Tuesday, 30 April

Today was a real departure from our normal routine.  We had four workshop educators visiting from the Safeteen organization.  All of the grade 6 and 7 students in the school were separated into grade and gender-specific groups and met in different rooms to receive their training.  Safeteen began in the 1970s as a self defense/street hardening program for women, but its founder thought that growing the program to include education aimed at violence prevention would be beneficial, and thus workshops for boys were incorporated.  Lindsay, the facilitator who I witnessed working with the grade 6 boys, was a first-class professional.  I would definitely want my children to participate in this program!  Here is their website: http://safeteen.ca/

In the afternoon we read for 20 minutes and then listened to Gage's science presentation.  Sophia, Bowen, Amber and Saleah have yet to do their presentations and I'd like them finished this week.  After that, we worked for an hour on our ancient civilization inquiry projects.

Tomorrow we will be having a fine arts presentation from 1:45 - 2:45 (so yoga will be postponed - perhaps until Thursday).

I need the Vancouver field trip consent forms returned by the grade 7s by lunch on Thursday, please.  We can't participate in the tandem bike training if we don't have consent (remember to bring your helmet).

Thursday is the day of the Madeira Park track meet, so some students won't be available for the Thursday bike training.  That's okay, we may get the Friday morning training slot.

Monday, 29 April

So, I opened my Twitter account after school and got two pleasant surprises.  First, a friend from high school who I haven't seen since a chance meeting on the ferry in 1984 sent me a tweet.  I've learned he started the first chapter of the Guardian Angels in New Zealand - very cool.  It's neat to hear about people we know who are doing something meaningful for their communities.  I don't have a Facebook account, but this Twitter thing is proving to be pretty engaging for me.  Second, a while back, we watched a TED Talk video about the research of Amy Cuddy from the Harvard School of Business.  She proved that our posture can affect our brain chemistry and suggested that we "fake it till me make it," and use "power poses" to increase our ability to deal with stressful situations.  Here is a link to that blog post: Amy Cuddy TED Talk post   Anyway, last night I tweeted her a photo of our students in a power pose on the snowshoe trip and she favourited it and retweeted it - yippee: we're famous.

We had a good discussion on imagery

We began our day with a discussion/lesson connected to the short story "Sisters" that we read at the end of last week.  I'm using these stories to engage the class in an examination of the parts of a story.  As they become more sophisticated readers, they will be able to appreciate their reading material at a deeper level.  I used some sports analogies to try to demonstrate my point.  My daughter is taking riding lessons and at first, I just saw a girl on a horse. But now I look for the position of her heals in the stirrups and whether of not she is riding on the diagonal: I can appreciate what she does because I am becoming more educated about the subtleties of the sport.  This appreciation will come for the students as they learn to read beyond mere plot.  Next, the class went to band.

After recess we read for ten minutes and then started math.  In Math 7 we did the unit test for area of triangles, parallelograms and circles.  It took most students longer than one block to complete the test and so we continued after lunch while the grade 6s started their socials inquiry work.  It's good to come against tension in our learning.  The key is to remember that we're all learning.  If we find we haven't mastered a concept when we need to perform it, it is no big deal: get more practice, or more instruction and just try again.  I love that today no one in our class got upset of visibly frustrated.  Some said, "I can't remember how to do that," or, "I think I'll be writing this test again," but that's okay in my books.  The game is about learning and being engaged with your learning; it's not about As and Bs.

We ended the day with a short game of camouflage in the forest.  I was displeased with the amount of time it took for us to get ready for p.e. today.  We need to be respectful of everyone in the class and that means getting ourselves sorted out quickly and not causing everyone else to wait.

I issued three notices at the end of the day: 

1.  Dad and Me Dance: May 14 at the Chatelech Secondary Gym

2.  SCYSA (house league) soccer registration: closes May 31

3.  Consent form for Grade 7 trip to Vancouver: May 22.  THIS MUST BE RETURNED ASAP BECAUSE IT INCLUDES CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN TANDEM BIKE TRAINING ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THIS WEEK - BRING A HELMET.

