Friday 28 March 2014

Friday, March 28th

With Science Fair only a few days away the students will need to complete the duration of their projects at home over the weekend.  We discussed the important things the students will need to focus on this weekend if they are not completed their projects yet, which are listed below:
1) Backboard - These need to be completed by Tuesday at 9:00 a.m and need to be organized and eye catching.  They are the first thing the judges and spectators will see so we need to make sure they look great!
2) Complete Scientific Method - Make sure that you have all stages of the Scientific Method on your backboard (Purpose or Question, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observations/Data and Conclusion.
3) Table Displays - In order to enhance the exhibits, I would recommend bringing small models or display to help the judges understand your project.  You may also want to consider bringing a table cloth to make your exhibit that much more impressive.
4) Duotang - You need to ensure you have all of your research printed off and placed in the duotang.  You will also need to include all stages of the Scientific Method typed up and stored in here as well.
  

I just want to say again how impressed I am with each and every student in our class.  It's no easy chore trying to compact a Science Fair into one month, but they've done it and the projects are really turning out amazing.  I can't wait to see all the finished projects on Tuesday.  Well done everyone!

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

We are attending Divergent as a class on Wednesday, April 2nd from 11:00 - 2:20. 
ELA:
Fakebook assignment due TBA
Science:
All stages of the Scientific Method(Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observation & Conclusion) are now overdue.
Backboards need to be finished by Monday, March 31st
Science Fair is on Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 
Math:
Watch 6.6 video for Monday
6.4 Handout is overdue
6.5 Handout is due on Tuesday

Thursday 27 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 27th

Working hard on their Science Fair Project!

With Science Fair coming up in a few days, we spent the majority of our day today putting the finishing touches on Science Fair Projects.  I'm so impressed with how well the students are doing with their assignments considering how quickly we were asked to put an entire Science Fair together.  Ideally, students would be given two months to complete their projects but because of a shortage of fairs this year, we were asked to participate and were given half the time to complete the projects.  I'm really excited for April 1st (and not just because it's April Fools!) because the students are going to do an amazing job showcasing all their hard work this month!
*Remember: The Science Fair will be from 12:38 to 3:00 on Tuesday, April 1st.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

-We are attending Divergent as a class on Wednesday, April 2nd from 11:00 - 2:20. Please remember to bring the form and money tomorrow!

ELA:
Blog Post #5 and Comment #4 are now overdue.  They need to be posted ASAP
Fakebook assignment due Friday, March 28th

Science:
All stages of the Scientific Method(Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observation & Conclusion) are now overdue.
Backboards need to be finished by Monday, March 31st
Science Fair is on Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
Watch 6.6 video for Monday
6.4 Handout is overdue
6.5 Handout is due on Tuesday

Tuesday 25 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 26th

We kicked off our day with the usual AR period first thing this morning.  After three weeks of competition our class is now up to 17.8 points per student, which is just over a point shy of the leader. Keep up the good work everyone!  Instead of ELA today, we had Science and the students continued to work on their Science Fair Projects.  Due to the fact that Science Fair is coming up so quickly (April 1st) I will be giving the students some bonus Science classes and we will make up the classes we miss next week. In Grade 8 Math the students worked on their 6.4 assignments with some students even starting their 6.5 videos and assignments.

After lunch Mr. Fuchs stopped by for Phys. Ed and the students headed to the gym to play some badminton.  At 1:23 we had an extra Science class and the students continued to work on their Science Fair Projects until recess.  During the last hour of the day the students had Social Studies with Mr. Csada.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #5 and Comment #4 are now overdue.  They need to be posted ASAP
Fakebook assignment due Friday, March 28th

Science:
All stages of the Scientific Method(Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observation & Conclusion) are now overdue.
Backboards need to be finished by Monday, March 31st
Science Fair is on Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
Watch 6.5 video for tomorrow
Pg. 220 - 221 - due Thursday
a) 4-10
b) 4(a,c), 5(ac), 6, 7, 8a, 9a, 10-14
c) 4b, 5b, 6, 7, 8b, 9b, 10-12, 15, 17

Monday 24 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 25th

Well, I did my best this weekend to bring back the sunny weather from Palm Springs.  However, not only was I not successful but I appear to have brought even colder weather with me.  My bad!

We had a great start to our morning with a quick assembly in the gym before heading back to the class for AR.  Our class is now up to 15.5 points per student which is only a couple shy of the leading classroom.  Everyone is doing a great job and I'm sure if the hard work keeps up we'll take the lead in no time!

