Pythagorean Relationship-This is huge!

Today was a BIG math day!  We explored Pythagorean Relationships (using Smarties).  This is an extremely important concept to take into grade 9. 

Khan Academy is an amazing link to watch over and over as they explain how it all works.  Thank you so much to the students who followed along and took amazing notes.

Math Homework due Thursday:  Part I: Page 92-93 (#4,6,12)
                                                     Part II: Page 104-105 (#3,5,7,9,10)
                                                     Part III: Page 110-111 (#3-7)

DUE THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015

Probability Quiz - Friday, May 29th

Science Quiz - Monday, June 1st,2015
1) Types of Light - Topic 1 Assignment - Bioluminescent, Chemiluminescent etc.....
                                                                 - Transparent, translucent, opaque
2) Ray model of Light - How shadows form
3) Reflection - Ray diagrams of smooth surfaces - Incident Ray, incident angle, normal line, reflected line, reflected angle.
4) Reflection off an uneven surface
5) Reflection off curved mirrors - convex and concave
6) Refraction - Ray diagram - bending of light away or towards normal depending on density of materials.
7) How does light behave in a concave vs. convex lens
8) Eye - structures and function of eye parts
9) Eye conditions
10) How a camera works

Science May 22

Please have "The Parts of the Eye" labeling complete as well, "Functions of an Eye and a Camera"! - Due Monday 

Math/Science May 21

What have we been up to?

Math- Brand new unit, Probability. We have taken notes to refer to that will be extremely helpful. 

FIELD TRIP FORMS- Kananaski County June 4

ALL students were given field trip forms for an upcoming field trip.  We also require 3 parent volunteers to help ensure that this trip is a success.  If you are interested, please let Mr. Perritt or myself know.


All forms are required back by May 15. 

May 6-Math Class

We are moving right along in solving Algebraic Equations.  For homework please have pg. 392 #4,6,8,10,13-15  ~ completed.

A lot of you are not here tomorrow and out of the building on school activities~ you need to ensure that these questions are complete as we will be moving on when you return.


Those working out of the booklet:  You must have completed up to and including pg. 545.

Humanities

Today we had some time to work on our Literature Circle assignments and The Outsiders and The Shakespeare Stealer had their discussions with a teacher.
Tomorrow the two groups reading Samurai Shortstop will have their discussion groups. 

 We also continued to talk about Myths and their characteristics. Students were given the task to start brainstorming to write their own myth.

Challenge: Choose a culture you have lots of knowledge on (perhaps Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Aztecs, Japan, or other) and include parts of the culture in your myth. 

April 21 - Science

We have started a brand new  unit in Science "Light and Optics"

For tomorrow:
1. All glossary words defined and page numbers placed into your Science Journals
2. Front page of the "textbook" walk through.

Humanities

Today we continued to work on a Worldview Element Wheel for Japan that was started on Friday. Students should have read through Ch.12, using text features for support, and have placed information about Japan on the wheel where they feel it fits best.  It is due for tomorrow!

Also, today students continued to work on their Literature Circle reading and roles. Today, The Outsiders and The Shakespeare Stealer had their discussions. The following discussions are scheduled for this week:

Tues. April 21 - Samurai Shortstop (x2)
Wed. April 22 - Men of Stone, Under the Blood Red Sun, and Of Nightingales that Weep.

Please come prepared!

Humanities April 16

Students are starting a unit on Japan.  A mapping activity was given out today.  It is due tomorrow.  Also, current events will be shared in small groups tomorrow.  Please be prepared to share if it is your turn.

I Cube Ready to Go

All I Cube projects are due tomorrow~ Wednesday, April 15!

 

Be ready to present to your class:)

Humanities

Today we assigned novels to students to start our Literature Circle unit. Every student had some choice in which book they wanted to read and everyone was assigned either their first or second choice based on availability of the book.