Friday, 26 April

Hey, another blog milestone: over 17K visits.

We began our day with a question that involved analytical and creative thought.  I asked the class what the most efficient vehicle in the world would look like.  I asked them to collaborate in order to answer the question (I stated that two was the smallest number allowed for this activity).  After five minutes we debriefed the process.  These are the notes from that discussion:

  

Then the students returned to their creative thought.  After five more minutes, we listened to some of their solutions and then watched this short video:  Elf "car" article and video.  

Next we went to the gym to see a dance presentation by the DS Dance troupe.  Some of the dancers are current students from our school, and some were past members.  It was an engaging performance and was a nice way to wrap up international dance week. The class was well behaved and respectful for the whole performance.

After recess we went right into math.  In Math 7 we reviewed for the unit test that was postponed until Friday.  Here are some notes:

After lunch we worked on our inquiry projects for an hour and closed the day with track and field skills development: today we did shot put and long jump.

Please remember to bring your instruments for Band on Monday.

Thursday, 25 April

TOMORROW IS TRACK AND FIELD FROM 1:45-2:30.  
EVERYONE REMEMBER TO BRING RUNNING SHOES.

TOMORROW IS OUR DANCE CELEBRATION ACTIVITY IN THE GYM: 9:45-10:25

Today we began with the school photographer taking a grade 7 group photo and a whole-school panoramic photo and that upset the schedule a bit and band was cancelled, but we did have a chance to continue with our short story work and I gave a short lesson on the difference between literal and figurative meaning.  We then discussed one of the "challenge" questions from the study guide to see how the lesson could be applied to a story.

After recess we had our class photo and then we carried on with math.  I gave a group problem to the class and asked them to solve it.  Interestingly, most students worked independently or in small groups, but there was no whole-group discussion until I led it at the end.  At first, many students said they couldn't do it, but over time, patience, grit and a few hints got them on their way.  Here is the problem and one part of the solution:

Because some students will be away tomorrow for volleyball, I am postponing the Math 7 unit test until Monday!  

After lunch we worked on our socials inquiry projects.  I was very pleased with the way everyone worked today; there were many good discussions going on.  Next we shared p.e. outside with Division One.  Some played soccer with Mr. Pond on the field, others played Person Hunt with me in the forest.  We put a twist on the game today and I released the people who were "it" first, and then everyone else went to hide - some got a real surprise!

Wednesday, 24 April

If anyone needs hair glue, 

give me a call.

Please check yesterday's request for paper.

Please remember that tomorrow we have our class picture day and we will also do the whole-school photo. 

We began our day with some work on our study guide questions for the short story “Sisters.”  When Joanna arrived, we put that away and got into our film groups.  We have had some difficulty getting video from the different recording devices onto the school laptops.  In one case we uploaded from the camera to my laptop so we could transfer the data to a flash drive.  Some groups are continuing to film, so I ask that parents continue to be a little flexible about allowing students to stay after school or arrange out-of-school meetings so the film can “get in the can.”

During recess we continued with our week of random dancing.  As you can imagine, I’m pretty skilled on the dance floor.  I do have fun embarrassing the students during these sorts of activities – in that way they are just like my kids at home, "Mr. Marshalllllll."

After recess we read for 10 minutes and then transitioned to math.  In Math 7 we continued with our unit test prep by doing a practice test.  We will have our unit test on Friday since there is a dance tonight and I don't want people to worry about preparing for a test when they should be having fun.  Here are some study notes for Friday:

After lunch we read for 15 minutes and then looked did some metacognition around our last in-class presentation.  Research shows us that having students “think about their thinking” is an important step in the learning process.  Questions such as, “What did I do well?” “What is one think I can improve upon?” “Where can I go to get support?” are all valuable in helping a student move forward.

Next we did some research for our civilizations inquiry projects. Many students have already been able to connect with a preliminary inquiry question. 
Socials projects will be due May 21^st.  

Upcoming “Passion Inquiries.” will be
due June 10^th.

