Writers' Toolbox

I've been talking about 'thesis statements' for a while now and I thought this website could be useful to some of you.

There are many more useful tips given on the site so feel free to browse through.

-Effective Titles

-Introductory Paragraphs

-Thesis Statements

-Development

-Unity and Coherence

-Conclusion

-The Basic Principles of Persuasive Writing

This is also a great site if you wish to know more about writing.

Learning Logs, Masks and a Cute Video

Wow! I started reading your learning logs and I'm so impressed by your responses! I'm in the process of typing some of them so we can look at them tomorrow in class. Should be fun!

On a different note, make sure to come to school this week. Some students are already behind schedule with the masks and it's not easy to catch up. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be spent painting them. If you have your own acrylic paint feel free to bring it to school (I won't be expecting you to share). I might not have all the colors you wish to use but I'll try my best to buy some good ones.

And the video of the day is... (my favorite part is at around 55 seconds)

Phishing - Important Message - Please Read!

I found an interesting email in my inbox today.  A lot of intermediate students have already fallen into the trap.

-If you get an email and it looks something like this (see picture at the end of this post) DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION!

-If you have already fallen into the trap, change your password immediately.  Please watch this video if you can't remember how to create a safe password.   

-If you received the message and haven't replied yet, delete the message immediately. Tell you friends to do the same thing. 

This is called phishing. The following definition was taken from this site. 

Phishing is the use of email or Short Message System to encourage individuals to reveal financial details like credit card numbers, account names and passwords or other personal information. Phishing messages can look like genuine messages from a real bank, telecommunications provider, online retailer or credit card company. Often the message will contain an urgent ‘call to action’, such as claims that the bank account will be closed or compromised if action is not taken. Phishing is usually sent by email from falsified email addresses, but is increasingly being sent to mobile telephones and VoIP telephone services.


Let me know if you read and understood this message.  I'll make an announcement tomorrow so that everyone knows about this.

Body Image: The Real Me Vs the Media

This was the theme of today's lesson for Health and Career. 

Videos viewed were:

1. Dove Evolution  (don't forget to click on the link!)

Tomorrow I'll post what some of them wrote following the lesson (it was done anonymously).

Click on this link if you have some time to kill!

Cute Stuff!

One word: ADORABLE! (image found on reddit)

Let's see if students remember what they learned in school...  Ovipare ou vivipare?  You have until Wednesday to come see me with the answer. Don't write it on the blog!!! If you have the correct answer, you will be eligible to win a prize on Wednesday afternoon.

"Be the person you are asking your child to be; the person that you wish for them to be."

This quote was taken from an article I just read in the March issue of Today's Parent.

"You can't make me!" - Discipline and Older Kids 

The same issue was also featuring a bedroom makeover that I really liked.  Purple has always been one of my favorite colours, it might be why!

Many other designs can also be found here. Make sure to check the various articles and pictures featured on the site by clicking on the links.

Review for the Weekend

Some sites to visit in case you have nothing to do tomorrow!

1. Our Toolkit (to review balance and color)

2. For the Love of Art

3. Google Art Project (make sure you click on 'learn more' to view the tutorial video)

Happy Friday!

Yay for the art we worked on today!  Yay for the weekend!

Students are currently learning about the elements and principles of design.  They are creating posters while keeping in mind balance and color.  I can't wait to show you the results, their work looks terrific!

Here are some pictures I took this afternoon.

And since I'm talking about color, I wanted to share this really neat product I just came across on the internet.  Created by a "Université du Québec à Montréal" student.  Isn't it cool?

Late Work

Today students were supposed to hand in two things:

1. Their learning log (which was completed a few weeks ago) with a parent signature on it.

2. Their improved timeline. The work was initially handed in last week but I gave everyone a chance to improve their work.

So far here is what I received:

-Learning log with parent signature: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 15, 22 => 26% of the class

-Timeline: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 => 59% of the class

A HUGE thank you to all students who remembered to hand in their work!

Work Habits and Efforts are as important as Grades on a your child's report card.

