Happy Holidays!!!

Have a wonderful holiday!!! See you on January 10th.

We had a fun end to the week with class vs. class battleship. This was a great way for students to showcase the ships they built and practice their Math skills of plotting points on a coordinate grid.

Today we celebrated the end of 2018 with many fun activities.

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday!!!

Ms. Bowen

Fractions and Interactive Rock Lab

Announcements:

• Winter break begins after school Friday until Thursday, January 10th, 2019 - Happy Holidays!!

Math:

We have finished the Fractions Unit. Students are practicing their fractions skills using a Jeopardy Game and white boards. From home Khan Academy can be an excellent resource. The skills that will be assessed this week are:

• using divisibility rules to determine factors
• reducing fractions (using greatest common factor - GCF)
• converting improper fractions to mixed numbers
• converting mixed numbers to improper fractions
• comparing and ordering fractions using number lines and common denominators
• adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators
• using multiples to determine common denominators
• adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators
• adding and subtracting mixed numbers
• modeling / representing adding and subtracting fractions using number lines, fraction strips, pizza, or pattern blocks

Science:

This week students have begun studying rocks, minerals and the rock cycle by doing an independent research project reading the Interactive Rock Lab.

Students who missed this activity would benefit from taking notes on each of the topics such as three types of rocks, drawing the rock cycle, etc. and completing the interactive activities as well as the quiz at the end.

Weathering and Erosion

Announcements:

• All Science assignments are up to date on Power School and students could see which ones they need to complete 
• Extra help at lunch on Thursday or after school any day

Math:

Today students continued to practice adding fractions with unlike denominators. 

7-4 will have an opportunity to finish their cards (real world fractions experience) on Wednesday. 

All grade 7 fractions outcomes will be taught by the end of this week.

Fractions end of unit assessment next Tuesday, December 18th. 

Science:

Students read about weathering and erosion today. They then had the opportunity to create a visual journal page with the three types of weathering and erosion.

Students will study sudden and gradual earth events the rest of this week. Tomorrow we will read the legend of Napi and the Big Rock and learn about Glacial Erosion.

Friday they will have the opportunity to revisit Plate Tectonics and the geologic activity that takes place at each type of plate boundary during the Oreo Cookie Plate Tectonics lab. 

Adding & Subtracting Fractions and Sudden & Gradual Earth Events

Announcements:

• Students are invited to come at lunch or after school to make up missed work or get extra help
• Anyone who was unable to see us at parent teacher interviews and would like to make an appointment with myself and Mr. Hillier is welcome (call the office or email lebowen@cbe.ab.ca to arrange)

Math:

This week we will continue learning to add and subtract unlike fractions using models and number sentences. 

We will also learn to add and subtract improper fractions and mixed numbers. 

Extra Help:

- Lunchtime or after school tutorials in room 1

- Extra practice worksheets

- Khan Academy videos and practice questions (type the topic in the Search tab - e.g. adding fractions with unlike fractions

Science:

This week we will continue to study Sudden and Gradual Earth Events. 

For example, we will continue exploring earthquakes. Students will learn how to interpret seismic data for Canada. It is surprising to most people living in Calgary that there are frequently earthquakes in Canada. 

This unit teaches students many precision skills that will be helpful in future units and Science courses. The Epicenter plotting activity also introduced students to the Circle and several math concepts and skills that will be used later on in the year.

Last week students mapped earthquakes and volcanoes on the Pacific Rim and recreated the Ring of Fire. This assignment was due last Thursday. Students who have not completed mapping are encouraged to complete this assignment at lunch or after school with teacher support.

The other assignment we completed last week was "Locating the Epicenter of an Earthquake." This assignment was also due last Thursday and students who have not completed this can see Ms. Bowen for extra help. Note: Both assignments are liked to the December 3rd post. 

Comparing Fractions with LCD and Earthquakes

Announcements:

• Sign up for Parent-Teacher Interviews - Interviews are Thursday, December 6th 
• Sexual Health is being taught by guests from the Sexual Health Centre for 7-4 this week

Math:

This week we are focussing on:

Comparing fractions with area models and using the lowest common denominator (LCD)

Ordering fractions from least to greatest 

Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Like and Unlike Denominators using models and various methods of determining the LCD

Science:

This week we continue to study Sudden Earth Events. We watched Bill Nye Earthquakes Video to introduce concepts related to earthquakes and finished plotting coordinates of earthquakes and volcanoes on our Pacific Rim maps.

We also reviewed the parts of a circle and learned to use compasses so that we could triangulate the epicenter of earthquakes. See attached "Finding the Epicenter" assignment.

Both the Mapping assignment and the Finding the Epicenter assignment had cross-curicular outcomes with Mathematics.