We ended the day with Nicky and yoga outside on the field.  It took some students a while to settle down (and some needed a little 1:1 time with me) but after a bit, everyone was able to gain focus.

Please remember your instruments for tomorrow’s band class.

Enjoy the dance tonight.  I can be there (I know you're all terribly crushed) because I'm coaching my son's softball team tonight at Hackett Park.

HELP - please send paper!

Many students have run out of lined paper and are "borrowing" daily.  Please send more paper.  Ms. Judd asked me to ask that each grade 6 student in her class also have a geometry set including compass and protractor.

Thanks

Tuesday, 23 April

Well, I'm back from my specialist visit at St. Paul's in Vancouver and as well as learning that I just need to keep my thumb splinted (hurray), I also learned that I would never be able to skip out of work: I met parents and students from our class at every turn of my trip - I would have been so busted.

Thanks go to Mrs Taggert and Kristi for leading the class yesterday.  The students read a short story together, discussed it, had band, did a math lesson, read their novels and participated in an art project in Aboriginal Ed.  I got the dates of the project confused and so I owe an apology to Kristi and the students who had to make do with an insufficient number of knives to carve their potato stampers.

We began the day today with a talking circle.  I like to ensure the students have a voice and the circle is a good way to achieve that.  After our circle, I issued a study guide for the short story the class read yesterday.  Next we had a fire drill and our class conducted themselves well, modeling good conduct for the younger students who use them as guides for their own behaviour.

After recess we read for 15 minutes and then did math.  In Math 7 we completed the review of the circles unit.  Tomorrow we'll do the practice test in preparation for the unit test.  There is no homework if the review is complete.

After lunch we read for 10 minutes and then we had a discussion and some group tasks to examine the work we've done with the inquiry process.  I wanted the students to have a chance to reflect on their learning and their thinking as we prepare to dive into our next inquiry: compare and contrast two ancient civilizations (one is Greece or Rome, the other is India or China).  Here are our notes:

Whole-class brain storm

Summary of small-group brain storm

We ended the day with some work on the projects.  Tomorrow is Art, so please remember your film equipment.  Enjoy the sun!

19 April: It's Friday and the sun just came out!

N.B.: Gage - a comment was left for you on yesterday's post.

Today was a very productive day.  We got right to it in English and read another Sarah Ellis short story.    I'm trying to push the class a bit by giving them a chance to respond to some tougher questions as well as the usual grade 6-7 fare.  I want to get the 7s primed for secondary school so we are being very specific about not only what we answer, but how we answer.  It's interesting to note that after reading one story already and after having done the grit test, the class in general was very much grittier this time around.  I saw more students collaborating and trying to figure out second and third level questions together: there was lots of debating going on.  Thank-you Saleah for honouring Mia's birthday by bringing in cupcakes for everyone - what a kind gesture.

After recess, in Math 7 we completed the practice set on building circle graphs and I gave an introductory lesson on using Microsoft Excel to create a spreadsheet and accompanying circle graph.  I demonstrated some of the advantages of creating a spreadsheet versus a simple table in Word.  Next week the students will have a chance to create their own.  This is a good skill to have in secondary school where Excel graphics can be dragged onto Word documents or PowerPoint slides to add weight to your work.  There is no math homework.

After lunch we read for 15 minutes and then listened to inquiry presentations from Noah and Arif.  Four or five students who have yet to present were not able to today.  Please ensure you are ready on Tuesday.  Also, please ensure you have your second (grade 6) or second and third (grade 7) inquiry ready to hand in on Tuesday.  I just got word I have an appointment in Vancouver on Monday, so you all just earned an extra day - please use it!

We ended the day by having our first whole-school track skills practice.  Thanks, Mrs. Taggart for leading this venture.  This is a good way to incorporate some extra skills development into our regular p.e. program. I'm sorry I omitted to mention today's p.e. plan in yesterday's blog post; as a result some students didn't have proper footwear.

Please remember to bring runners etc. for next Friday's practice.

Please also remember your instruments on Monday.

