The End

   My short story unit ended up being extended into a larger task. I was excited about the desire to write! Many students approached me saying they would like to attempt a short story of their own, so that is what we have been working on all week. Today, most of the students had a first draft to share with a peer and get feedback. The good copy is due on Monday. 

I will be looking for:

1. All rough work

2. Good Copy of Story

3. Visual of the setting of the story (could be a drawing or a digital version)

4. Peer feedback form

5. Assignment sheet

I will be asking the students to read part of their story for the class. 

One more week to go! 

Reminder 

 Christmas Baskets are due on Tuesday 

Christmas Dance ticket sales have been extended to Monday and Tuesday of next week. The dance is at risk of being cancelled!

Short Stories- QUIZ ON MONDAY

                                 

The grade 7 class has been working through the short story unit. We have spent a lot of time talking about the parts of a story. On Monday the students will be writing a short story quiz in which they will be asked to define some of the terms on the short story handout they received. 

Examples: Protagonist, antagonist, types of conflict, metaphor, simile, personification

They will also be reading a short story and filling out a plot graph like the one above. It is exactly like the one they filled out for Pricilla and the Wimps. 

 Hope you have a great weekend!

Short Stories

The grade 7 classes had a great time at the 67's game on Monday. It sounds like it was an amazing event that the students will remember.

Without our double block this week, we managed to cover a lot of ground!

PLOT, CHARACTER, CONFLICT, THEME SETTING, these are the 5 things!
                                              

We talked about these topics and more while reading 3 short stories. During Friday's period, we read a short story and they were asked to answer a few questions. Some may not have finished and therefore it will be homework. I will check on Monday.

 Review Questions, 

What is the introduction of a story?
What is the climax of the story?
What is a rising action?


Next week we will be talking about figurative language and how that adds to our writing. 

Wrapping Up

This week was all about wrapping up the Fourteenth Goldfish. 

      Ask your child if they enjoyed the ending. I felt the group as a whole really enjoyed the story. We had out live chat on Tuesday after school. The students were so excited to meet the California crew that most of our time was spent asking questions about their personal life and putting names to faces rather than talking about the book. We were shocked to find out they had never heard of poutine! Also, I was shocked to find out that 10+9=21. Overall, I was happy with the event and think the kids enjoyed the experience. I will know to do a few things differently next time but just like Melvin from our story, I'm always learning :-)
      We presented our Biography assignments this week. I was very happy with the work the students put into the presentations. Everyone got up in front of the class and gave an oral presentation about their scientist.  Ask your child what they learned about Jonas Salk, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Robert Oppenheimer, and Galileo Galilei. I would assume everyone could tell you at least 1-2 points about each! I talked to the science teachers before going ahead with this project and they said there is no time for a project like this in science. I think it was a great cross-curricular activity that hopefully hooked some of the students who may not love Language studies. The class in California also did a Biography assignment on the same scientist from the novel. We are going to be sharing our final products with each other.

  Short, Short Story Unit

   Over the next two weeks I will be running a short story unit with the grade 7's. We will be introducing elements of short stories and figurative language. 



REMINDERS:

67's Game on Monday for the grade 7 classes. Anyone who is not going to the 67's game will be grouped together to do different activities throughout the day so I will not see them for our double block.

Final blog post about The Fourteenth Goldfish! I have taken the questions down from 3 to only 2

Questions:
1. Name 2 messages or themes from the novel The Fourteenth Goldfish. What was the MAIN IDEA?
2. Alternate ending! Come up with an alternate ending for the story.  
   

November 10-14

    The majority of our class time this week was spent on our Biography assignment that was posted below. I have been very happy with the effort put forward by the grade 7 class and am looking forward to the final products coming in on Monday. I think that the novel really sparked the students' interest and made researching these famous figures exciting. 

   On November 11th all of the students at St. Joseph participated in a Remembrance Day ceremony. It was very well done and the students were all very quiet and respectful as they watched. One of the teachers organized a slide show of family members of St. Joseph students and staff who had been in the military. My husbands Grandfather was in the slide show and I was impressed with how many students came up to me after and asked me about the "Sutherland" picture they saw on the screen. 

