Grade 8

Weekly Updates

May 16: from here until the end of the year, you can access the weekly goals by asking your child to show you their Google Keep or their weekly goals sheet which is in their Health Google Classroom.

April 25-29

Language Arts

1. Complete theme poster

2. Complete exemplar of Argumentative Essay

3. Select topic for your essay

4. Start researching your topic (decide if you are pro or con

Science

1. Complete wet mount slide of an onion and microscopic drawing of the onion cells.

2. Complete Cell Structure and Function Assignment

February 7-11

Language Arts

-Practice vocab and take the test when ready. Let Mrs. Howatt know when you get 100%

-Peer feedback on the main event and make revisions based on feedback.

-Part 3 Extended Endings completed

-Write an extended ending for your story

-Complete the dialogue assignment and check that you have used proper dialogue in your story.

-read 2 hour

Past Due

-part 2 Elaborative Detail

-Main event written

Science

-Finish WHMIS quiz in google classroom

-Got through particle model slides in class

-Complete Mixtures and Pure substances slides

-Complete solutions slides

-complete quiz #1 (particle model, mixtures and pure substances and WHMIS)

Past Due

-WHMIS slides

-Particle Model Slides

January 31-Feb 4

Language Arts

-Pre and post vocab of the week

-Peer feedback on entertaining beginnings

-Part 2 student assignment completed

-Finish the main event of the narrative story. Be ready to share with peers next week

-Complete the Text Inferencing Slides

-We may get to the Assignment: Dialogue

-read 2 hours

Past Due:

-Part 1 and Part 2 Narrative Stories student assignment

-Analyzing Beginnings

-Text Inferencing

-Beginning to your story written

Science

-Past Due: Mousetrap car analysis and log book.

2. Intro to new unit: Mix and Flow of Matter

1. Complete: WHMIS, Particle Theory of Matter and Mix and Flow of Matter in Google Classroom. Turn in when you are done.

January 24-28

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

-Pre and post vocab of the week

-Peer feedback on entertaining beginnings

-Part 2 student assignment completed

-Finish the main event of the narrative story. Be ready to share with peers next week

-Complete the Text Inferencing Slides

-We may get to the Assignment: Dialogue

-Read 2 hours

Science

January 15-21

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

-Complete brainstorming for Narrative Story.

-In 1.2 Narrative Stories, work through engaging beginnings and complete the Analyzing Beginnings Assignment in Google Classroom.

-Write an entertaining beginning for your story.

-As always, read for 2 hours

Science

-Complete blue print for Mousetrap car and insert into logbook.

-Build car, take a pic, and insert into logbook

-test car and write down observations in logbook

-record the tweaks you plan to make in logbook

December 6-10

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

Science

-Intro to pulleys

-Pulley worksheet

-Pulley lab and write-up

November 15-19

-Finish editing and revising characterization paragraph from last week

-Vocabulary pre and post quiz

-practice Quizlet every day.

-pre reading assignment for The Sniper

-read the Sniper-start post reading questions for The Sniper

Science

-finish class discussion and notes on levers

-introduction/notes on work input and output

-introduction/notes on mechanical advantage

-questions on mechanical advantage

-Introduction/notes on wheel and axle

November 15-19

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

This week the goal is to complete the Characterization Assignment for The Most Dangerous Game. We will also do our usual reading comprehension Lesson 4.

Science

This week students will complete a small assignment on inclined planes and then participate in a lab on inclined planes. The goal is to complete the lab write up this week.

November 8-10

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

This week, students will be introduced to characterization. They will then start working on a characterization assignment in which they select one character from The Most Dangerous Game and analyze that character.

Students will also read an article this week about Indigenous Veterans and complete a reading comprehension quiz on the article.

Science

Last week we started a new unit: Mechanical Systems. We are currently learning about "work" and how to calculate work. We will discuss simple machines and prepare for a lab on inclined planes.

Oct. 25-30

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

This week we will read The Most Dangerous Game and answer questions along the way on the characters, conflicts and plot. We will then work identifying figurative speech used in the story.

Science

This week in science, students will complete their Illustrated Graph Art Work.

Oct. 18-22

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

With last week being a short week and other events that came up, we did not finish our first story of three, No Matter What. We are finishing off the Narrative Point of View assignment and will write a Narrative Point of View Quiz and then start reading the second story, The Most Dangerous Game.

Science

This week in science, we will complete the Ocean Monitoring Assignment. We will start an Illustrating data using art assignment. In the assignment, students will use climate change data, specifically the graph and use the line to create a scene related to what the data is saying.

Oct. 12-15

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

We will be finishing off the first story of the three this week for our short story unit. Students should be done their Elements of Plot Questions. We will complete a Point of View assignment this week and if there is time, start reading our second story "The Most Dangerous Game". As always, we will work on vocabulary, reading comprehension and read.

Science

As part of our Fresh and Salt Water Systems Unit, we will continue our work on Oceans. Students will complete their Threats assignment and then start work on their assignment: The relationship between dissolved oxygen and living organisms assignment.

Sept 20 - Sept 24

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

Due to the Terry Fox run and1/2 day dedicated to Truth and Reconciliation activities on Wednesday; Thursday no school for National Truth and Reconciliation Day, we will just have enough time to complete our last paragraph of the three (explanatory, narrative and argumentative).

Students will also complete their reading comprehension Article of the Week (AOW).

Science

Last week we finished our work on water quality and this week we will start looking at glaciers. The final assignment this week will focus on comparing images of glaciers from past years to today.

Sept 20 - Sept 24

English Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 7/8E

As always, students should be reading at least one hour a week and hopefully two. We will start our argumentative paragraph this week and all three paragraphs will be do by the end of this week. Next week we will start our short story unit.

Science

This week students will analyze the data gathered on our field trip and write about their conclusions. Students will also complete an Access to Clean water graph and paragraph and a Eutrophication assignment.

