Parkside Junior High 7D

Area of parallelograms and triangles
Area of Circles

Our class is entered in the Stock Market Challenge, put on by the Winnipeg Free Press. Each student had $100,000.00 to spend on stocks in different categories. The first results have finally been posted. They are printed in the Free Press but can also be found online. Rankings will continue to be posted every Tuesday so keep your eyes open.

Students have access to their profile where they can see their rankings and, beginning shortly, will be able to trade stocks as they wish. They all decided on a user name and password. By going here, and using their login information they can keep up to date on their stocks.

Hopefully we have a few who can crack the top 10!

I must have put a jinx on our string of 5-day weeks, as both the past two weeks have been unexpectedly shortened. The class, however, has shown great focus the past month and I’m happy with the progress that we have made.

One of the best parts of the past three weeks has been watching the interactions and listening to the conversations between those students who were a part of the “Hunger Games” group. Not a morning went by when I didn’t overhear talk about the book. Often these talks turned into long and elaborate conversations. As I read, when the bell rang to signal break or the end of the day, the students stayed seated. Instead of the usual scurrying off to enjoy their freedom I often heard the powerful chant “Keep Reading!”  How rewarding. Our work with this book has allowed us to focus on making connections that include our own thoughts and feelings. We  still have work to do, but improvements have been made.

In math we have started working with algebra without even knowing it. As I have been working with small groups of students they have shown me their ability to write and solve equations so long as they take the time to actively think about the question. Our next step is adding variables to the equation.

In science we are about to begin writing a class report on our Tobogganing Inquiry project.  We realized some shortcomings in our plan and procedure and will use this opportunity to go back and improve on our previous work.

Have a great weekend!

A storm day. Day’s like these give some extra time to update all those things that have been pushed aside the past few weeks. This being one of them.

It seems like ever since the return from Christmas break things have moving on at a furious pace. We are starting to become accustomed to the 5-day week. It’s been a while, as before Christmas we didn’t have too many of those.

A quick update on what’s been keeping us busy in class.

Science – we are currently working through an inquiry investigation with 7C on the topic of sledding. We have generated testable questions, done some research, created data tables, and are almost till the point where we are ready to run some trials. The goal of this activity is to introduce students to the idea of inquiry, show them all the parts of the process, so that they are able to work through an inquiry project independently in the future.

Math – A majority of our time has been spent on number sense. As I give students more of an opportunity to explore new topics I realize how much they already know. I am continuing to remind myself that I don’t need to teach the steps to solve a problem as kids really do know how to think and solve things for themselves. We are continuing to grow as mathematical thinkers, are improving at communicating our ideas, and have shown the ability to solve problems in a variety of ways.

ELA – Our writing mini lessons have been focused on memoirs. We have introduced the idea of a planning sheet to address the “writers block” that we have all experienced. We have spent time sharing memoir-worthy experiences. Often as we share our own ideas, it sparks an idea in someone else’s mind.

We have also been talking about response journals, and the importance of making connections to a text. We are using the books we are reading to practice making these connections. A group of students has chosen to listen to “The Hunger Games”, while another group has chosen to work independently on a novel of their choice.

Other stuff:

• A group of students from 7D is heading to the MEC on Thursday to take in a draw of a Manitoba Scotties. It should be a good experience for those involved.
• 7D has strong representation on the school basketball teams. They are in the midst of a short, but busy season.

Good Morning 7D! Here is what you need to accomplish this morning:

Period 1 – Updating your personal blog – Please be detailed – rushing through just means you will have to do it again…

1. Login to edublogs.org
2. Go to your own personal dashboard (if you forget how ask a peer – someone will be able to help you)
3. Add a new math post – Explain your steps for question 11 from page 95 (be detailed and thorough). See Lacey if you want an example of what these explanations should look like.
4. Publish your post (we will add the scan of your work in later)
5. Add a new writing post – Add a link to your “Day in the Life” piece.
6. If you have had a chance to share with Vermont – write down the star and wish that they gave you.
7. Write your own star and wish about your writing.
8. Once ALL of the above is finished you may go to www.coolmath-games.com

Period 2 – Math

1. Work alone or in groups of 2 or 3 (no groups of 4 as this can be split into two groups of 2).
2. You will get a puzzle and I want you to work together to determine what percent, fraction, and decimal each piece is of the whole.
3. Write your answer in all three forms and explain your thinking for each piece.
4. THIS IS MEANT TO CHALLENGE YOU!!! Use the hints below to help you out.