Discussions will be had each week for every novel group. Each member of the group will have a job to complete to bring to the discussion. Jobs will be handed out and assigned tomorrow. The schedule students have so far is as follows:

The Shakespeare Stealer, The Outsiders

Samurai Shortstop

Men of Stone, Of Nightingales that Weep, Under the Blood Red Sun

Week	Chunk to Read	Discussion Date	Job Description	Assignment & Due Date
1-     April 13th -17th	This will vary by book.		You will rotate each week!	Start reading first chunk!
2-     April 20th -23rd		Mon. April. 20 Tues. April 21nd Wed. April 22
3-     April 27th –May 1st		Mon. April 27 Tues. April 28 Wed. April 29		Reading Response #1 – “Book Intro” Due Date:
4-     May 4th – May 8th		Mon. May 4th Tues. May 5 Wed. May 6
5-     May 11th – 15th		Mon. May 11th Tues. May 12 Wed. May 13		Reading Response #2 – Due Date:
6-     May 18th – 22nd		Tues. May 19 Wed. May 20 Thurs. May 21
7-     May 25th – 29th		Mon. May 25 Tues. May 26 Wed. May 27

March30/31- Math

Calculating Volume

Cylinder:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdQi3Q1teZU

Prism:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx4XDe8TUHM

Cube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHBvVU8mO50

Math Questions:  Due Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Pg. 258-259  #4,5,7,9,10
Pg. 265-666  #4,6,8,13,14

**Those working from the Math Workbook:  Your entire Surface Area booklet is due on Thursday, April 2, 2015**

Humanities - March 30

Welcome back!  We hope you had a great holiday.  We started back to school by working on a poem that we started before the break.  This poem is due tomorrow.  Please finish it for homework.

As well, we will be working on the I3 project in Humanities this week.  Each team will be expected to create a logo, a slogan and a script for a 30 second TV commercial.  This work will begin in class tomorrow.  Students will have some time each day to work on it. This work will be due after the long weekend.   Any students who are traveling will be expected to complete this work by Tuesday, April 7.

March 13- Math

It is check in time!!!!

Your Chapter 5 "check in" sheet is due on Monday.

March 11- Science

I-Cubed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1K2jdjLhbo

Today we began with a brainstorming activity:

1.  List as many activities that you do on a daily basis.
2.  Using your list of activities that you brainstormed, choose several of them and create a "wish" for each activity.
     Eg.  I wish my lunchbox would keep my pizza warm until lunch
             I wish I could see through the rain in my glasses

March 10- Math

Today we continued looking at calculating Surface Area, specially of a cylinder.

For Homework:  Pages 186-187 #3-6, 8-10 is due tomorrow.

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-the-Surface-Area-of-Cylinders is a great visual, including steps

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/basic-geo/basic-geo-volume-surface-area/basic-geo-volumes/v/cylinder-volume-and-surface-area is also a good website however, you have to skip to 3.30 minutes into the presentation.

Remember: The formula for circumference.....  

Humanities - Spain Looks Westward Ch.9 Visual Notes

Humanities - Mar 2

This week, students are working toward the following learner outcome:

 

Students will assess, critically, how the Aztecs were affected by the Spanish worldview by exploring and reflecting upon the following question:

 

What key elements of Spain’s worldview led to the desire to expand the Spanish empire?

 

We have looked at Chapter 9 together.  Beginning tomorrow, students will be demonstrating their understanding by responding to questions from the text. 

 

As well, please remember that we have current events this Friday.  Students should know, based on conversations with their group members, who is responsible for bring a current event this week.  The assignment and the rubric can be found on D2L under the shell 8-02 Core. These documents can be found under content. 

  

Humanities - Feb 26

Students are working on consolidating their understanding of the Aztec worldview.  They have been assigned a task to connect the details of the Aztec to the elements of worldview.  This can be done visually or in writing.  Most students have finished.  It is due tomorrow.

Current events are due tomorrow for the group member who is in charge of presenting.

Humanities - Feb 25

As students continue to work on their current events, they are encouraged to think about the follow elements of worldview and the questions connected to the elements...

Geography: What role do geographical features such as climate and location play in how people look at the world and behave in it?

Time: In what terms is time viewed by a society? eg mechanical (clocks and watches?) natural (eg. the sun, the moon, the stars?).