Sept 13 - Sept 17

Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 8E

This week we will work on reviewing paragraphs. We will write three different genre and this week students will complete the informative and narrative paragraph.

Science

This week we are learning about water quality. Students will be testing the water quality around Canmore on our field trip this Thursday.

August 30 - Sept 2

Language Arts 8A, 8B, 8C and 8E

This week we spent time getting to know each other, setting up classroom routines and getting books organized.

Science

This week we have been discussing the skills related to the scientific method of inquiry.

May

Language Arts

We are still working on writing our scripts for our Ted Talks. At this point, students should have their scripts written and this week we will look at adding more logos, pathos and ethos.

Social Studies

This week, students will work on adding images to their digital narrative about the Aztecs. We may be able to finish them this week and start presentations later this week or early next week.

Math

Last Friday students wrote their final test on the Pythagorean Relationship. This week we will start working on surface area.

Science

We are still working on our Light and Optics unit. Currently, we are working on Refraction.

April 19-23

Language Arts

Last week we started our public speaking unit - LGMS TED Talks. Students have selected topics and are learning how to write and speak by watching TED Talks. Argumentative essays were due last Friday.

Social Studies

Students were expected to have their research completed last week for their Aztec Worldview assignment. This week we will work on writing the script.

Math

Last week we started a unit on the Pythagorean Relationship. This week we will continue work on square roots and start learning how to estimate square roots.

Science

Last week we started a unit on Light and Optics. This week we will work on Sources of Light and Interactions with light. Students are taking notes in class and completing small assignments along the way.

March 22-26

Language Arts

We will be working on in-text citations and the use of hyphens and dashes. Essays should be complete and ready for my feedback by Friday. After the break, students will have their last chance to make revisions based on my feedback.

Social Studies

We are starting a new unit that deals with the Spanish and Aztecs - what happens when two culturally distinct groups meet. We will start our research and finish after the break.

Math

Continue work on two-step equations and complete the unit. When students return from the break we will review for the final test for solving equations.

Science

Complete mouse trap cars and compelte ther final test on the cars.

March 15-19

Language Arts

Continued work on essay. This week we will complete our concluding paragraph and a mini lesson on hyphens and dashes. The goal is to have a rough draft done of the entire essay.

Social Studies

We are starting a new unit that deals with the Spanish and Aztecs - what happens when two culturally distinct groups meet.

Math

We will finish one-step equations and start work on two-step equations.

Science

We will do a lesson on efficiency and students will write a quiz on Wednesday. The rest of the week, students will work on their mousetrap cars.

March 8-12

Language Arts

We are currently working on an argumentative essay. At this point, students should have their three body paragraphs done. This week we will work on in-text citations, and the introductory paragraph.

Social Studies

Students are presenting their Futuristic presentations.

Math

We are currently working on solving equations and will focus on one step equations this week.

Science

Students will be reviewing simple machines and mechanical advantage to prepare for a quiz on Wednesday. We will then start work on efficiency of simple machines.

Nov. 23-27

Language Arts

This week students will have completed their reading of the Outsiders. They will finish their Big Idea Questions, Plot Diagrams and work on a Narrative Point of View assignment (in class). They will take a reading comprehension test on the Outsiders likely on Friday.

Social Studies

Monday is the last day to make revisions to the Middle Ages assignment. We will start our next unit on Tuesday: Renaissance Idol. Before they start this unit they will complete a Website Credibility assignment that is part of learning to Manage Information.

Math

This week we start dividing fractions and order of operations.

Science

This week students will finish the last of their three microscopic drawings. We will work on a specialized cell assignment and students will take a quiz on the first part of the unit: microscope parts, organelles of a plant and animal cell and the characteristics of living things.

Nov. 16 - 20

Language Arts

By the end of this week students should have chapter 10 and 11 done including all the questions and assignments. We may even get to chapter 12 - the end of the book. Students should be practicing their vocabulary every day in Quizlet.

Social Studies

This is the last week to work on their written response for the Middle Ages assignment. Next Monday will be the last day to do revisions.

Math

This week we start work on multiplying fractions. Students are working from their Jump Math booklets.

Science

As part of our Cells and Systems Unit, students are completing microscopic drawings and learning about cells and microscopes. There will be a quiz on Friday on the information we have learned thus far in this unit.

Nov. 9-12

Language Arts

Students should have read up to chapter 7 and completed all questions, theme work and tracking for their character. By the end of the week it is hoped that students will complete chapter 8 along with all assigned work and have read chapter 9.

Social Studies

Students should have completed their research chart and will complete their outline this week.

Math

We are wrapping up our work subtracting and adding fractions and will write a quiz on Thursday. Next week we start multiplying and dividing fractions.

Science

This week we are working the beginning of our Cells and Systems unit. We are identifying the parts of cells and a microscope. We will then complete a microscope drawing.

October 26-30

Language Arts

We have started our Novel Unit, The Outsiders, and will spend the next month or so working on this unit. Throughout this unit students will read and answer questions individually and then discuss the chapter within their group. They will also be working on a Character and Theme assignment as they work through each chapter.

Social Studies

Students have started a new assignment last week in which they must research the role that the Black Death played in changing the worldview during the middle ages. This week students will complete their research on the worldview during the middle ages.

Math

This week we will spend time reviewing percent and the goal is to write their final test on Wednesday. This may change depending on how our review goes. Students will be informed in advance if there is a change in the test date.

Science

We are wrapping up our assignment on buoyancy and will be reviewing for the unit test on Mix and Flow of Matter. The date is to be determined, but students will know well in advance.

Oct. 5-9

Language Arts

This week, students will be finishing off Part A to their Literature Unit by working on their characterization chart and plot diagram for the short story Thank You M'am. As always, students should try to read at home.

Social Studies

Worldview Exploration: Canada and Sudan - students have completed their comparison chart and will start writing their written response. The goal is to have a rough draft written, feedback given by me and their final revisions done by the end of the week.