Due to some technological issues in ELA the students were unable to work on their fakebook assignments so we spent the hour working on Science Fair projects instead!  As it stands right now, all fakebook assignments will be due this Friday.  However, if the technology gods continue to smite us, we may have to push back our due date to next week.

In Grade 8 Math, the students took a quick quiz on Socrative before working on their assignments for 6.4 "Multiplying Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers".  I was also very impressed with how well everyone did on the assignments for 6.1- 6.3, the average mark on all these assignments was an 88%! Well done everyone!

After lunch the students had Arts. Ed and continued to learn different types of dances for their dance unit.  In Science we continued to work on Science Fair projects for the entire period.  *Science Fair is now only a week away (Tuesday, April 1st 12:38 - 3:00) and we still have a lot to do before then.  Students need to make sure they have all experiments completed and backboards need to be finished by Monday.  During the last hour of the day Mr. Fuchs stopped by for Phys. Ed.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #5 and Comment #4 are now overdue.  They need to be posted ASAP
Fakebook assignment due Friday, March 28th

Science:
All stages of the Scientific Method(Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observation & Conclusion) are now overdue.
Backboards need to be finished by Monday, March 31st
Science Fair has been moved to Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
Watch 6.5 video for Wednesday!
6.3 Handout is due tomorrow
Pg. 220 - 221
a) 4-10
b) 4(a,c), 5(ac), 6, 7, 8a, 9a, 10-14
c) 4b, 5b, 6, 7, 8b, 9b, 10-12, 15, 17

Tuesday 18 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 18th

This morning we started out our day with a half hour period of AR and Ms. Folk updated the standings for Battle of the Classes. We are currently at an impressive 14.5 AR points per student (which is absolutely amazing) and we are only behind Ms. Zenuk's class by 1.5 points.  Keep up the good work everyone!  In ELA we were going to work on the Dystopian book club assignments, however, due to more technological issues, the computers were out of order.  So instead, during this time we worked on Science Fair assignments.  In Grade 8 Math, the students continued to work their way through the 6.2 assignments and some students were ready to move on and watched the 6.3 video and began working on the textbook assignment.

After lunch Mr. Fuchs stopped by for Phys. Ed and the students completed some more fitness testing and the played badminton.  At 1:23 the technology still wasn't up to par so the students continued to work on their Science Fair projects.  *Remember, all experiments and research projects need to be completed by Monday so we can work on the backboards for the majority do next week!  During the last hour of the day the students had Social Studies with Mr. Csada and they participated in a really cool lesson that saw the students investigating the flight that went missing from Malaysia last week.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #5 and Comment #4 are due on Friday, March 21st
Fakebook assignment due Friday, March 28th

Science:
All stages of the Scientific Method(Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observation & Conclusion) need to be completed by Monday, March 24th
Science Fair has been moved to Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
6.2 Handout due on Friday, March 21st
Pg. 208 - 209
a) 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
b) 4, 5, 6, 7, 9-13
c) 4-7, 9, 12, 15

Monday 17 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 17th


We kicked off our week with a school wide assembly in the gym before heading back to class for ELA.  Over the hour the students finished up their Dystopian books and began working on their final blog post assignment for the unit. We will be wrapping up this unit next Friday so thats mean that Blog Post #5 and Comment #4 will be due this Friday, March 21st and the Fakebook assignment is due on Friday, March 28th.

In Grade 8 Math we went through the Unit Seven exams as a class before moving on to the assignment from 6.2.  (Full assignment is listed below)  If you would like to work ahead in our unit I have posted all the video lessons and assignments online on our math website.  Just place your mouse over the "Unit 6" tab and a drop down menu will appear where you can select the concept you want to learn.  *Remember you need to watch the 6.3 video by Wednesday!

After lunch Ms. Postma stopped by for Arts. Ed with a really cool lesson loaded with technology!  Unfortunately for Ms. Postma and the students, our server at the school crashed and we had zero access to the internet which meant the students worked on their scrapbooks instead and will participate in this cool lesson on Thursday!  At 1:38 we had Science the students started working on their observations/data and conclusions for their projects.  The science fair is approaching fast (April 1st) and that means we have a lot of work to do between now and then.  I would like to see all areas of the Scientific Method completed by Monday so we will have all next week to work on the backboards.
During the last hour of the day the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they spent the period participating in the push up beep test!

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #5 and Comment #4 are due on Friday, March 21st
Fakebook assignment due Friday, March 28th

Science:
All stages of the Scientific Method(Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observation & Conclusion) need to be completed by Monday, March 24th
Science Fair has been moved to Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
6.1 handout due on Tuesday, March 18th
Pg. 208 - 209
a) 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
b) 4, 5, 6, 7, 9-13
c) 4-7, 9, 12, 15

Wednesday 12 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 12th

Posing for the camera...

