Friday 30 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 30th

It's hard to believe one month of school has passed already!


ELA: We kicked off our morning with the Figurative Language assignment from yesterday before moving on to AR once our band students left.

Homework/Genius Hour:  With a large portion of our class away at full band, the remaining students were given the period to work on their Genius Hour projects or any other assignments they had.

Health:  After lunch we continued our "All About Me" presentations.  As I said yesterday, I've been so impressed with the quality of these presentations and can't wait to view the rest next week!


I can't believe how fast this first month has flown by! I guess it's true what they say, time really does fly by when you're having fun.  As I've said before, this is such an amazing group of people to work with each day and I can't wait to see what the next nine months have in store for us.  

Have a great weekend!

-Mr. B


Upcoming Due Dates & Homework


Math: 

-Watch 3.1 video for Monday

ELA:

-Harry Potter Chapter Questions are overdue

Health:

-All About You Presentations are overdue 

Reminders:

-There is no school next Thursday and Friday due to teacher institute and TPD.

Thursday 29 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 29th



ELA: This morning we learned about the different types of Figurative Language and the students were tasked with re-reading chapter one and two to see how many examples they could find.

Health: Students continued their "All About Me" presentations.  I'm so impressed with how amazing these presentations have been so far, and can't wait to see the rest of them this week.

Terry Fox Liturgy/Walk: After lunch we headed to the gym for a short liturgy before going for a walk with our little buddies from the kindergarten class.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework


Math: 

-Watch 3.1 video for Monday

ELA:

-Harry Potter Chapter Questions due tomorrow

Health:

-All About You Presentations are overdue 

Religion:

-Gods Image assignment is overdue

Reminders:

-Girls Football Playoff game is tomorrow.  Team and location TBA

-Terry Fox Walk is on Thursday.  Wear yellow if you can.

-Orange shirt day is on Friday.

Tuesday 27 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 27th

Posing during their Mirror Maze

Bus Evacuation: We started out our morning by heading to the buses with our little buddies to learn about bus safety and how to safely evacuate a bus in an emergency.

Health: Students were given the entire period to put the finishing touches on their "All About Me" presentations.  We will begin these presentations on Wednesday so students will need to finish them for homework if they are not completed.

Guest Presentation: We were very fortunate to have Elder Dennis and Ms. Landry join us today to follow up on our Residential Schools presentation from last week.

Math: Students continued to work on the practice test from their textbook.

Science: During the last hour of the day the students got into their groups from last class and continued building their mirror mazes, which taught them about the relationship between the Angle of Incidence and the Angle of Reflection.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework


Math: 

-Unit Exam is Tomorrow

Health:

-All About You Presentation is due on Wednesday, September 28th

Religion:

-Gods Image assignment is now due on Thursday, September 29th

Reminders:

-Girls Football Playoff game is tomorrow.  Team and location TBA

-Terry Fox Walk is on Thursday.  Wear yellow if you can.

-Orange shirt day is on Friday.

Monday 26 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 26th

Reading to their little buddy.

ELA: This morning we started out the day with our usual AR period from 9:00 - 9:30.  After AR we took some time to talk about the Positive Lifestyles Student Leadership Conference that we will be attending on October 17th. *Notes for this conference went home today so please take a moment to go through it with your son/daughter as tomorrow we will be signing up for the breakout sessions.

Little Buddies: Today we had a chance to head down to Ms. Sutherland's room to meet both sets of our little buddies for this year.  During both of our meetings, the Grade 8 students helped their little buddies complete a craft for our upcoming Orange Shirt Day. I was so impressed with how awesome the Grade 8's did with the kindergartners today. Each and every student did an excellent job and I think some students really did learn that patience is a virtue! I know the kindergartners really enjoyed meeting their new "Big Buddies" and had a great time. Well done guys, thank you for being such amazing role models!

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework


Math: 

-Unit Exam is on Tuesday, September 27th Wednesday, September 28th

Health:

-All About You Presentation is due on Wednesday, September 28th

Religion:

-Gods Image assignment is now due on Thursday, September 29th

Reminders:

-Girls Football Playoff game is on Wednesday.  Team and location TBA

-Terry Fox Walk is on Thursday.  Wear yellow if you can.

-Orange shirt day is on Friday.

Friday 23 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 23rd

The Bresciani Bunch at their Cross Country Meet yesterday!