Math

We will continue our work on percentages in math this week.

Science

We just wrote a quiz on Solubility last Friday and we are moving on to the Property of Fluids this week. Student should have handed in their lab report on Solubility from last week. We will be starting a new lab on viscosity this week.

Sept. 28-Oct. 2

Language Arts

We have finished our first short story No Matter What and will start our second short story A Hero's Welcome. Student will focus on characterization for this story. They will also complete a conflict breakout and start the last story Thank You Ma'm. We should be able to get this story read by the end of the week.

Social Studies

Worldview Exploration: Canada and Sudan - students have completed their comparison chart and will start writing their written response. The goal is to have a rough draft written by the end of the week.

Math

Students spent last Thursday and Friday reviewing for their test on Ratios, Rates and Proportions. They will write this test on Monday and then we will start our next unit on percentages.

Science

We are still working on our Flow and Matter unit, but have completed the first section on the particle model of matter and on solutions. They will finish their lab report on solubility and then spend the rest of the week reviewing for their quiz on this material.

Sept. 21-25

Language Arts

We will finish our argumentative paragraphs this week and then will start Part A of our Literature Unit: Short Stories.

Social Studies

This week have continued to work on Worldview Exploration: Canada and Sudan. Students are gathering information and taking notes in order to respond to: Does where we live influence our worldview?

Math

Students are working on proportion this week and then will start their unit review. The final test for this unit will be Friday or Monday. This depends on how we make out with our review this week. The unit is on ratios, rates and proportion.

Science

Continued work on Flow and Matter unit and this week we are focused on solutions, graphing and will start a virtual experiment.

Sept. 14-18

Language Arts

Students will continue to work on a paragraph unit. They should have completed their narrative paragraph and should have their informative paragraph completed by the end of the week.

As always, students goal is to read at home.

Social Studies

We have just wrapped up our Personal Values Charts and will start our next unit: Worldview Exploration: Canada and Sudan.

Math

We have just completed working on ratios and this week the focus is on rates.

Science

We are currently working on a Mix and Flow of Matter Unit and have just finished exploring the particle model of matter. This week we will focus on distinguish among pure substances, mixtures and solutions and Defining solubility, saturation and concentration.

March 2-6

Langauge Arts

This week students are wrapping up the novel unit and will write their final test on Wednesday. We then move into our argumentative writing unit.

Social Studies

Students should be done their research for the Futurist Presentation. This week they should complete their script.

Feb. 3-7

Language Arts

By the end of this week, students should have read up to and including chapter 6. They also should have all the assignments for these chapter completed.

Social Studies

Students are presenting their Renaissance Idol presentations this week.

Jan. 20-24

Language Arts

Students have been given feedback from their peers and me on their narrative stories and this is the last week to make revisions.

We have started our novel unit The Outsiders. The goal is to read 2 chapters a week and to complete assignments in their Outsiders Flip Book. We will be exploring the literary aspects of a novel in this unit.

Social Studies

Students should have their scripts written and should be starting their slides to support their script for the Renaissance Idol project.

Jan. 6-10

Language Arts

At this point, students should have their rough draft completed for their narrative stories. This week, they will provide feedback to each other on their endings. They will also start Part 4 : Punctuation - comma splices and punctuation for dialogue. The goal is to have Part 4 completed by the end of the week. Long term goal is to have the narrative story completed by January 10th.

Social Studies

Students should have their Website Credibility assignment completed and their jot notes done for their Renaissance Idol Project. This week, they will use their notes to create an outline of their presentation.

Dec. 16-20

Language Arts

Students have now completed their drafts of their narrative stories, created beginnings and have shared their beginnings and received feedback on their beginnings. They should have completed Part 2: Elaborative Detail and sentence variety. This week, students will provide feedback to each other on their use of elaborative detail and sentence variety. They will also work on creating their conclusions. This week they will study for 10 vocabulary words on Quizlet and write their test before Friday.

Social Studies

Students have started a Renaissance Idol assignment in which they must research a historical figure from the Renaissance and then vote on which three figures had the biggest impact on the world during the Renaissance and to this day. They should have completed the Website Credibility assignment and now should be researching their figure. By the end of the week they should have the character profile done and at least one contribution researched.

Nov. 25-29

Language Arts

This week, students will be practicing their 15 words for the month of November and must have their test written in Quizlet by Friday. They should be practicing their words on Quizlet for 5-10 minutes every day. We have started Part 1 for narrative writing and by the end of the week the goal is to have their brainstorming done and to have written a entertaining beginning.

Social Studies

Last week students did an amazing job of sharing feedback to each other on one body paragraph. This week they will finish their other paragraph and we will hopefully get the conclusion done as well.

Nov. 18-22

Language Arts

Early in the week, students will revise their letters based on the feedback they have received and submit their polished drafts. This will conclude our Short Story Unit. We will start our Narrative Writing Unit this week. As always, students will practice their 5 vocabulary words on Quizlet and read for a total of 2 hours every week.

Social Studies

In social studies we are still working on the Black Death Project. This week, students will use the information in their outline to write an introduction for their written response. They will then provide each other feedback on their introductions. Next students will work on developing their evidence for their middle paragraphs. The goal is to hopefully have the introduction and middle paragraphs done by the end of the week.

Nov. 4-8

Language Arts

We are continuing work on our Short Story unit and should have it completed by the end of the week. Students will complete their Plot Diagram and Follow Up Letter. As always they will read every day and work on their 5 vocabulary words every week.

Social Studies

In social studies we are still working on the Black Death project. This week, students will work on comparing the worldview during the middle ages before the black death and after the black death. They will then start to draft their written response to "What role did the black death play in changing the worldview during the Middle Ages.