Thursday, 18 April

We began the day by hearing science presentations from Sadie, Thane and Nicholas.  Next, we went to band.  After recess we read for ten minutes and then began math.  The Math 7 students spent the first ten minutes completing the circle graph practice set, and then I gave instruction on constructing circle graphs using "percent circles" (a circle divided into 100 sector angles, versus 360).  We started by examining the percent circle to see how we could use it to report percentages and then we did some practice questions before starting the practice set on p. 163.  There is no homework.

Two methods to convert a portion of a total into a percent

The most common fault when students constructed their own percent circles was not giving enough details in the "key" (or not labeling the "pieces of pie").  It is also important to remember to give the graph a title so your audience knows what is being reported.

After lunch we read for fifteen minutes and then listened to inquiry presentations from Christopher, Gus, Mia, Oliver, Braedon and Landseer.  Each student is getting a chance to compete a self-evaluation on the same rubric that I am using for my assessment.  This allows the students to reflect on their work and to think about both what they did well, and where they might improve.

We ended the day with a short game of three-corner soccer and a game of dodgeball.  Tomorrow, anyone who has not given his or her presentation will be asked to do so (there are 12 left to go).  I've noticed a marked improvement in the quality of the work over the first two inquiry projects.  Thus, I'm excited to see what the class will create for their socials compare and contrast inquiries on ancient civilizations (to be done in learning pairs) and the "passion" inquiry to be done at the end of the year.

Wednesday, 17 April

We started the day reviewing the responses from yesterday's short story in Language Arts.  The answers to the upper level questions (6-10) were satisfying and showed solid reasoning.

Afterwards, we met in our film groups and I worked to enforce some structure for the groups who have yet to begin filming. All groups now have firm dates and times to meet.  Filming should be complete by the middle of next week. It will be key that all group members follow the instructions of the producers at this point.  The time for discussion is over and the time for action is upon us!


After recess we read for 15 minutes and then started math.  In Math 7 we examined circle graphs and learned how to determine how a percentage shown on a graph can be interpreted into a number of, for example, participants.  One of the associated skills needed for these calculations is knowing how to convert a percentage to a fraction (either a decimal fraction or a common fraction).  We also remembered that in a math equation "of" means "times" (or multiply).  Please complete pp. 158-59 #1-5 for homework.

We started by looking at types of graphs

Then we created some examples

I did the first piece of pie; the students did the rest 

After lunch we had our second presentation from Ainsley, our sexual health educator.  She shared two phone numbers: 1-800-sex-sense (nurses and sexual health educators) and the kids' help phone 1-800-668-6868 (24-7).  She then continued with her education on puberty and then sexually transmitted infections.

We ended the day with Nicki and a yoga lesson.  The Wednesday time slot we used today seemed to work better for us than the Friday time slot we used previously.  I couldn't participate today, and it also seemed to be helpful for me to be available to help settle people from time to time.  Nicki will be sending me a summary of our yoga lessons from now on.  I was really impressed with the flexibility shown by some of the students today.  Good work everyone.

Please remember to bring your instruments for band tomorrow.  

Tuesday, 16 April

Thankfully, my two typing fingers are
not affected.

Wow, and just like that we're halfway through April.  I spent part of last night at St. Mary's waiting for the results of the x-rays of my thumb (the new building is very nice).  I've been in denial for a week but confirmed that I broke it catching a softball.  There is no way to make that sound manly and dangerous - I tried to in class today but the kids just laughed at me.  My only defense was to strike a power pose and put on a brave face.  If it was a hardball, it might have been better, but believe me, the dad who threw the ball has quite an arm.  I'm posting the photo in a lame attempt to get residual sympathy.  My wife is an E.R. nurse and if you know anything about nurses, they don't give much sympathy - especially to their spouses (and doubly-especially to spouses who wait a week to see the doctor).  I'm just glad that softball season started after the snowshoe trips.