ELA: This morning we started out the day with our first assignment from our novel study on Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.  Students worked on guiding questions for the first two chapters, as well as a short assignment dealing with select vocabulary from the novel.

Health: Since today was the first full band day of the year, we were missing a large number of students.  As a result, the remaining students were given the period to work on their All About Me Presentations or any other homework they had.

Religion: After lunch the students continued working on their God's Image assignments.  So far the students have received four class periods for this assignment and we decided at the end of the day that two more work periods should be enough time to put the finishing touches on their projects.  As a result, the official due date for this project will be Wednesday, September 28th.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework
Math: 

-Unit Exam is on Tuesday, September 27th


Health:


-All About You Presentation is due on Monday, September 26th Tuesday, September 27th

Religion:

-Gods Image assignment is due on Wednesday, September 28th.

Reminders:
-Girls Football Playoff game is on Monday at Deshaye vs. St. Matthew

-Picture day is Monday

Thursday 22 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 22nd

Some students were really excited to run today!!


ELA: This morning we started the day out with a half hour of AR before we continued reading chapter two of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.  As we read the chapter together, we took frequent breaks to discuss some of the different vocabulary and figurative language that J.K. Rowling utilizes in her writing.

Health: Students were given the entire period to work on their "All About Me" presentations.  *Please note that the assignment due date has changed from Monday, to Tuesday, September 27th.

Religion: After lunch we continued working on the God's Image assignment.  Since we haven't had much time to work on this assignment this week, students will have additional classes next week to complete the project.

Math: We started out our class by going through the quizzes from yesterday before getting started on the practice test from their textbooks.  I have encouraged students to begin studying now, so they are fully prepared for their first Unit Exam next week.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework
Math: 
-2.3 is due on Thursday, September 22nd

-Unix Exam is on Tuesday, September 27th


Health:


-All About You Presentation is due on Monday, September 26th Tuesday, September 27th


Reminders:
-Girls Football Playoff game is on Monday at Deshaye vs. St. Matthew

Wednesday 21 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 21st

The Bresciani Bunch at Lebret 


ELA: Due to the liturgy on Monday, the students didn't receive a full period to work on their Persuasive Writing Assessments.  As a result, they were given one final class today to complete their final copies and hand them in.

Science: Today we learned about the Law of Reflection and the students were tasked with using this new information to solve the Mirror Maze Challenge.

Math: We started out the period with the brief quiz on Rates, Ratio's and Proportions.  After students finished writing the quiz, they spent the rest of the period working on the 2.3 handout and the unit review from their textbooks.

Religion: During the last period of the day we took some time to debrief the Lebret Faith Retreat  and discuss our thoughts/feelings from the presentation on Residential Schools.

Here's a few pictures from yesterday:












Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math:
-2.3 is due on Thursday, September 22nd

-Unix Exam is on Tuesday, September 27th


Health:


-All About You Presentation is due on Monday, September 26th Tuesday, September 27th


Reminders:
-Cross Country Meet on Thursday. Please ensure you have a ride home from the school at 5:00

Monday 19 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 19th




ELA: This morning we started out the day with a special Orange Shirt Day liturgy in the gym before heading back to our classroom to work on the Persuasive Writing Assessments.

Genius Hour: Once the students finished their topic meeting with me, they officially started Genius Hour as they began researching important information for their topic/questions.

Religion: After lunch we took some time to go through the September 11th assignments that the students handed in last week. As we went through these assignments we had a chance to talk about the importance of writing using supporting details as well as other key expectations for quality Grade 8 work.

Math: Students were given the entire period to work on the 2.3 assignments and begin the Unit Review from Pg. 70 if they completed their assignments early.

*Bresciani Bunch Voluntary Cross Country Meet:
Last week Ms. Weafer spoke at our weekly assembly about Cross Country and indicated that the turn out for Grade 8 students at these events are pretty dismal.  After talking to the class about this we decided it might be a nice idea to run this event as a team and support the few Grade 8's at Deshaye that are currently running these races. I'm so happy that so many students in our class are on board with this and I can't wait to see the mob of Deshaye Grade 8's crossing the finish line later this week! 


Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 

-Pg. 67 is due Tomorrow
a) 4, 6, 8, 9, 19
b) 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 19
c) 6, 8, 9, 14, 19, 20

-Unit 2 quiz is on Wednesday, September 21st

-2.3 is due on Thursday, September 22nd
Health:
-All About You Presentation is due on Monday, September 26th

Genius Hour:
-Continue working on projects

Reminders:

-Lebret Faith Retreat is Tomorrow.  Please remember to pack a lunch and wear appropriate footwear.