Oct. 28 - Nov. 1

Language Arts

We have completed our Tone and Mood unit and have now moved on to our Short Story unit. In this unit students will explore the techniques that authors use to make their characters believable. By the end of this week, students should have their characterization assignment completed.

Social Studies

We are working on gathering information for the Black Death Assignment. We also did a couple day lesson on how to gather relevant details when taking notes. Moving forward, students will be assessed on their ability to gather relevant notes. At this point, students should have completed the first column of notes in their chart - Worldview during the Middle Ages. By the end of this week, they should have watched the Black Death video and hopefully completed their notes for the column Worldview after the Black Death.

Oct. 14-18

Language Arts

We have started a mini unit on tone and mood. Students are now working on assignments to practice identifying tone and mood. They will then identify the tone and mood in a poem and then change words in order to change the tone and mood of the poem. We should be done this unit by the end of the week. The assignment is in Google Classroom.

Social Studies

We have finished our Exploring Worldview unit and are now working on our Renaissance unit. The first assignment in this unit looks at the role that the Black Death played in changing the worldview during the middle ages. To start with students will take notes on the worldview during the middle ages. This is what students are working on this week. The goal is to have the notes on the middle ages before the Black Death complete by the end of the week.

Sept 26-Oct 4

Language Arts

Students have been working on writing narrative, informative and argumentative paragraphs. By Monday Oct. 1, students should have their informative paragraph done and a good start on their argumentative paragraph. We will wrap up the paragraph unit by the end of the week.

Social Studies

We have finished watching The Good Lie and taking notes on the Dinka people. Students are now working on their introductory paragraphs for their Exploring Worldview assignment. By Oct 4th, students should have their good drafts completed.

Sept.16-20

Language Arts: We are slowly getting out routine established. Students each have a book they read each LA class for 10 minutes. They then write about what they read in their notebooks. We are working on writing effective paragraphs as a review to start the year. Students narrative paragraph drafts are due tomorrow. We will then move on to informative paragraphs.

Social Studies: Students finished their Causal Values Model as an introduction to worldview. We just finished watching the movie "A Good Lie" to start our unit Exploring Worldview: Sudan and Canada. We will work on vocabulary and reading an article about the Dinka people this week.

Sept. 9-13

LA: In LA we are setting up our classroom routines for reading at writing. Students will be expected to bring a book to read for every LA class. Students will complete surveys and writing samples in order for me to get a sense of their strengths and areas that we need to focus on.

Social: The major theme in grade 8 social studies is Worldview. Our first unit involves exploring our personal worldview. Students have been asked to identify six things they value and then using a causal model trace back the cause of their values. They will then share their stories with others in the class in order to see how diverse we are, while at the same time how similar our worldview is.

June 3-21

In Language Arts, student will spend the next two weeks revising their scripts and practicing their TED Talks. The week of June 17-21, students will be presenting their TED Talks. I will be videoing them and sharing these recordings with students so if you would like to see it, ask your child. They will also continue working on their reading comprehension.

In social studies, we have started a current events unit and students will write summaries on news articles and select one to create a political cartoon about.

May 27-31

This week in LA students will work on drafting their script of their TED Talk. They will also do any relevant research and gather images to support their text. They have completed their pre-assessment for their reading comprehension and are now working on their skill booklets.

In Social, students will write their written response for Contributing Factors and if there is time we will start the last unit of the year, Current Events.

May 20-24

In LA we are still working on learning how to prepare for a TED Talk in our public speaking unit. Students should have up to assignment # 6 done as well as their outline by the end of the week. Next week they will work on drafting their script and gathering images.

In social students are still gather notes for their Contributing Factors assignment. The written response is due next Wednesday.

May 13-16

At this point in LA students should be working on How TED Author's Write. Next week students will start drafting speeches.

In social students started watching the Video on Cortez and taking notes for their next assignment. They must decide which were the two most significant factors that contributed to the Spanish Dominating the Aztec. I expect that students will have this assignment done by the end of next week.

May 6-10

Students should have their topic selected for their TED Talk. This week students must complete Organization and Speaking Style and How to Structure Your TED Talk. These assignments are in Google Classroom and are due Friday.

We are continuing work on our pre assessment reading comprehension booklets and the goal is to be done up to question 64 by Friday. Some students may have to take the booklet home and work on it for 15 minutes a night.

In Social, students should be done their notes for Preparing for the Voyage Part A and have their draft started by the end of the week.

April 29-May 3

We have finished working on our argumentative essays during class time and I will be marking them next weekend (hopefully). In the meantime, any students that still don't have theirs done and feel that they need some support or feedback can meet with me at lunch or after school.

We will start our public speaking unit this week: LGMS TED Talks. Students are also working on in class reading comprehension strategies.

We are done our Aztec in Worldview in Pictures Video presentations and will be starting a project called Preparing for the Voyage that will help students explore the worldview of the Spanish during this time.

April 1-5

This week in LA students will work on creating their introductory paragraphs and in-text citations. If we have time, they will write their concluding paragraph. The goal is to complete the essay the first week back from the break.

In social, students will work on creating their videos for their Aztec Worldview in Pictures. The first week back they will share their videos in their group and make any necessary adjustments and then they will show their video to another group.

March 25-29

In Language Arts this week students will develop main reason sentences to support their claims. They will also start gathering first and second hand evidence to develop their claims and learn how to use in-text citations. The goal is to have the body paragraphs completed by the end of the week. The Stream of Dreams session on Monday used up a couple of our LA sessions so we will see how far we get.

In Social Studies, students should have their research completed and be working on their script for their digital stories about the Aztecs. The goal is to have this assignment completed before the break.

March18-22

In Language Arts we started our argumentative writing with mini debates. This served as a great way to get students thinking about the importance of supporting opinions with evidence. It also was a great way to explore different topics. At this point, students have selected their topics and the goal for this week is to create a claim, and 3 main reasons to support their claim. We will, either this week or next, look at how to write an effective main reason sentence and then how to develop supporting details.

