Revising our Memoirs

We have been busy drafting, revising and editing our memoirs all week in the computer lab. The revision process in writing is different from editing. Revision involves adding more description and detail to our writing and making sure that the piece makes sense. When we edit our writing we are checking for grammar, sentence structure and spelling. Final copies of memoirs will be collected on Friday in class.

The Mandala

Our first art project of the year is a mandala. The mandala has spiritual importance in Hinduism and Buddism and is supposed to represents the universe in symbols. In the Buddist tradition, monks create mandalas. When I was travelling in India 10 years ago, I stayed in a village in Ladakh where I saw a group of monks creating a mandala out of sand. I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would work so hard on a piece of art that would blow away overnight or be washed away in the rain. My understanding is that sand mandalas are created to promote the idea that we should not become too attached to things of beauty, as they will not last.
Students in Room 202 will be creating mandalas which include symbols that they feel represent things which are important to them. These symbols could represent interests or values.

Our first Prime Minister

In History we are learning about our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. We read a short biography on Macdonald and took jot notes on his early life, before he became Prime Minister. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to the colony of Upper Canada when he was 5 years old. His family was poor and could not afford to send him to university. He worked in a law office during the day and studied law on his own at night. Macdonald had a very difficult personal life. His first wife was very ill and died young. He lost his first child as well. Macdonald became an alcoholic which often caused a scandal for the government.

Writing a Memoir

In writing this week, we are working on memoirs. A memoir is a story from your life. Students have been brainstorming ideas for their memoirs and today I read an exerpt of a memoir in class. We will use a graphic organizer to plan an outline before we go to the computer lab to start our drafts.

History This Week....

We have started our first History unit of the year on Canadian Confederation. Confederation was the joining together of a group of colonies to create the country of Canada. We have been learning about what life was like in the years before confederation in 1867. We have examined pictures and maps and compared life before 1867 to life in Canada today. Families were larger and the majority of Canadians lived in rural areas. Child labour was common and work in the new factories was often dangerous. Some students were surprised to find that most homes did not indoor toilets and sewage was put directly onto city streets. Roads were not paved and could become a sea of mud after the rain. Travel was usually by train or horse and carraige and lots of new railways and canals were being built. Next we will be examining some of the events which led to Confederation, or the creation of the country of Canada.

Why have a class blog?

You may be wondering why I have started a class blog? I hope that this will be a fun way for me to communicate with you - the parents and students of Room 202. Research has shown that student achievement improves when parents clearly understand the expectations and learning activities of their child's classroom. I hope to publish posts 3-4 times each week. These posts may be about a school wide event, something we have been learning in class, a field trip or an upcoming project.

The format I have chosen will allow you to post comments in response to my postings. Please bookmark this site and check it often for updates. The address is: www.room202newsandviews.blogspot.com. My hope for this blog is that it will help you feel a part of our classroom community as well as help your child achieve his or her learning goals. Finally, instead of asking your child, "What did you do at school today?" and getting the dreaded answer, "nothing", you will have have something specific to ask about.

I would like to thank two people in particular who have inspired me to learn something new and give this a try. One is my son, Kieran's teacher, Natalie, who faithfully sends an email to all of her parents every day entitled "Ask About". This is the first teacher Kieran has had who did this and it has been great to feel "in the loop". Secondly, a new teacher at our school, Wayne, has been very kind to get me started and help me set up this blog.

Meet the Teacher Night

This coming Wednesday, September 15th at 5:30 pm is Meet the Teacher night and you and your family are invited to a barbeque at the school. This will be an opportunity to meet some of your child's teachers, our principal and vice-principal.

There will be hamburgers, hotdogs, drinks and desserts for sale at the barbeque. Orders can also be placed ahead of time by filling out the form that was sent home this week. After eating you will be invited inside to tour the school to see your child's classrooms. I am looking forward to meeting you all this week.

Olympic Medalist Visits Our School

Sue Holloway, a former Olympic medal winner, visited the school and spoke to the students on Friday afternoon. Sue was the first Canadian and the first woman in the world to compete in both the summer and winter Olympic games in the same year. She competed in both x-country skiing and canoe sprint. Sue won silver and bronze medasl at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, both in canoeing. Sue gave an inspirational speech about the importance of having a passion, setting goals to achieve your dreams and persevering, even when it gets tough. Students spent time following the assembly writing down some academic and personal goals for the year.

The Reading Process

In Integrated Studies, we have introduced The Reading Process and practiced using stickie notes to jot down and remember information from the text. This process outlines the steps that good readers go through when reading a new text. Being aware of these steps can make us better readers.

1. Set a purpose: why are you reading this text?

2. Preview the text: do you have prior knowledge about the topic?

3. Plan: what strategies will help you remember what you read?

4. Read with a Purpose: be clear about why you are reading.

5. Connect: making connections to your own experiences helps you to remember.

6. Reflect: ask yourself if you have met your purpose?
7. Re-read: be patient - you may have to read the text more than once.

8. Remember: use a graphic organizer or stickie notes to remember important information

Our New Balanced School Day Schedule

Well, we all made it through the first day of the new school year. We spent some class time going over expectations and handing out permission forms and letters to go home. Everyone was assigned a locker and given an agenda and a new timetable.

We attended an assembly this morning with Mr. M., our Principal and Ms. B., our Vice-Principal. The main focus of the assembly was the new balanced school day schedule, which will be an adjustment for us all of us this year. This year we will have two 45 minute nutrition breaks. Students who have signed permission will be allowed to go off property during the second nutrition break only at 12:50 pm. Classes are in two period blocks with the breaks after period 2 and period 4, so students have a chance to have regular snacks and exercise. Ms. B. reminded students not to eat all of their snacks/lunch during the first break, because 3:15pm is a long time to last without food. Mr. O. will still be selling nutritious snacks during both breaks, with proceeds going to our school library and the Grade 7 Quebec City trip.

Welcome to Room 202

Welcome to all the parents and students of room 202. I look forward to getting to know you this year. I will be teaching 8-4 and 8-5 Language Arts, History, Geography, Visual Arts and Drama as well as Visual Arts to most of the other grade 8 classes. Please don't hesitate to call or email me at the school or arrange a meeting if you have any questions or concerns. Following are few guidelines to help your child get off to a great start in grade eight:
1. Regular attendance and being on time are two of the strongest indicators of success in school.
2. If your child does not understand a concept or the expectations of an assignment, encourage them to come in for extra help. During nutrition breaks or after school are the best times to come.
3. Encourage your child to use their agenda to record homework and other important information.
4. Daily reading is an essential part of the Language Arts program. Ensure that your child is reading every day at home.
5. Keep a consistent homework schedule and an area free from distractions for completing homework.