Monday, November 30, 2015

8

MATH: Test tomorrow 7.1 - 7.3.  We have practised ad nauseam, but another hour won't hurt.  Look over z, c, and f patterns, supplementary and complementary angles, opposite angles...

7

MATH: We began looking at stem-and-leaf plots today, and though we didn't finish the lesson, I would like you to explain to your parent(s) two mind-blowing advantages of this type of data organization.

ENGLISH: The formative context work came home today (it's a rubric stapled inside your child's English notebook).  We took it up today, particularly the many issues with punctuation.  

Friday, November 27, 2015

8
Math: Test will take place on Tuesday (7.1 - 7.4).  On Monday, we will be working on Commentary, through should you have any final questions in preparation for the test, I will be happy to field them.

Don't forget: book talk, summative, Dec. 4.  Be there.


7
Your formative Context will be coming home on Monday.  We move on to Commentary!

Book talks continue.

5.2 is homework.  Don't forget to watch the video on Math of the Titans.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

8

MATH
1. Mid-Unit review due tomorrow.

ENGLISH
1. Sensory Journeys: keep mum about your plans!  Start gathering necessary materials, and always keep in mind this is a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end.  If there is no problem, there is no story.

2. Book talk summative date: December 4th.  If you haven't spoken to your child about the talk, please do so.  


7
MATH
1. 5.1 page 170-171 #1, 2, 3, 5, 6

ENGLISH
1. Context formative work: Take the quote: "And then, I smiled." from "The Party" and write the who, where, and when (in short form) and then the full context.  I will be picking this up tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

8
MATH
1. Two new videos to watch: 8 Math Geometry 7.4 Angle Bisector, and 8 Math Geometry 7.4 Perpendicular Bisector.  Please watch both of them so as to be prepared for these skills.

2. 7.3 Finish all questions.  

ENGLISH
1. Summative book talks take place on Dec. 4.  Ask your child to give you a very brief summary of the book he or she will be presenting on that day (this would be the background).  Each student is expected to read (roughly) a book every two weeks - depending on the length of the book, giving them quite a few choices for this book talk.  Your child may select any book read over the summer to today (and not one that was read before).  

2. Context and commentary: if your child puts his headphones on while you are driving him/her to practice, ask him or her to first explain what "context" for a quote is.  I know, I know, Mr. Le Moine is providing yet another bonding experience for you and your child.  


7
MATH
1. The prime factorization test (1.1-1.4) is coming home today.  Please take a moment to look over both pages with your child.

2. We began our unit on data management (5.1).

Monday, November 23, 2015

Internal-Alternate Angles
Interior angles (supplementary to each other)



Grade 8

MATH: 
1.  7.3 is NOT homework.  
2.  Watch 2 videos on Math of the titans: F C Z LAWS and Review Angles

ENGLISH:
1. Continue working on summative book talks.  They begin on December 4th.  Parents: ask your child to show you what they have done so far.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Blame it on Val.


8
MATH:
1. The 3.3/3.4 volume/area of triangular prism test is coming home today.  Please take some time to look it over with your child this weekend.
2. We are studying angles in a triangle, opposite angles, supplementary angles, and complementary angles - these are all excellent dinner conversation starters. Think of the fun you'll have!
3. Homework: page 281, #2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13




ENGLISH
1. Book talk summative will begin on Friday, December 4th.  Your child can be preparing as early as this weekend: if he or she says there is nothing to do, well now you can respond with: "Oh, really?  I looked at the blog and saw that you have a book talk due on Dec. 4th. So there" (and punctuate this with a beautiful "z" snap).    



7
MATH
1. In preparation for our new unit, I would like students to know the meaning of the following terms: bias, primary data, and secondary data.  Please make sure your child has a good sense of what these terms mean by Sunday night.  Thanks!

ENGLISH
1. The 15/7/4 word summary test came home today.  Take a few moments this weekend to go over it with your child.
2. Book talks continue on Tuesday (Swan Lake on Monday).

