7/8A Language: Word Work to help the World!

We work on vocabulary - now we can do it and help others!  The United Nations has created a website called: www.freerice.com. You can pick different categories to learn/play and if you get the answers correct, they will donate rice to help feed the hungry!
I have created a group: Bibby Smith Class. Why not sign up here: http://freerice.com/user/register and join our class. We can make a difference with world hunger and with our vocabulary!

GRADE 7 ECOSYSTEM TEST - COMING UP!

My wonderful Grade 7 students: you are all working so hard on your ecosystem models - well done. I would like them in by next Friday, December 6th please, unless you need an extension to the following Monday. If so, please email me ASAP.

The Ecosystem Test: we will be having a culminating review test of all of the information we have studied thus far. I have prepared a study note:
Ecosystem Study Note

Your Test dates are as follows:
Tuesday, December 3rd - 7B and 7C
Wednesday, December 4th - 7D
Thursday, December 5th - 7A

I am having make up science class on this Friday, during 2nd Nutrition Break - if you have questions, please feel free to come!

Not PJ's, but WESTERN DRESS UP!!!!!

Sorry - I know we were planning on having a PJ day on Friday, but instead, let's have a COUNTRY AND WESTERN DAY!!!!

EVERYONE IN MY CLASS (7/8a)WHO DRESSES IN COUNTRY AND WESTERN GEAR ON FRIDAY GETS TO PICK THEIR ACTIVITY FOR LANGUAGE!!! FOR EXAMPLE: LANGUAGE GAMES, WORD GAMES, READING WHATEVER YOU WANT, ETC.

SO HOSS, WHAT ARE YOU WEARING ON FRIDAY?!?!

AGH!!! I'm sorry I asked you when the scientific method was invented! EEEK!

I'm sorry I asked you to find out when it was invented. Forget about it! Don't worry about it! Here was the answer we discussed when we looked at the scientific method in September, just FYI!!:

" Originally the scientific method was called the experimental method and the method of science. When the word scientific was devised in the 19^th century, the most widespread term applied to the method became the scientific method or scientific process."

from: http://scientificmethod.com/sm5_smhistory.html

7/8A Language...

No homework tonight, folks! I forgot to post it! Isn't it great having a teacher with a bad memory?!

Weekly Update for Monday, November 25th to 29th

Monday, November 25th - Day2

7/8A Library!!! Don't forget your books.

7/8A Advisory - fill in the Climate Survey

12:00 p.m. - Grade 8's go to College Heights High School; Grade 7's have a normal afternoon.

8D - YOU DO NOT HAVE SCIENCE TODAY. YOUR WATER SYSTEMS TEST WILL BE NEXT MONDAY. THE STUDY NOTE IS ON THE CLOUD/WEBSITE/BLOG.

Tuesday, November 26th - Day 3

7B and 7C Science - Last in-class time to work on your ecosystem projects. I WANT THE MAJORITY OF WORK TO BE DONE IN THE CLASS PLEASE. I need to see that YOU have done the work.

Wednesday, November 27th - Day 4

8B Science - YOU HAVE A SCIENCE TEST TODAY. THE STUDY NOTE IS ON THE CLOUD/WEBSITE/BLOG.

7D Science - Last in-class time to work on your ecosystem projects. I WANT THE MAJORITY OF WORK TO BE DONE IN THE CLASS PLEASE. I need to see that YOU have done the work.

Thursday, November 28th - Day 5
8A Science - YOU HAVE A SCIENCE TEST TODAY. THE STUDY NOTE IS ON THE CLOUD/WEBSITE/BLOG.

Music Trip!!! Yeah! Make sure to have your permission form and money in!

Friday, November 29th - Day 1

8C Science - YOU HAVE A SCIENCE TEST TODAY. THE STUDY NOTE IS ON THE CLOUD/WEBSITE/BLOG.

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend (+playlist)

Parent-Teacher- Student Interviews

A huge thank you to all parents who came to the interviews during the last few days. If that time didn't work for you, please just email me (lbibbysmith@ugcloud.ca) and let me know of a time that does. I would love to meet with each and every parent if possible!
On that note, I think possibly a parent picked up one of my tracking sheets (with Spelling Test marks on it). If you find it in your papers, could you please pass it along to your child?

Grade 8 TESTS: When is my test Mrs. Bibby Smith?????

Class 7/8A (grade 8's only): Wednesday, November 27th, Period 1 and 2 (during language)

Class 8B: Wednesday, November 27th, Period 3 and 4 (during your language block with Mr. Lindsay)

Class 8C: Friday, November 28th, Period 3 and 4

Class 8D: Monday, December 2nd, Period 5 and 6

Please review the study notes (see previous post). You will not have class time to study. You will perform the test (except for the last question) on Google Forms. For the last Question, it will be performed separately; you will be able to use any resource you wish (open book/open computer, for instance) and submitted also on line, in a Google Doc. Questions? Please email me or come and see me at Make Up Science Class.