Extra Practice:

• There are worksheets for all of the concepts covered in the Fractions Unit available for students to take for extra practice in my classroom
• Students can visit Khan Academy (for example they could search visually adding and subtracting fractions) and type in a topic of their choice for extra practice
• The two most recent Science assignments are linked to this blog entry

Adding Fractions and Ring of Fire

Announcements:

• Sign up for Parent-Teacher Interviews began Monday Nov. 26 - Interviews are December 6th 
• Sexual Health is being taught by guests from the Sexual Health Centre for 7-4 next week. 

Math:

Today students reviewed divisibility rules and using factors to reduce fractions. They also learned how to add fractions with like denominators using visual models.

In the next couple of weeks we will continue learning to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators and mixed numbers.

Science:

Students continue to study sudden earth events and plotting coordinates of earthquakes and volcanoes on the Pacific Rim map in order to get a good sense of the location of the Ring of Fire and the Pacific Plate.

Equivalent Fractions and Sudden Earth Events

Announcements:

• Sign up for Parent-Teacher Interviews began Monday Nov. 26 - Interviews are December 6th 
• Sexual Health is being taught by guests from the Sexual Health Centre for 7-3 this week and 7-4 next week

Math:

We are building foundational skills in order to be able to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators and mixed fractions. This week we have been focussing on:

1. using factors (specifically the GCF - Greatest Common Factor) to reduce fractions
2. modeling using pattern blocks and strips putting fractions in lowest terms (reducing, simplifying)
3. modeling equivalent fractions *** if students missed the assignment they can click this link and give modelling equivalent fractions a try
4. generating multiples by skip counting or using multiplication tables and calculating the LCM (Lowest Common Multiple) - this will be used for finding common denominators

Science:

Students continue to study the theories of Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics. 

Next week they will do an Oreo Cookie experiment to better understand the types of plate boundaries. 

They are also learning about sudden earth events such as earthquakes and volcanoes. There are Bill Nye videos for both of these concepts (linked to the terms in the sentence before) that will help students who miss classes this week get a better understanding. 

Today students are plotting earthquakes and volcanoes on a world map to get a better sense of the location of the earth plates and the ring of fire. (Note: if you are doing this from home some of the coordinates are less than 100 East and won't be able to be mapped)

During this project they will also learn how to plot longitude and latitude coordinates which is a good link to the coordinates portion of the Math curriculum.

Fractions and Continental Drift

Announcements:

• There is NO SCHOOL Thursday and Friday this week (Nov. 22 & 23)
• Sign up for Parent-Teacher Interviews will begin Monday Nov. 26 - Interviews are December 6th 

Math:

Monday students had the opportunity to write a divisibility and factoring assessment after reviewing both concepts and watching a Khan Academy video on how to organize factors to avoid forgetting any. These assessments were graded and handed back today.  

Students also learned why numbers cannot be divided by zero.

Today we introduced Fractions and students worked with pattern blocks to determine the numerator and denominator using different shapes and wholes.
 

Science:

Earlier in the week students worked on their earth's layers visual journal pages.
This project needs to include a title, diagram of the earth's layers (layers labelled) and five points per layer (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core) in their own words.

Due: Monday, November 26th (Any incomplete word posters are also due)

Today we watched Continents Adrift to introduce the theories of Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics.
Tomorrow: students will write 10 multiple choice questions to assess their comprehension of this video.

Modelling Planet Earth

Fun Friday:

Students worked diligently and had a lot of fun building and labeling their Planet Earth Models

Next week in Science:

Students will learn about the layers  of the Earth in greater detail and will design a visual journal page to show and communicate their understanding.

They will also explore theories of crust movement and continent formation.

Factors and Layers of the Earth

Math:

Students are learning to use Divisibility Rules to determine the factors, common factors and the greatest common factor (GCF) of numbers.

A)     Factor: numbers we can multiply together to get another number                       OR                       a whole number that will divide exactly into a number without leaving a remainder.                E.g. Factors of 24 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24 (1 x 24 = 24, 2 x 12 = 24, 3 x 8 = 24, …) B)     Common factor: when we find the factors of tow or more numbers, and then find some factors are the                                  same (“common”), then they are “common factors.”  C)     Greatest Common Factor (GCF): simply the largest of the common factors.

Science:

Students continue to measure the rate at which their ecosystem grass is growing as well as making observations about their snails and the overall ecosystem environment.

They have also begun the Planet Earth Unit and have considered what they already know about earth and what they would like to know. Tomorrow they will go deeper into this topic by exploring the Layers of the Earth.

Friday we will build models of the Earth's layers! This is a lot of fun!

Divisibility Rules and Planet Earth

Math:

After writing the Decimals Unit Assessment on Wednesday, students began learning Divisibility Rules. These help students understand factors of numbers and reduce fractions.

See presentation attached for more information on divisibility rules.

