7B Thursday, November 27, 2014

As we continue with The Giver, students are practicing ANSWERING QUESTIONS (see Success Criteria post) appropriately and effectively.

Students who do not own their own copy of The Giver have signed a copy out (I have a master list of the text # that they have borrowed) so that they are able to continue reading / working at home.

HOMEWORK: DUE Monday, December 1, 2014. 

1. Read to the end of chapter 6.

2. Write definitions for chapter vocabulary. Answer the following questions in COMPLETE SENTENCES:

The Giver – Chapter 5

Vocabulary:

infraction 34                dosage 38

Questions:

1. What is the morning ritual in the society?

2. Why must Jonas start taking a pill every day?

3. What do you think Stirrings are?

4. How do you feel about the society in this book? Explain.

5. What have you found so far that the book’s society represses?

The Giver – Chapter 6

Vocabulary:

Interdependence 40    indulgently 42             exuberant 44               chastisement 45

Transgressions 45        buoyancy 48

Questions:

1. What values does the book’s society encourage and embrace?

2.  What is the difference in the book between loss and release?  Why do you think the author points out the difference on page 44?

3.  How does the author build the interest in Jonas’ Ceremony of Twelve?

4.  Who makes the important decisions in the book’s society? How do you know?

7B Monday, November 24, 2014 HOMEWORK - Ch. 3 and 4 The Giver

As we continue with The Giver, students are practicing ANSWERING QUESTIONS (see Success Criteria post) appropriately and effectively.

Students who do not own their own copy of The Giver have signed a copy out (I have a master list of the text # that they have borrowed) so that they are able to continue reading / working at home.

HOMEWORK: DUE Thursday, November 27, 2014. 

1. Read to the end of Chapter 5.

2. Define the following vocabulary and answer the following questions:

The Giver – Chapter 3

Vocabulary:

chastise 20                   rarity 21                       petulantly 22               bewilderment 23

nondescript 24

Questions:

1. What about the society is revealed by the reaction to eye color?

2. What is a Birthmother?

3. Why is Mother so appalled when Lily suggests she’d like to be a Birthmother?

4. How was Jonas disciplined for taking an apple home?

5. Why did the apple intrigue Jonas?

6. What does the “nondescript” shade of the tunics and the apple tell you about the people and the society in the book?

The Giver – Chapter 4

Vocabulary:

gravitating 26              chortled 33                  niche

Questions:

1. What seems to be the purpose of volunteer hours?

2. Why doesn’t Jonas seem to have a niche?

3. What is the nakedness rule?  How does this compare to our society?

4. What are the Releasing Room and the releasing ceremony?

HSP 6/7/8 Week of November 24, 2014

ENGLISH

Students are nearing the end of their Guided Reading selections. Our main focus is learning how to answer questions accurately and appropriately. Please refer to the post: HSP 6/7/8 Success Criteria for Answering Questions for detailed description of this skill.

Students are being asked to modify some of their previous answers to demonstrate application of the skill. This means editing (redoing) some work to practice answering complete questions.

HOMEWORK: Students are to continue reading short stories, novels, etc. at home to build vocabulary and practice the skill of reading. We visit the school library on a regular basis, where students are given the opportunity to check out books. Alternately, a family visit to your local public library is an excellent opportunity for you to be included in the book-choosing experience and become more aware of your child's reading interests. Especially if your child is reading books in a series, I encourage you to take out your own copy and read it in order to promote discussion.

MATH

Students are continuing to review Fractions. There are 3 groups. (Please look for the student's initials)

NA / JK: Math Makes Sense

SP / RJ / YG: Math Makes Sense

MN / SK / SB / NB / NN:  Closing The Gap (Ministry of Education) ; EK: Closing The Gap (Ministry of Education), with additional supplementary resources

HOMEWORK: all students are invited to work on the following ONLINE activity.

Online Homework Tasks


SOCIAL STUDIES / HISTORY

Gr. 6: Students are working on the series The Canadian Reader. The selection this week is "Tiny Plastic Beads in Our Water." Students will be working on Vocabulary and using graphic organizers. The focus in the text is "answering questions."

HOMEWORK: Students are invited to read more about this: Global News Article

Gr. 7: Students are learning about New France. They are working on Vocabulary building and making connections to the Text they are reading. The grade 7's are using various charts and graphic organizers to determine important information and demonstrate learning.

Grade 7 Study Notes: Use the two columns below to help you remember what you have learned. Take a blank piece of paper, and cover up Column B so you cannot see it. Read each term in Column A and test yourself by writing down three or four key ideas about it.