-Cross Country Meet on Thursday. Please ensure you have a ride home from the school at 5:00

Friday 16 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 16th

ELA: This morning students used the entire period to work on the final drafts of their Persuasive Writing Assessments.  Students will receive one more period on Monday to finish up their essays.

Health: Students were given the entire hour to begin their All About Me presentations.  We will continue working on this project next week, with presentations to start on September 19th.

Religion: After lunch we officially began working on the Gods Image assignment that was introduced yesterday.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 

-2.2 is due on Monday 

-Pg. 67 is due on Tuesday, September 20th
a) 4, 6, 8, 9, 19
b) 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 19
c) 6, 8, 9, 14, 19, 20

-Unit 2 quiz is on Wednesday, September 21st

Health:
-Tips for Studying Infographic is overdue

Genius Hour:
-Essential questions need to be ready for our next class.

Reminders:
-Girls Football game on Monday at 4:00 @ Deshaye (Vs. St. Pius)

-Lebret Faith Retreat is on Tuesday, September 20th.  Please bring back the signed permission form ASAP.

Thursday 15 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 15th



The presentation we viewed in Health today.



ELA: We started out the day with our Persuasive Writing Assessment as students had the entire period to work on the rough draft of their essays.

Health: Today we focused on how to give an effective presentation in front of an audience. Students learned about everything from what information should be on slides, to font size/colour and how to successfully keep your audience engaged. Students will work at applying these skills tomorrow as they have been tasked with preparing their own short presentation about themselves.

Math: After writing a brief Socrative quiz, the students began working on the textbook assignment from Pg. 67. (Full assignment listed below)


**The first five students to give me a High Five tomorrow morning will receive five bonus points for their Hogwarts House.**

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 

-Pg. 60  is due on Friday, September 16th

-2.2 is due on Monday (Points for Hogwarts House if turned in tomorrow)

-Pg. 67 is due on Tuesday, September 20th
a) 4, 6, 8, 9, 19
b) 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 19
c) 6, 8, 9, 14, 19, 20

-Unit 2 quiz is on Wednesday, September 21st
Health:
-Tips for Studying Infographic is due tomorrow


Genius Hour:
-Essential questions need to be ready for our next class.

Reminders:
-Girls Football game on Monday at 4:00 @ Deshaye (Vs. St. Pius)

-Lebret Faith Retreat is on Tuesday, September 20th.  Please bring back the signed permission form ASAP.

Tuesday 13 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 13th

ELA: This morning we had our first official AR period as students silently read their AR books for the first half hour of the day.  At 9:30 we switched gears and began looking at the Persuasive Writing Assessment that the students will be starting tomorrow.   Students need to to ensure they have a topic picked out before tomorrow morning.

Health: Students were given the entire period to work on their Tips for Studying assignment.  This was their last class period and any remaining work will need to be done at home or in their spare time.

Religion: We continued our 9/11 lesson from yesterday and students began working on the short assignment about Altruism.

Math: After taking a brief quiz on Socrative, students spent the entire period working on the textbook assignment from Pg. 60. (Full assignment listed below)

Science: During the last hour of the day we continued to learn about the characteristics of light through a few demos as well as some key vocabulary words.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 

-2.1 handout is due tomorrow, September 14th

-Pg. 60  is due on Friday, September 16th
a) 5-11, 13
b) 6, 7, 8, 10-15, 16
c) 6, 7, 8, 10, 14-19

Health:
-Tips for Studying Infographic is due on Friday, September 16th


Genius Hour:
-Essential questions need to be ready for our next class.

Reminders:

-There is a girls football game tomorrow, September 14th at Deshaye against St. Matthew

Monday 12 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 12th





QSP Assembly:  We kicked off the day today with a school wide assembly in the gym for the annual QSP presentation by Jeff, who talked about all the cool things the students can earn by selling magazines to help fund raise for Deshaye. Once the presentation ended, we headed straight to the Library to sign out our first library books of the year.

Genius Hour: Students were given the entire period to work on formulating the essential questions for their projects.  Everyone needs to have their Genius Hour questions prepared for next class so we can officially begin the project.

