Thursday, September 28, 2017

Media Literacy, Healthy Living (part of the Health and Physical Education program), length of spikes, Mathematics reminder, and HW

Media Literacy

Depending on where you look, most Internet sites and books will have a list of the key components of Media Literacy:


A couple of weeks ago, when we first began discussing Media Literacy and the concept of fake news, we found out about a university that turned out to be fake.  When we investigated, the website for the school looked pretty authentic.

The website (http://www.kingslakeuniversity.org/about/toponlineuniversity/) looked real.  The Internet is an example of a medium; the word media is the plural form of a medium and both have been constructed.  The authentic look of the site is deliberate and conforms to a particular aesthetic form we have become familiar with.  Developing our Media Literacy skills requires us to be aware of how information is put together and constructed.

Unfortunately, when people acquire fake degrees and attempt to practice or sell themselves as something they are not, there is a potential for a lot of damage.  Consider this phony counselor:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/diploma-mills-marketplace-fake-degrees-1.4279513

The original story on the fake university, which we will check out another time, is here:  

Healthy Living:  conversation starters


In Media Literacy, one of the questions you were asked about related to the idea of knowing where your SOURCES come from.  In preparation for today's introductory lesson on making healthy choices around food, you can find a lot of information but the source it comes from must always be noted, even when the information is beneficial.


Let us turn our attention to what we can do to ensure we are at our best.  Think of this as an opening conversation to future investigations about what we eat and the importance of the choices we make around food.

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/breakfast-sheet.html?ref=search&WT.ac=msh-t-dtop-en-search-clk
Here is another link for some ideas on eating healthy in the morning, when you feel you don't have enough time:


The Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto, has an article we will listen to on the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.  Here is the link:  http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/News/Columns/FitnessAndNutrition/Pages/The-importance-of-a-healthy-breakfast.aspx

Marisa Moore, an Atlanta based nutritionist, has a short article which summarizes some key points about why you should eat breakfast:  http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/5-reasons-your-teen-needs-breakfast

As we explore the topic of Health this year, making healthy food choices will always be one of our goals.  In class, we will reference Canada's Food Guide.  I have ordered some copies for the Intermediate team.  In the meantime, you can find some more information here:  https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/migration/hc-sc/fn-an/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/food-guide-aliment/view_eatwell_vue_bienmang-eng.pdf


This year, I want to make it one of my goals that we learn more about the brain and how it works.  I do know that there are some foods which can be really positive for how our brain functions.  Here is a quick poster idea from a Pinterest site:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/33/c4/a8/33c4a8b32350a257fb4c3dde7e78bb74--healthy-brain-brain-health.jpg

FYI:  question about the length of spikes (also a Measurement Math question!!)
https://www.amazon.com/Omni-Lite-Replacement-Upgrade-Track-Spikes/dp/B019EVZSE8
spike donation at Morant Bay High School














Mathematics:

I had a personal reminder of the importance of the poster I put up on the front door of the value of not knowing and not knowing yet.  I figured out how to explain how you would find the GCF of a number if you were not yet comfortable with knowing your multiplication tables.  I thought it would be difficult to explain the concept, but once I tried the exercise a couple of times, it made sense.  I will post a photo of the process, once I get into the class and a video on the 7/8B Math site on Google Classroom.



The video that relates to this tutorial is posted on Google Classroom.
For those of you who are having challenges logging on, I will post the Math homework questions and answers that were put on the board.  In the future, I will have to ask that all students show the steps in how they arrived at their answer.  Simply writing an answer is not very helpful to those who are interested in the process.








The GCF method, using the 20x20 multiplication chart.

Homework

On Monday, I will ask for all of the agendas to be handed in so I can take a look to see if they have been used.  Among the 5 teachers in the Intermediate division, I am sure there is some homework.  I gave out some homework.  To simplify, I took a photo of the Homework board.

It is very important that the students get into the habit of doing their homework.  It will assist them in feeling connected to what is going on in school and help with the development of some important habits.



Have a restful weekend.





Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Residential Schools in Canada: an example of Historical Significance & another perspective on John A from Chippewar; Curriculum Night, New York Times (NYT) exercise, Math HW

History.  Happening now, commenting on the past and, hopefully, influencing the future. 

Indigenous residential schools need to be marked as sites of conscience, MPs told http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/indigenous-residential-schools-sites-ry-moran-1.4306944 Shared via the CBC News Android App

On the CBC Radio show Unreserved, host Rosana Deerchild has a talk with Artist Jay Soule -- aka Chippewar -- about the "currency" of something we use on a regular basis.   

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/making-taking-and-decolonizing-space-1.4298966/not-so-funny-money-indigenous-artist-sets-sights-on-the-faces-that-adorn-our-currency-1.4300861

This notice went home yesterday.  I hope to meet all of the Intermediate Division parent(s) on Thursday.







