Thursday: Happy March Break!!

I believe that I may need to go back and re-teach some concepts for Perimeter for the Grade 7s.  That`s okay; it is a part of the assessment cycle.  

When I looked over the test, there were areas of strengths for some students across the entire test.  I am going to use those parts to review the test when we return on March 17.  Here are some highlights from a few students in class:

This means, that if something is not working, we may need to rethink and try another approach and looking at a problem or challenge.

For those enthusiastic students, I have reposted the links to the Math games some of the students played earlier this week and last week.  We will most likely revisit the games once we move forward with the new Math in both Grade 7 and 8.

Grade 7:  There are enough links here to help you review some of the work we have done so far.

This Funbrain website activity is probably the best place to start because you can select the level of difficulty for either Perimeter or Area of both:  http://www.funbrain.com/poly/index.html

Another solid review of Perimeter and Area.  You may either select from Area or Perimeter when you click on the link:  http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/perimeter_and_area/index.html

An Area and Perimeter game that uses a grid.  You can check your answers, once you are done:
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ShapeExplorer/

This is a virtual version of the activity we used with Geoboard and elastic bands:
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_281_g_2_t_4.html

A Geoboard like activity that looks at both area and Perimeter from PBS Kids:  http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/media/games/perimeterarea/perimeterarea.swf

A game that involves an understanding of both Perimeter and Area.  You are in charge of designing the layout for a party:  http://www.mathplayground.com/PartyDesigner/PartyDesigner.html

Grade 8: There are not as many "fun" games for this part of Geometry, but I think you will find the interaction engaging.
 This is an angles game in the spirit of Jeopardy.  You have played a game like this before for another strand of Math:  http://www.math-play.com/Angles-Jeopardy/Angles-Jeopardy.html

Not so much a game, but more of a review of angles:  http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-6/complementary-and-supplementary-angles  
 
This is more of a game concerning Complementary and Supplementary angles:  http://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/i/angles-2/xp-math-math-games-arcade-complementary-and-supplementary-angle-pairs-practice-free

I think Trine will like this game.  It has the word Manga in it!!
http://www.mangahigh.com/en/maths_games/shape/angles/opposite_angles

Here are some shots of the initial group of Storytellers:

Some advice, from a friend, to a presenter.

On the front board, I posted sample of work, what I will call Mr. P`s samples, that I have modeled for the class.  They can serve as guides and models for the class to look at, in case they forget what is expected of them.  Usually, I provide them with descriptive feedback of how they can improve their work, or make suggestions that they should use the Success Criteria charts to guide their thinking.

 Here is the New York Times response to an article about the former Olympic athlete, Oscar Pisorius.

homework

In following TDSB homework policy, I am not assigning any homework for the March Break.  Still:

- the Prezi research projects will be due on Wednesday, March 19

- storytelling will continue for those students who have not performed yet

Have a wonderful March Break, you deserved it!!

 

Mr. Proudfoot's draft Prezi on Herb Carnegie

This link will take you to my "work in progress" Prezi on Hockey legend, Herb Carnegie.  I need to do some more research and use the Success Criteria chart (I need to photograph this) to develop my project more, but I wanted you to have a sense of what a draft project looks like.

Be sure to use this chart, as well, to help guide you along.

Here is the link to my draft Prezi:  http://prezi.com/m1_dqxfxppwa/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Tuesday and some notes on homework before March Break

It has been a long period of not posting and I believe it has something to do with the weather and feeling quite tired.  Although I do not always sign off on the agenda after school, the students may have homework.

For example, this is an image I took of the Homework chart from last week.  The majority of students typically complete work, but a number of students are falling into the trap of not completing there work.  Although it is the responsibility of the students to do their homework, please ask your son or daughter if they have homework to complete.