Social Studies: Students have started their Aztec Worldview in Picture assignment. This is part of the Worldviews in Conflict outcome. Students were asked to have their notes done by the end of today, Wednesday, March 20. Next week students will start to develop their scripts.

March 5-8

In Language Arts we are still completing the assignments from last week. We will be done by Friday and will be starting our Argumentative Essay Unit next week.

We have completed our Futurist Presentations and started our next unit that deals with intercultural contact and what happens to the worldview of each culture after this contact. Our case study will focus on the Aztec and the Spanish.

Feb. 25-Mar. 1

In Language Arts, students are finishing up their Feb. vocabulary words and their final quiz is due next Monday. They are also completing their tone and mood assignment which is due next Tuesday. As students complete their tone and mood assignment, they will start working on their bookclub book review assignment. We are tentatively looking at next Thursday as a due date.

In social studies, we finished our futurist presentations this week. Super impressed with the hard work and effort that went into these presentations. Next week we will start our Aztec and Spanish Unit.

20Time final presentations are due this week and this will be the final week of 20Time. We will be discussing whether or not to do another round.

Week of Feb. 11-15

In Language Arts we will work on Feb. vocabulary words and start a short unit on tone and mood. Some students will start their Book Review assignment if they are done their book club book. The week after the break will be the last week for book clubs.

This week in social, students are completing their Futurist Presentations. They will have one class after the break to rehearse and the presentations will start on Feb. 26.

Week of Feb. 4-8

In Language Arts students are still meeting one block a week in their book clubs. Not all, but most groups are happy with their books and are engaged in thoughtful discussions. We are wrapping up our short story unit that focused on characterization. Student's final constructed response is due by Thursday of this week.

In social studies, students should have completed their research for their Futurist Presentation. They should have their script and about 1/2 of their images completed by the end of this week.

Week of Jan. 7-11

Happy New Year everyone!

In LA we will start our book clubs this week so students will be expected to read the agreed upon number of pages per week. They will meet once a week to discuss their book (in groups of 3-5). We will also start our short story unit this week.

In social we will start a Futurist Presentation and Panel Discussion. Students will choose a category such as medicine and a topic within this category; for example, cloning - and prepare a presentation. The focus of this project is how new information/ideas/technology have impacted our worldview.

Week of Dec. 17-21

This week we will be wrapping up our Expository Writing in LA and our Talk Show in social studies. Both of these assignments are due this Friday. Their Reading Reflection is also due this Friday. Although Friday is the last day that we will work on these assignments in class, I will not get to marking until the second week over the break and thus students can still work on these assignments over the next week if needed. I know it is not fun to work over the Christmas break, but it is an option.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and don't forget to take a book home to read over Christmas.

Week of Dec. 10-14

We are sticking with the due date of Dec. 21 for Expository Essays and thus most students will have homework. Students should be writing out their body paragraphs using the Golden Bricks. By the end of the week they should have their introduction and conclusion written.

In social studies students will be writing out their interview questions and answers. We will start the talks next week.

In 20Time students will write their Monday blog entry and comment on three other blogs throughout the week. They are either researching or workig

Week of Dec. 3-7

In Language Arts we have developed main idea sentences for our Expository writing. We are now working on researching the details to support the main ideas. The goal is to have the research and details done by Friday.

In social studies, we are continuing to research key figures and this research should be done by the end of the week.

For 20T - students will assess each other's questions that will guide their research. They will also write their weekly blog post and comment on three other blogs. By Friday, students will launch into their project.

Week of Nov. 19-23

This week we have continued to read and annotate mentor text identifying the organizational structures of these text. Next week we will start writing expositions. We have been working on November Words for vocabulary and all quizzes will be done by next Wednesday. Students should have their vocabulary journals completed and 100% on Vocabulary.com done.

In social studies, we have started a new unit called a Talk Show. Students will select and key figure from the Renaissance, research the figure, create powerful interview questions and participate in a mock Talk Show. The top three most influential figures from the Renaissance will be selected. At this point students have selected their figure and just started their research.

Week of Nov. 5-8

We have wrapped up our narrative unit in LA and have moved on to Expository/Informational Writing. Students have this assignment in Google Classroom. We are currently reading and annotating examples of expository writing as we explore the organizational structure of this type of writing.

In LA, students are also working on a new set of vocabulary words for November and also working in commas and punctuation for dialogue in Noredink.com.

In social studies, students will be wrapping the information gathering phase up and moving on to creating an outline for the written response.

Week of Oct. 29 - Nov. 2

Students are sharing their narratives with a peer and providing feedback to each other for final revisions and editing. They have started their new vocabulary words and are continuing to work on proper use of commas and punctuation for dialogue. This week we will start our expository and informational writing.

In social studies, students are still working on gathering background knowledge on the Worldview during the Middle Ages. Starting next Monday, students should be done their information gathering and should be working on the outline to start forming their written response.

Week of Oct. 22-26

In LA students should have their rough draft done for their narrative. This week we will work on Part 4: Punctuation (found in Google Classroom) and then edit their work. The tentative goal is to have their narratives done by next Monday.

In social studies, we have started our Renaissance unit. Our first assignment is to explore the role that the Black Death played in changing the worldview during the Middle Ages. Students are currently developing their background knowledge by researching the worldview of people during the Middle Ages.

Week of Oct. 9-12

In LA this week students are continuing to develop their personal experience narratives. By the end of the week students should have their brainstorming done and an entertaining beginning written.

In social studies we are wrapping up the Worldview Exploration: Sudan and Canada assignment. Students will work on a Finding Relevant detail assignment and then we will move on to the Renaissance Unit.

Week of Oct. 1-5

This week students will start writing their personal experience narrative or character/problem/solution narrative. We will focus on entertaining beginnings. On Monday, students will write a quiz on active vs passive voice in writing. As always - students should be taking their reading books home in order to reach their reading goal every week.