Society: What roles are available to individuals in society?  Who holds power and how is power maintained? Who has status and how do they get it? Are certain benefits available to some and not others?

Values: How do people in a society act toward each other?  How do people in a society act toward people in other societies/ groups?

Beliefs: What beliefs do people hold about life and death? About their environment?

Economy: Who controls the resources? What is to be produced?  How will it be produced? For whom? How is property distributed? Protected?

Knowledge: How do people develop knowledge?  What ways of knowing are accepted?  Who has access to knowledge?  How is it valued? Where or in whom does the knowledge reside?

Feb 24 Humanities

Students have been assigned an ongoing task of seeking connections to worldview and current events.    this task will continue until the end of the year.  This task addresses the following curricular outcome:

Students will appreciate how a society’s worldview influences the society’s choices, decisions and interactions with other societies.

Students have selected small groups.  On Fridays, one person from each group has been assigned to bring in a current event with a summary and a reflection about how that current event connects to worldview.  Students will discuss the event and build on each others ideas.  The person responsible for the current event will then write a reflection on how the discussion has changed his or her thinking.  This, along with the summary, will be handed in on the following Monday.

The task and the rubric have been posted in D2L on the 8-02 Core Subjects shell.  To find it, scroll to the bottom of the content browser.  You should see the current events module listed there.  Students are encouraged to use the rubric to support them in developing their responses.

Humanities - Feb 23

Students have been working on researching the worldview of the Aztecs and creating a codex - a representation of the Aztec society in symbolic form.  They were asked to explain their symbols in writing.  We have been working in class on this assignment for three days.  Students have now been asked to finish the work for tomorrow.

February 18-Science/Math

 

 

Rates and Ratios Unit Test- Thursday, February 19, 2015

A great review video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gB1y-PMWfs#t=71

Look through all of your math notes paying close attention to the review assignment: Chapter 4 (pages 150-151) #10-17.

Sample Word Problem examples:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKywkLHV6Ko

2.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4kDzoQOngY

Mention what our post is titled and get a prize!

February 10-Math/Science

Science test tomorrow- Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Please know:

1. Parts of a Microscope

2. Measuring field of view

3.Characteristics of Living Things

4. Parts of cells (and their functions)

5. Fluid movement in cells

    - permeable

    - impermeable

    - diffusion

    - osmosis

    - transpiration

Feb. 9- Math/Science

Math Homework!

Textbook Work

Pg. 148-149 (#4,6,7,8,9,11)

Due Tuesday, February 10

Science Cell Quiz- Wednesday, February 11!

Humanities

Students were introduced to the Aztec culture through a power point and video. We watched part of the History Channel episode, "Engineering an Empire - The Aztecs" and we stopped several times for students to record new things they were learning about the Aztecs and then pairing up that information with which worldview element it fit in to. Students had great conversations and asked many questions about this culture.

Tomorrow we will watch the next 15minutes of the video and move on to some Reading Comprehension strategies using information about the Aztecs.

Humanities Feb 5

Students worked on a visual literacy activity where they looked at images, described the images and made inferences about the purpose of the images and the connecting element of worldview.  This work will be continues in class tomorrw.

Humanities Feb 5

We are now into our next unit of study.  In this unit, students are asked to assess, critically, how the Aztecs were affected by the Spanish worldview by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:

• What were the key elements of the worldview of the Aztec civilization prior to contact with the Spanish?

• How did the Aztec civilization’s worldview influence the Aztecs’ choices, decisions and customs?

• What key elements of Spain’s worldview led to the desire to expand the Spanish empire?

• In what ways did factors such as technology and disease contribute to the dominance of the Spanish over the Aztec civilization?

• To what extent were the divergent worldviews of the Spanish and Aztecs factors in the dominance of one nation over the other?

SUPPLIES NEEDED

Unfortunately, most of the supply of pencil crayons, rulers, markers, and glue sticks, have not been being returned to their proper places in the classroom. As a result, our classroom currently does not have pencil crayons or rulers. Please start bringing your own materials to class. Some of these materials will be replaced but it will take some time to get them ordered. 