An image of the Homework chart as of today:

I am quite happy to report that 14/15 students complete Study Sheets for yesterday's Math test.  When it is marked, we will see how that worked for the class!  The Grade 7s had an open book test and able to look at their notes and homework to help them along.  I am a bit disappointed to see that some students are not correcting their homework, when we take it up in class.  By correcting their work, they take the responsibility to ensure they are completing and understanding the work.  If they are not understanding it, they have many opportunities to ask for help (in class or after school).

The Grade 8s just completed a Unit in Science that had them looking at some of the questions they will see in high school.  I was quite pleased to see them working through some of the shortcuts I offered them.  They has a test last week and should be receiving the results soon:

 















We are coming up to a natural break in the school year (school ends this Thursday until March 17) and won't be getting into new material.  We are aiming to bring closure to the units we are currently working on.  This includes the final presentations for Storytelling (another reminder that has been on the board) and the completion of the research project on African Canadians.

I am pleased to report that most students have submitted jot notes for this assignment.  This is mandatory.  I want to ensure that the students are not copying work directly from the Internet (plagiarizing) or having other people complete the assignment for them.  With the remaining three days of school, I am going to have the students devote a larger portion of time putting the research together in the form of a Prezi presentation.  on the person they are researching.  I picked up on this idea from Ms. DaSilva and Mr. Beaupre.












To guide the research, the Success Criteria has been outlined for the assignment.  I will change in slightly, in light of the Prezi presentation format I plan to follow.  Basically, the students are to use the 5Ws and H model.  This means, they have to find out the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of the person they are researching.  It will be up to the students what information they use from their research to answer these questions.  I used the following chart to help guide some of the research work:

How might this chart work.  Well, as a class, we decided on a topic and then created a series of questions based on the 4 levels of questions present:

If you notice, the questions become increasingly "bigger" in their scope and require a little more thought.  So, the students can gauge the complexity of the research by some of the questions they may ask.


As for the details about what Prezi is, here is a sample video and hint towards the next item in Grade 8 Math:

The link for creating a free Prezi account may be found here:  http://prezi.com/pricing/

If I am correct, here is a Prezi I designed 2 years ago for the class to see.
http://prezi.com/-vrkqdy98qv3/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy 

After March Break, we will be returning to paragraph writing and reviewing what we have learned.  Paragraph writing, according to the Head of the English department at Oakwood Collegiate, is the skill that most students in high school have trouble with.  Even friends of mine who teach in Community Colleges say that most students struggle with this critical skill.

A while ago, the class worked in groups to create some paragraphs using only the Closing or Concluding sentence as a guide.  Here are the samples of that work, along with some feedback from me.  I will use this feedback to kick-start the re-teaching of paragraphs.

Here is the original example, done by me, to guide the students, followed by the ones they did.  This may be a double post, but this is a skill that I think is worth repeating and returning to.  Kind of like multiplication.

Students selected a concluding sentence and then proceeded to write a paragraph around it.

HOMEWORK

The Storytelling sessions will be over by Thursday.  The only homework tonight has to do with being prepared to present the stories on Thursday.

The Prezi based research projects will not be due until after the March Break.  They will be presented to the class beginning Wednesday, March.  Since the students have set up the Prezi accounts, they may access them at home and continue to work on them until the due date.  It is not formal March Break homework since I usually don't assign homework during holidays. 
 

Drake Tax Receipts

For the families and individuals who donated more than $25 in cash to the Drake Fundraiser, you are eligible for a tax receipt.  Tax receipts were issued for donations made in the form of cheques.  If you would like to take back your cash and provide a cheque, you can, but for this week only.

The following notice went home last week.

Tuesday: Storytelling links and some other notes

In order to keep the students' minds on Storytelling, I thought I would post a few photos to give the students some ideas and inspiration for when they tell there own.  I would like to have the sessions begin by early next week.

Here is the first video selection:

Whoops.  I meant to select another one.  That's okay, the more examples to watch, the better.

