Unpacking the attacks from Paris and Beruit

For the Item of Interest in Geography today, we discussed some of the tragic incidents which happened in Beirut and Paris.

A Google map for Beirut, Lebanon:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Beirut,+Lebanon/@33.8886459,35.4867246,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x151f17215880a78f:0x729182bae99836b4

A Google map for Paris, France:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Paris,+France/@48.8589507,2.2775166,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x47e66e1f06e2b70f:0x40b82c3688c9460

Geography began with 7A this morning and as we were about to begin talking about what happened, a student noticed a link to this news story:

 The link to this story is here:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/paris-attacks-canadian-sikh-selfie-photoshop-1.3320327  The story served as a great introduction to the unfortunate elements of racism and stereotyping, and and the sloppy journalism that was done by the Spanish newspaper, which published this image.

Closer to home, there was the news out of Peterborough about the city's only Mosque being firebombed (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mosque-peterborough-fire-1.3320013).

We talked about what having a stigma means and how it is unfair.  In the case of these events, the Muslim community may be further stigmatized (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stigmatization) by these unfortunate events.

Now, to complicate things even more, many observers, myself included felt that the reporting on the tragedy, at least in the West, is biased.  Consider this article, and link, from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/16/world/middleeast/beirut-lebanon-attacks-paris.html?_r=0

 Consider the following passage from the article:

From as early as Grade 4, the Oral Communication strand of the Language curriculum encourages students to "read between the lines" when listening to oral texts.  By Grade 6, in the Reading strand, students look at the issue of perspective in a little more detail:

So, these unfortunate incidents allow for teaching on a number of levels.  Hopefully, they offer an opportunity to pause, reflect and think about the innocents, who lost their loves, and the families and communities that have been torn apart.  This seems pretty grim, but it is an aspect of the world we live in.

Math Tests returned, Complex Sentences in more depth, and some review items for Homework

This type of question is a 2 digit by 2 digit question and something that is at the Grade 5 level.  We will have one final look at old school multiplication, when we look at 3 digit by 2 digit multiplication.  This type of question is at the Grade 6 level.

A few students are still have some difficulty with this approach to multiplying and it may require some review.  For now, I am going to go step-by-step through it to help out those who may need a review:

IT TOTALLY HELPS TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PLACE VALUE WORKS.  WORKING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT, WE BEGIN WITH THE UNITS (known to many as the Ones), AND MOVE TO THE TENS, HUNDREDS, AND THOUSANDS.

34 = 30+4
56 = 50 + 6


1.  6 is multiplied first by 4 to give us 24.
2. 6 is then multiplied by the 3o to give us 180.  Remember it is not a 3, but a thirty.

Now we move to the 5, which is really a 50.

3.  50 is multiplied first by 4 to give us 200.
4.  50 is now multiplied by 30 to give us 1500.

All of the totals are added up to give us our answer.

There will be a short review on the 3 digit x 2 digit before we swing into a new strand:  Patterning and Algebra.

In Language, we have been having a comprehensive review of Complex sentences.  Here are a few images with some review points that may help a few students:

This point is actually true.  We are planning on doing a series of sentence collages and it is important  that the students understand how Complex sentences work, before we begin.  

This is from Tuesday's homework.  Working from a worksheet they had, the students had to select 5 Independent clauses and convert them into Complex sentences.  It is homemade was a clause that needed to be identified as an independent clause on the homework sheet with an "IN."  an independent clause, just to review, is a complete thought.  

I wanted the students to then change that clause and add a dependent clause to it, in order to make it a Complex Sentence.  The students needed to add a subordinating conjunction (which they could reference from the handout given out this week...posted earlier in the week on this blog).  

I added the subordinating conjunction "unless" and changed it up a little.  The cool thing about Complex sentences like this is their flipability.  Check it out:  I will not eat it, unless it is homemade.  I just switched the order of the clauses around.

Here is that list of conjunctions I was talking about:

Here is a fun video -- at least I think so -- that looks at these conjunctions in a more animated way:

homework

Please read for 30 minutes everyday.

Be prepared to share something for Community Circle on Tuesday about something from your Long Weekend.  

For some of you who scored less than 10 on the test, doing a Math Rewrites would be wise.  They are due on Monday.