Grade 8 Culminating Water System Test: Review!!!

I said I would try and get it to you before 10 p.m., and here it is!!!

Grade 8 Culminating Water Systems Review

7D Ecosystems

Almost all members of 7D were working very hard in class today. I would like to offer you one more week to work on it in class, so your deadline will be the week after. As a reminder, while you work away at your
projects, please keep checking your SUCCESS CRITERIA to make sure that you are fulfilling your requirements!

Of course... Science Classes 7B and 7C

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy! (The best laid schemes of Mice and Menoft go awry,And leave us nothing but grief and pain,For promised joy!)Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785)

We were all ready to work yesterday, 7C and 7B, and.... no internet. At all. Across the Board! So, as many of you are unable to work on your projects without the internet, I would like to extend our due day by a week. You will have next Tuesday, Day 3, to work on your Ecosystems in the classroom. I apologize for this; I know so many of you want an earlier deadline!!!!

Please remember, I do not have many supplies. If you would like to email me a wish list, I will do the best I can to help you. However, you need to email me BEFORE the class!!! I am not a genie!!!

Fruit!!!

Thank you very much!

Weekly Update For Monday, November 18th to Friday, November 22

Hello Everyone in my language and science classes! Here's the weekly update plus some general reminders!

• Your musical trip form and money are due this week please! It looks like it is going to be a blast! I'm so glad that we are going on an outing together. After we come back, during the month of December, 7/8A Language class: we are going to look at Fairy Tales, Disney and the Impossible Dream!!! Stay tuned!
• GRADE 7's: THIS WEEK IS THE ONLY WEEK YOU WILL HAVE IN CLASS TIME TO WORK ON YOUR ECOSYSTEM. IT IS DUE NEXT WEEK.
• Interviews with the teacher: the interviews with a teacher don't have to be only for students who are struggling. I like to see ALL of my students' parents! I much prefer if the student (YOU) accompany your parent however; it makes for a much more productive meeting.
• Indoor shoes - please bring them. And then, when you get here, please put them on. The number one response to, "Where are your indoor shoes?" - "My locker."
• Wear winter clothing. It's cold out. It is not cool to be cold.

Monday, November 18th Day 3

- 7B and 7C Science!!!!! Today you will be given the entire science class to work on your ecosystems. Please make sure to have your information and anything you need with you.

- Music Instrument sign out for 7/8A today.

- Please return your report card envelope and signed portion to your homeroom teacher. 

- Begin your spelling assignments 7/8A!

Tuesday, November 19th Day 4

 - 7D Science!!!!! Today you will be given the entire science class to work on your ecosystems. Please make sure to have your information and anything you need with you.

-  Please return your report card envelope and signed portion to your homeroom teacher. 

Wednesday, November 20th Day 5

- 7A Science!!!!! Today you will be given the entire science class to work on your ecosystems. Please make sure to have your information and anything you need with you.

-8A Science - you will be doing a water experiment today. You will also receive all the information you need for the culminating test the following week.

-  Please (last call!!!) return your report card envelope and signed portion to your homeroom teacher. 

Thursday, November 21st  Day 1

-8C Science - you will be doing a water experiment today. You will also receive all the information you need for the culminating test the following week.

- Interview night! Hope you see you then!

- 7/8A Language - Spelling activities due please!

Friday, November 21st  - INTERVIEW DAY!

I am at school, meeting with parents and students. You could be:

• studying for your Water Systems Test (grade 8's)
• working on your Ecosystems Project (grade 7's)

Have a great week. Over and out!

7/8A Language Homework

Please read the Debating Student Info Sheet:
Debates - Student Handout

And be prepared to tell me what it's about tomorrow morning.

7/8A Language Assignment

The 5 W's: Summary for Non Fiction

For Thursday, at the beginning of class: I would like you to complete the writing assignment on, "How The War On Drunk Driving Distracts From The Real Danger." I will give you some class time tomorrow, (Wednesday), to work on it. Typed is preferred but not necessary. It should be approximately one page in length, single spaced. Here's the 5 W's page: 5 W's

7A, 7B, 7C 7D Science Homework

7A, 7B, 7C and 7D Science Homework: be ready for next week to work on your Ecosystem in class!
1. Completely fill out the Abiotic and Biotic Elements Planning page:
My Ecosystem Elements
2. On the back of that page (or on another page), draft out some of the food chains and food webs that exist in your ecosystem.
3. Bring your Ecosystem Elements page and ANY SUPPLIES YOU MIGHT NEED (if it's mine craft, I have computers for you to use, please be ready with passwords, etc.)