Science:

Students' Ecosystems Research Projects are marked. They will receive a rubric with comments tomorrow. Marks can be viewed on Power School.

New Unit, Planet Earth, begins tomorrow.

Students will brainstorm why it is important to study the earth?. Hopefully this will generate conversation about many things and will help them feel connected to the new topic.




Some ideas that might arise from this discussion about understanding the earth include:

1.    Valuable Resources found in the earth

2.    Understanding the evolution of our environment 

3.    Minimize our risk from earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms (natural disasters)

4.    How and why earth’s climate has changed in the past (natural and human caused climate change)

5.    Human Impact – avoid changes in the future (e.g. fracking)

6.    Use our knowledge of this planet to understand the solar system

7.   What do humans need to survive on this planet? Is Mars a viable alternative?

8.   More ...

Decimals Unit Assessment Tomorrow

Math:

Students have been reviewing decimal concepts this week in preparation for their assessment tomorrow. Today they worked on decimal division estimation.

Tomorrow's assessment will include:

• front-end and relative size (rounding) estimation
• decimal order of operations
• decimal operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing)
• decimal word problems

Practice Questions:

Estimation

1. Using front-end estimation 0.238 is approximately 0.2. Estimate 0.568 using front-end estimation.

2. Which number is closer to 73.6     a) 73    or    b)74

3. Round 67.894 to the nearest hundredth

4. Round 67.894 to the nearest tenth

5. What is the sum of 56.2 + 612.1 using front-end estimation?

6. What is the sum of 56.2 + 612.1 rounding the the greatest place value?

BEDMAS (order of operations) 

7. 2 + 2 x 2 - 2 / 2                       Note: / means divide

8. 4.5 / 3 x (5.3 - 3.2) 

9. 9.4 + (1.5 + 6.5) x 6.7 - 4.5

Word Problems

10. Sandy spent $39.46 on groceries at a store. The cashier gave her $1.46 in change from a $50 bill. How much change should the cashier have given Sandy?

11. Jack bought 8 drill bits for $1.22 each, 10 washers for $0.11 each, and 2 hammer for $4.59 each.

a) estimate the total cost and then calculate it exactly. 

b) how much was his change from $50?

For more similar word problems go to this link

d 2 hammers for $4.59 each.

a.

Estimate the total cost. Then calculate it exactly.

Remember:

• know/don't know (identify the key details and what the problem is asking)
• equation(s)
• solve
• sentence (not needed on multiple choice test)

Science:

Today students read about snails using information from this website http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Snails/

They discussed key ideas and answered questions about snails.

Tomorrow students will begin learning vocabulary for the upcoming Planet Earth Unit.

Repeating and Terminating Decimals & Ecosystems

Announcements:

• Much fun was had at Halloween!!!
• The Remembrance Day Ceremony will be held on Friday, November 9th. There are opportunities for students to read poetry and participate in the ceremony. If this interests you come see me on Monday.

Math:

This week we continued to focus on division. 

Students learned to model decimal division on number lines. 

They also learned how to convert fractions to decimals using division and the difference between repeating decimals and terminating decimals. 


Science:

We continued to work on our pop bottle ecosystems. We added biotic factors including snails, aquatic plants, and we planted grass seeds.

Students were extremely interested in the snails. They had many questions about the snails including:

• How many different kinds of snails are there?
• Do they get cold?
• What do they eat?
• What kind of animal are they? (family? order?)
• Do snails mate and how?
• Do snails have skeletons?
• What do baby snails look like?
• AND MANY MORE ...

Next week we will read information about snails and answer some of their questions.

We also watched Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" movie and talked about the themes and feelings that arose from watching this movie with a scientific lens and a concern for the world's ecosystems. Students seemed to find the movie inspiring and motivating and got the sense that one person could make a really big impact. We compared the movie to the video we watched about the beach in Mumbai. We will continue to explore how we can individually, as a class, and as a school community make a positive environmental impact.

Building Pop Bottle Ecosystems and Order of Operations

Announcements:

• Tomorrow is Halloween there will be a Halloween Dance along with other fun activity options during the last period. Students are allowed to dress up as long as they are not wearing masks and their costumes are not too violent or in any way derogatory towards other students.

Math:

We reviewed Order of Operations (BEDMAS) and practiced problems in groups. Tomorrow we will continue to work on this skill with a special Halloween Math activity!

Science:

We have been building Pop Bottle Ecosystems this week. 

Thanks to all students who brought in 2L pop bottles for this project. 

Also, special thanks to Ms. Chow for finding us snails, aquatic plants, and grass seed to perfect the ecosystems. 

Students will make observations for the next few weeks and will measure how well the grass seed grows. 

Math connection: they will have the opportunity to graph the grass growth. 