Review the videos and items posted on the blog over the past week.  Pay special attention to the videos and photographs that have been uploaded.  Hopefully, they help you understand some of the things we have done in class.  

Homework sheet, Complex Sentence homework and tutorials

Can this form be signed and returned by a parent, please.  Thanks.

A screenshot from a YouTube that is posted in one of the links on the blog.

I took a screen capture to illustrate how a Complex Sentence is like part of a puzzle.









One of the other pieces of the puzzle is understanding of what the list of subordinating conjunctions might be.  I have provided a list for the students.  I do not expect them to memorize these.  They are up on the wall for all to see!

The Independent Clause, it was raining, is a complete thought.

I decided to copy the image onto the homework for tonight to help illustrate it.  You have to select 5 Independent Clauses (complete thoughts) from the list of 20 clauses and then convert them into \Complex Sentences by using a Subordinating Conjunction, along with a Dependent Clause.   I have done two examples in the preceding illustration.

Here are some more examples of Complex Sentences.  Pay attention to the subordinating conjunctions that are used.  I will never expect you to memorize the list of possible conjunctions!  As you become more comfortable as a writer, especially if you read, you will find yourself using them more.

taken from http://www.towson.edu/ows/modulecs_fs.htm

\

Some times the patterns of Complex sentences may be reversed, as in this chart:

ftom http://vcedearamericaessaywriting.blogspot.ca/2010/05/simple-compound-and-complex-sentences.html

homework (students had time to record this in their agendas)
- complete the Complex Sentence work sheet (writing in the IN or D for the type of clauses)
- take 5 Independent clauses and come up with a dependent clause to make a sentence.

Adding Google Translate to Blog, Interviews, and tracking homework

A few years ago, I remember adding the Google Translate feature to my blog, but I recently noticed it wasn't there.  A family dropped in the class today to find out why there son was not doing his homework.  When I mentioned that it was on the blog, I realized that a number of families, and some students, may not be able to read it and make sense of it; enter Google Translate.
Here is a screenshot of how a portion of the page might look if it was translated into Vietnamese:

 

The link for translating is located on the right hand side of the page, to the right of my name.

A couple of items were sent home today:

1.  A reminder to a group of 7 students who needed to complete some outstanding homework assignments.

This homework chart, as I have mentioned before, sits at the back of the class, on the chalkboard and can be read by all of the students.  As one of the accommodations for all of the students, I am flexible with my time lines  and when students can submit work; if a bit of extra time is needed, I will allow them to have it.

2.  A note about setting up interview times for Thursday afternoon/evening and Friday morning interviews.  On this note, I make reference to the note from Donna Qwan (our TDSB Director) who mentioned that Interviews, this term, were to be at the discretion of the teacher.  I am not about to open up interviews to all of the students I teach; that totals over 70 students!  My priority is to meet with the Parents of the students in my class and that invitation has been sent out.  Please fill out the preferred time slot and return the form and I will verify when you interview is. 

homework

- complete the selected multiplication questions (p. 41, #2 & p. 42, #3&4) 

I have been making a point of having the students return to class before leaving for home to ensure that homework has been recorded in the agendas 

 

Preparing for Research, Progress Reports coming on December 10, & Weekend Homework

Over the course of this year, I am sure there will be research projects in a number of subject areas.
I spent 3.5 years as a full-time Teacher Librarian and another 5 years as a part-time Teacher Librarian/Grade 8 teacher.  During this time, Teacher Librarians were coming to grips with the challenges of technology.  The Internet was new and having to process large amounts of information was quite a challenge.

The Ontario School Library Association developed a research model that I will share with you on a link on the side of the blog.  I want to use this model to assist the students through the research process this year in both Geography and History.

For Grade 7, the Inquiry and Research model looks like this:

http://www.accessola.com/action/positions/info_studies/html/resrch07.html


If this could be put in a large visual, it would look something like this:

http://www.accessola.com/action/positions/info_studies/html/research.html

screenshot of a "project map" for this assignment

Many of the students were asking me when the project is due.  That has not been determined yet.  I hope to spend some time looking at the research process and helping the students develop and understand some solid skills.