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Today in Canada's history: 

• 1837 - November 19 - Lower Canada Rebellion - Crowd of 1000 gathers at the Marché St-Paul to support those Patriotes put in jail; after rioting breaks out with loyalists, military authorities lock the gates of the city at 8 pm. Québec, Québec

8

There will be an information night for the Quebec trip, this coming Monday, November 23rd at our library, from 7-8 p.m.  Come learn about the particulars of the trip and ask any questions you may have!

ENGLISH
1. The 15/7/4 word summary test is coming home today.  Please take a few moments to look it over with your child; I was quite pleased to see so many 8L students using some pretty sophisticated punctuation marks (with accuracy).  

MATH
1. We worked on 7.1 in class today (all questions); whatever is incomplete is homework tonight.


7

ENGLISH
Continue preparing for the book talk (tomorrow's the big day).  The outline should be complete, and your child should be focusing on sounding natural - that is to say, it shouldn't be one long memorized speech.  I want a conversational tone, and to achieve this, they should be able to deliver their book talk in a number of different ways.  The best way to practise this is to memorize the order of the sections (hook, background, plan, idea 1, idea 2, stylistic device, closing), but then be comfortable just talking about the content.  If you have some time tonight, as your child to "talk" to you about their book talk.   

MATH
We had the 1.1 - 1.4 test today, so no homework.  That said, the re-do test for transformational geometry is tomorrow. 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Dear 8L/7T Parents,

The intermediate division would like to inform you that the progress reports will be handed out mid-December.  As I have been regularly updating my blog, there should be no surprises to your child’s progress in my classes.  At this time we are making an effort to meet/call the parents of students who are progressing with difficulty.  If you have not been contacted, and should you still be interested in meeting/having a phone interview, please do not hesitate to contact me.  A strong parent-teacher relationship is crucial to your child’s academic development during these transitional years.  I thank you for your support.

Regards,

Mr. Le Moine

8  Algebra re-do test tomorrow for those who scored 2+ and below.  Heavy-duty reviewing tonight as there will be very little time tomorrow to ask any final questions.

English: 1-2 more book talks, then the rubrics go home.

7

Math: 1.1-1.4 test tomorrow.  We took up all of the homework today; we even wrote some sample questions.  I posted a video on MathoftheTitans reviewing question 10 from 1.3 (the garden question).

English: Book talk on Friday.  Friday.  Friday.  Tonight, your child should be almost finished the book talk outline (some students have not been working on this - yikes!).  

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Before you get too excited, this is Chateau Frontenac - NOT Hogwarts.  


Grade 7 and 8: you have all been invited to join our Google Classroom (7T and 8L respectively).  To access the invitation, open google apps yrdsb, click on the 9 little squares in the top right corner, find the "mail" app and look in the inbox.  Accept the invitation and complete the first assignment (due Thursday).  


8
A survey went home today with your child and we are asking you to take a couple of minutes tonight and respond to the question at the bottom of the tear-away portion.  Please have your child bring it back to school TOMORROW.

Book talks went well today and we are just about done.  Once they are all completed, your child will be coming home with his or her formative rubric.  There, you can see what your child is doing well in public speaking and areas for improvement.  

No Math tonight as we had the unit test today.  Remember that we will begin our unit in Geometry, so if you have a compass or protractor at home, send it in with your child (we have some in class, but they are sub-par quality...)


7

English
1. A book talk outline was handed out yesterday: this is an excellent way for your child to organize his or her ideas for the first talk.  Take a moment to look at what your child has entered thus far, and feel free to ask about his or her hook, background, and plan (all of which have been covered in class).  

Math
1. We have pushed the 1.1 - 1.4 test back to Thursday, as I would like to finish my formative interviews with the kids (I think I have 4 to go).  As well, your child has a couple of tasks tonight: finish the questions for 1.4.  As well, I would like them to take a stab at p. 35 #1-15 (half of the questions would be fine).    There is quite a bit of terminology in this unit, so here are some terms/concepts/operations your child should know (and be able to support with examples)
1. Prime number
2. Composite number 
3. Squaring a number
4. Square root 
5. Factors
6. Perfect Squares
7. Upside-down division
8. Greatest Common Factor (GCF)
9. Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)

Math 2
We are scheduling the re-do test for transformational geometry for this Friday.  