Reading:  What is Going on....



my thinking around last week's exercise
What is really happening in this photo:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/learning/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-sept-18-2017.html
Math:  Homework

Fraction reducing, using the Greatest Common Factor (GCF):  assigned on Monday
- The answers are posted, as well, on Google Classroom


Monday, September 25, 2017

Historical Thinking in the news: Damage after Hurricane Irma & Rohingya Refugees



Irma's hit to Florida citrus crop will put squeeze on your morning glass of juice http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/hurricane-irma-cripples-florida-citrus-growers-1.4304886 Shared via the CBC News Android App
This news story is an example of the Historical Thinking of Cause and Consequence.  The impact of the storm results in higher OJ prices.
Similarly, for the farmers, this event may be seen as an example of being Historically Significant.  The crop devastation is a significant blow for them.

Citrus groves from Southwest Florida.  This image is from the CBC link I posted above.

A few students brought up the issue of the crisis of the Rohingya ethnic group in Myanmar.  At this point, many Rohingya refugees are making their way into Chittagong, Bangladesh.  Some of you may not know about this or even where these countries are or the circumstances behind this matter.




The story on YouTube can be found here:  https://youtu.be/sndK_IRSC1s

The matter of Historical Perspective is illustrated in this story.  The Rohingya, appear to be persecuted and are fleeing for their safety, but the Myanmar government sees things differently.  According to the story from the Aljazeera website, the Rohingya have sought out safe places in Bangladesh and other Asian countries since the 1970s.  This story follows the ideas associated with Continuity and Change.  


Curriculum Night is this Thursday at Dovercourt.  

Be there.  6 p.m.




Friday, September 22, 2017

7/8 B @ work with Historical Thinking & Concepts, Factoring & Math homework

History

Our class was the last of the three classes to begin exploring the idea of connecting the Historical Literacy with a work of fiction.  By the time you have gone over a lesson three times, it becomes clearer.  To make the connection between the research chart and the in-class exercise, I numbered off the corresponding points.



Although all three groups are not finished, I photographed members of our class:









I will return to my text and make connections across all 4 modes of thinking to assist the groups with completing the assignment and preparing to select topics for the actual History projects.

Mathematics

When you have both a Grade 7 & 8 class, you sometimes have topics where the older group is doing something a little beyond the younger one.  In some cases, the topics can be entirely different.  Right now, both groups are dealing with the adding and subtracting of fractions and having to simplify the answers.

In order to simplify, you need to be able to factor.  Jiya and Saya's favourite talking head offers up some information in this video.  It is cool to see him talking about some of the concepts we have discussed in class. 

Grade 7:
Grade 8:


The Math homework is posted on the Google Classroom site.  The items relating to factoring will unfold next week in class.

Enjoy your weekend and stay cool.  Drink water.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Summary of John A Macdonald discussion, thanks from Kent Monkman, and History in action, Media Literacy, Math HW

History

This photo is a visual summary of the notes I recorded from our discussions during the Four Corners exercise.  Details of the notes are posted on the Google Classroom History site.  The photo of t he Residential School is from Carcross, YT, which can be found here:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Carcross,+YT/@60.1762971,-152.6442385,4z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x51550bf452cd3023:0xbed32878aeaa519f!8m2!3d60.1675851!4d-134.7073506
From the initial inferencing exercise using Kent Monkman's The Subjugation of Truth, I was pleased to see his response to our exercise when I shared our finished notes with him:

The wealth of Canadian History in this photo will serve as the launching point for our first Inquiry, which will be explained soon.

On the radio and in the news today was the story about Prime Minister Trudeau speaking to the United Nations.
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-to-use-un-speech-to-recognize-canadas-relationship-with-indigenous-peoples/article36338926/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
This story connects with all of the concepts of Historical Thinking we have been exploring, but I think it really zeroes in on 2 of them:

Historical Significance:  These schools have been around since 1880 and the discussion of their legacy still is a matter of importance to this day.  

Continuity and Change:  The fact that the PM is having this talk today is important.  The fact it is being discussed means that it is important to the government, but is it enough?  Will this help change conditions and offer support for the diverse Indigenous communities touched by the legacies of Residential Schools? The Canadian Encyclopedia has some more information on the Residential Schools:  http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools/

This is happening now.  This is History in action.

I will explain why I posted this video and how it relates to today's lesson on bridging the Historical Concepts we have looked at in class, with this fictional tale.  

There is a photo I will post to help guide this exercise.  It involves some higher order thinking but will be a lot of fun.  It is intended to prepare the students to engage with the following research model:



The in-class portion of this pre-research project has the students thinking about one of the concepts they are interested in working with and selecting a story they are familiar with.  In this case, we will use a Fairy Tale which will serve as the item of history they will be researching, making sense of, and then briefly presenting it in front of the class.  To model this for the class, I am using this book.  

In reading the book and thinking about what concept I am interested in linking to the story, I am PREPARING and ACCESSING the information in the book.



Here are the concepts, which have been summarized, from Google Classroom.  


