Bienvenue!!

It has been lovely coming back to such a warm welcome.  It sounds like the first term went very well.  I hope to keep up the momentum!

Grade 7

Math - We have started a new unit: The Cartesian plane.  Students will discover how to plot points on a graph as well as move figures to new coordinates using reflection, translation and rotation.  This year, because we are working with the Cartesian plane, students get to graph with positive and negative coordinate points.

Science - We have started "The Earth's Crust" unit.  Students will have a chance to explore the geology of our planet from rock and minerals to plate tectonics and the formation of mountains.   The unit plans to be "ground breaking"....hehe

We are also focusing on the scientific process this term.  Students will be learning through experimentation:  Hypothesis, understanding Variables, Observation and Conclusion.

Grade 8

We started January by learning how to use a microscope accurately.  Now, we are in the midst of the Cells and Cell Systems unit where we will use our new skill to uncover the mysteries of the smallest living units of life on earth - the cells. 

In the classroom

Separating mixtures - grade 7

Experiments using microscopes - 7 and 8

Playing with DNA - grade 8



June

Here's what we are up to:

Band Concert

Congratulations!  What an amazing performance Monday evening.  The music not only showed an incredible amount of student growth from the beginning of the year, it also warmed the soul.  Well done everyone!

 

Pi Day

Pi is a beautiful number that compares the perimeter of a circle (circumference) to its diameter.  The unbelievable thing about Pi is that it is a number that continues to an infinite number of digits past the decimal but it never repeats.  Crazy!  Pi day is typically March 14^th (3.14), however, we will be celebrating this curious and mind-boggling math concept this Friday, June 10^th.  Better late than never. 

Students have already learnt the basics of Pi.  On Friday they will be competing in several circle, sphere and memorization challenges (how many digits of pi do you know?) as we further dive into the wonderful world of math in celebration.  Feel free to send your child to school with pie.  It wouldn’t be pie day without it!

 

Final OH

This week will be our last OH.  Students may choose any role for the day.  The focus will be on body-movement, limiting fillers and capturing audience interest.   It’s been a wonderful ride so far.  I look forward to seeing students’ OH finale. 

 

Field Trip Finale

We will all be going to FortWhyte on June 20^th for one last field trip Hoorah.  Students will have the chance to work together, develop their friendships and explore their natural environment as we play Predator-Prey, make our own lunch over a roaring fire and learn some outdoor survival skills.  It should be a fun-filled and exciting day.  We are looking for a few parent volunteers.  If spending a day outside in the summer is something you enjoy, come join us at FortWhyte.

 

Project Runway

Students will be spending the last week and a bit of school preparing a sustainability, art and design project.  Students will work in teams to learn about our ecological footprint, research information about recyclable materials, build an outfit out of those materials and finally, present their outfit in a fashion-show extravaganza that will end the year.  Students have already started collecting their recyclables.  Please collect what you can at home so that everyone has the resources they need when we begin (June 22^nd).

 

Math

We have completed our Geometry unit.  Students have explored and measured angles, shapes, perimeter, area and volume. 

Our new unit is an introduction to algebra through patterns and relations.  Students will learn to pair a mathematical formula to a pattern sequence that they see.  In addition, students will discover how to graph the pattern in order to see the type of relationship two variables have with each-other.  Sound complex?  No worries.  Students are already half-way there and flying through.  Ask your son or daughter to give you an example of how patterns and relations work.

 

Science

We are now in the midst of our Biodiversity unit.  Our Field Trip to Oak Hammock marsh was a great success.  There was an incredible amount of diversity for us to see – pelicans, ground squirrels, battling red-wing black birds, many plants and invertebrates and even snail eggs!

Students are continuing to explore the variety that exists in the natural world and how we organize this diversity.

Before the start of Project Runway, we will be taking advantage of the great weather by going outside to do a bug hunt for one afternoon and an invertebrate hunt for a second afternoon.  Students will use their knowledge of dichotomous keys and animal adaptation to organize and explore the biodiversity right in our school yard. 

 

Social Studies

Students are starting a research and video project on a period of time in Canadian History.  Students are tasked with asking their own questions about a topic and then researching to find the answers.  Once they become experts, they will be building three minute-heritage videos to share their expertise with the rest of the class.  Some topics include:  The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, Woman’s suffrage and the creation of the RCMP.

 

ELA

We have now mastered recognizing 17 different literary devices such as: metaphor, simile, personification, tension, onomatopoeia, atmosphere, parody etc…

Students are now in the midst of applying their new-found knowledge by creating their very own radio-play just like the good ole’ days before television.   These radio plays will be outlets for creativity and team-work but they will also be filled to the brim with literary devices.

 

French

Students are all reading novels based on the famous Noémi series.  Noémi is a young girl who has many adventures with her grand-mother Mme. Lumbago.   Together they solve mysteries, uncover secrets about their past and grow together as a family.  Students are each reading their own unique Noémi novel and will be building a book report to share their reading with the rest of the class.  Instead of doing a standard book report, students will be making the report out of a cereal box to add creativity and excitement to the project.  This is an at home project that is due June 13^th. 

We will also be starting a French read-aloud called “Le phantôme d’Anya”.  It is a graphic novel about a girl at school fighting peer-pressure, stereotype and other common issues for students as they progress through school.  We will be using this novel for our health unit as well as we explore what to do about these issues.

 

Beginning of April

Here's what we are up to:

Math

We have completed our unit on Transformations and Coordinates.  Students did an excellent job navigating plotting coordinates on a graph and manipulating images using reflection, translation and rotation to specific criteria.

Now we have started our geometry unit!  We have already mastered using the protractor to create and measure angles.  Now we are looking at angles within shapes and problem-solving using angles.