John Wayne in the film "True Grit"

We began the day completing our responses to the study guide for yesterday's story.  Next I gave the students a "grit" test to see how they rated on a "stick-with-it" scale.  I find that some are more resilient in meeting difficulty in their work than others are and it is something I'd like to address.  Here is a link to the quiz: on-line grit tests

After recess we debriefed the test results and discussed how "grittiness" might be seen in terms of a character trait.  I also introduced the idea that we are judged by others and that character traits are usually long-lasting so we need to be careful about how we approach our actions and our words.  I asked the class to think about what kind of a people they wish to be and how they want to be seen by others.

In Math 7 today we completed the problem set on pp 151-152.  We even found a typographic error in the text which led to some figuring to make things jive with the answers at the back of the book.  I think most people completed the questions; we went over some of the more difficult questions on the board.  Regardless, all questions should be completed for homework.

After lunch we listened to the first science inquiry presentations.  Thank you Sam, for volunteering to go first, and to Kira, Emily, Goldney, Hannah, Simon, Mackenzie and Kiah for presenting on Day One.  I was pleased with the speed of the transitions between speakers; there was little wasted time.  This represents a significant improvement over the last round of presentations.  Good work, everyone.

We ended the day with a big game of capture the flag, hosted by Mr. Pond and Division One.  We don't normally have p.e. on Tuesday afternoon, but we didn't get a real shot at last week's C.T.F. game so I thought a do-over was in order.  It was a lot of fun and ended in a tie.  Thanks, Division One!

Tomorrow morning is movie making with Joanna.  We also have the sexual health educator coming after lunch (I thought it was today but read the schedule incorrectly - sorry), and we'll end the day with yoga - a busy day to be sure.

Please remember that at the snowshoe info session we voted to collect $2 per student for each yoga session.  I expect we'll have a few more - one family generously volunteered to pay for one whole session themselves, so this week is covered!

Here is a screen shot of the notice sent home today.

Monday, 15 April

Today we began with an introduction to short stories.  We noted the difference between novels, novellas and short stories and then noted some of the characteristics of short story writing.  We also  jotted down some notes as we reviewed the key elements of fiction.  Next we read The Tunnel from a collection of short stories (Back of Beyond: stories) by Canadian author Sarah Ellis.  I read the story this time, but we'll use a variety of reading strategies as our unit continues.  I issued a differentiated study guide for the story.  In this way, I hope to accommodate the various reading levels in the class.  Everyone will do the first level of questions for every story, but students may challenge the more complex questions (Levels Two and Three) as they see fit.

Elements of Fiction (parts of a story)

How does point of view affect the story?

Plan for differentiation

Study guide

 After we read the story we reviewed the various types of narration (points of view) and then headed off to band.


















After recess we started responding to the study guide questions and then transitioned to math.  The questions are not for homework.  In Math 7 we learned the formula for finding the area of a circle and then started the practice set on page 151.  Please complete #1-6 if you can.

After lunch we had Aboriginal Ed with Kristi.  We practiced drawing form lines, ovoids and u-forms.  With a study package, we learned a bit about the proportions required to draw these shapes.  We concluded by using the shapes to draw a salmon head and then selected other animals to draw.  Next week we'll be carving potatoes to create stamps with which we'll make other images.  It was interesting for me to see how some students chose to trace their animals in the second part of today's lesson, rather than risk imperfection by drawing freehand.  I explained to the class how approximation and "failure" can both be powerful parts of the learning process.  I want to encourage risk-taking in our learning.  Society makes some feel like they must strive for perfection and that can be destructive both physically and emotionally: we have to be very careful about the messages we send to our children (and ourselves)?  I'm okay; you're okay and taking a few tries at something is okay.

We ended the day with p.e. and went to the forest to play "person-hunt."  I chose students who I thought would be ruthless to be it.  I also added another new rule: players could only hide in one spot for 60 seconds before being obliged to change location.  It was a pretty high-energy day today, cooled off only by the light showers that began overhead.

The students artwork from the GPAG exhibition will be returned to the school by Joanna, so there is no need for parents to go to Gibsons to pick up their children's art.  Thanks, Joanna.  There is another show starting in Sechelt so some students might like to have there art showcased there next.

Yippee: over 16K visits to the blog! Happy Weekend.