I decided to use the concept of Historical Perspective to look at the story.  In the History section of Google Classroom, I will upload some jot notes and an initial draft of my report.  Both items are examples of my PROCESSING.  I plan to return to those notes, so I can have another version to share with the classes for the next History class.  

Initially, I thought I would use this as part of my report, but I don't think I will.  Having this will confuse the example I am trying to model with too much information.  Still, you may find this story amusing, given the example, I am using.  



Language:  Media Literacy

To continue from our discussions/activity from last week, we will look at one of the key concepts of the study of Media Literacy and how this relates to the idea of "Fake News."  In fact, all news is constructed because it is a medium of communication.



One of the concepts, which may seem a little abstract, is that of Confirmation Bias:


Math HW

When homework is assigned, we usually take the time to put it up on the board.  There is not a lot of space for answers to go up, but I select several questions and we review them, if necessary.
Some students are not doing their homework.  This is not acceptable and will make learning very challenging.  If you did not do your work, take the time to record it from the board, or Google Classroom, and review it later on.  If you have questions, come back to class with them.
due to time constraints, I will post this on Google Classroom later on.

Monday, September 18, 2017

What is Going on in this Picture: New York Times inferencing exercise & looking at the crisis in Syria, Math and Homework

Here is a link to a link from September 11, 2017, for this exercise.  It is similar to the activity we did with the Kent Monkman painting.  We will look at this one together and discuss it and then find out what is going on.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/learning/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-sept-11-2017.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Flearning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture&action=click&contentCollection=learning&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection


Our collective notes looked like this:

Within the explanation of this story, there is a link to a YouTube story:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhwg-KIB5Tg
The photo is from the Alshaar neighbourhood in Syria.  Where is that?  You will find it here:
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Alshaar+Police+Station,+%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B9+%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%B2+%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%8C+Aleppo,+Syria%E2%80%AD/@36.2028659,37.175869,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x152ff8f2f53d9a19:0x5b5086321a45f24!8m2!3d36.2028527!4d37.1780256

The tragedy in Syria is horrific.  The images you took in from this morning's exercise are a small portion of the devastation of a once thriving city.  This particular Pinterest site looks at some before and after photos of the nation, Aleppo in particular:  https://nl.pinterest.com/explore/aleppo-before-and-after/?lp=true

The guide -- Success Criteria -- for this is on a laminated poster we have up during this exercise time:



The exercise for this week looks at this particular image.  Use the Success Criteria to help guide your thinking.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/learning/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-sept-18-2017.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Flearning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture&action=click&contentCollection=learning&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

Mathematics

In Math, the test was put off until Wednesday.  I wanted to wait to review some past questions and review the Study Sheets completed by most members of the class.  On the Google Classroom site, I posted this note, which should be kept in the Math section of the binder.  The quality won't look very good in these photos, but if you are having challenges logging into the other site, this should work:



The first portion of the page can also be explained by looking at this video by Saya's favourite online teacher:



The portion about reducing to the lowest terms, or simplifying fractions, can be seen here:




This video uses a method based on the idea that you have learned about Prime Factorization.  Based on the work we have done, it won't be a stretch and I will be sure to cover it this week.  I will model one approach to reducing today.

Homework 

Math test moved to Wednesday to provide more opportunity for a class review
What is Going on in this...is due tomorrow
Science Test tomorrow

Friday, September 15, 2017

Media Literacy: Introduction and initial wading into the world of Fake, information on the Beep Test, Homework

Media Literacy:  What is this thing called Fake News?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/in-the-trump-era-of-fake-news-more-u-s-schools-focusing-on-media-literacy-1.4275693

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/quiz-can-you-spot-the-fake-news-headline-1.3934368

During this class, there was a story about Erwin Sniedzins, who obtained a degree, which was fake.  The story can be found here:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/fake-degree-toronto-investigation-1.4287347       The site for the university in question, at first glance, looks pretty good:  http://www.kingslakeuniversity.org/about/
Erwin Sniedzins was issued a fake master's of education degree from Kings Lake University.
Erwin Sniedzins
In fact, the "university" is a product of a Pakistani software company, Axact.  By Googling the name, you will see the numerous stories about this type of misrepresentation.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Axact+fake&oq=Axact+fake&aqs=chrome..69i57.7766j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
I haven't laid down any heavy theory in relation to the Principles of Media Literacy, but this class introduced a key one:  all media are constructions.  In this case, the medium of the Internet was used to misrepresent a school that didn't exist. 

Physical Education:  Beep Test

On Google Classroom I posted a link to the age-graded assessments for today's Beep Test.  In case you can't get on, here it is  http://www.topendsports.com/testing/norms/beep.htm  We will be doing this again at another interval so you can measure your progress.

This is how it looks and this offers a brief explanation of the test.



Homework


This work should be recorded in the agenda.

A hard copy of the calendar and Sports practice schedule went home on Friday.







Enjoy your weekend.