Please please please bring a calculator!

Humanities

Homework: 

- Aztec Map of Mexico (There are 23 things to label on this map. Please read ALL of the instructions FIRST very carefully, label neatly, and color your map)

Feb. 4-Science/Math

DUE TOMORROW......

Organize your Science Journals.  We will be collecting journals for assessment.  Please ensure that your journals have ALL of the notes, handouts, diagrams, homework, and labs that we have completed thus far in Unit 2.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have any materials that you may have missed because of an absence.

Feb. 3-Math/Science

The above questions are due tomorrow, allowing us to further our investigation into Plant Cells. 

Suggestion: download textbooks onto your desktop allowing for easy access in class!

Breaking News!

The Newest Dragon Speak program is currently on sale for $50

 www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm

This is a great deal!

Science- Jan. 29

Check out the you-tube videos. 

Jan. 28-Math/Science

Notes by Julia:)

Math/Science- Jan. 26

We spent one full class looking under the microscope at onion skin.  From there we diagrammed our findings and spoke about what the "white" of an onion does not possess........

Family Literacy Day

January 27, 2015 | Family Literacy Day

Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.

Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.

Here is the link to an excellent article about Encouraging your Teen To Read 

Jan. 21-Math/Science

Today we continued our work labeling the cell parts and their functions.

Please ensure that your notes are up to date and that you are clear on the concepts.  We will be looking at living organisms through the microscope for the remaining of the week.

Math- We have reviewed Converting percentages to fractions and decimals as well, stepped it up a notch by moving to decimals in the numerator position.  If you are unsure of this process, please reach out to either Mr. Perritt or Mrs. Boucher.

This is a great movie displaying the conversion from percent to fraction.

Field Trip- January 27, 2015

Our grade 8 students have the opportunity to attend the play Dreaming Now at the Vertigo Theatre on on Tuesday, January 27, 2015.

Students are asked to leave all belongings, electronic devices (phones, ipods, etc.) and food at the school as they will have enough time for snacks and lunch at the school.

Students are also asked to bring a "bagged" lunch this day as there will not be enough time to run down to Dalhousie Station or heat up lunches.

Humanities- Tues.Jan.13th

Students watched a short video today to introduce Ch.5 - Exploration and Expansion.
This continued their discussions from yesterday where, in groups of 3, each student took on the task of researching a part of the overall topic of the chapter. Those 3 sections were:
1 - The Desire to Explore
2- The means to Explore
3 - European Expansion

During the video, Ms. Lockwood took some visual notes to demonstrate to the class one way of recording information. The remainder of the period was used to share information and build notes for the chapter.

Tomorrow we will have our Renaissance unit final. See previous blogs for more info! :)

Math/Science-Jan. 12

Math: Today we worked independently through a rates and ratios task. We were allowed to consult our notes, previous assignments, and the textbook. Now that all is completed and marked, please do not forget to ask Mr. Perritt and/or Mrs. Boucher for clarification. Taking things down to lowest terms seem to be slightly difficult for us.

Science:  My FAVOURITE, The Microscope!  Today we started by labeling the microscope and Mr. Perritt talked the rules of the scope. 

Humanities - Jan 8

As we approach the end of this topic, students are asked to reflect on the big question,

How did the exchange of ideas and knowledge during Renaissance Europe contribute to shaping the worldview of the Western world?

Keeping in mind that the elements of worldview include knowledge, geography, time, sociey, values and economy, students will be asked to prepare a response to this question as a final assessment for this unit of study.  This will be done in class time on Monday.  Students are allowed to use their notes and visual journals to support the work.  Before Monday, students are encouraged to give some thought to the question, to consider how they might answer the question and to have specific examples to support their ideas.

 

Humanities - January 7

This week, we have been reviewing some of the work on humanism and the Renaissance.  We discussed these ideas today and moved forward with the importance of science and innovation in the Renaissance.  Students were asked to share their own ideas of who is might be a modern day "Rennaissance Man" and defend their choices. We will be wrapping up the unit on the Renaissance and moving on to our next time period in the next couple of weeks.