Hello everyone,

Good work this week.
This week you were given time to work on your Japan presentation. Most of you were able to present it and get some feedback.
Next week we will finish our study of Japan.
We will also work on study strategies and work toward doing our practice PAT.
In reference to this we will be reviewing the year for topics and skills.

Have a great weekend

Hello everyone,

Good job this week.
We are closing in on the end of our study on Japan.
This week we covered chapter 15 and continued the story of the reaction of Japan to the arrival of Perry and the return of the Emperor.

You have had some time to research and prepare your presentation for next week.
Next week we will cover how to prepare for finals and give you the study guide for the end of year test and do your presentations.

Have a good weekend.

Where there's Smoke, there's Fire

Math

• Did some word problems.
• Worked on 2 digit multiplication.
• Estimate with addition!😊
• Mathletics!
• Visual Journal!

Science

• Digestion (Magic School Bus Episode "What's for Lunch?")
• Immune System (Magic School Bus Episode "Inside Ralphie")
• Body Systems Project - DUE FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2019.  YOU HAVE HAD AND WILL HAVE LOTS OF CLASS TIME!
• Visual Journal!

Other Stuff

• Please be careful.  The Air Quality is BAAAAD. 
• Why is the air quality so bad in our community right now?
• Visual Journal!

Hello Everyone,

This week we continued working on our exploration of Japan. In addition to talking about the Spirit of Shinto, we started our projects researching an aspect of Japan.
We also made a first attempt in black out poetry. This is a great way to practice creative thinking with your reading and writing skills.
Also because you are reusing someone else's work you do not have the pressure com creating something from out of thin air.

Five more weeks. We will work on your Japan projects and talk about the last of the story to bring Japan to the modern era.

Have a good weekend.

Math

• Word problems with addition and subtraction.  Well done.  Some of you have even moved up to 2 step word problems.
• Tricks with multiplying - what do you do?

Science

• We know how to use a microscope. What information can we get?
• What are the characteristics of living things?
• How are plant and animal cells different?

Coming up

• Evidence - what is it?
• Puzzle Problems in math!

Hello Everyone,

This was a bit of an odd week with many people in the school falling to a illness and the postponing of the open house.
We worked on many of the same projects and continued with studying Japan and its world view.
We have arrived at the time in the narritive when Japan must choose how it will go forward in the face of being forced to interact with the west.

Feel free to read ahead but we will continue this after the long weekend.

Cells & Systems in the Movies and Life, with a hint of Math

Last Week in Math & Science we:

• Looked at plant and animal cells through the microscopes.
• Talked about and calculated magnification used to look at different critters and parts of critters.
• Analyzed Ant Man & Wasp for ways the technology is possible and ways it is not likely.  Could we calculated the size difference of Ant Man and Wasp?  How?
• cells to tissues to organs to systems......how?  
• Living vs Non Living, biotic vs abiotic how do we know?

Cells and Math? Say What?

Last week in Math and Science we:

• learned about the parts of a microscope and how to use one
• calculated MAGNIFICATION of the critters we were looking at
• used the microscopes to look at different kinds of plant and animal cells.  How did your drawings turn out?  What was your favourite?
• What cell vocabulary have you learned?
• Worked on our Mental math - multiplication, and decomposing numbers.

Up Next:

• Differences between plant and animal cells.
• Subtraction fun.

Other Stuff

• Visual Journal!  Add new stuff, edit old stuff.  A list of prompts is available to help you if needed.
• Mathletics!  How are you doing with that?

Hello Everyone,

We have continued our study of Japan this week. We looked at some of the major cultural aspects in Japan. How its society is structured and how the Shogun once he came to power helped to establish a strong control of the country through harsh laws and class expectations.
On Wednesday you watched a movie that made some connections between ancient and modern Japan.  I hope that this highlighted some of the key cultural ideas and structures that we have been studying.
have a great weekend.

Hello Everyone,

Another week done.
This week we continued to talk about working, jobs, resumes and Japan.
After looking at the different jobs that are available and the required education and skills for them we talked about how to make a resume and how to write them so they are ideal for the job that you want.
For Japan we talked about the social structure that they lived in and showed how it is similar to Europe and The Aztec societies. We also watched a movie about the rise of the Shogun and examined some of the laws brought into effect to keep Japan isolated.
Here is the link if you would like to watch it again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-KaHiM9vGw&t=2548s

Have a great weekend

10 Weeks Left of Grade 8! You Got This!

Last Week in Math We:

• Did some word problems.
• Wrote some word problems.
• Continued to work on measurements for building our construction projects.
• Completed our Math minutes and put them in our duotangs.
• Mathletics?  Use it!
• Next week:  Addition tricks.