Today, the day started out like usual with a half hour of silent reading in AR from 9:08 to 9:38.  We're keeping up our pace in Battle of the Classes as our class is now up to 9.3 AR points per student.  Great work everyone!  In ELA, the students were given the hour to comment on their peers Blog and Edmodo posts as well as their Fakebook assignments.  At 10:38 we had Science the students finished up their Hypothesis's and then began planning their experiments by writing out their Procedure.

After lunch Ms. Postma stopped by for Arts. Ed and officially began their dance unit. In Religion we spent the half hour working on the Lenten Reflection Package.  Due to the short week the we didn't get a lot of time to work on this assignment so we will spend a little extra time working on it next week. During the last hour of the day we headed to the gym for a Pep Rally for our boys basketball team, who are playing in the City Championship tonight! Good luck boys!

Reminders:
Downhill Skiing Tomorrow.  Do not be late!

No school on Friday due to the TPD day.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #4 and Comment #3 are now overdue

Science:
Detailed Hypothesis and Research due on Tomorrow, March 12th
Science Fair has been moved to Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
6.1 handout due on Thursday, March 13th

Tuesday 11 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 11th

This morning we started out the day with AR from 9:08 to 9:38 and we are officially up to 7.1 AR points per student after only a week of competition.  Keep up the good work guys!  In ELA, the students were given the hour to finish up their novel study books and comment on other students blog posts.  I've been very impressed with the quality of comments the students have been making on their peers posts.  They really have a great understanding of how to comment effectively. (Compliment, Comment/Critique, Connect & Question).  At 10:38 we had Grade 8 Math and the students finished up their textbook assignments and began working on the 6.1 handout dealing with multiplying fractions and whole numbers.  *Students don't forget to watch the 6.2 video on Wednesday night so you will be prepared for Thursday's class.

After lunch we had Religion and the students began to work on their Lenten Reflection Booklet.  For the most part students worked on the "Prayer" aspect, however some have already moved on to the "Fasting" section.  *Keep in mind that this assignment will be due on Friday, April 4th and all four Service hours need to be completed by Friday, April 11th.  In Science students continued to work on their Hypothesis's and needed to present them to me before they could move on to planning their experiment.  *All research as well as a detailed Hypothesis needs to be handed to tomorrow so we can move on to the next stage of our Science Fair Projects.  During the last hour of the day Mr. Csada stopped by for Social Studies and gave the students the period to work on their Geography presentations.

Reminders:
Downhill Skiing on Thursday 

No school on Friday due to the TPD day. 

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #4 and Comment #3 are now overdue

Science:
Detailed Hypothesis and Research due on Tomorroq, March 12th
Science Fair has been moved to Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
6.1 handout due on Thursday, March 13th
pg. 202-203 (due on Wednesday)
a) 1-7
b) 1-5, 8-12
c) 4, 6, 8 - 16

Monday 10 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 10th


Chatting on Today's Meet!

We kicked off our week with a school wide assembly in the gym this morning.  In ELA, the students watched a short video about airport surveillance and privacy and then chatted on Today's Meet with students from St. Gabriel and St. Francis.  This was our last Today's Meet session and I'm so impressed with how well everyone from our classroom did on this activity.  With an activity like this, there's always the possibility for issues, but I'm happy to say that the students of Deshaye represented themselves and their school incredibly well over the past month.  Well done everyone!  In Grade 8 Math the students took a quick quiz on "Multiplying Fractions and Whole Numbers" using Socrative before working on their textbook assignment.  (see full assignment below or on our Math website: www.brescianimath8.weebly.com)

After lunch the students had Phys. Ed with Mr. Fuchs and they were incredibly thrilled to participate in the Beep Test today!  (well maybe not everyone...)  At 1:23 we had Science and continued on with our Science Fair Projects.  The research portion of the assignment was due today and for the duration of class the students worked on constructing a detailed Hypothesis.  During the last hour of the day Mr. Csada stopped by for Social Studies and the students worked on their Geography presentations.

Here's a panoramic picture from today:




Reminders:
Downhill Skiing on Thursday 
No school on Friday due to the TPD day. 

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #4 and Comment #3 are now overdue

Science:
Detailed Hypothesis due on Wednesday, March 12th
Science Fair has been moved to Tuesday, April 1st from 12:38 - 3:00. 