Selangor, by the way, is a state in Malaysia, a country located in South East Asia:

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/malaysia_map.htm

Here is the other video example from Selangor:

If you take a look at our Success Criteria, you can see some of the presenters have looked at it.  Ha, ha.

Here is another video, still in the realm of Storytelling, which is more like a performance.  This student, Noah St. John, tells a story, a very emotional one, and demonstrates how he engages the audience with a sense of enthusiasm and clarity.  You will also notice that his pace is too quick or too slow.  Enjoy.

Here is a final example of an 81 year old woman who talks about being a storyteller and we see glimpses of her story.

This morning, we will be looking at the New York Times Media/Journal exercise.

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/lesson-plans/whats-going-on-in-this-picture/

Short Post

The list of games posted last Thursday were explored by the Grade 7s and 8s in the Library today.

I gave the students a sheet to record the name of the three review/game sites they visit and to record what they have learned.  For some some students, they said they learned nothing because they already know everything on a given topic.  They may think they do, but this exercise can be a form of review for them where they might reinforce what they already know by playing an educational game.

Here is an example of a sheet being filled in by one student:

In Grade 5 Math, and in the subsequent years after, students begin to be exposed to formulas for calculating answers.  In the case of the Math we are doing with the Grade 7s, they are doing a review of Grade 5 Measurement by looking at the perimeter of a rectangle (they will then look at the area of the same shape).  On the Promethean Board, after taking up today's homework, I drew an image:

 

More review and practice to come.

For the Grade 8s, we are still dabbling in some angle relationships.  At this point, we are combining are knowledge of Straight and Opposite angles to solve problems like this:

 We will spend a little more time on these relationships before we begin a review and have a test on this.

Spelling homework (from Friday) and a Reading Response (from the weekend) should have been handed in.  I will be checking these two items and adding it to the homework chart.  Even if you are absent from school, you are still responsible for completing and handing in this work.  DON'T BEGIN TERM 2 IN THE HOLE.  Stay on top of your work and ask for help and more time, if you need it!!

No formal homework has been assigned tonight.

 image from:  

 http://www.myclassroomideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Stay-On-Top-Of-Your-Work.jpg

A few images from last week's Drake Fundraising Dance

Thanks for the students from Room 52 who raised just over $145 for the fundraiser last week.  That was awesome work for a worthy cause!  Here are a few shots from the dance, where everyone looked to be having a lot of fun:

Friday, February 21: Games for Grade 7s+ 8s and Youtube tutorials for Grade 8 Geometry

This post will be a work in progress and have information relating to the Math programs of the Grade 7s and 8s.

Based on the Triangle and Quadrilateral exercise from yesterday, here's a cool webpage that demonstrates how the sum of the interior angles of a triangle equal 180 degrees.

http://www.mathwarehouse.com/geometry/triangles/ 

I am having some difficulty uploading this video on Interior and Exterior angles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQfFm0WIo7c

While looking for games for the Grade 8s to play, I came across this pretty detailed page on  Parallel lines and the angle properties associated with them.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/parallel-lines.html

This is a video that will go through what is known as Alternate and Corresponding angles.

 

Yet another video.  Grade 8s, if you want to go through a very slow, but informed review of angles (some of the work you will not get to until high school), please have a look at this:

As we work our way to more complex angle relationships, I wanted to upload 2 images of a student using a protractor to measure an angle.  At first, he has the placement incorrect, but then he corrects it, so he comes up with the right answer.

Today, the Grade 8s had a look at Opposite Angles.

 This is building on the work on Supplementary and Complementary angles

We will be returning to the 2 shapes we constructed yesterday.  Here is the sample I did with the correct measurements and totals.

Links for some Mathematical Games 

Grade 7:  There are enough links here to help you review some of the work we have done so far.