English
Book talks are going well and we are still a go for this Friday.  It is rough as a first go, but it is formative, and the growth from the first to the second is almost exponential.  Remind your child is about the process (if they are starting to sweat profusely at the mention of "book talk").  

Monday, November 16, 2015

Today is "Have a Party with your Bear" Day.  For real.


8

English: Book talks are almost done.  Make sure you are reading another English book in preparation for Book Talk 2!  We continue our work with Context and Commentary.

Math:
1.  Measurement test tomorrow: surface area and volume of triangular prisms.  


7

Math: we learned about exponents today.  Over dinner, ask your child to define the following terms: Base, Power, and Exponent.  If they start using rave terms, they weren't listening in class.  

English: we did some more learning for book talks today.  My goal is to begin presentations on Friday, but it depends entirely on how the week goes.  The first talk is formative, and the rubric is going home today.  Please take some time to read it over with your child, then bring it back to school tomorrow.

Friday, November 13, 2015

8

Math: here is a quick review of a supa-dupa question.  After reviewing it, try to solve the ones below it.  Be warned: the "L" value will likely be a decimal in each case!

The 3.3 and 3.4 test will take place on Tuesday.  The re-do 10.4/10.5 algebra test will be next Thursday.

Our next Math unit will be Geometry.  If you have a protractor or compass at home, and you can bring it in, please do so.  

8 English

We will be continuing our look at context and commentary next week.  Please make some time this weekend to review your notes so we're not starting from scratch.  

10 more book talks to go.  So far, so good.  Special thanks to Melina for delivering an impromptu book talk to the 7s; now that's courage.

7

Hep B shots: there were a number of students given the Hep B forms to take home, have signed, and returned to school A.S.A.P.  Please ask your child if he or she has one.  

MATH.  We did 1.3 and the mid-unit review in class.  For those who didn't finish, it is homework this weekend.  If you child appears bored, here are some questions you can ask him/her over dinner:

1. What's the difference between squaring a number and a square root?

2. What is so unusual about the factors of a perfect square?

3. Can you tell me how to find the GCF and the LCM of 15 and 17?
4. Can three consecutive whole numbers be prime numbers?

ENGLISH

We worked on book talks today.  Clearly we are not ready for next Wednesday, so I have pushed the date until next Friday.  Over the weekend, your child should be coming up with two reasons why we need to read his or her book.  Spend some time discussing the merits of the book and developing some solid reasons for reading it.  

Thursday, November 12, 2015

7 Math: watch the 1.3 video.  That's it.  I will be giving time in class to work on the problems tomorrow.

8 English: Book talks tomorrow.  

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

7

MATH: 
1.  Page 16: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
2.  Watch the reverse division video here: https://youtu.be/1Eu2HI1J4r4

8

MATH:
Answer the following supa-dupa questions (all shapes are triangular prisms).
1. b = 7, h = 7, 3rd triangle length = 10, area = 145 cm2.  L = ?
2. Volume = 121.5cm3, b = 9, h = 9, 3rd triangle length = 12, L =?
3. Volume = 24cm3, b = 4, h = 4, 3rd triangle length = 150, L =?
4.  Volume=?, b=10, h=10, L=12, 3rd triangle length = ?

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

7

ENGLISH: 
1. 15/7/4 summary test tomorrow.  We spent a good deal of time today looking at the following punctuation marks: colon, dash, hyphen, and the semi-colon.  They are all word-savers (notice the use of the hyphen). Review your notes!


MATH:
1. 1.2 Watch the video


8

ENGLISH:
1. 15/7/4 summary test tomorrow.   Book talks continue.  Stress!
MATH
1. Homework: 3.4, page 119-121 (#1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11).  Remember: volume is area of the base times the length of the prism.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Apparently we have some Cena fans in class, so here you go.


7: 
Math: 

1.  Friday's Math test came home today.  Take a few moments to look it over with your child this evening.  
2.  Page 12-13, 1-9, 12 and 13.



