May 19, 2011

The morning, for the most part, was consumed with working on the Health project.  All of the students are working on this project, but many of them have plagiarized their work by copying and pasting information from the Internet. 

I am attaching an image/document of the outline I have advised the class to use for planning this project.  Ms. Wills, AMG's Teacher Librarian, is supporting this research and having the students use the Microsoft Story Photo program.  This allows them to attach their voice and writing to images they select on the topic they are researching.

The sample jot notes I have left are for a couple of students who are researching about alcohol and ecstasy.  Because the students can be easily overwhelmed by too much information, I am directing some of them to look at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health web page for concise information on the topic they are researching.  Here is the link:  http://www.camh.net/about_addiction_mental_health/drug_and_addiction_information/index.html

This project is not supposed to be long!  The  emphasis is on asking 3 main questions, reading and recording some information, and answering the questions.  The process is slow (and can be frustrating) but is meant to emphasize reading, reflection, and thought.  I am aiming to have the final due date for this project extended until Wednesday, May 25th.

The Grade 8s continued to work on their Algebra.  We moved from taking up some homework in the Grade 7 book to working on some questions from the Grade 8 textbook.  While not covering all of the material that the other students do in the other classes, I am attempting to bridge some of the Grade level work to give the Grade 8s a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

This afternoon, the Grade 7 and 8s were on a lot of rotary (Music, Gym, and French).  When I did manage to see the Grade 7s, I spent time conferencing with a select group of students about their recent Math tests.  I went through the questions they got wrong and we strategized about the correct method for solving the question.  If the students were able to do this, with some prompting, they are awarded a mark which is equal to half the value of the question.  I call this process "Rewrites".  I worked with 5 students and they all improved their grades.

We will revisit the Geography homework from Wednesday on longitude and latitude next week.  Many of the students found this challenging.  I will look at the homework (attempted by some) and see if I can find a better way to teach the concept.

PROGRESS REPORTS ARE NOT GOING HOME TODAY.  I have 50% of them completed and will explain the purpose of them to the students when I send them home on Tuesday, May 24.  I am sorry for not having these done, but my plan for completing them this afternoon was put off so I could assist the students with their Math Rewrites.

Have an enjoyable long weekend.

Homework:
Grade 8 -- Math textbook, Health project background research
Grade 7 -- Geography (pending) and Health project background research