Now let's see... Who remembered to take their binder home? Off to do a desk inspection...

Organization - Binders to Go Home!

I want to thank all students who have started taking their binders home. I checked some desks this evening and found many binders left behind.

Thanks to all parents who are still reading the blog and who are helping me out with this. It's important that we all work together so that your child can be as organized as possible when entering high school. Grade 6 students have another year to go but the Grade 7s are running out of time.

Organization is key, it's as simple as that.

=>No more loose papers (in desk or back pack, on a separate clip board, in accordion folders)

=>Agendas must be completed daily

=>All daily tasks need to be clear and detailed

=>Everyone must set up a priority list when writing down in their agenda

=>Deadlines must be written down too

When making plans and setting up appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.), parents should encourage their child to note things down in their agenda. Having a big family calendar at home also helps so that he can start referring to it when unsure about future plans.

My other advice for the day? Everyone should start wearing a watch!

Have a great night everyone... :-)

Maru says hello, too!

Spring Cleaning - Homework!

With all the snow we got last night it really doesn't feel like spring anymore!  Despite this out of the ordinary weather, students still need to clean up and sort out all of their papers this weekend.  Everyone was asked to take their binders home to organize themselves.

What to recycle: anything that is dated 2010 (except notebooks)
What to keep: all reference papers (editing symbols, unused writing rubrics, etc.) + papers dated 2011

Starting this Monday I will be asking everyone to take their binders home at night, every night.  High schools work on a Day 1/Day 2 type of schedule and most high school students keep their binders home with them to ensure nothing is left behind.  A great habit to have, even in Grade 6 or 7.

This will also allow parents to see what we are doing in class.  Please remember that most lessons do not come with worksheets and if they do, worksheets will not have all instructions on them.

Don't forget: As tempting as it may be, this spring cleaning should be done by your child, not you!


I leave you with a neat music video. Some of you may recognise this couple as they are now appearing in a McDonald's advertisement.

Timeline - Beaty Museum - Digging Deep!

There are various items I'd like to share with you this evening.

1. Timelines were due today.  Five students have yet to hand theirs in. 

2. Learning Logs need to be returned and signed by a parent as soon as possible.  Over the past five weeks we have been learning a lot about Black History.  Students have created their own learning log and I'm very impressed by the quality of their work.  I hope you take the time to read it before you return it to school.  You can learn a lot about your child this way.  A good question to keep in mind while reading it is:

"Did he take the time to dig deep into his thoughts?"

We (teachers) often find ourselves saying  "Dig Deeper!"  Working on the surface is not sufficient anymore and a lot of the times, something that takes 5 minutes to write is a good indicator of something that is not 'deep enough'.

Great starters for a reflective entry are...

I wonder if... I'm surprised by... I'm not sure if... This reminds me of...


Something to keep in mind while supporting your child at home.

3. Here are some pictures taken last week during our time at the Beaty Museum.

I've decided to leave Maru alone for a few days and share this video with you...

Seal meets girl.  Seal falls in love with girl.  The end. from Bob Dobalina on Vimeo.

Pink e.t. Snow

Let's keep it short and sweet:

1. Today is Pink Shirt Day.

2. E.T. was on the big screen this morning!

3. Maybe one day we'll be getting enough snow for something like this.

Don't Panic! But...

 
***This picture was taken last week. Most of the work has now been handed in.***

As I said it in the title of this post, don't panic!  BUT it would be helpful if you could have a discussion with your child every night as to what needs to be done at home.  Talking about deadlines, planning ahead, etc.  It is not your responsibility to write in the agenda and ensure the work gets done but it would be helpful if you could at least discuss it with your child.  In Grade 6/7, students need to take more responsibility for their own learning and if it means handing in late work once or twice, well so be it!  If you keep reminding your child to do the work by adding notes to his agenda, he might take longer to learn.  Not that I'm encouraging students to fail but once in a while, learning a lesson the hard way is an effective way to learn.  Please note that some students' work habits comments will be affected by this on Term 2 report cards. 