7A spent a period in the Library doing some "Stage 1" work.  One group, in particular, took it a step further and used one of the Graphic Organizers I provided to jot down some initial ideas.

Judah, contemplating the world.

A very important note went home yesterday concerning the upcoming Progress Reports:

homework:
- Reading Response (if it was not handed in on Friday)
- Math quiz for Resource class:  scrambled multiplication 1 digit x 1 digit & 2 digit x 2 digit questions
- Quiet Reading book/material for Monday

Art Start to your day, Reading Response

Part 2 by Heather

by Heather

The students in Room 52 were introduced to how to do a Reading Response.   To assist them, we walked through an example together.  Even though the resolution is not very good, we looked at this article:

It was taken from one of the local, free papers.  To begin with, we looked at the photo and made some observations about the image, what was stated in the headlines, and any other information on the page.  After this, we read through the text together and made our way to completing an actual Reading Response:

One of the homework tasks, for tonight, is to select an article from a copy of the Metro newspaper (handed out by Mr. P) and completing a Reading Response (this will also be handed out by Mr. P).

Our progress in Math continues and I am pleased to see how most students are doing well with their Multiplication skill development.  We have now moved into multiplying two digits by two digits and will be spending one more night practicing this before a test on Monday.  I plan at looking at the Grade 7 Math program and then seeing how we can bridge it with the hard work we have been doing in multiplying.

Here is some the homework we have done.  It is put on the board to give the students a chance to share what they know, help one another, or copy down a correct solution to a question they may have gotten wrong.

I have been a little concerned about the lack of time at the end of the day to get agendas completed and signed.

I have addressed this by encouraging students to write down work, once it is assigned.  I have also asked the class to come into the room, for an extra 5-7 minutes, once the bell goes, at 3:23 to record their work and get my signature.


homework

Math:  p.43 #5 a,c,e ; p. 44 #6,7
Reading Response:selected from Metro newspaper (take a look at the sample we did as a group on today's post)

Geography assignment introduced: Mr. P's sample, Item of Interest, and the project

In an effort to get the initial ideas of the project out, I decided to share a very rough sketch of what the project might look like.  As you can see, there are 5 major sections to this project.  The formal assignment will be posted on this post and a hard copy will be handed out on Friday.  

On Friday, the group will have some computer time to do some preliminary research on some a particular person, group of people, or part of the world where there may be Refugees.

The blank first rectangle is the cover of the project and would represent the nationality of the person selected to research.

My project was based on a short piece I read about a 19 year old woman named Fatima.  She is from Kunduz in Afghanistan (http://www.unhcr.org/561e57649.html).

As I was preparing this post, I came across an excellent page -- created by the UNHCR -- which showcases some of the stories of Refugees from around the world.  This could be staring point for your investigations.

http://tracks.unhcr.org/

The following poster is something I have had since the early 2000s and was today's Item of Interest.   I covered up the bottom portion and challenged the groups to "spot the refugee."  A few guessed and a few correctly suggested that it was impossible to tell.

from:  http://www.unhcr.org/4a5484999.html

Page 1 and 2 of the assignment.

Outstanding Geography Homework & the next steps for Mutliplication

The other two Grade 7 teachers have been given a copy of this list of outstanding Geography work:

Sorry, it is kind of blurry.

It is not the clearest photo, but three students on this list have already seen me -- since I announced showed the list on Monday -- to complete outstanding work.  Students are able to come in the class, after school, to complete the work.

This is a tutorial, building on what Mr. Chung introduced with the class yesterday:

This method breaks down the digits into smaller place values.  A review of the Expanded Form of Place Value will be necessary.

Here is some sample work we did in the first Resource class:

This question was done to assist some of the students who opted to do Rewrites.  Take note of the pattern of zeroes in the answer and in the expanded form of 639.

Zoe tackles new ground with 3 digit by 2 digit multiplication.  This is the same question from the YouTube video example.

After cleaning up the answer and trying our adding again, we came up with the correct answer.  Horray!  Note:  Zoe broke down the question into smaller parts by multiplying by the Expanded Form of Place Value as illustrated in the image below.

