Thursday, the last day before the long weekend!

It was a busy day today with lots to cover, and we did a great deal of work when we were together. We began this morning with Math. We took up one of the word problems and different students put up their solutions on the board. We really had a mix of results and many students did a great job defending their point of view. We began the process of calculating algebra using the balance and check method. We did a calculation on the board and then watched a couple of Khan Academy videos in the afternoon. Homework tonight is: p. 397 # 4&5 and p.398 #6-9. You can see the videos attached and I recommend that you follow the links so that you can practice this new skill online as well this weekend. As next week we will do some word problems and there will definitely be a quiz!

If you go to this link and click practice at the top you can test your knowledge and get some feedback on whether you are solving the math right. So practice! http://www.khanacademy.org/video/two-step-equations?topic=solving-linear-equations

After Math today, students went to drama. I am not sure what Ms. Nieto has going on but there is some serious dancing happening for the Black History Assembly, and it sounds and looks great.

For French, students did a mind map using new concepts in French. Booklets are still being worked on and it is important that students are keeping up on their work, as this work will be part of the end of year marks and our class has a really low average...we need to work on this!

At the end of the day we reviewed the concepts behind the Characteristics of Living things. Students were given a handout (which should have been filed in their Science duotang), we also did a lab using the microscopes and investigated the different powers of the microscopes as well as what powers were most useful to look at slides. We will be using the microscopes a few times this unit to look at real cells and so far the students showed a real responsibility towards the handling and use of this science equipment. After the lab we took up some of the results (see the picture below). The students will understand what it means, and they will have an opportunity to work with their small lab groups to discuss how they might answer the other questions in the lab as well as how to present their data.
Homework is: Characteristics of Living things #1-4 (due Thursday) and the lab will be due that day too.

A few housekeeping notes:
-Good copies of Family Stories are needed for the new display (I have 9 between the whole 2 grade 8 classes)
- Science Apple Juice investigation write up is past due----HAND IT IN ALREADY!
- Math homework due Tuesday
-Science new questions #1-4 Thursday
-Science lab write up (microscopes) due Thursday
- Chris Brown write up...I need more please!
-Venn diagrams (c`mon this was due Monday!)
-Infographics!!

** Chocolates will be in tomorrow morning - I`d say if you went to the school around 10am there will be cases waiting for you. Please make sure Ms.Harroun knows you have them...as I will not know if you do because I will not be there tomorrow. Please have a great long weekend, and enjoy your FAMILY DAY!

Good night!

Sahifa, trying hard to get the microscope to focus on the newsprint with the tiny f  on it.

Thanks to this team for helping to set up this afternoon recess, we couldn`t have done it without you!

Lab results...the students should know what this means...hopefully.

Science Lab Seriousness...all students focused and on task.