Students have finished watching The Good Lie in social studies and are reading to read their article on the Dinka people of South Sudan. They will then compare the Worldview of Canadians and Dinka people.

Week of Sept. 17-21, 2018

In social studies, students have just completed using causal models to explore their personal values. We are now working on a project, Worldview Exploration: Canada and Sudan, in which students will be exploring the concept of worldview by comparing these two countries.

In Language Arts, we have set up our reading, writing, vocabulary and conventions routines. We have now started our narrative writing unit by responding to poems and other text to stimulate thinking about the stories that students hold within. We are also exploring these text to identify the elements of good writing.

Week of Sept. 5-7 2018

In social studies and Language Arts, we will be getting to know each other and together, establishing our classroom routines.

In Language Arts, Students will hopefully have a book selected to read and we will start writing in our notebooks.

In social studies we will be studying Worldviews and thus we will start by looking at our personal beliefs and values. We will then explore what happens when we interact with those who have different values and beliefs than ours.

June 6

Language Arts 8

We are continuing our work on TED Talks. At this point, students should be working on their speeches and by Monday should have the revision bingo done.

Social 8

At this point students should have completed their political cartoons and should be working on their Article Analysis assignment.

May 28-June 1

Language Arts 8

We are now fully immersed in planning for TED Talks. Students are exploring how different features important for public speaking by analyzing TED talks. By the end of this week, students should have started their draft speeches.

We are also working on vocabulary and the next quiz will be next Monday.

Social 8

Students will be finishing up their political cartoons and will move on to an article analysis unit.

May 14-18

Language Arts 8

All argument essays should be done and turned in for assessment. We will be starting our public speaking unit: LGMS TED Talks. The tentative goal is to present the talks the week of June 11th.

Social 8

The Aztec and Spanish unit is done and all assignments should be turned in for assessment at this point. We have started our current events unit and this consists of summaries, a policital cartoon and and editorial. All related to current news issues.

May 7-11

Language Arts 8

Last week students had a vocabulary quiz that was due and a reading reflection. This week we will be finishing the final polished copy of their argument essays. The goal is to have them done by Wednesday. I may adjust depending on how the week goes.

Social 8

Last week we finished up Part A and Part B to Preparing for the Voyage. Monday of this week their Contributing Factors assignment is due. We will start our current events unit this week. Here students will research three news articles and use one to develop a political cartoon and another one to write an editorial.

April 16-20

Language Arts 8

This week students should have their three main reasons done for their argumentative essay. This week we will develop the evidence for their main reasons. The essay body paragraph should be done by next Monday.

Social 8

Students should have Part A of Preparing for the Voyage project completed by the end of Monday of this week. For the remainder of the week students will work on Part B. They should have a rough draft of their speech or letter done by next Monday.

April 9-13

Language Arts 8

At this point, students have selected their topics for their argumentative essays and should have developed their claim and three main reasons. This week we will work on using sentence variety for their main reasons, gathering elaborative details, and using first/ second-hand evidence to support their main reasons. By the end of the week, students should have a good start on providing evidence in their essays.

Social 8

This week we start a new project - Preparing for the Journey which looks at what motivated the Spanish to explore (their worldviews). There is a part A and B to this assignment and the goal is the have part A completed this week.

March 19-23, 2018

Language Arts 8

We are continuing to work on our argumentative essays. Students have selected their topics, worked through pros and cons related to their topic/issue. They have established their claim and developed their three main reasons. When we return from spring break they will begin to gather evidence to support their main reasons.

Social 8

Students have completed their Aztec in Worldviews Video and presented to each other. We will wrap up this unit this week and start looking at the worldveiews of the Spanish when we return from the break.

March 5-9, 2018

Language Arts 8

This week we have started an argumentative writing unit and we launched it with in-class mini-debates. Students will work through lessons on how to form a claim with strong main reasons this week. As always they will read in class and are encouraged to read 20 a night at home.

Social 8

This week students are finishing their script for their Aztec Worldviews in Pictures project. They will start working on recording their script and inserting images this week for their digital narrative.

Feb 5-9, 2018

Language Arts 8

This week students will finish work on the Website Credibility assignment. We will then do a lesson on how to paraphrase. We will also read a current events article to work on comprehension and to practice summarizing skills. As always we will read every LA class.

Social 8

We are still working through the Futurist Presentations. We should be done this week and ready to start our unit on Worldviews and Conflict next week.

January 29, 2018

Language Arts 8

On Monday students will submit the final draft of their Personal Experience Narratives. Next, we will spend some time exploring how to assess whether a website is credible and then we will move on to an Argumentative Essay writing unit.

Social 8

Futurist presentations are by the end of today and then we will move on the the actual presenting of these projects for the remainder of the week.

January 18, 2018

Language Arts 8

This week we have gone through Part 2 of the Personal Experience Narrative. Students should be done Part 4 by Monday. The plan is to polish it up next week and submit by the Jan. 26.

Social 8

Students should be done their research for their Futures Presentation. They should be working on Speaker Notes and plan to have the entire project completed by Jan. 26th

January 8, 2018

Language Arts 8

We will be continuing our work on our Personal Experience Narratives this week. There are 4 parts to this assignment and most students have completed part 2 - this is the expectation this week. We will start part 3 this week (working on extended endings) and finish part 4 (punctuation) next week.

We have also started new vocabulary words this week and the quiz will be within the next two weeks.

As always - try to read 20 minutes a day at home.

Social 8

The expectation is that students complete their research for their Futures Presentation. We will start putting their powerpoint presentations together next week.

December 20, 2017

Language Arts 8

We are currently working through the writing process for their Personal Experience Narratives. Students have a shared document, Part 1, that introduces them to the format and how to entertaining beginnings. They should have a brainstorming draft of their moment they will never forget and an entertaining beginning created.