Last call for the snowshoe trip fee; please remember to ask your parents: Landseer, and Amber

We began the day revisiting the philosophy of the inquiry approach to learning.  I told the class that I am committed to getting them to think in original and creative ways, ways that cannot be achieved by a compete-the-worksheet-then-regurgitate-it-on-a-quiz kind of approach.  I understand that the inquiry process is sometimes messy and and it doesn't always go in the direction we think it will, but it forces us to analyze and synthesize information and then make that fit with our beliefs, or else it causes us to change our beliefs.  It simply forces deeper thinking and allows for all students to experience meaningful learning.  That is not to say that we should abandon the knowledge of all facts and rely totally on Google searches to answer our questions.  I'm just saying that we find a better balance.  There is no doubt that the students who have traditionally done well in school by learning (memorizing) in order to recall on tests sometimes resist the inquiry model because "they can't do it," or because "it's hard" or because it is less structured.  I have shown them how to use a mind map to add structure to  their questions in order to identify sub-categories and those can be further broken down into individual points.  I've also helped students to re-word their questions so they are open-ended (questions that can't be answered simply, for example, with a yes or no) and allow for balanced in terms of breadth and depth.  Each student has had over ten hours of supported time in class and weeks to complete their inquiry that will be shared in a five-minute in-class presentation.  The students can share their learning in any way they wish, but many have chosen PowerPoint presentations.  These presentations are due on Monday.  The grade sixes owe a second project (to be handed in to me alone) the following Monday.  The sevens owe two additional projects at the same time.  These additional projects will likely be a bit less involved than the one they present, and that is fine.

I gave the class the second block to work on their science projects.

After recess we read for 15 minutes and then started math.  In Math 7 we did a discovery lesson tied to the relationship between parallelograms and circles.  I wanted to give the class a chance to "experience" some of the relationships concretely, before getting them to find area symbolically using pi and other methods (pp.148-150).  There is no math homework for the 7s.

After lunch we did little buddy reading.  I then gave the class a "flex" block to complete any work they wished to complete.  That lasted 45 minutes, and we ended the day in the gym with a new game of "tag." We had a very productive week and I hope you all enjoy the weekend in spite of the wet weather that is in the forecast.  Thanks again Joanna, Michele, Cara, Angela, Trina and Christine for making yesterday's trip to the gallery possible.

Next Week:
Remember your instruments on Monday.  

My stunt double doing the peacock

Don't forget science presentations are due Monday.

On Tuesday the sexual ed health educator will be in (a notice was sent home earlier this week).

We have our next YOGA class on Wednesday.

I'll be away Thursday to Saturday supporting the Pender Harbour Secondary rugby team on their annual trip to Kamloops - a TTOC has been called.

Thursday, 11 April

We began the day with a 30-minute sustained reading session while I ran around fielding all of the fast balls inherent in a field trip arranged on short notice.  Thanks go to the parents who hustled to get permission slips and e-mails in to the office in time for us to go.

The students had band after we had a short pep talk.  We have to remember that there are only ten weeks left of school and two of those are long weekends (pd day and Victoria Day).

After recess we had math.  The 7s finished the Area of a Triangle problem set.  Anyone who has questions remaining should complete them for homework.

At noon we left for the gallery.  Most ate lunch in the sun outside the gallery.  I made sure to get a photo of each student (okay, a couple refused too have their photos taken) in front of his or her art piece(s).  It was nice to hear Joanna speak so proudly of the steps that have been taken recently to see the new gallery created; it really is a nice space.  I could see the pride in the kid's faces to see their work so professionally arranged on public display.  I think that we in school are getting more in tune with the importance of getting students' work published in venues outside of the classroom or school lobbies.

Mr. Pond, Ms. Rive and I had a meeting with parents from the grad celebration committee to discuss dates for the upcoming day trip to Stanley Park and the grade 7 school leaving ceremony.  Agnes, Diane and others are working very hard to put together something special.  It was a stark reminder that the year is quickly coming to an end.

Enjoy the sun: I have softball at Kinnikinick tonight.  I hope the rain holds off.

 

BUSTED: note student in background texting!