Math:
pg. 202-203 (due on Wednesday)
a) 1-7
b) 1-5, 8-12
c) 4, 6, 8 - 16



Wednesday 5 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 5th

Working hard on their Blog Posts!
We started out our day today we the usual half hour of silent reading during AR.  *We are now up to 3.8 AR points per student after only two days which is awesome!  If everyone continues to do their part and read I'm sure we can bring home the Battle of the Classes trophy for a second straight year!  In ELA the students were given the hour to work on their Dytopian Book Club blogging assignment as well as their comment for week 3.  At 10:38 we had Grade 8 Math and we switched things around a little today.  Instead of moving on to Unit 6, I gave the students one more day to study for their Exam tomorrow and work on a unit review.

After lunch we headed to the gym and joined Father Anthony for our Ash Wednesday Mass.  I would like to thank Ms. Sutherland and Ms. Zenuk for all their hard work in preparing our mass today!  At 1:38 we had Science and we talked about how to form a detailed Hypothesis by using the words, "If/Then" and "Because" and the students also spent some time researching their topic.  *Students, don't forget you need to have all your research completed by Monday, March 10th.  During the last hour of the day the students had Health with Ms. Zenuk and they completed their poster assignments.

Reminders:
Badminton try-outs Tomorrow at 3:30
Please remember to bring back Grade 8 Farewell forms as they are due tomorrow
No school on Friday due to the teacher convention.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Blog Post #4 and Comment #3 are due on Thursday, March 6th

Science:
Research portion of Science Project needs to be completed by March 10th
Science Fair is on March 27th

Math:
7.4 Handout due Tomorrow, March 6th
Unit Exam on Tomorrow, March 6th

Tuesday 4 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 4th

Chowing down on some pancakes!

Seeing as today was Shrove Tuesday (also known as Fat Tuesday), we started out our day by discussing the meaning of Shrove Tuesday as well as it's importance in the Catholic Faith.  Then to help celebrate, we ate a bunch of pancakes before before beginning AR. *I forgot to mention yesterday that we have officially started the "Battle of the Classes" and are now competing to achieve the most AR Points per Student between the three 7/8 classes. In ELA, we continued to work through our Dystopian Unit and students continued to work on their blogging assignments.  At 10:38 the students were given a work period to complete their assignments from ELA or work or their Science Fair Projects.

After lunch Ms. Postma stopped by for Arts. Ed and the students continued to work on their Social Justice Poster assignments.  In Religion we talked about the three main aspects of Lent (Praying, Fasting and Giving), and the students were given a Lenten Reflection Assignment that they will need to complete over the next 40 days. This assignment can be found under the Religion Tab located at the top of this blog.  During the last hour of the day the students had Health and they worked on their power point assignments.

Reminders:
*Health is no longer due tomorrow! It is now due on Thursday.Badminton try-outs Thursday at 3:30
Please remember to bring back ski forms and Grade 8 Farewell forms.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Section 4 Reading is due on Wednesday, March 5th
Blog Post #4 and Comment #3 are due on Thursday, March 6th

Science:
Research portion of Science Project needs to be completed by March 10th
Science Fair is on March 27th

Math:
7.4 Handout due Thursday, March 6th
Unit Exam on Thursday, March 6th

Monday 3 March 2014

What We Learned Today...March 3rd

We kicked off our week with a special Lenten assembly in the gym before heading back to the class for ELA. At 9:38 we had ELA the students got into their Dystopian Book Club groups and spent the hour reading and working on their Week 4 Blog Post assignments.  In Grade 8 Math we took some time to go through the 7.1 and 7.2 assignments before working on the 7.4 handouts. *Don't forget we will have our Unit Seven Exam on Thursday, March 6th. 

After lunch we had Science and the students continued to work on the research portion of their Science Fair Projects.  Reminder: All research must be completed by Monday March 10th so we can move on to the next stage of the project.  During the last hour of the day the students had Social Studies and they began to work on an assignment about North Korea. (More details to follow tomorrow)

Reminders:
Badminton try-outs tomorrow at 8:00
Please remember to bring back ski forms and Grade 8 Farewell forms.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework


ELA:
Section 4 Reading is due on Wednesday, March 5th
Blog Post #4 and Comment #3 are due on Thursday, March 6th

Science:
Research portion of Science Project needs to be completed by March 10th
Science Fair is on March 27th

Math:
7.4 Handout due Thursday, March 6th
Unit Exam on Thursday, March 6th
Pg. 273 (Due Wednesday)
a) 3b - 9, 11
b) 3b, 8, 11-14, 17
c) 3b, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 18, 20