We will be moving on to Part 2, which focuses on how to include elaborative detail for the critical characters, settings, or objects.

Social 8

We have fully started the Futurist Presentation and most students have selected their topics and began their research. This is the hardest part and takes a lot of time. We will continue this the first week back from the Christmas Break.

December 6, 2017

Language Arts 8

We have finished our Short Story Unit and have now moved on to a Personal Experience Narrative Writing Unit. Students will be writing about a time they will never forget. In their folder, they have a document that guides them through this process as we work together in class.

They have also completed a reflection on their reading progress over the past three months.

Social Studies 8

We are currently finishing up their presentations of their Teenage Guide. We will be, and some have started a Futurist project. In between presentations, we are working on how to complete a summary of a text.

November 13

Language Arts 8

We have started work on November's vocabulary words. Students should have their vocabulary journals for these words complete by tomorrow. They will then work on practicing these words on Vocabulary.com and then take a quiz next Monday. Between interviews, short weeks and Remembrance Day activities our progress has been a little slow. This week students will be expected to complete their letter in their Short Story Unit. Hopefully, they will get a good start on their first constructed response as well. They have all of these assignments on their google drive.

As always - students should be reading to achieve their reading goals. Students should also be watching the calendar for their Booktalk times.

Social Studies 8

All students have completed their Changing Worldviews: Middle Ages to Renaissance assignment and marks are available in PowerSchool for viewing.

We are currently working on a Teenage Guide assignment. In this project - students will research a field of study during this time: math, astrology, literature, medicine, science etc. and examine two major developments in these fields and establish the impact that these developments have had on the worldviews during this time.

A big focus for this project will be on how to create and present an effective presentation.

October 30

Language Arts 8

We are working our way through the Short Story Unit. We have done looking at techniques used to develop characters and are moving on to three written responses that will require students to apply their learning of characterization techniques. The first written response is a Follow Up Letter followed by two constructed Responses.

We have also been working on vocabulary. Students just completed a quiz for their October Vocabulary words and will start a new list this week.

Every week two students must give a booktalk. They must make sure they know when their time is and be prepared. Their names are on a calendar in class and on the calendar on my website.

Social Studies 8

Students are wrapping up their Changing Worldviews: Middle Ages to Renaissance and we are moving on to a project called a Teenage Guide. In this project - students will research a field of study during this time: math, astrology, literature, medicine, science etc. and examine two major developments in these fields and establish the impact that these developments have had on the worldviews during this time.

A big focus for this project will be on how to create and present an effective presentation.

October 13

Language Arts 8

We are a week into our Short Story Unit. The guiding question for this unit is: What techniques do writers use to develop their characters and to make their characters plausible? Specifically, we are looking at types of characters, types of conflict and what motivates characters. We are currently practicing identifying these techniques in the short story Thank You Ma'am by Langston Hughes.

Social Studies

We are currently working on a unit with the guiding question: How do new ideas and knowledge challenge our worldviews? To explore this question we have looked at the role that the Black Death played in changing worldviews from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. We are wrapping up this assignment and starting an assignment in which students will explore the new ideas and knowledge developed in different fields of study during the Renaissance, and what impact these developments had on the worldviews during this time.

September 25

Language Arts 8

This week in Language Arts students will continue to practice their vocabulary on Vocabulary.com. I am piloting this program and this is our first week of figuring this out together. If all goes well, there will be a vocab quiz on the practiced words. For our It's Complicated Project, we will take photos and interview each other. The goal is to have the write-ups done by Friday.

Social Studies 8

We are still exploring worldviews by comparing Canada to Sudan. Last week we watched The Good Lie and now students should be ready to write their response to Does where you live impact your worldviews? The goal is to have this response completed by midweek.

September 13

Language Arts 8

Students are currently working on assignments that will introduce the use of mentor text to guide our writing and help us get to know each other. We have completed Visual Summaries of all their weird stuff. This week we will start work on creating portraits and stories of each other. We will be following the work done by Robin Bowman in her book It's Complicated: The American Teenager.

Social Studies

The main topic in grade 8 is Worldviews. We have spent the first week exploring why we would want or need to learn about worldviews by looking at graphs of the increase in hate groups, news articles on hate speech and the incident in Charlottesville. From these examples, we have come to the conclusion that it is indeed important to learn about other's worldviews in order to be more understanding and open-minded.

Currently, we are exploring if where you live impacts your worldviews by comparing the worldviews of Canada to Southern Sudan

June 12

Language Arts 7&8

Students are currently working on a Poetry Unit. We are looking at analyzing songs for poetic devices. This Wednesday students will present their Song Analysis. On Thursday 8A and Friday, 8B have a Poetic Device quiz. This will be the last unit that we work on in Language Arts this year.

Social Studies 8

We are currently working on the techniques used to create Political/Editorial Cartoons. Students will start working on their own political cartoon this week.

May 29

Language Arts 7&8

Students will present their TED Talks on Wednesday. Next, we will start a Poetry Unit.

Social Studies 8

Students will start a Freelance Journalism Unit this week. They will start by selecting a local, national, and international news article to answer the 5W's and write a summary. Next, students will select one article to create a political cartoon on.

May 22

Language Arts 7&8

Students are now working on their final draft for their TED talks. This week they will work on making revisions and practice reading their talks. The plan is to present this Friday if all goes well. Otherwise, we will plan for Monday.

Social Studies

We will use our Social Studies time to work on finishing up the TED Talks. Next week we will start a Journalism Unit.

May 10

Language Arts 7&8

We have spent the last week looking at the structure and content of TED speakers. Students have started to brainstorm ideas for their topics and will start to draft their speeches this week.

Social Studies

Students will wrap up their Preparing for the Voyage speeches this week. They are due on Monday.