Last Week in Science We:

• Started our Cells & Systems Unit.
• Worked on our Word Wall Words.
• Started work on our Vocabulary.
• Looked at what cells are.
• Next week:  Plant cells are different from Animal cells & an Animal Adaptation project.

Hello Everyone,

This week we worked on some of the new concepts that were introduced to us in the Japan unit. We continued to work on Haikus, we looked at origami and some of the traditional events that take place in japan.
We also took some time to explore the Calgary Public Library website to explore of the potential jobs that are out there. We were able to research a verity of jobs, look at what they pay, what skills and qualities they ask for and what education you might need to get them. We will continue this exploration when we get back.

Have a great weekend.

Welcome Back!

In Math We Have Been Working on:

• Measurements and what we do with them, such as folding origami for our Japan unit.
• Visualizing and using manipulatives to help us add numbers more quickly.
• Math Minute and Challenge Books for solving word problems.

In Science We Have Been Working on:

• Light and Optical Systems - vocabulary.
• What are the 4 properties of light?
• Next Unit:  Cells and Systems.

Reminders:

• Mathletics!!!  You all have it! Use it!
• It was great to see you all happy and rested after our spring break!

Hello Everyone,

Congratulations on completing a full week of school after two weeks off. It is hard to get back into a successful routine.
We have hit the ground running starting the last unit of the year which is Japan.
We looked at how the native religion of Shinto and the geography has had an impact on Japanese world view.
We looked at how being located on the ring of fire has influenced  the geography with dozens of volcanos, frequent earthquakes and rugged and mountainous terrain.
We looked at the importance of rice in their life and how the combination of limited land and a large population may affect how they society may work.

Have a great weekend.

HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

In Math We Have Been Working On:

• Numbers as words
• Different Number Systems Exist - why?  What are they?
• What is Pi?  What did we do for Pi Day?
• How are your division skills?  Manipulatives are the best!
• Mathletics!  You can always work on this.  Link on the side.

In Science We Have Been Working On:

• Finishing our Mechanical Systems Projects (six simple machines)
• Light & Optical Systems:  Discovery with Ray Boxes and Filters
• What does light do?  How does it behave? - Visual Journal Entry
• Shadows and Light - how are they related?

Other Stuff:

• What fidgets can we make?
• What fidgets should we get?

Have a safe and fun spring break!

Have questions for when you come back!

Hello Everyone,

This was your last week before spring break. We covered the end of the Aztec empire, we explored the different world views of them and the Spanish and how they led to conflict. 

We looked at what happened when two world views compete and combine and how the modern country of Mexico combines them. 

When we return to school after the break we will be looking at Japan. As we examine their world view we will see what happens and the difference when a country is able to decide how much of another worldview they want to adopt.

Have a great break

Hello Everyone,

We are closing in on spring break.
This week we worked on The Aztecs direct conflict with Cortes and the Spanish.
We looked at the disparity of technology and how the Spanish came to America with a very different focus and purpose.
On Tuesday we celebrated Pi day by working in the foods room. We make tarts and measured the diameter and circumference.
Many of you took advantage of parent teacher and this is a great time to reflect how much work you have done this year.
Next week is the last week before spring break. We will complete the Aztecs and be ready to move onto Japan.

Have a great weekend.

Hello everyone,

This week we have found the weather improving and we are quickly approaching the summer break and the last leg of Grade 8.
This week we talked about Siena and their horse race, a relic of the medieval and renaissance period.
We continued our discussion of first contact between the Aztec and the Spanish. We explored the difference between the technology of the two groups and how the Aztecs might have felt seeing boats, horses and cannons for the first time.

Have a great weekend!

Short Week, Short Post.

Hope everyone is staying warm. This week we finishing chapter 8.
We discussed some aspects of poetry and starting to study the Spanish and Cortez. We are setting ourselves up for for a clash of world views.

Have a great long weekend.

Happy Polar Vortex Week!

Last Week In Math We:

• Talked about temperature and what it means.
• Did division!  Using a multiplication chart and number chips we illustrated basic division.  Next week, Cusinere rods!
• Worked on problem solving in our booklets.  Identified expressions, did a pyramid, and solved magic squares!

Last Week In Science We:

• Continued our work with gears & pulleys.  What is the difference?
• Built gears, started to build pulleys.  What is the biggest challenge?  What did you learn?
• Used LEGO to model some inventions and adjust/improve our towers.
• Do you know the unit vocabulary?  Can you identify the simple machines?  How is your unit booklet going?

