Mrs. Middleton's Class Website Nurturing Life-Long Learners

Thursday

04/24/2014

Fit kids is always a great way to start the day as the students have a chance to burn off the extra energy early on. Research tells us that starting the day with exercise helps the body relax and the brain fire on all cylinders.
All students are continuing to develop their math skills using percents. When you think about it, our life is often dealing with this concept. Walk into any shop and you will see sale signs with percents off, borrow money and you deal with percents, go to a restaurant and think about taxes and tips. Becoming comfortable with percents is one of the most important skills students can have as they move into their teen years and beyond.

Math - Grade 7s - no assigned work but practise your estimating with percents skills. If you are shopping or out for food at a restaurant where you are being served - calculate the tip for your parents or other family members - Show off those skills!
Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - worksheet, test on Monday
- Mrs. Farrell - mid chapter review, pg 191
#1-9, worksheet - Mon

Socials - Start thinking about which Ancient Civilization you want to learn more about as Monday we will begin the Inquiry Project. (A. China, A. India. Indus Valley, A. Greece, A. Rome, A. Egypt, A. Japan)

Art - complete your draft of the tile pattern - cannot move forward tomorrow without it being done
Bring the following supplies to school tomorrow - Friday

tiles if you are bringing some of your own
plastic container like a yogurt one to put your broken tiles into (this only applies to those who are bringing in their own tiles as this will be your storage spot)
hammer if you have one (we only need about 10 for the entire class)
old towel or old t-shirt you can donate as they will be thrown out once used (again, about 10 would be good for the class)

Comment: What did you learn about roles of men and women in Canadian society? How are we similar and how are we different from our ancestors from Mesopotamia? Do you think that the roles will continue to evolve as they have already done? How might they change?

12 Comments

Wednesday

04/23/2014

29 Comments

Lots of investigative work on what the roles within the Mesopotamian society were. We found out that they had 4 distinct classes with the Priests holding their own status. They were incredibly important men. There are some similarities to today but more differences. Chat with moms, dads, or other familky members to find oou
LA - Choose three possible topics that you are thinking about using for your persuasive writing. Please send me an email with your three topic choices. If you don't have three yet send what you can.
Math - Grade 7s - pg 162 #7 - 11, 4.3 worksheet
Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - pg 191 #1-9, mark
- Mrs. Farrell - pg 188/189 #3-6, 8, 9, 11, 14
Socials - Complete the roles within Canadian society for homework. Ask your parents as this will be difficult to research. How many classes do we have? Is our class system shaped like a pyramid if you were to think about the levels? What are the roles of men and women today? These are your questions to learn about.
Art - tiles - collect any tiles you wish to use for the art project. Check at home, with your neighbours or with family members as they may have some you will like. If you want other colors you will need to ask a parent to take you to a tile store to purchase. You will not need many.
PE - Fit kids tomorrow first thing

Comment: Something quick and easy tonight. Share something you learned today about the roles within Mesopotamia.

29 Comments

Tuesday

04/22/2014

27 Comments

Lots of energy today - a bit hard to focus for some. It is amazing that after 4 days holidays we still can feel tired - must be all that chocolate!S
Students worked to build the structure of their first persuasive paragraph. As a practise run we used the topic of TV. Students determined the opinion to be that TV time should be limited. Establishing strong reasons and details are the building blocks of persuasion. Together the class filled in a graphic organizer which will help them with their homework tonight.

LA - Persuasive Paragraph - Write a first draft of a persuasive paragraph on the topic of TV. Use the graphic organizer that we filled in today as it has all the necessary information. Take the information and convince your peers (this is your audience) as to why they should limit their TV viewing. Please complete this in your writing exercise book. I must stress the importance of effort. Having looked through a number of your Socials Summative pieces I am really concerned that many are taking their learning lightly. Even though this is a first round of persuasive writing, use the skills you know are important in any writing situation.

Math - Grade 7s - pg 162 #2,3,4, 6; watch video for extra practise
Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - pg 178 A - D, pg 188/189 #3-6, 8,9,11,14 - MARK
- Mrs. Farrell - pg 184/185 #1-10

Socials -

Art - tiles - collect any tiles you wish to use for the art project. Check at home, with your neighbours or with family members as they may have some you will like. If you want other colors you will need to ask a parent to take you to a tile store to purchase. You will not need many.

Comment: Touching Spirit Bear - After reading today, Cole is exposing more and more about who he is as a person, what he values, and what he does not value. Share what you know about Cole. Besides the obvious, such as his age, his parents, include what you are inferring about his life. Try to use evidence from the story to help you. For example, if I were to share something about Garvey, the probation officer, I would say that he was Native American, and he was a probation officer who worked with youth. I would also say that he has had a troubled past as he has tremendous patience with Cole. Many others stopped visiting Cole while he was in jail but Garvey did not. Even when Cole gave him attitude, he remained calm and tried to share life lessons. (This is just the beginning but it gives you an idea of how to use evidence to support your thinking.)

Video Link: Estimating Percents

27 Comments

Thursday

04/17/2014

26 Comments

As the Think We team will be holding a fundraiser in a couple of weeks, that uses paper airplanes, the grade 6/7 teachers decided to take a bit of time out of the day to let students 'play' with styles and shapes of planes to see if they could create the best glider. Building a plane that glides for a long distance is no easy feat. There was a lot of team work as students worked together and then shared their discoveries. To tape or not to tape? Wide wing span or sleek? Balance of wings as well as symmetry? Lots of physics for the students without them even being aware! Creating, and recreating is where the learning took place.

Hope everyone has an amazing long weekend with family and friends.

1) Socials - complete the Mesopotamia review package either on line (it is shared on Drive) or paper and pen. This is a summative piece much like an open book test. Use your notes, check out the videos you have watched or even digger into more reading if need be to ensure you share your best knowledge of what we have covered so far in this unit.

- Complete both letters for a crime you committed in Mesopotamian times and Canadian times. If possible share with me once it has been revised and edited on google drive otherwise print off at school Tuesday morning.

2) Math - Grade 7s - no homework
- Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - 1 worksheet and show your work
- Mrs. Farrell - pg 180/181 #2-8, 13 and 15

3) LA - think about a possible topic for the persuasive paragraph/essay; it must be a topic you feel passionately about and is debatable (has two sides that can be argued). Chat with parents as to possible topics that would interest you.

Comment: Tell about a favorite family traditions you have that is done every year. For example, in my family we go Christmas tree shopping together every year. All four of us find a day where we can troop out to a tree farm, walk through row after rom of trees, compete to see who can find the best, biggest and widest and then cut it down. We then haul it back to the track, strap it down, stop for a quick hot chocolate then head for home discussing the merits of our tree. My husband and I have be doing this since our first child was born and he was a mere three weeks old. We have yet to miss a year. This is just one of many family traditions I cherish.

26 Comments

Wednesday

04/16/2014

32 Comments

Working and learning with other classes is beneficial for a variety of reasons. Students get a chance to hear new opinions, they push themselves to work outside their comfort zones by choosing partners they don't know very well, and they receive feedback from a different set of peers. Language Arts this morning had Division 1 and 5 learning to recognize patterns in writing such as incorporating chronological order and cause and effect. These patterns will be important as each student continues to develop writing skills around persuasive pieces.

Socials was all about looking more closely at the differences between laws during Mesopotamia times and current Canadian laws. Their next task is to write two letters one from the perspective of a criminal back in Mesopotamia and one from a criminal today in Canada who have committed the same crime. Students are being asked to compare and contrast what they know about the laws and the associated punishments. There was quite a buzz iin the air as students revved up their creative juices for this assignment.

1) Math - Grade 7s - no homework
- Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - no homework
- Mrs. Farrell - worksheet

2) LA - Band Students - complete the Patterns lessons

3) Socials - decide which crime you have committed. Be sure it is one you feel you can comfortably write about; I would highly recommend students spend time composing at least on of their letters tonight. Giving yourself enough time to complete it, received feedback and make changes will be a tight fit tomorrow afternoon.

4) French - oral quiz tomorrow; 3 - 5 emotions for jeudi

Comment: I am leaving this open for you to decide what you would like to share. Maybe you wish to share which law you have decided your character has broken. Or, maybe the Math lesson and its learning (grade 7s) may have been an activity you wish to share. What about a great book you are reading and would recommend to others? The possibilities are endless - you choose your topic for commenting tonight.

32 Comments

Tuesday

04/15/2014

29 Comments

Hammurabi's Code of Laws

A lively and informative discussion occurred today around Hammurabi's Code of Laws. Hammurabi created the 282 laws to ensure the powerful did not oppress the lower classes. Students had a chance to review some of these laws and the punishments for the crimes comparing these to the punishments of similar crimes in Canada today.
Learning Intention: I can compare the laws of Hammurabi to current Canadian laws.

1) Math - Grade 7s - pg 156/157 #3-7, 10, 12 - 15; mark your work; bring in two nutritional labels from snack foods
- Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - worksheets
- Mrs. Farrell - worksheets
2) French - oral quiz - jeudi; look up 3 - 5 emotions - jeudi
3) Socials - discuss with parents a couple of the scenarios presented today with the laws. Ask your parents what the punishment would be under the Canadian Code of Law. For exsmple, if a wife or husband belittled or mentally abused their spouse, what would the law do to protect the victim? Take time to work through some of the scenarios so you have a better understanding of our laws.

Comment: Now that we have begun to start looking more closely at Hammurabi's Laws, which law, do you think, had the most severe punishment for what the crime was ? In other words, which seems to be the most unreasonable? Explain your thinking.

Below you will find the track schedule for the month of April. Please know when your event practises are.

29 Comments

Monday

04/14/2014

28 Comments

Jump Rope for Heart occurred this afternoon for Hillcrest. All the students headed outside for an hour to raise money and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It was great to see the participation and hear the laughter from all the students.
1) Math - Grade 7s - no homework, get test signed
- Grade 6s - Mrs. Van - no homework, get test signed
- Mrs. Farrell - pg 193 - #1 - 6
2) Socials - watch video link below and see Comments for directions on a response.

Track and Field practises start today. It would be great to have more than 50% of our class joining up. Grab a schedule, talk to other students, and come join in this great opportunity to run, jump and throw!

Comment: After watching the video write a response summarizing this video. Why do we need laws? Who was the first to establish laws? What was an example of a law that the Mesopotamians had to follow? Continuing with our discussion today regarding the need to dig deeper, share why you think it is important that we have laws in society.

Video Link: Turning Points In History

28 Comments

Friday

04/11/2014

27 Comments

Our own Easter eggs!

Whew, I think we are all exhausted after a long and busy week. We started our day with some great debates around a couple of controversial topics. The purpose was to build an understanding of how to state an argument and back up the opinion with reasons and details. Next week students will continue to develop this skill in their writing.
I was very impressed with all of Division 1's behaviour during our fire drill today. All students took it seriously and were excellent role models for the other classes.
After recess we let our creative juices flow by decorating Easter eggs with our little buddies. Lots of bright colors and interesting designs came about.
Everyone is in need of a well deserved break this weekend. Take some time outside, run, play, have fun. Oh, don't forget to pick up a good book for some down time!

1) Health and Career - Goal Setting - use the plan we created today as an example. Redo your two personal goals with specific steps. Remember, "A goal without a plan is just a wish."
2) Bring a skipping rope on Monday for Jump Rope for Heart if you have one.

Comment: Today we debated two very good topics, one on whether cell phones should be allowed in schools and the other whether uniforms should be worn in all schools. Take some time to think about topics that are debatable/arguable/controversial. As you will be choosing a topic to write about in the near future it is time to start thinking about possible topics. Ask a parent, talk to a friend, and share what topics do you think would be good to write about in a persuasive piece.

Watch the short video below to review what is needed for a successful persuasive piece of writing.

Video Link: Persuasive Writing

27 Comments

Thursday

04/10/2014

27 Comments

Starting today with Fit Kids allowed many students the chance to burn off energy allowing each the ability to focus in on their learning. Tomorrow we will incorporate our new goal of being active 4 times a week even if it is for 15 minutes at a time.

1) Bring in a hard boiled white egg for decorating. Please make sure it is in a container that will keep it from cracking as it travels to and from school.
2) Grade 7s - complete the Year Book paragraph. Be thoughtful and ask a parent to help edit. Return for Monday.

Comment: Too often we rush through each day without being thoughtful of all we have and all we have accomplished. What is something that you are proud of learning, of accomplishing in the past few weeks in school? Remember to go beyond one quick sentence. Think about why you are proud of this and how it has made a difference for you.

27 Comments

Wednesday

04/09/2014

33 Comments

Visible thinking in Math.

I shared an article this morning that I had read recently about a 95 year old woman who is still participating internationally in track and field. This led to a talk around fitness levels for all of us and the need to take time out of our day to get outside and be active. We also talked about the importance of having down time where we can spend time with friends playing games like street hockey and kick the can, or climbing trees. Many of the students voiced they do feel their lives are over scheduled and do not have enough of this 'down time' to recharge the batteries. What a great topic to discuss at the dinner table or in the next car ride.
Digging deeper into specific inventions from Mesopotamia was the focus in Socials. Everyone was partner up and took notes on an assigned invention. Tomorrow they will be turning this information into an one page document sharing their learning.

1) Math - grade 7s Test tomorrow - study the review check ups
- grade 6s - Mr. Rayat - test tomorrow
- Mrs. Van - pg 104 #3, mark, study for test tomorrow

2) Socials - complete note taking for your partner work (invention)
3) French - emotions worksheet - Thursday
4) Fit Kids - Thursday morning
5) Egg decorating - each student is to bring a hard boiled egg Friday

Math Games - Order of Operation to practise your skills!
Math is Fun
Order of Operation - Alberta
Math Frog
IXL
Solve It

Comment: If we are to be active each day for at least 15 minutes in school time we need to gather a list of activities that would be suitable for us to do. Add your thoughts as to what games, activities you would be interested in. Take some time to look up ideas to introduce. There are many out there, we just need to learn what they are. OUr class goal is to be active at least 4 days a week during the school day. But it needs to be manageable from the teacher's view point too!

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