunch the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they worked on different skills associated with baseball.  At 1:23 we had Science and the students observed the changes in their Decomposer Lab for the first fifteen minutes of class.  Once we finished up with the decomposers the students observed another experiment that dealt with the Water Cycle.  During the last hour of the day the students had Health with Ms. Zwingli and they continued to work through their Fully Alive unit. 


Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:

ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:
 
Reminders:
-Science Centre all day on tomorrow, December 4th. Remember to bring a lunch!

Monday 2 December 2013

What We Learned Today...December 2nd

Our Religious Table is all ready for Advent!

This morning we started out our week with an Advent liturgy in the gym led by Ms. Kondzielewski and Eric.  It was an absolutely wonderful liturgy and I would like to thank Ms. Kondzielewski for doing such a great job preparing it for us today!  Once we got back to the classroom the students began to work on their "Super Sized Trading Card" assignment in ELA.  Note: This assignment will be due on Wednesday, December 11th.  At 10:38 we had Religion and the remaining students who were not at band got a head start on their Advent Calendar Assignment. Essentially for this project students are tasked with creating their own Advent Calendar and selecting a different devotion or act of kindness that they will do for each day of Advent. 

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed with Ms. Postma and they continued to work through their music unit by looking at the different types of Tempo.  They learned about each type through listening to different songs that Ms. Postma had prepared.  Students were also given a tempo assignment to work on in small groups.  At 1:38 we had Religion and students continued to work on their Advent Calendar Assignments.  During the last hour of the day Ms. Zwingli stopped by for Health and had the students work on their Personality Poster Assignment. 

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework:

Math:
Grade 8:
4.2 is due Tomorrow, December 3rd
 
ELA:
Super Sized Trading Card is due on Wednesday, December 11th:
 
Health:
Personality Poster is due tomorrow, December 3rd

Reminders:
 
-Science Centre all day on Wednesday, December 4th.  Remember to bring a lunch!