And as a reminder...
G= very good
S= satisfactory
N= needs improvement

So this brings me to say that a lot of students struggle with planning and continue to hand in work late.  I've started sending 'pink sheets' home (these are notices to let you know a big project is still missing) but I can't send one every time a piece of work is late.  Looking at the picture above, that would have meant sending about 60 'pink sheets' home last week.

I'm hoping this situation will change soon.  I already started working with a small group of students and many of them are beginning to show more responsibility for their learning.  Some are definitely learning the hard way but I'm glad to see they are starting to use their agendas more often.

Aside from helping your child to plan his week ahead of time, you can also encourage discussions around learning.  Don't be afraid to ask these questions:

"What did you learn at school today?" 

"What did you not understand at school today?"

Last week I asked everyone to list off two things/facts/questions they did not understand and I was able to get a lot of information this way.  Many students are embarrassed to say they did not understand a concept but I'm hoping this will continue to change.  Thanks in advance for supporting me on this!

I leave you with a link to a very neat blog that I like to follow. Many projects shared are for the little ones but since many students have now started babysitting, they may be able to get some cool ideas.

Have a lovely (end of) evening!

Weekend

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

It's nice to see that a few of my students still read this blog. Don't forget to tell your parents about it. I don't send letters home so they need to follow this if they want to stay updated. The more people read it the more likely I'll want to post something!

Who did something fun this weekend? Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let these speak for themselves...

And Maru the cat strikes again!

 

Black History + On This Day

Students are learning about Black History at the moment and I thought some of them might appreciate the information given in these articles.  I hope you do too...

Published in the NY Times a long time ago.

-Negro Sitdowns Stir Fear Of Wider Unrest in South

-The Heroes of July (Dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg) 

-The Heroes of July (Original Article, including the text of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address)

Another very interesting site. Some students might recognize the name of it as I have a book that shares the same title.

-We Shall Overcome - Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement

Have a great evening everyone! :-)

Upcoming Field Studies & Reading Comic Books

A friendly reminder that we are going on two different field studies in the next two weeks.  If you haven't returned the two permission forms, please do so as soon as possible.

On a different note, here's an interesting article I found about reading comic books in Today's Parent magazine.  I've noticed some students have difficulties settling down during silent reading periods. This might be a solution to the problem.

I'll keep this post short as some of you might have some catching up to do.  Anyone still reading the blog? If so, please leave a comment using your child's number.  Remember rule #1 about internet safety: don't give out your entire name when posting on this blog!

High School Application, Cell Phones and It's a Teen's World

Good afternoon! 

The sun is out and it turned out to be a be a beautiful day in 'Portable City'! 

Here are a few items I'd like to share with you today:

1. Registration for High School

Application forms for Kitsilano Secondary are due by Friday, February 4.  Many application forms were sent back to us because of various documents missing.  Make sure to look at the bottom of the yellow form for a list of documents needed.

Please make sure to register your child at only one of the schools in your catchment area.

=>French Immersion

OR

=>English - Regular Program (this does not apply to Mini Schools)

It's important to remember that no matter where your child wants to go for high school, he must register at one of those two schools (from your catchment area).  If he skips this part of the registration process, he may not be able to get in should he not get into the 'school of his dreams'.

I've also copied/pasted some information about Cross-Boundary Applications.  This was taken from the Vancouver School Board Website.

Cross-boundary: Schools will begin accepting cross boundary applications from Feb 15 – March 1, 2011.  Families who submit a cross-boundary application during this time will be informed of their status by March 31, 2011. 

Families can submit a cross boundary application after March 1; however, schools do not have an obligation to formally inform parents of their status.  Cross-boundary applications will be processed on a first-come basis, accounting for space, program and staffing availability.

2. Cell Phone Usage

A friendly reminder that your child's cell phone must be turned off at all times during the day.  Should students need to make phone calls, they will need to use the school phone.

I also found an interesting article on cell phones in Today's Parents.  In case you're interested...