This project will re-emphasize the importance of each part of the ecosystem and the interconnectedness between abiotic and biotic components. 

Positive Human Impact and Ecosystems Presentations

Announcements:

• Tomorrow, Thursday, October 25th, is Curriculum Sharing Night. We look forward to this opportunity for students to showcase their learning to their family members!
• Thursday is a half day with early dismissal at 11:16am.
• Friday is a PD Day (No School)

Science:

Today was mostly a Science Day. We began by learning about a positive human impact on a beach ecosystem in Mumbai. We watched a video about this current event and discussed how much good we can do with intention. We also looked at an article about the turtles returning to this ecosystem after the cleanup. CNN also did a story on this beach cleanup. Students seemed to find this inspiring and motivating.


They did a wonderful job of presenting their Ecosystems Research Projects in small groups!

Question of the day:
Use this story about the beach in Mumbai to support your argument that humans have both positive and negative impacts on ecosystems. Please email your response to lebowen@cbe.ab.ca or bring in a written comment.

Math:

We briefly practiced multiplying and dividing decimals in preparation for tomorrow's multiplication and division of decimals computation quiz.

Decimals and Ecosystem Presentations

Announcements:

• Thursday, October 25th, is Curriculum Sharing Night. Students will have the opportunity to show parents and guardians what they have been learning.
• Thursday is a half day with early dismissal at 11:16am.
• Friday is a PD Day (No School)
• Students who have not finished Science assignments or would like extra Math practice should attend Mustang Drop-In Zone 2:30-4 in the Learning Commons or make an appointment to see Ms. Bowen for extra help.
• Still seeking 2L pop bottles for Monday's ecosystem project!!!

Math:

Multiplying and Dividing Decimals Quiz Thursday - Students have been practicing each day this week. They are encouraged to seek Ms. Bowen for extra help or take practice worksheets home. 

Students worked on decimal word problem stations today. They will continue to do this for another class or two before the assessment is complete. Students are allowed to work with their table groups to better understand what the problems are asking, determine the appropriate equation(s) and solve the problems. 

Science:

Ecosystems Research Project Presentations are tomorrow. Students will have 30 final minutes tomorrow morning to do last minute fix ups to their projects and practice. They have been put in groups of three projects and will have a chance to self- and peer-assess using the rubric below. Students are encouraged to write one positive comment and one area of improvement comment for each project. Guidelines for respectfully observing other students' work will be discussed before we begin.

Presenter(s):__________________________________________ Evaluator: _________________________________
All information assessed is specific to the chosen ecosystem	Always (4)	Mostly (3)	Sometimes (2)	Not Yet (1)
Where in the World?	It is very clear where this ecosystem exists and one or more map(s) is included that clearly shows the location	It is clear where this ecosystem exists and one map is included that clearly shows the location	It is somewhat clear where this ecosystem exists and a map is included that minimally shows the location	It is unclear where this ecosystem exists and there is no map included
Plant / Animal Species	More than 4 plant /animal species are illustrated and labeled	2-3 plant/animal species are illustrated and labeled	1 plant/animal species is illustrated and labeled	Plant/animal species are illustrated but not labeled, or forgotten all together
Abiotic Factors	More than 2 abiotic factors are illustrated and labeled	2 abiotic factors are illustrated and labeled	1 abiotic factor is illustrated and labeled	Abiotic factors not labelled or forgotten all together
Food Web	A complex food web (at least 2 food chains) is included with labels to distinguish producers, consumers and decomposers	A good food web (2 food chains) is included with labels to distinguish producers, consumers and decomposers	A simple food web is included but producers, consumers, and decomposers are not labelled	A food web is not included or a food web is mistaken for a food chain and is not labelled
Overall score for above criteria (STEM 1)	Always (4)	Mostly (3)	Sometimes (2)	Not Yet (1)
Symbiotic Relationships (STEM 2)	3 or more examples of relationships (1 mutualism, 1 commensalism, 1 parasitism) are illustrated and thoroughly explained	3 examples of relationships (1 mutualism, 1 commensalism, 1 parasitism) are illustrated and reasonably explained	2-3 examples of a relationships are illustrated but minimally explained	Symbiotic relationships are not clear or forgotten
Human Impact (STEM 4)	An in depth explanation of human impact is discussed with relation to more than 1 environmental factor.	An explanation of human impact is clearly discussed with relation to 1 environmental factor.	Human impact is mentioned with little relation to environmental factors.	Human impact is  mentioned without an explanation and with no relation to environmental factors.
Visual Presentation / Communication (STEM 3)	Visual and written presentation (poster, diorama, powerpoint, etc.) is excellent	Visual and written presentation (poster, diorama, powerpoint, etc.) is good	Visual and written presentation (poster, diorama, powerpoint, etc.) is adequate	Minimal graphics and written communication is incomplete or difficult to understand