Weekly Update: November 11 - 15

7/8A Language:

Reading Strategy: reread tricky words and then keep on reading to use the context (story) to help you understand the meaning of the text.
Writing Strategy: Use the 5 W's to help you summarize non-fiction text.
Spelling: Last week I did not ask for the spelling activities until Friday. This week I would like them on Thursday please. That way we know our words better for our quiz! Want to know what your words are? Here they are! Spelling Words
Book Forms: I would like 6 done by the end of November. If you don't think that will be possible, please tell me.

Grade 8 Science:

This is the last week for class time to work on our scientific posters. We will have the first period of science to finish our posters. The second half will be spent preparing for our science expo the following week!

Grade 7 Science:

This week in Science, we will continue to prepare and research for our culminating project: creating a model ecosystem. You homework last week was to fill in this form (Model Ecosystem Form ).  This week, we will plan out our model ecosystem, looking at terms such as: biotic, abiotic, consumer, producer, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, food webs, food chain, populations and ecosystem. If you have an electronic device, please bring it, to help research your ecosystem!

Elephant Toothpaste Science Experiment

7/8A Spelling Activities

Great Spelling Activities!

Just click on the link above and you will find a great list of different ways to show your  learning of your spelling words. I would like you to do three of the activities. If you have a better/another activity you would like to try, go ahead! Just, show your learning!!

When is it due? Friday.

Classes 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D Culminating Project: Interactions in an Ecosystem

I have handed out an outline for the Model Ecosystem Project.  If you have misplaced yours, here it is:
Model Ecosystem Project

Your homework: Fill in this form!
Model Ecosystem Form

This Form will ask for the following information:
1. Read the success criteria
2. Decide if you are working alone or who your partner is
3. Choose an ecosystem: forest, desert, coral reef, ocean, rocky shore, grassland, mountain, savanna, prairie, pond, etc.)
4. Decide how you will present it: drawing/mural, diorama, real ecosystem (that is self-sustaining - with a parent's permission), mine craft, observations of a real ecosystem - vlog(video blog)

November Newsletter

November News!!

7/8A Language Arts:

This month in English Language Arts, we will continue on perfecting our paragraphs, this time looking at non-fiction and persuasive writing. For Media Literacy

We will focus on the RSA videos - mainly the  video 23 ½ hours. Have you seen it? Check it out:

Doc Evans's 23 1/2 hours

Very cool!

Reading: mostly self-selected texts plus articles I choose for in-class reading. WHY? WHY DON’T YOU DO A NOVEL STUDY MRS. BIBBYSMITH?  Because, what if you hate the novel? I once had a grade 11 teacher drag me through Macbeth.  We read it word for word. She would stop every couple of lines or so and explain in her plain English what it meant. Ugh. By the end of that play I hated it and hated English class. There is nothing wrong with Macbeth (or as McDeath, as we nicknamed it), but it was dissected to death until there wasn’t a wonderful play written by the world’s best playwright, but rather a pile of mush on a plate a dog wouldn’t touch!

I think you should enjoy and choose what you want to read, for the most part. And by grade 7 and 8, books can be swallowed up by paragraph after descriptive paragraph, sometimes whole chapters in one gulp, not cut apart until you can’t see the forest for the trees! Okay, I’ll get off my soap box now. On to:

DEBATES!!!

Yes, we will be entering the severely rule-based world of formal debates for our oral language skills. This should go along nicely with the persuasive writing.

sPeLLiNg:  We really need to work on this. I wish spelling would go away but it won’t. Everyone is at different levels so you will get your own list on Monday and get tested on Friday. There will be many different activities you can choose from to help you learn the spelling rules.

SCIENCE: Grade 7

We will finish working on Ecosystems, with a test and a culminating project. There will be many different options for showing your understanding of an ecosystem. Stay tuned!!

SCIENCE: Grade 8

Our Water Systems Unit is almost complete, as the students finish up their Scientific Posters on the distribution of the World’s water, or researching our Grand River trip. Yes, there will be a test. Not a big one, but we will have a good, old fashioned test.

What motivates you? Do you agree or disagree?

"Humans have an innate drive to do things for their own sake because they matter. This is one of the most robust scientific findings of the twenty-first century, but it has largely gone ignored." - Quicklet on Daniel H. Pink's Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Paula Braun. http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Quicklet-Daniel-Pinks-Drive-The/book-iFFNqXqAF0qnFgp1GmKMyQ/page1.html