May 1

Language Arts 7&8

Students should have handed their Argumentative Essays into google classroom last Friday. We are now starting a public speaking unit: Project TED. We will be exploring what makes a great TED talk and then, students will create their own TED talk. The plan is to spend three weeks exploring and preparing.

NOTE - CHECK YOUR BOOK TALK DATE!

April 17

Language Arts 7&8

At this point, students should have the body paragraphs completed for their essay. This week we will work on writing an introduction and this will be due this Friday. Next week we will work on conclusions and the final essay will be due April 28th.

Social Studies

Students should have submitted their Preparing for the Voyage paragraph into google classroom last Friday. This week students will start writing a speech outlining the 5 most important items needed for a voyage (from the Spanish perspective).

NOTE - CHECK YOUR BOOK TALK DATE!

Social Studies

This week we start a new unit called Preparing for the voyage. Students will be exploring the motivations behind Spanish exploration. They will start by taking notes (due this Friday) in order to establish which motivation was the most significant - then they will write up a paragraph outlining their conclusion with support. Next, they will prepare a speech outlining the five most important items that would be needed on a voyage considering the main motivation.

March 16

Language Arts 7&8

We are still working on our argumentative writing unit. We will be spending a lot of time on this unit as it is the first time students have been asked to write this type of essay. It is important to lay a solid foundation as they will be asked to do a lot of this type of writing in high school and beyond. Students should all have their topic selected at this point and we are currently working on forming claims and solid, supporting reasons.

For our vocabulary block, we are focusing on roots words and will be for the next several weeks.

NOTE - CHECK YOUR BOOK TALK DATE!

Feb 28

Language Arts 7&8

We have now completed our narrative writing unit and are know starting an argumentative writing unit. We will be spending about 5 weeks working through all the steps from leads, claims, reasons, evidence and conclusions. As we work through all of the steps we will be analyzing several different types argumentative pieces. This week will be an introduction to the argumentative pillar (organization framework) and we will look at editorials from the Globe and Mail and New York times.

NOTE - CHECK YOUR BOOK TALK DATE!

Social Studies

This week we will work on creating WeVideos for Worldviews of the Aztec in Pictures assignment. Due date is March 10.

Social Studies 8

Students are wrapping up their Aztec Worldviews in Pictures Video. We will be starting a new unit next week looking at the worldviews of the Spanish before they came in contact with the Aztecs.

Feb. 6-10

Language Arts 7&8

We have been working on elaborative detail for critical characters, settings and objects in their narrative personal experience stories. Specifically, we have been working on showing rather than telling how their characters are feeling. Students should have their narratives complete in order to share with a peer on Monday. They will then have time to make any changes in order to hand in their final draft for Wednesday.

Social Studies

Students finished presenting their topics for their Futurist Presentation assignment last week. We will start our next unit on worldviews and conflict. We will begin by looking at the contact between the Aztecs and the Spanish and the outcome of this contact.

Jan. 23-27

Language Arts 7&8

We are still working on narrative writing. This week we are focusing on elaborate details. At this point in time, students should have a rough draft completed - meaning they have quickly put down their ideas. We will now work on revising with an entertaining beginning (we worked on beginnings last week) and elaborative detail.

Social Studies

This week students will present their work and sit on an expert panel and answer questions from their classmates.

Jan. 9-13

Language Arts 7&8

We have started to work on the second narrative writing piece. This piece will focus on a place that students have revisited over time. We have been journaling and brainstorming the experiences we have had at these places. Students will pick one experience to write about. We will then go deeper with beginnings, elaborative detail, endings and conventions. We will be working on this for a couple of weeks.

Social Studies

We are getting close to the end of the Futurist Presentations project. We are hoping to start presentations and panel discussions the week of Jan. 23rd. Next week we will focus on putting the presentation together.

Dec. 12-17

Language Arts 7&8

We are will be spending this week working on a Review Package in order to prepare for the Outsiders final test which will be written on Wednesday, December 22.

Social Studies

We have started working on a Futurist Presentation. Students have selected their topic and will spend the week researching and gathering information. All research must be completed by this Friday.

November 29, 2016

Language Arts 7 & 8: Students will work on chapter 9&10 in their literacy groups. They are also working on a Outsiders Conflict assignment which is due this Friday. Chapter 9&10 quiz next week.

Students are also gathering all of their vocab of the week assignments and preparing a quiz with their words. See calendar for quiz dates.

Social Studies 8: Students have completed their Teenage Guide assignment and will be presenting this week to small groups. They will then move on to an assignment (Futurist Assignment) that deals with areas of rapid change in today's world.

Sept. 20, 2016

Language Arts 7 & 8:This week we will continue to work on the narrative essay by doing small exercises with sensory details and looking at dialogue. Students will work on their first draft. Due date will depend on how things go in class.

Social Studies 7: Students will complete their interview questions and practice their interview. Interviews will start next week date TBD.

Social Studies 8: Students have completed their comparison chart and will start to work on the written response.

Sept. 15, 2016

Language Arts 7 & 8: Students will be asked to write a narrative essay in response to the following prompt: Select one moment in your life that has formed you. The focus will be on voice, sensory details, and figurative language and how these elements help the reader to create pictures in their minds and to convey meaning. This week students have been looking at examples of writing and identifying these elements as well as experimenting with these elements in their Writer's Notebook. Next week students will start drafting their own essays.

(grade 7 students will have different criteria for their essay)

Social Studies 7: This week students have selected a British or French explorer to research. Once done their research, they will participate in a mock interview. The goal is to establish the impact that the selected explorer has had for himself, his country and any people he encountered.

Social Studies 8: This week students have been exploring worldviews by comparing the Dinka people of Southern Sudan to Canadians. They have read an article on the Dinka people and have watched The Good Lie. They are now filling in a comparison chart and will end with a written response to the following question: What what degree is your worldview impacted by where you live?

Reading Survey 7/8B

Reading Survey 8A

Writing Survey 7/8B

Writing Survey 8A