3. Want to Understand Your Teen Better?
The documentary It's a Teen's World will be broadcast on the Knowledge Network on February 14 at 10 PM, or on February 16 at 11 PM.  I look forward to watching it and will be taping it, in case some of you want to borrow it later.  That is if you still have a VCR around the house. :-)


The obligatory video of the day.  For some reason, bouncing sheep always make me laugh.

Goal Setting, Québec Exchange and French Resources

Good evening!

There are many items I'd like to share with you today so I hope you take the time to read this entire post.

In the interest of making the blog readable I am alternating the use of the masculine and feminine forms.

Goal Setting

Now that Goal Setting conferences are done, it's time to think about working on these goals.  From experience, I've noticed that students easily forget about them once conferences are over.  BUT the big part of the work is yet to come!

Something to keep in mind:

1. Goals need to be SMART.

Specific  

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely 

There are many websites that can help you understand each of these key words.  Here's one that may prove to be useful should you have some questions.

2. Goals and strategies are not set in stone.  If a strategy doesn't work well, it's important to talk about it and brainstorm new strategies.  If a goal is not specific enough (something I noticed with a few students this term), it will need to be changed as well.

Some examples of goals that are not specific enough:

-I want to get an A in (insert subject area).

-I always want to do my best in school.

-I want to work harder in school.

If your child is having trouble with his goals, please encourage him to come talk to me.  It's also important that you discuss his progress at home as well.  The more you and I work together with your child, the easier it will be for him.

3. Even though students may find this exercise difficult and frustrating, they are better off than most of us at their age.  I was never taught this in school... What about you?

4. Starting next week, everyone will be required to do a self evaluation at the end of the week.  You will need to look at it, sign it, and return it by the following Monday.  This should help us all stay focused and in touch.

5. Some ideas for working on goals at home...

Quebec Exchange

Tickets have finally been purchased!  Grade 7 students will be traveling to Montréal on April 27 (flight leaves at 10:00 AM) and coming back to Vancouver on May 6 (flight arrives at 9:35 AM). Grade 7 students will not be attending school on Friday May 6 as they will need to rest to be ready for the week ahead of us.

Our friends, les Québécois, will be here on May 12 and leaving on May 19 (if my memory is right!).

****Important Announcement****

We are in desperate need of families (about 25 families) who will be willing to host two students from Québec.  Pairing up students will not take place until we have enough spots for everyone to stay.  The longer it takes us to find families willing to help, the longer it will take for your child to find out who she will be paired up with.  Any Grade 6 student willing to have a French Canadian buddy stay with her will also be involved in the activities taking place here while les Québécois are here.  Let me know if you can help.

French Speaking and French Resources

Making sure students speak French in class is a constant battle.  Starting Monday, a new system will be in place.  Please remember that Speaking French in class is part of my classroom expectations. A student who constantly (or sometimes) speaks English to his peers is not exceeding the expectations of the French Immersion program for French Language Arts.

Many parents have shown interest in getting a magazine subscription for their child. Here are some good sites to get you started:

1. Bayard Jeunesse

 -Les Débrouillards

 -Okapi

 -Géo Ado

 -Je bouquine

 -Phosphore (15-25 year-olds)

2. Rogers Magazines

 - Full Fille 

French TV Shows

We are also very lucky to have access to French CBC's shows on the internet. Les Parents and Le Club des Doigts Croisés are two TV shows your child will enjoy.   

That's it for today! Have a great evening everyone! I leave you with a short movie to watch...

The Brick Thief

Bonne Année!

Hello everyone!

As the French tradition goes, I have until January 31st to wish you a 'Happy New Year'.  I'd like to thank Laure, our amazing student teacher from SFU, for sharing this with me. (she's French!)  As many of you know already, Laure will be teaching in our class until Spring Break.  Students are very lucky to have two teachers around.

I know some of you were wondering whether or not this blog was still happening, so here you go...  :-)

There are two links I'd like to share with you today:

1. No More Pencils  (thanks for sharing, Jacqueline!)


2. 25 Ways to Cuten Up a Box With a Cat

Here are some pictures of our beans. Students are learning to control variables while conducting a Science experiment.

Have a great evening! :-)