This method, as I called the "Nat method" may help students who have difficulty with solving it in the traditional manner, which is only 1 way, of many, to answer this type of question.   The traditional manner that I refer to is in the posted YouTube video.

homework

- Rehearse Where is the Love song
- Complete Multiplication page: p.43 # 4 a-d; p.44 #2,4,8
- Rewrites for the latest Multiplication test are due on Thursday
- Outstanding Geography work or Autobiography assignment

The ride to Greece for some Refugees and Homework reminders

We checked out a video from a post (from about a week ago) of a group of Refugees leaving Turkey, bound for the Greek island of Lesbos.  A student asked how long the ride would be.  I did a quick search and did not come up with the answer, but I feel it may be in the article that is posted here:
http://nieuws.tpo.nl/2015/09/12/from-turkey-to-kos-on-inflatable-boats-the-refugee-crisis-inside-out/

Here is an image of the original page from where this is from:

If there are any students who have not been completing Geography work, I have provided time after school for students to catch up.  The same message is given to students in my class:  If you are not done your work in Language, there is always time after school for your to quietly work.

Adding to the Items of Interest in Geography

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/nestl%C3%A9-waters-canada-plan-to-tap-aquifer-worries-elora-ont-residents-1.3295331

As I revise and clarify the Geography assignment, I found this link to a series of great photos of the Kilis Refugee camp in Turkey:  http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendocPDFViewer.html?docid=5461e5ec3c&query=populations%20of%20concern%20as%20of%202015

A link to a YouTube video profiling this camp was put on the blog from a few days ago.  If you scroll back, you should find it.

A few students in the class new about the Hollywood movie, The Good Lie, which was inspired by the events explored in The Lost Boys of Sudan.  Here is a link to the article with one of the actors, who was a "Lost Boy" himself.
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/10/04/353510980/a-lost-boy-and-former-child-soldier-from-sudan-goes-to-hollywood

Challenging Stereotypes, Internet Learning in Geography, and a short Multiplication test for Friday

As we approach the end of The Lost Boys of Sudan, I thought I would share this video that a friend had shared with me.  I think it is always important that we challenge "fixed" ideas we may have about people or the communities people come from.

I wanted to gauge what learning is taking place as the students watch the documentary, along with doing other "fun" things.  The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission on Refugees) online video game (link posted at the side of the page) was also another avenue for learning for the class.  Today, I took 10 minutes to assess the learning which is taking place from viewing the film, along from playing the game.  This exercise was done in a group, where they could share their ideas.  To begin the exercise, I modeled these entries:

The Multiplication Quiz is based on the work we have been doing over the past couple of days.  It is short and follows the method I posted the other day:

Knowledge of the multiplication table, should be known for this quiz.  You have all been encouraged to review your tables on a daily basis.

Link to some multiplication games and another example of "Nat's" method, New York Times exercise, Complex Sentences, & Homework

For those looking for some games related to learning your tables, these series of games might offer a fun way to reinforce your practicing of your tables.

The games may be found at http://www.multiplication.com/

I had a question this morning about the method that Nathaniel shared yesterday.  Here is another example, taken from a note I sent a parent:

One of the creative, language based exercises we do involves this exercise from The New York Times.  During the school year, the paper posts an image once a week and offers students an opportunity to explore what might be going on in the photo.  Last week's exercise looked at this photo:

The actual event may be found on:  http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-oct-19-2015/

After spending time looking at Simple and Comound sentences, we have now turned our intention to Complex sentences.  Here is a YouTube video we used to look at how they work:

Last week, a sheet was handed out for homework, but we only turned our attention to it today.  With some more writing under our belt, here it is:

It is the pairing of an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE and a DEPENDENT CLAUSE which allows us to create a Complex Sentence.

**As of 4:20 p.m., I had to redo this blog entry.  I tried to upload a couple of photos and ended up losing a lot of work that I had done earlier in the day.**

homework
- Complex Sentence work (follow directions on page and add an Independent Clause to 3 of the Dependent Clauses to make a Complex Sentence...you may write on the worksheet that you took home)
- Multiplication test on Friday (1x1 didgit and 2-3 digits x 1 digit:  NO CALCULATORS)
- keep reviewing your multiplication tables
- p. 41 of the Math needs to be completed:  Use the methods introduced to you by Nathaniel or Mr.P

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