Column A

Column B

France began to colonize North America to increase the size of wealth of it’s empire People came to New France for many reasons The French learned from the First Nations Europeans changed the First Nations’ way of life

- The fur trade was the main reason for colonization - France claimed most of the land from Hudson Bay to the Atlantic Coast - These territories were Acadia and New France - At first, there were no permanent settlements - Government controlled by Britain - Missionaries and soldiers were sent - Some people decided to come to buy land or to work in the fur trade - French learned skills to survive in the wilderness - French learned how to trap beaver - Furs were traded for manufactured goods - First Nations competed wot work with the Europeans - More and more land used for the fur trade - French tried to convert First Nations to Christianity - Europeans brought new diseases to North America

HOMEWORK: Students are invited to watch Canada A People's History Episode 3 to help visualize the text we are reading.

Gr. 8: Students are learning about Confederation. They are working on familiarizing themselves with Vocabulary and maps of Canada before and after Confederation, along with the various Conferences and Agreements that have been made. This week, students are discussing the SOCIAL impact of why some did not want to be a part of Confederation.

HOMEWORK: Students are invited to watch Canada: A People's History 9 to help visualize the text we are reading.

HSP 6/7/8 Success Criteria for Answering Questions

1. Use the question to start your answer.

For example: What classroom is our class located in? Our class is located in Room 210.

2. Use facts to support your answer.

*I know this because...
*For example, ...

I know this because there is a sign above the door with the numbers 210 on it.

3. Answer what is being asked.

*Sometimes it helps to underline the important parts of a question.

*When a question begins with....

Who?  NAMES

What? SPECIFIC EVENT(S)

Why? REASONS TO EXPLAIN, INFERENCES and OPINIONS

When? WHEN AN EVENT TOOK PLACE (i.e. time of day, season, past/present/future, etc.)

How? EXPLANATION and INFERENCE

For all questions, use information from the text to prove and support your answer.

7B Success Criteria for Answering Questions

Success Criteria for Answering Questions

1. Use the question to start your answer.

2. Use facts from the text to support your answer.

* I know this because...
* For example, ....

3. Answer what is being asked. You may want to underline this in the question.

7B English Friday, November 21, 2014

This week the students began reading the novel THE GIVER. In addition to reading, the students participated in a Literature Circle to discuss and compare the society in THE GIVER to today's society. They recorded their ideas in t-charts for future reference.

Here is the current vocabulary and questions that they will be expected to work on this weekend:

The Giver – Chapter 1

Vocabulary:

rasping 2                      palpable 3                    distraught 4                 wheedle 5

nurturer 7                    disposition 7                transgression 9            apprehensive 9

Questions:

1. How does the author get the reader into the book?

2. From whose point of view is the story told?

3. How is Jonas’s family like your family and different from your family?

4. What do know so far about “release” in the book’s society? What are your feelings about “release”?

5. How is the care of children different in Jonas’s world from our society?

The Giver – Chapter 2

Vocabulary:

Aptitude 15

Questions:

1. What is the private conversation Jonas’s parents have with him about?

2. Identify details about and the importance of each of these items in the book:

Ceremony of One       Naming           Bicycles           Ceremony of Nine

Comfort Objects

3. What rules does Jonas’s father disobey?

4. How do people in the society receive their Assignments?

5. Why do you think the author is building up Jonas’s Ceremony of Twelve?  What do you think that Jonas’s Assignment might be?

HSP 6/7/8 November 13, 2014 and week of November 21, 2014

Report Cards went home on Monday. I am looking forward to meeting with many of you over the next two days to discuss your child's progress :)

Language:

READING

We are continuing with our Guided Reading Groups. The students are busy reading their short novels and answering content questions related to each chapter. The students are periodically "checking in" with the others in their group to discuss the story, their ideas and inferences about what they are reading. It's amazing to listen to their discussions - their attention to detail and thoughtful responses are developing.

WRITING

Students will begin Procedural writing.

Where do we find procedures?
Why do we need procedures?
What information do all procedures need to have?

We will look at existing procedures to determine audience and purpose. The students will be exposed to various types of procedures and have opportunity to experience writing. The final project will be a power point presentation.

Homework: Daily Reading and Writing (in at-home Writer's Notebook)

MATH:

We are beginning Fractions. We are starting with a diagnostic to see what each student remembers, both simple and more complex. From there, the program they work on will be geared to helping them "Close The Gap". This is a Ministry of Education program.

Homework: Please consider using the following link to access Ministry activities to support your child at home. There will be some easy review and it will become more challenging.

Online Gap Closing Activities


SOCIAL STUDIES / HISTORY:

Gr. 6 - What In the World?

Gr. 7 - Beginning Conflict and Change

Gr. 8 - Confederation

Homework: Continue to watch the news and discuss what is happening around the world.