September 29

Next week is already October!

This Week:

• We learned about Orange Shirt Day from Ms. Martin.
• We used Skittles to conduct an investigation about colour frequency using the steps of the Scientific Method.
• We began our World Religions unit with a brief history of Abraham and how he was connected to the three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
• We practiced finding more descriptive, vivid synonyms for bland words and looked at different examples of descriptive writing.
• We learned French vocabulary to talk about appearances and hobbies.
• We finished our class novel, "Flipped," and watched the movie version to solidify our learning.
• We had a fire drill.  It was MUCH better than the last time! Well done!
•  We practiced the Keep, Change, Change, Solve strategy for subtracting integers. 

Record these notes and bring them to your Math test on Tuesday. It will be an "open notes" test.

 Next Week: 

• I will be away on Monday afternoon and Thursday all day due to commitments with my role in the union.
• We will begin our Book of the Month reading program.
• We will look deeper at the origins, core beliefs, rituals, and practices of Judaism.
• We will begin our science unit on Evolution.
• We will begin to write our autobiographies in French.
• We will write descriptive paragraphs in English.
• We will have a test on adding and subtracting integers on Tuesday.
• Exploratories begin on Thursday!

Reminders: 

• Scholastic book orders are due on Monday
• Please return the FSA Withdrawal letters to exempt your child from writing this 3-hour standardized test.
• Bring your book to read for Book of the Month on Monday!

September 22

Thank you to all the families who came to met me last night at Meet the Teacher Night. If you didn't get a chance to stop in, feel free to come by the class at any time and see what's happening.

I know a lot of you were wondering about the class reconfiguration.  Luckily, our class will not be affected; all our students will stay in Division 13, we will remain a Grade 7 class, and don't have anyone new coming in.

This Week:

•  In English, students learned about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos and used those ideas to write a persuasive letter.
• Students wrote their first math quiz today (absolute value and adding integers).
•  We reviewed the scientific method.
• Students got to use their critical thinking skills to analyse a news article in Social Studies. They looked at the headline, domain name, author, and other features to decide whether he article was telling the truth or whether it was "fake news."
• Students presented their family portraits in French. 
• We brainstormed a list of skills and students selected 4 skills that they possessed and discussed how those skills could help hem in school or later on in the job world.
• We ran for Terry Fox!

Next Week:

• Exploratory sign up starts on Monday morning. Bring your forms and money for your first choice to the foyer. First come, first served for many exploratories.
• We will have an orientation in the Library and students will begin to select their October novels for our "Book of the Month" reading program.
• We will practice subtracting integers in math.
• We will begin our Social Studies unit: Comparative World Religions.
•  We will explore vocabulary in science and complete a lab using the steps of the scientific method.
• We will shift from persuasive writing to descriptive writing in English.
• Friday, September 29, will be our recognition of Orange Shirt Day.  This is a day to recognize the thousands of children taken from their homes and put into Residential Schools in Canada. For more information on Orange Shirt Day, visit http://www.orangeshirtday.org/

September 15

This Week:
-In English, students completed their first writing assignment - a persuasive paragraph describing the worst pet. We also learned about Aristotle's 3 ways of persuasion - Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
-In Math, we began our unit on integers. Students learned about absolute value and began practicing adding integers with like and unlike signs.
-In Social Studies, we continued to talk about reliable sources.
-In Science, we completed a lab finding the observable and measurable properties of an orange.
-In French, we reviewed birthday vocabulary and family vocabulary. Students began sketching a family portrait that they will present next week.
-We also looked closely at the Core Competencies of the Curriculum. Small groups of students focused on one competency to really understand and teach to the rest of the class.
-Today, we had our first field trip to Aylard Farm. It was a beautiful (but really hot) day and the students were very well-behaved!

Next Week:
-No school on Monday!
-I will be away on Tuesday afternoon to attend a school district policy meeting. Ms. Lankmayr will be the TTOC.
-Photo Day is Wednesday.
-Thursday is the Terry Fox Run and "Fox Fest." During Fox Fest, students will be able to explore different stations set up and run by teachers. Some will be free and others will have a cost. All money raised will go to the Terry Fox Foundation.
-In English, students will write a persuasive letter to me using ethos, pathos, and logos reasoning.
-In Math, we will continue to practice adding integers. (Hint, a pop quiz might be coming on Thursday...)
-In Social Studies, we will continue to use critical thinking skills to decide whether sources are reliable or not.
-In Science, we will review the scientific method.

September 12

Today students moved into their first assigned seating plan of the year. If students are unhappy with the seating arrangements, please remember that it is not permanent and that it will change quite frequently. Being able to work with a variety of different people is a valuable skill that will help students later on in life.

September 8

We made it through our first week with perfect attendance! Way to go!

This week:
-You created name kaleidoscope art to put up over your lockers in the hallway.
-We began our Book of the Month program with the class read-aloud novel, "Flipped."
-We reviewed some Grade 6 math concepts and you completed a Beginning of Grade 7 Math Assessment.
-We talked about persuasive writing strategies and you started planning your first writing assignment of the year, a persuasive paragraph describing the animal that would make the best or the worst pet.
-We reviewed some Grade 6 French vocabulary (names, introductions, question words).

Next week:
-In French, we will begin a "Je me presente" unit where you will learn vocabulary to talk about yourselves!  
-In English, we will continue with persuasive writing. 
-In Math, we will continue to review and build upon Grade 6 concepts. 
-In Social Studies, we will discuss reliable and unreliable sources. -In Science, we will review lab procedures and complete a lab describing measurable and observable properties of matter.  
-Next Friday (September 15), all Grade 7 students will be going on a field trip to Aylard Farms. The permission form went home today and should be returned as soon as possible. If you need a new form, click here.

Weekend Homework:
-Make sure to complete the Worst Pet Planning Sheet for Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Our Weekly Schedule

Today students got their lockers and we finalized our weekly schedule. Click on the picture below for the full size schedule.