8: We had an epic two-period game of football (I owed a gym period), so there is no math homework.  I can hear you guys cheering from here.

English:
1. Complete the context for the three quotes copied from the lesson today
2. Book talks continue tomorrow...

Friday, November 6, 2015

Oh yes, Rebecca.  Oh, yes it is.


8 

Math: 

1.  page 115 #2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9.  We are studying how to measure the surface area of a triangular prism.  So....if you have any Toblerone bars at home, it is an excellent way to measure surface area.  That said, the volume of chocolate might change as you work through the problem...

2.  Yestereday's Math test is coming home today (3.1 and 3.2).  The class did very well considering how difficult it is to juggle 3D shapes in your head with no visual support.

English: 

1.  Book talks start on Monday.  You should be spending some time looking over the rubric this weekend - make it your BFF.  

2.  The summative 15/7/4 word test will be on Tuesday.  Big week next week, so as always, make sure you get a good sleep (Sunday night at least).

Parents: your child received his or her formative 7-word summative test back yesterday (unless he or she failed to hand it in - it was homework).  In addition, your child received his or her summative metaphor test back.  I will be doing a second test later next week and will be working with any kids who wish to practise metaphor-making during recess.

7

English

1. Everyone wrote their formative 15/7/4 word summary today.  I will be giving them back (hopefully) on Monday with feedback.  The test will then take place on Tuesday.

2.  Book talks will begin on Wednesday, November 18th.  I will be handing out the rubric next week and I encourage you to look it over with a parent.  Ask me as many questions as you want about the rubric so you feel comfortable knowing exactly what I'm looking for.  

Thursday, November 5, 2015

What a morning!  Great job hockey players, artists, and dancers - you make your houses proud.


8
1. Next week will be our summative 7-word summary, and there is plenty you can do in the meantime to practise.  There are thousands of articles online for you to work with: write a 15-17 word, 3 x 7-word, and 1x4 word.

2. Book talks start on Monday.  Here is what we have done so far: 
a. Gone over the structure of the book talk
b. Discussed appropriate points for the body of the talk
c. Found ways to make the opening engaging
d. Learned how to introduce evidence from the text 
e. Looked at the rubric so we now know exactly how we will be evaluated
f.  Written the background and practised it with three different peers


7
1.  Math test tomorrow.  Re-watch the videos, look through the glossary for the most important terms, review the characteristics of polygons, and get a good sleep.  

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

7  

MATH: do not do any of the questions from 7.3.  Instead, watch the two 7.3 transformation videos on Math of the Titans.  Be sure to watch them....I'm giving you fair warning.  

Test (7.1-7.3) on Friday.  


8

Test tomorrow in Math.  

8

MATH: Test this coming Thursday.  3.1 and 3.2

ENGLISH: Metaphor test tomorrow!  Make two lists of seemingly unrelated words and join them together.  Remember: item a is item b: explanation.

Book talks November 9.  

7  

We did the mid-unit review today as a formative test; it will be taken up tomorrow.  

The introduction to book talks began today.  7T will be presenting their first talk on the 18th of Nov.  

Monday, November 2, 2015

Don't show this to your little brother or sister.



Grade 7 and 8s: You may be wondering why I put so much emphasis on 7-word summaries - or just brief summaries in general.  Here is an excellent website that shows the power of words in two sentences or less.  This is a collection of terrifying 2-sentence horror story beginnings; they will give you one last post-Hallowe'en chill...CLICK HERE. 

See if you can add your own in the comments.  I dare you...



7 Math:  
Last week's math test came home today.  Be sure to show it to a parent.
1.  HOMEWORK: 7.2: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
2. Test for 7.1 - 7.3 will be on Friday

7 English:
Our 7-word summary test will take place next week


8
Math: 3.1 and 3.2 test will be on Thursday.  

TONIGHT: start thinking about ways you can communicate in a non-verbal fashion; this is in preparation for tomorrow's block building extravaganza.

English: Finish the 7-word summary (if you haven't already done so).