We will be starting a math/art project where students recreate an image using only lines - in the style of picasso's cubism.  They will then look at geometric shapes in their art as well as acute and obtuse angles.

Science

We are now on the Flight unit.  Students have discovered the history of flight, the properties of fluids, the forces of flight and Bernoulli's principle.  Yesterday, we did an experiment testing Bernoulli's principle using two straws and a cup of water.  Ask your son or daughter to show you how Bernoulli explains the dynamics of a squirt bottle and beyond.

Next, students will explore their understanding of flight as they create their own experiment using controlled variables.

Social Studies

It is once again election time.  As we get ready to go to the polls for the provincial election, students are tasked with taking on the role of a news reporter, finding the scoop on voters' values.  Students were tasked with talking to at least three different people to discover what it might be like in the mind of a voter.  Feel free to only answer the questions with which you are comfortable.  The intent of the project is for students to start to think like a voter might.

French

We are close to completing our french Book Club.  Only four more sessions to go.  Students are now deep into their novels and excited to see how they end.

We are now looking at verbs in the past tense: "le passé composé".  Afterwhich, students should be able to conjugate verbs in the present, past and future.

ELA

We have completed the Red Wolf novel.  Students have one final written response to demonstrate their reflections of the novel.  It has been a meaningful journey together.  I'm excited to see what they have to say about the novel as a whole.

Our poetry unit is almost complete as well.  Student have this week and next to ensure their poems have meaning, juicy vocabulary and imagery and then to polish their poems in a final publishable copy.

February and March

We had a lot of activity in February and March, including many specialty days.  Here is an overview of some of the special events:

International Day of Play

According to playday.org: "Play is essential for physical and emotional growth, for mental, intellectual and educational development, and for acquiring social and behavioural skills."

For that reason, we took an entire morning and dedicated it to free play.  Students were given tips and tricks on problem-solving and inclusion and then spread their creativity throughout the class and even outside. There were forts, box races, board games and more.  Students were given the chance to take charge of their day and PLAY.

Day of Silence

Our entire class participated in the Day of Silence - being silent for one day to spread awareness and empathy for those who are not heard.  We wrote down questions, invented hand signals and moved throughout the day using videos and a pre-planned Smart presentation as our voice.  The videos tackled subjects such as bullying, oppression, human rights and making a positive difference.

Day of Pink

Students stood-up against bullying and showed off their fashionable pink colours.  We had discussions and watched videos all to promote the elimination of bullying in our school and beyond.

Festivale du Voyageur

Hé! Ho! Students had the chance to celebrate Festivale here at VW.  We had stations including weaving, bannock, taffy, snowshoeing and voyageur songs.

Day of the Holocaust

Students came to school ready to spend one day learning about the Holocaust.  We began the day with a lesson and discussion where students could better understand what the Holocaust was.  Afterwards we dove into the story of Anne Frank and then read a letter from a Holocaust survivor.  At the end of the day, students were asked to write a letter to a Child of the Holocaust in order to given them a venue to express their feelings, ask questions and describe how fortunate we are and how, through understanding, compassion and acceptance, the Holocaust will never happen again.  

Canadian History Museum

As a finale to our Book Club, students worked together to build a museum exhibit based on the Canadian History topic of their Book Club novel.  Topics ranged from The Great Depression, to the World Wars, to Louis Riel.  On the day of the museum, we invited students from other classes to visit.  All in all, there were over 200 students that came through the museum doors to visit the exhibits along with over 15 staff.  Students did an incredible job showing their expertise of the historical content and engaging their audiences.  Well done!!!

End of January

Here’s what we’ve been up to:

 

Math

We are now starting our fractions unit.  Students are discovering how to read and represent fractions larger than 1 (drawings, improper fractions and mixed numbers).  Once students are comfortable with these fractions, we will start finding equivalent fractions (one half is equal to two-quarters) and simplifying fractions.

 

ELA

We are well into Red Wolf, the novel.  Students have been listening to the read aloud while we discuss the themes in the novel.  Critical thinking and writing while justifying an opinion are two skills that students are using to explore the history of residential schools in Canada.

 

We have completed the Fairytale Newspaper assignment.  Great work everyone in working through the creative writing and editing process to create a final product.  Once the articles are marked, I will bind them together as a class publication that students will be able to take out of our library to read. 

 

FLA

We have started a Literary Circle in French.  Students are working in groups to read a French novel.  While reading, students are engaging in discussion and reflecting on different aspects of the novel.  By reading in groups, students are able to tackle a sophisticated text by helping each other with understanding.

Science

We are exploring the world of electrical circuits.  Students now know how to build and draw series and parallel circuits.  They are now discovering, through exploration and experimentation, how the different types of circuits affect the resistors (or lights) within them.  

 

Social Studies

We have finished our overview of trench warfare in World War One.  Today, students had the opportunity to live a day in the life of a soldier in the trenches through a “choose your own adventure” online story.  Here is the link to the story.  Feel free to try the adventure yourself and see whether you can survive or will perish in the trench.

http://www.warmuseum.ca/overthetop/game/

 

Art

Students are looking at Propaganda.  WWI and WWII both used propaganda to entice soldiers to join the war or convince people support the war effort.  Students have had the opportunity to look through propaganda from both wars and reflect on what made propaganda so successful. 

They have already created their own WWI propaganda and are now looking at modern “propaganda”.  How are we swayed today?  How are we influenced by the media?   Students found the importance of “thinking” and “questioning” before “believing” what the media says.  We watched a wonderful “closet hippo” video. 

Here is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TijcoS8qHIE

Now we are looking at how we can use modern “propaganda” to make a positive change.