                    

 NEXT WEEK:

1. Biography Assignments completed on Monday and presented to
    the class. 

2. After school chat on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 18th until
    approximately 3:30. 

3. Moving on to Short Story Unit 

Biography Assignment

Here is a link to the Biography Assignment. We will be working on it in class all week. Students have chosen to work on their own or with a partner.

 This assignment will be due on Monday, November 17th.

LINK:
https://docs.google.com/a/ocsb.ca/document/d/1CVb_3rPCl2RMt_DQv-mozUbYKSYOs9VPdohQqh7y4PE/edit?usp=sharing

Goodbye October!

 I apologize about not posting on Halloween, but I am sure you can imagine it was a busy night for my family! I know I already shared my picture on my Kidblog Halloween post, but I don't mind doing it again!

Cara 4, Hunter 2, Ashley 6

Now that my proud mother moment is out of the way, let me get back to our Language class.

The Fourteenth Goldfish

     I have been very happy with the response to the GRA novel. It seems to have really inspired some of our students. We have made personal connections with the characters by researching our own grandparents and thinking critically about why or why not the character "Melvin" makes a good grandparent. We are continuing to connect with our new friends in California and the students get very excited when someone from the other class comments on a post they made. This was my first time participating in the GRA. I have had such a positive experience, I am already excited to do it again next year.  

PLEASE NOTE: I sent a sheet home letting parents know about an after school event where our class will be participating in a live chat with the class in California. Due to the 3 hour time change it must take place after school. This is not a mandatory event and students will not lose marks if they do not participate.

DATE: November 18th 

TIME: 2:30-3:30

LOACTION: Our classroom or the Learning Commons

Looking to Next Week:

   Using our novel for inspiration, we are looking at biographies as a writing form. On Friday, November 7th, the students will read the biography of Albert Einstein. In The Fourteenth Goldfish, the character Melvin is a scientist and talks a lot about famous scientists and what they discovered or accomplished. Next week the students will be putting together a biography of one of the scientist Melvin talked so highly about. I am looking forward to seeing what the grade 7's discover! 

Girl Rising

     

      I posted previously about the documentary Girl Rising. Our date got pushed a week, but we did go and view this powerful film on Monday. It was really overwhelming and the students took in some powerful stories of hope and triumph over challenges. Ask them about the film. It will be interesting to hear what they took away from the stories. 

Here is the link to the trailer again, 

GIRL RISING  website @ http://girlrising.com/

Trailer @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsvklXhYaE

Grandparents

    Although outside of the classroom the week was filled with confusion, inside our grade 7 Language class we carried on and found support from our friends in California. 

     I was really touched by the energy the students brought to the interview with a Grandparent assignment. Although some of the students participated in the football game buyout Tuesday afternoon, those who were left eagerly shared the information they learned about their grandparent. I loved hearing about what surprised them and what connections they made to their own life. Most of the students handed in a reflection based on that interview. If they did not get it into me on Friday, I will accept it on Monday with a note from a parent letting me know they are aware it is late. 

   We have continued to read to our GRA novel and the students were asked to make a prediction about the novel. The class in California was also asked to make a prediction. All students are asked to comment on a prediction made by our sister class as well as post their own prediction. 

In class we discussed the following things about our posts:

1. Ensure you re-read your post for spelling and grammatical errors.

2. If you are commenting on someone else's post, start by saying something positive and ensure you explain your ideas in full sentences.

   Some of the students in the California class were very concerned about us and the events our city went through on Wednesday. I would encourage our class to thank them for their concern and reassure them we are ok. 

                                           

Girl Rising

     

      On Monday, we get to participate in a special even in the LC. Mrs. Murray has been able to bring in a special documentary entitled, Girl Rising. 

Please visit the website and watch the trailer this weekend!

GIRL RISING  website @ http://girlrising.com/

Trailer @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsvklXhYaE

Have a great weekend!!

Short and Fun Week!!

      In the three periods we had together this week, we checked over our blog posts, commented on another blog post, read introductions about students in our California class and reviewed a reading comprehension activity that was completed last week. 