This Funbrain website activity is probably the best place to start because you can select the level of difficulty for either Perimeter or Area of both:  http://www.funbrain.com/poly/index.html

Another solid review of Perimeter and Area.  You may either select from Area or Perimeter when you click on the link:  http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/perimeter_and_area/index.html

An Area and Perimeter game that uses a grid.  You can check your answers, once you are done:
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ShapeExplorer/

This is a virtual version of the activity we used with Geoboard and elastic bands:
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_281_g_2_t_4.html

A Geoboard like activity that looks at both area and Perimeter from PBS Kids:  http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/media/games/perimeterarea/perimeterarea.swf

A game that involves an understanding of both Perimeter and Area.  You are in charge of designing the layout for a party:  http://www.mathplayground.com/PartyDesigner/PartyDesigner.html

Grade 8: There are not as many "fun" games for this part of Geometry, but I think you will find the interaction engaging.
 This is an angles game in the spirit of Jeopardy.  You have played a game like this before for another strand of Math:  http://www.math-play.com/Angles-Jeopardy/Angles-Jeopardy.html

Not so much a game, but more of a review of angles:  http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-6/complementary-and-supplementary-angles  
 
This is more of a game concerning Complementary and Supplementary angles:  http://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/i/angles-2/xp-math-math-games-arcade-complementary-and-supplementary-angle-pairs-practice-free

I think Trine will like this game.  It has the word Manga in it!!
http://www.mangahigh.com/en/maths_games/shape/angles/opposite_angles


HOMEWORK
Grade 8 Math:  p. 247 # 3, 4, 5
                         p. 248 # 1, 2, 6, 7

Grade 7 Math:  p. 173 on Perimeter

1 hour of Quiet Reading & Reading Response on a book or article that you read

REMINDER:  The Grade 8 graduation photo is on Monday.  Dress to impress!

Thursday

The Character Chairs have now been completed and the students have received constructive feedback, and marks, on how they have performed.  We will now be turning our attention to performing the stories/Myths on another level in the form of storytelling!

Here is the Success Criteria that we developed together yesterday:

I am going to attempt  to upload a video of Jonathan working through a Math problem from the Promethean Board.  Because it is a large file, it may not upload correctly.

As the Grade 8s continue to work on some Grade 8 level work on angles, I decided to do an activity that would be characterized as constructivitst.  Simply put, it means that students make sense/create/construct their own understanding about something.

So, I will drop a little hint about the correct interior measurements of the shapes the students made.

 The students had to make a triangle and a quadrilateral (a four sided shape).  With a triangle, the interior angles always add up to 360 degrees and with a quadrilateral, the measurements of all angles always total to 360 degrees.  More to come!!

Tomorrow is the last day for the Pizza Lunch money to be brought in:

 I may have already posted this about the upcoming Parent Conference, put on by the TDSB, but I am not sure.  Here it is:

Add caption

Although I have not been posting the images to the website, we usually do the What's Going on in this Picture exercise from the New York Times.  Here is the image we looked at on Tuesday.  We will debrief and find out "what is going on" when we look at the answer, either today or tomorrow.  This exercise is part of our Media Literacy unit of the Language program.

The link for this image, and to find old postings, may be found at:  http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-feb-3-2014/

Here our some images from our visit to Mr. McLaughlin's room for Reading Buddies.  I will be looking at the journal entries they have been doing with their partners to see if they have been following the Success Criteria for the visits.  Yes, I know, they are only in Kindergarten, but it is important they have a sense of what the activity is supposed to be about and if they don't, they can find out from the teacher!

Here is that Success Criteria chart that Mr. McLaughlin created:

The Grade 7s are doing some review and reinforcement of some key concepts in understanding perimeter.  The students used a Geoboard to create a shape and then counted off the perimeter.  They then had to transfer the shape to their notebook.  Here is the sample I did. 

Geoboard perimeter of 10

Drawing in the notebook.  No unit of measurement is indicated and that is okay, since the Geoboard has no fixed unit of measure.

Here are some students at work:

Homework:

Unit 4 Spelling work + final dictation
Pizza Lunch forms are due tomorrow