Other Stuff:

• In recognition of Black History Month, we watched Hidden Figures:  Math, Science & Humanities. 
• Wrote up and handed in:

1. The 4 points in the movie
1. conflict
2. rising action
3. climax
4. resolution
2. Describe how NASA and the other characters (people) address challenges.
3. Identify 3 uses of figurative speech.
4. Compare the society to what we have studied about Europe or the Aztec.

Hello Everyone,

This was the last full week that you will have for a while. The extreme cold that we had on Monday and Tuesday was difficult but thank you to those that were able to make it, I hope you found the time in class valuable.
We are continuing to cover the Aztecs. We discussed the different roles in society, the importance of education. We talked about how the education system is different for different classes and some of the effects that may have on the society overall.
We also talked about the law in the Aztec world and the idea of citizenship. We compared that to what we learned about in Europe.
We also examined the Lunier or Chinese new year celebrations, its concepts, zodiac and impact on their world view.
Welcome to the year of the Pig.

Have a great weekend.

HAPPY REPORT CARD WEEK!

Last Week In Math We:

• Continued our multiplication facts work in our Duotangs.  Is yours in order?  Is it up to date? 
• Worked with our numeracy booklet to complete word problems.

Last Week in Science We:

• Started to build gears and pulleys. (Mechanical Systems)
• Vocabulary.
• Worked with the tallest Lego tower.  How?  Why did it work?  Why did it collapse?
• Identified machines and the importance of inventions and completed a short assignment on the movie Tomorrowland.

Other Stuff:

• You all did very well last term.  Really proud of you!
• What goals do you have for term?
• Please bring your report card envelope back signed!

Hello Everyone,
This week we continued looking at the Aztec world. We explored the structure and make up of Aztec society which is similar to other societies. It seems that humans tend to organize themselves in similar ways no matter the time or place. How is this similar or different than our society?
We looked at how the Aztec family and the clans, expectations for children and for other members in society. We looked at their money system (coco beans), their schooling and their law.

Next week we continue to compare them to what we have studied before and how they may be different.
Soon we will get to Spain, the specific group that will contact them, their world view and why they do the things that they do.

Have a good weekend.

Hello Everyone,

This week we have begun our study of the Aztec people. We are looking at the specific details of their society and as in all things the fundamental aspects that make up and influence their worldview. Aztec culture, located in the valley of Mexico is totally different than the European view we studied during the Renaissance. However while the details may be wildly different there is a similarity in structure as we will see this week coming up. There is similarity that you should see through all of the things that we study. Hopefully you will be able to identify what that is.

Have a great weekend.

Happy New Year!

This is for since we have returned from winter break.  Apologies, we're back to once a week updates on Friday.

In Math We Have:

• Talked about concepts we want to understand more.  Our list includes:
• addition of multi-digit numbers
• working with decimals (especially money)
• rounding numbers (like penny rounding)
• Worked on addition pyramids (so fun)
• Solved some word problems.
• Identified and solved Equations.
• Worked on our weekly challenge booklet.
• Mathletics
• Got a new Math Minute Duo Tang!
• Worked on our Visual Journal.

In Science We Have:

• Explored Simple and Complex Machines.
• Finished planning our Construction project with machines (spoiler alert:  it's math too).
• no plan, no building (this has been emphasized by Mr. Lajeunesse and myself)
• those of you who are ready to build will begin next week
• Discussed the importance of invention and failure.
• Watched Tomorrowland.  There is an assignment that goes with this.  Have you completed it?
• Built structures out of different materials (Lego, straws, Popsicle sticks, chopsticks, skewers, tape......).  Tested them to see if they worked.  Improved them based on our observations. 
• Many of you made boats.  What will you make next week?
• Worked on our Mechanical Systems Booklet.
• Some of us worked on Mechanical Systems Vocabulary.
• Worked on our Visual Journal.

Other Stuff:

• Have you updated Iris recently?  New goal? New understanding? New Strategy? New artifact?
• Keep working on Mathletics!
• Use a TITLE when you add things to your Visual Journal.  Add things often!
• Got our Semester 2 Exploratory Classes.  If there is a concern please talk to me!!

Hello everyone,

I hope that you have enjoyed your time off during the winter break and that you are falling back into the school routine with a minimum of discomfort.
We have again taken up the work of practicing important skills in our daily reading and writing activities.
We have continued our research and critical thinking practices through the chapter questions.
This week we concluded the major study of the Renaissance in Europe.
We have highlighted some of the key contributing factors that have built the western world view such as Humanism, the scientific method and the beginning of the age of exploration.
We will next be moving on the the Aztec people. We will study their culture and their world view and in time see what happens when these two civilizations meet for the first time.

Have a great weekend.