Religion: This afternoon we spent some time talking about the September 11th attacks and they have impacted our lives today. However, rather than focus solely on the tragedy of that day, we learned about the altruistic people aboard United Flight 93 as well as many others who made enormous sacrifices to save the lives of others. Once we finished up the story, students began working on a reflection about the attacks, altruism and the need for peace in our world.


Math: Students spent the hour working on their 2.1 handouts.  If students finished early they were given the opportunity to get a head start on the next lesson or silently read their AR books.

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math:

-Watch the 2.2 video for tomorrow


-2.1 handout is due on Wednesday, September 14th

Health:
-Tips for Studying Infographic is due on Friday, September 16th


Genius Hour:
-Essential questions need to be ready for our next class.

Reminders:

-Our first girls football game will be Tomorrow, September 13th at Kinsmen Park.

Friday 9 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 9th




ELA: We started out the morning today by continuing the RAD tests from yesterday.  Most students have completed, or are close to completing the assessment so we will be moving on to the Persuasive Writing Diagnostic early next week.

Health: The students spent the entire period working on their "Tips for Studying" infographic assignment.  While the students will have one to two more class periods to work on it, we have set a formal due date of September 16th.

Genius Hour: After lunch the students were introduced to the amazing project that we will be doing in our classroom over the next couple of months.....Genius Hour! This is a project that I started two years ago and I am extremely excited to do it again as it allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. The students have been tasked with brainstorming something they are passionate about and formulating an essential question. On Monday we will start to go through these questions and formally begin the project!

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 
Pg. 51-54 is due on Monday, September 12th

a) 1-6,9,11,12,19
b) 3-6,9, 11-18
c) 6,9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22

Health:
Tips for Studying Infographic is due on Friday, September 16th

Reminders:

-Please return signed immunization forms next week! 

-Girls Football Practice is on Monday at 8:00.  Our first game will be on Tuesday, September 13th at Kinsmen Park.

Thursday 8 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 8th

Working hard on their infographic assignments
ELA: This morning students began writing their RAD (Reading Assessment Diagnostic) tests.  We started the exam by going through each test question together before the students were able to begin writing.  Due to the length of this exam, the students will receive another class or two to complete it.
*It is important to remember that these assessments are not included as part of a students grade, but rather serve as a benchmark so we can see their growth over the course of the year.

Health: Now that we've finished up with the mini lesson on studying, students were tasked with applying what they learned through the creation of an Effective Studying Infographic.  I'm very impressed with how awesome these projects are coming along and can't wait to see everyone's finished products next week!

Math: The students picked up where they left off yesterday and continued working on the textbook assignment from Pg. 51.  Some students finished up their textbook assignments early and began working on the 2.1 handout.

Social: During the last hour of the day

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 
Pg. 51-54 is due on Monday, September 12th

a) 1-6,9,11,12,19
b) 3-6,9, 11-18
c) 6,9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22
Reminders:

-Please return signed student packages by tomorrow.

-Girls Football Practice is on Monday at 8:00.  Our first game will be on Tuesday, September 13th at Kinsmen Park.


Wednesday 7 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 7th

He really loves Science!

ELA: This morning the students logged onto their AR accounts and participated in a STAR test that assessed their current reading level.  Tomorrow I will be going through the results individually with each student so they can see their level and will be able to select books the appropriate books next week.

Science: We officially began our unit on "Optics, Vision and Light" with six mini experiments. Over the course of the hour the students rotated through different stations and made observations and inferences about light and how it travels.

Math: After we wrapped up our Science experiments the students were each assigned their textbooks and began working on the first assignment of the year.  (Full assignment is listed below in the Homework and Reminders section)

Other pictures from Science today:




Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

Math: 
Pg. 51-54 is due on Monday, September 12th

a) 1-6,9,11,12,19
b) 3-6,9, 11-18
c) 6,9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22
Reminders:

-Please return signed student packages by Friday, September 9th

-Girls Football Practice is tomorrow and Thursday at 8:00 am. Please bring your signed permission form.


Tuesday 6 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 6th


Assembly: This morning we started out our week with a special liturgy in the gym to honour Mother Teresa, who was canonized as a saint on Sunday.

ELA: Once we got back to the class we officially began our Harry Potter thematic unit by talking about the structure of the unit as well as exploring the various parts of the Plot Diagram.  Tomorrow we will kick off our class by reading the first and second chapters of the novel.