Hints: Puzzle Hints

Remember to explain all your thinking. I don’t explain you to “get it” right away. Put your brains together and think it through. Explain your reasoning so I know you’ve done the thinking.

Period 4 – ELA/Choir

READING CLASS! Stay in the class, find a spot where you are comfortable and read!

Good morning 7D!

I am away at a PD session this morning so I decided I post instructions for each class online.

Important Reminders

• Will – be ready for a mad scientist demo on Thursday at the start of class.
• Riley – have a word of the day ready for tomorrow (if you had one for today you can save that one for tomorrow!)
• Lacey – be ready to teach about the procedure for partner spelling tests.
• Kelly – leave a note for me on which book(s) you want from the book order – I must turn it into the office today!!
• Book orders are due today.
• Clothing orders are due tomorrow.

Period 1 – Writing

1. Stefan and Justin – hand out Reading Journal (red baskets)
2. Tiana, Diana, Samantha, or Kaitlyn – decide who wants to present your Big Idea picture today. Show the class your picture and they will spend 5 minutes writing what they think the picture represents.
3. Once they are done writing share your story with them!
4. Stefan and Justin – collect reading journals
5. Spend the rest of the class writing individually. You can continue a piece you have been working on or start something new (visit your writing territories)

Period 2 – Reading Class

READ!!!

Period 3 – Science

1. Bring your notebook and pencil to 7C. Wait for more instructions.

Period 4 – Math

1. Finish questions listed on side board.
2. Complete Number Sense Worksheet (if it doesn’t get done, bring it home!  I will collect them tomorrow)

Period 6 – PE

1. Diana lead the warm-up
2. You will be playing indoor soccer today!

Have a great day!  See you tomorrow!

This week we have been spending a majority of our time together working on portfolios. I am so excited that we are doing this online as its something I’ve wanted to do for a while. It has been a steep learning curve, but after just 3 days we seem to be getting a handle on things. If you look on the sidebar of this page you will see a link to each student’s personal blog – which is where they are creating their portfolios.

We started by filling out a planning sheet and students are now in the process of typing their information and adding files and links to their own work.

Online portfolios excite me for a few reasons. First, we are saving paper (the less we have to print the better). Second, it is easy for me to track student progress and keep the portfolio organized. I don’t need to take space in the classroom to store the work. Third, as we get the hang of this process it will become easy to keep our work updated as we work through term 2. Fourth, it will be what we look through during our 3-way conferences. Students will be asked to go through each section and describe their work. Finally, it allows parents who have access to the Internet the opportunity to view their child’s work on their own time. What would be really great is if parents begin commenting or asking questions about particular posts. This can be done by adding a comment to a post.

The idea of having each student learning how to use their blog opens up many doors for term 2. We can build a weekly class newsletter, assigning each individual a particular topic to write about. Our e-pals can view the work we have been doing in class and can give us feedback. We can see each other’s work, comment, and find ways to improve our writing.

I have been impressed with the amount of time and effort the class has put into this task. They have followed instructions, been patient when technology can be tricky, and have asked questions to help deepen their understanding. Please do them a favour and check out their hard work for yourselves! Let us know what you think.

Good Morning,

Term 1 Report Cards were sent home yesterday afternoon. This is just a reminder that you may now make interview appointment times for next Thursday evening or  Friday during the day. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Today in class we will be doing a report card reflection. I will be asking students to bring their reflection home and have you go through it, record any questions you may have, and then sign it.

In addition everybody will be asked to spend 40 minutes writing over the weekend. Each student will develop a weekend writing plan this morning (written in their agenda book). Reminders may be necessary in order to complete this task!

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

I hope everyone is enjoying their extended weekend! As it is such a long break I wanted to post a few reminders for things that need to be done by Monday:

• Finish your “Get in the Habit” workbook. Share you answers with a parent and have them sign your paper.
• Respond to the following prompt in your reflection journal: Reflection Prompt
• Bring a poem, lyrics, or a picture to class on Monday

Enjoy the weekend!

Some new information has been posted on the Nicholson Enterprises blog. Check it out. It’s going to be an exciting week with some important announcements to come.