     The majority of the grade 8 class were away for 3 days on a school trip. This enabled the grade 7's to enjoy empty hallways between classes. The students also had fun participating in an activity day that was organized by the high school GPP class. One of the students in the GPP class is place in our English class. She works with us on Wednsday and Friday. 

    This weekend the students were given a homework assignment. They have been asked to interview a grandparent. Here is a copy of the handout they were given in class. It is to be completed by Tuesday of next week.

              Information/Interview with a Grandparent

In our GRA novel, we are reading about a girl your age, who is getting to know her Grandfather is a new way.  How well do you know your own Grandparents? Pick one specific grandparent and fill out the following questionnaire about them. Call or visit your Grandparent! If that is not possible, have your parent help you answer these to the best of your ability. You will use this information to help you write a reflection for class next week.

1.     Where did they grow up?

2.     How many brothers and sisters did they have?

3.     Where did they go to school? (elementary, secondary, postsecondary)

4.     What kind work did they do for a living?

5.     How old were they when they met their significant other?

6.     What did they do for fun when they were 12 years old?

7.     What hobbies do they have now? How are they different from when they were your age?

8.     Would they ever want to be young again? Why or why not?

9.     If they could give you one piece of advice about being in middle school, what would it be?

On Monday I will be attending a Literacy Workshop and have told the students they will be have an important reading comprehension activity. 

Have a great weekend, see you on Tuesday!

GRA and Kidblog

   
  A short week made even shorter because I had to be away on Monday and miss our double block. The grade 7 class worked very well for the supply teacher who left a wonderful note. I always appreciate getting a good note from a supply teacher! During the time I was away the students worked on a reading comprehension sheet and completed the assignment in class.
                                                         
                                                 

     The rest of the week was about rolling out our Global Read Aloud project. I am so happy to say that the students seem to be very excited about this endeavor. We spent some time previewing the book and discussing the themes. We had a lengthy discussion about the concept of "the fountain of youth". We have read 2 chapters of the book together and will continue to read it next week. Ask your child about the book. What do they think it will be about? Who are the characters we have met so far?
      The second element to this project is connecting with another class in a different part of the world. I have made contact with a teacher in Mammoth, California and we are using Kid blog to communicate. The students all logged into their Kidblog accounts and have access to them from home. There were asked to write a short introduction about themselves and talk about their favourite book. Some students in our class were very excited, maybe too excited, to do this task. I would encourage them to go over their blog post. They can edit what they have written and ensure it is done to the best of their ability. I tried to impress on them that I would be reading what they write and that the students in California would also be reading the posts and therefore it was important to put their best foot forward. This is meant to be a learning experience about digital citizenship and online etiquette.


WEEKEND CHALLENGE!!!!

1. Reread your blog post! Ensure you have done what has been asked of you and have presented yourself to our new friends in California properly.

www.kidblog.org/MrsSutherland7


2. Look up where Mammoth Lakes, California is located and come to class Tuesday with some information about where our new friends live! I think you will be surprised- hint: it's not in the OC

     Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!
                                             

GO JAGS GO!!!!!                         Jag Jog 2014 

 Congratulations to everyone who participate in the Jag Jog this year! Our school raised almost 21,000 dollars and fun was had by all. 10% of that money raised is donated to the Terry Fox run and the rest is applied to different needs within our school. I had a lot of fun with homeroom 8-6 but saw all of my grade 7 and 8s throughout the day with smiles on their faces. What a great community building event!

The time in class this week was a bit confused. Students were very patient as we worked through technical problems and helped everyone find their school computer password as well as their school gmail account. Missing a period with the Jag Jog and students losing previously typed paragraphs slowed down our progress. We have a paragraph printed for each student and the students now know-Mrs. Sutherland doesn't give up!

   I previewed our Global Read Aloud book entitled- The Fourteenth Goldfish. I will be reading it to the class and we will be connecting online with a class in California reading the same book. While participating in the GRA we will also be starting into our short story unit. The student have shown a lot of interest in writing their own short stories! Very exciting!

Happy Weekend!