Health: Before we get into the nitty gritty details of Health this year, I'll be spending a few classes teaching some essential  skills during this time that I believe will benefit the students for the rest of the year (and in High School too!).  Today we focused on how to study effectively, and students learned nine tips to keep in mind when they are studying for their next exam.  Feel free to check out the presentation below that highlights today's lesson:



Religion: After lunch we kicked off our first unit of the year which is "Who am I".  For our introductory lesson, students learned about the Multiple Intelligences and were given a short assignment to work on to figure out which type of "Smart" they are.

Math: The students were introduced to a relatively new approach to teaching that we will be participating in this year. This new approach is called a "Flipped Classroom" and it involves teaching in a way that sees the students learn new content online through the use of educational videos prepared by their teacher. This approach allows for more personalized interactions with the students during class time instead of lecturing. More information about this can be found on our Flipped Math Blog. (If the link isn't working see the link to it at the top of this blog under "Quick Links")

Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Tell Me About Yourself assignment is overdue

Math:
Be sure to watch the 2.1 video tonight
Reminders:

-Please return signed student packages by Friday, September 9th

-Girls Football Practice is tomorrow and Thursday at 8:00 am. Please bring your signed permission form.

-Bring your gym shoes and Phys, Ed clothes for tomorrow.


Friday 2 September 2016

What We Learned Today...September 2nd



ELA: This morning we started out our morning a special Sorting Ceremony where students were sorted into their proper Hogwarts Houses. These teams will now work together to earn points for their houses through displaying positive behaviour in our classroom and school. Points can also be deducted from their houses for displaying inappropriate behaviour , but I don't believe that will be a problem with our class!

Health: We used this period today to go through the Connected Educator project that our classroom was granted this year.  Essentially each student will have their very own assigned laptop for the entire year that they will be able to use at school.  More information about this project will be going home next week. If you would like a peak at the procedures we went through as a class feel free to check out our One to One Device Procedures.  


Quizizz Activities: After we got the hang of our new devices the students participated in two online quiz games to review the procedures from our class as well as a quiz that helped them get to know their classmates a little better.

Egg Drop:  During the last hour of the day we headed outside for a special egg drop competition with our fellow Grade 8 students from Mr. Rieger's room.  Students tested out their creations from earlier this afternoon to see if they could protect their egg from a drop off of the roof.


*As I mentioned yesterday, I am so lucky to have such an amazing group of young people to work with this year.  I'm positive we are going to have an amazing year together and look forward to all the fun to come.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone, I'm looking forward to Tuesday already!

A few more pictures from today:


   


Bonus: *As a bonus for checking my blog, the first student to send me an email telling me their favourite part of this week will get 20 points for their Hogwarts House.


Upcoming Due Dates & Homework

ELA:
Tell Me About Yourself assignment is due on Tuesday, September 6th

Reminders:
-Please have the procedure form signed and returned by Tuesday, September 6th

-Girls Football Practice on Tuesday at 8:00 am. Please bring your signed permission form.

-Bring your gym shoes and Phys, Ed clothes for Wednesday

Thursday 1 September 2016

The First Day of School!




The Bresciani Bunch on their first day of Grade 8





Today came together for the first time as a Grade 8 classroom and I don't think it could have gone any better! We spent the first part of the morning learning all the basic procedures for Mr. Bresciani's room as well as the school. In addition to procedures we also spent some time organizing binders and seeing which group could create the tallest tower with their shoes. After recess we headed to the gym for the first school wide assembly of the year where Mrs. Norris introduced all the new staff members to Deshaye.

After lunch we spent an hour working on an ELA assignment that tasked the students with writing assignment that helped me get to know everyone better. Once we finished up ELA, we held an "I Can't" funeral because the words "I Can't" no longer exist in Mr. Bresciani's class. During the last hour of the day we headed outside for a half hour and participated in another activity that demonstrated the power of believing in yourself. At the end of the day the students took some time to work on a time capsule activity that highlighted everyone's thoughts from the first day of Grade 8.

Overall, we had such a amazing day and I can't say enough how excited I am for this upcoming school year! We have such an amazing group of students in our classroom and I couldn't have wished for a better group of people to work with this year. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again tomorrow. Have a wonderful night.


-Mr. B


Upcoming Due Dates & Homework


ELA:
Tell Me About Yourself assignment is due on Tuesday, September 6th

Reminders:
-Please have the procedure form signed and returned by Tuesday, September 6th


-Bring your gym shoes and Phys, Ed clothes for Wednesday


Here are some more pictures from today: