 Today is Orange Shirt Day, it is a day to recognize that every child matters. Orange Shirt Day is the result of a First Nations child not being able to wear her new favorite orange shirt when she arrived at a Residential School. Prior to our little buddies arriving Division 1 watched a few videos to start building an understanding of the damage, both physical and mental, that Residential Schools caused so many of our First Nations children. These schools had a profound effect of the culture and language of First Nations people across Canada and forever changed the lives of thousands of aboriginal children and their families.We then had a very lengthy conversation which focused on students asking questions, and digging deeper into our Canadian past. There is so much to learn and understand.
Homework 1) Math - grade 7s - quiz moved to Wednesday; watch this video for divisibility rules. Click here - grade 6s - check Mr. S and Ms H's websites 2) Socials - due Monday. For criteria and a self assessment checklist click here 3) ADST - pay attention to print ads, look in magazines, start determining different layouts and styles you like; Piktochart is the website Crimson used today 4)Notices 5) Grad wear order Comment: Think about our lengthy discussion regarding the residential schools and the First Nations. Why is "Every Child Matters" an important slogan? What feelings are you having as you listen to books and films about Indian Residential Schools? If you wish to see more videos I have included them below. St. Joseph's Residential Schools It Matters: The Legacy of the Residential Schools
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 What a beautiful day to participate in the Terry Fox run. It was great to see so many sweaty faces afterwards. In the afternoon students were given a logic puzzle. For many, the task required perseverance and grit to accomplish. I loved watching the reactions from some of the students once they were successful. Some I needed to encourage to not give up and to at least give it a go. As this is a focus for the year, this activity was a great baseline for me to observe those that already have perseverance and those that need to develop it. Parents, I have included a photo of the puzzle below for those of you who wish to give it a go. Homework 1) Math - grade 7s - quiz moved to Wednesday; watch this video for divisibility rules. Click here - grade 6s - check Mr. S and Ms H's websites 2) Socials - due Monday 3) Photo day tomorrow 4) Please check your gmails to see if you have received my test one. If you have not please let me know tomorrow. Comment: 1) What was your mindset for the run? 2) Did you have a personal goal for the run? Did you accomplish it? 3) What do you think about Terry Fox running 42 km per day for months?   The personal timelines seem to be moving forward as we head towards the due date (Monday). Students glued, wrote and drew to help show the progression of their years on this earth. Having students go back to the criteria was a common redirection today. I hope to move students beyond asking me what to do next, to thinking about how they can determine this on their own.
Homework 1) Math - grade 7s - quiz on Monday - grade 6s Mr. S - play game that is on his website (see the right sidebar of this site) Ms. H - pg. 84 #2,3,4,6 2) Socials - Timelines - due on Monday 3) Come in PE strip tomorrow for Terry Fox 4) Have parents complete the survey if you are new to Division 1 this year - Parent Survey 5) Return entertainment books 6) Terry Fox shoes - some students have yet to hand these in Comment: Crimson has one more aspect to introduce for the graphic design lessons. He has asked that you begin to think about possible products, TV shows, movies, or ... that you might want to create an ad for. These items cannot be fictional - they must be real items. What ideas do you have so far for this project and why would you choose that product/item?  Today Crimson continued his lessons with the graphic design concept. The focus today was typography - or the arrangement and use of font for a specific purpose. I am positive the students are now thinking not only about the colors they see in ads but also the type of font used to better understand the purpose of the ad.
Parents, please check that your child is doing the assigned homework. If they say day after day that they do not have any I would be a bit suspicious. Ask to see their work and ensure it is complete and done according to the criteria or directions. Homework 1) Math - grade 7s - pg 14 #3-5, 7-10 - grade 6s Mr. S - Ms. H - 2) Socials - Timelines - work on 3) PE tomorrow 4) Have parents complete the survey if you are new to Division 1 this year - Parent Survey 5) Return entertainment books Comment: Steven was very angry and was clear about his anger. As we have been reading I hope that you have been putting yourself into his shoes. If you were in this situation, how do you think you would be reacting to everything going on in your world? Would you be angry, depressed, not affected, etc. Be sure to explain why.  The day has finally arrived - the excitement was palpable - the Titan Amazing Race is only hours away! It was hard to contain the excitement today in the grade 6/7 classrooms as the kids tried to focus on learning. They were able to complete the peer assessment on the I am Poem and many finished typing up their work make revisions where needed. This afternoon 'Crimson' added on to his first lesson from Tuesday regarding color in graphic design. The students seem to be very interested in this topic and I am thrilled to have one of my grade 7s share their knowledge and passion with the class.
Homework 1) Math - Gr 7s - pg 10 #5-11, Worksheet 1.2 Gr 6s Ms H - booklet Mr. S - worksheet 2) Socials - for Tuesday - gather all the personal information from each of your years and make a list on a piece of paper. Also, start gathering photos to use. Important: Please have your parents complete the following survey, If you are a returning Division 1 student your parents do not need to do the survey unless their contact emails have changed. Parent Survey Comment: What a great night we had on Friday night. Tons of laughter, new connections made, great teamwork and lot and lots of energy expended. What was the best part of The Titan Amazing Race for you? What memory(ies) will you most likely keep for many years to come. Be sure to add details of the event(s). If this were to become an annual event, what advice or suggestions could you give the teachers for the next time? Upcoming Dates Monday, September 26 - Pro D Monday, October 10 - Thanksgiving Friday, October 21 - Provincial Pro D  Collecting information for the personal timelines. An vital part of learning is the feedback cycle. Once time is given for students to receive feedback based on the criteria, they have a chance to make changes and improve their learning. Today I modelled giving peer feedback to a student's I Am poem. Students were able to see what good feedback looks like and how we use the criteria to give this process.
Important - There has been a change of time for the Amazing Race. We will be done at 10:30 rather than 11:00. Please make sure this information gets to your parents. 1) Math - Gr 7s - pg 10 #5-11, Worksheet 1.2 Gr 6s Ms H - Mr. S - 2) Socials - for Tuesday - gather all the personal information from each of your years and make a list on a piece of paper. Also, start gathering photos to use. Comment: We all learn in different ways. It is important that I understand each of you as a learner. When you are in the classroom what helps you learn? What prevents or distracts you as a learner? Upcoming Dates Friday, September 23 - The Titan Amazing Race 5:30 to 10:30 ** this is a change in time Monday, September 26 - Pro D Monday, October 10 - Thanksgiving Friday, October 21 - Provincial Pro D  Technology is a very important part of the learning in Division 1.But before we can get started on using some of the tools at our fingertips, students needed to practise logging into their gmail accounts and emailing me to connect. One of the first rules we learned two weeks ago was to write down passwords somewhere safe but accessible. Some students struggled today and were unable to log on as they did not remember their passwords. A great real life example.
Homework 1) Math - Gr 7s - pg 10 #3, 4 Gr 6s Ms H - pg 78 #2a,b,c, 4,4,5 Mr. S - pg. 80 #2,4 2) Socials - get three personal facts about your life, for example something from when you were 1, 2, and 3 years of age. 3) Notices and Entertainment Book Comment: In class we talked about expectations that society has put on both males and females ie. boys need to be tough, they shouldn't show their emotions; girls should be girly, and its okay to be emotional. Where do you think these stereotypes have come from? How long have they been around? Do you think they are changing, can they be changed? Should they be changed? Some deep thinking on this topic tonight.  We are now moving forward with the learning. Today a large block of time was spend drafting the "I Am" poems. The focus for this assignment is on using descriptive language and details, so students were encouraged to go back and extend their thoughts. The second assignment that got under way to day was the Personal Timeline. Students shared what they knew about the format and purpose of a timeline, then went over the criteria for the assignment. This will be a great opportunity for children to ask parents about significant events in their lives.
Homework 1) LA - complete draft of the 'I Am' poem 2) Math - grade 7s - worksheet 1.1 grade 6s - pg 76 #2, 5,6,7 3) Socials - ask parents about events that happened to you each year since you were born (walking, talking, illnesses, first plane ride, etc) 4) Any notices that still need to be returned 5) Entertainment books 6) PE strip for tomorrow Important - There has been a change of time for the Amazing Race. We will be done at 10:30 rather than 11:00. Please make sure this information gets to your parents. Comment: Steven was adamant (very sure) that he did not want his mom to call the school to share about his brother. Why do you think Steven felt this way? Why is he so hesitant to share to others that his world is spinning out of control?  In PE today one of the activities focused on teamwork. For each team to be successful they needed to communicate, stay calm and make a plan. At times it was very evident which students were not able to work as a team. After a few attempts and some debriefing the teams improved considerably.
Homework 1) Math - grade 7s - pg 6 #1 & 2 - grade 6s - pg 72/73 #1, 3, 5, 7 and 11 bonus 2) Notices - gmail, student info, amazing race Comment: 1) Are your parent(s) coming to 'Meet the Teacher'? 2) What are you most looking forward to showing them from your first two weeks at school? (even if they aren't able to make it).  Finding a comfortable place to relax with a good book! It has been an amazing first full week getting to know all the students in Division 1. Through the variety of community building activities new friendships are being formed and a feeling of comfort and trust are being built. This group is going to be so great to work with this year.
Homework 1) Notices - gmail - Amazing Race - Student Information forms 2) PE strip is needed for Monday - a change of shirt is necessary as well as proper running shoes (a deodorant stick is also a very good idea) 3) Comment (see below) 4) Have fun, get outside to play, find some time to dig into a good book Comment: Wow, what another heart wrenching read in Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. Why do you think the dad did not share the daily reports he received with Steven? How would you feel if you were Steven - where you are living in a home where the adults were not talking to you? Be sure to extend your comments beyond a sentence and edit for capitals, periods and spelling. If this is not a strong point with you then ask someone to read it over with you! Upcoming Dates Monday, September 19 - Meet the Teacher: Open classroom visit from 6:00 till 6:30, parent meeting for all parents in the gym from 6:30 till 7:00 Friday, September 23 - The Titan Amazing Race 5:30 to 10:30 ** this is a change in time Monday, September 26 - Pro D Monday, October 10 - Thanksgiving Friday, October 21 - Provincial Pro D |
Mrs. MiddletonI am a grade 7 teacher who has been teaching in the Surrey School District for over 28 years. I love to read, garden, walk, and spend time with family, friends and my golden retriever Kona. 
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