Poem Deadline Extended to Feb. 2nd

Students, you have been writing amazing poems, well done! 

I will be away tomorrow so I have extended the deadline to Thursday, Feb. 2nd.

Good copies should be typed or written neatly on paper. Be sure to check the rubric to stay on track!

Next Week's Guest Speaker and Upcoming Assessments

Happy Chinese New Year!
2017 marks the year of the rooster.  Give it a try!

Upcoming Assessments and Events
Monday:
Pro-d- Enjoy your day off.
I'll be working on our next science unit- STEM and Newton's Laws

Workshop: On Tuesday,  we will have a guest speaker from SPEC. Mr. Ankenman will be doing hands-on climate change activities with our class from 9-10:30. This will conclude our science unit. Our Climate Change test will be on Thursday, February 2nd. Study sheets have been distributed and can be found down the assignments tab.

Due this Tuesday:
Second draft of your "Where I'm From" poem.
Newbery Response #3: An Author Q and A

Wednesday:
Good copy of "Where I'm From" poem. Type it or write neatly- this is a polished piece of writing that will be on display.

Thursday:
Science Test

The FSA is ongoing.

"Where I am From" Poems- Deadlines and Assessment

Currently, students are writing poems about their childhoods. We have already used a template to brainstorm ideas and now we are creating our poems.

First Drafts are due January 25th ( 5-10 lines)
Conferencing and Revising meetings- (bring a new draft)- January 31st
Good Copies (typed or in pen on lined paper)- Wednesday, Feb. 1st.

Link:  Poetry Assessment Rubric 7 (with project details for both grades)
           Poetry Assessment Rubric 6

Genius Hour Timeline and Assessment

A note on student self-assessment of Genius Hour Projects: Since we are more than 1/2 through our Genius Hour Projects, students will begin to track their progress more often and with more specific goals in mind. For the next three months, they will be using a handout every Genius Hour block to stay on track. 

Here is a link to the handout for home use: 

Genius Hour Weekly/ Monthly Self-Assessment handout.

Timeline:

This self-assessment handout (p.1, 2) will be checked weekly. The monthly rubric ( p.3) will be due at the end of February.

Genius Hour projects must be completed by the end of April. 

TED Talk presentations will take place in May. 

Ask yourself, what do I need to do to get on track?

Reader Response #2: due Tuesday, January 24th

Hopefully you've been enjoying your Newbery novels. 

Your visualization response is due next Tuesday. Writers use see, hear, and feel vocabulary so you can make a movie behind your eyelids when you read.

1. Choose a passage and write it down, including the page number.

2. Draw and label what you imagine with as much detail as possible.

3. Write one paragraph that explains why you chose the passage.

Upcoming Assignments

Your questions on the article "Turning Down the Heat" about Paris Climate Change Treaty are due tomorrow. If you were away, there are copies in the Science Handouts drawer and down the assignments tab of this blog.
Also, you will be creating your tableau for your stanza of "Oranges" by Gary Soto.

Attention Grade 7's: Hamber Registration Forms are due Feb.17

For all in-catchment grade 7 students only:

Please submit your Eric Hamber registration forms and all other paperwork in an envelope to your teacher by February 17th. 

If you would prefer to submit your documents directly to Eric Hamber Secondary School, please let us know. All forms must be received at Eric Hamber on or before Feb. 17th.

An update from Division 2 and a welcome to Mr. Coletta!

Welcome to Mr. Coletta!

We wanted to let you know  how we've divided the curriculum this term and how to reach us:

Mr. Coletta can be reached by email here:

vcoletta@vsb.bc.ca

He teaches in our classroom on Mondays, Fridays, and Thursday afternoons.

If you have questions about these curricular areas, please contact him:

Social Studies

Physical and Health Education

French

Career Education

Math

Athletics

If you have questions about the following subjects, please contact Ms. House:

Language Arts

Science

Applied Design, Skills and Technology

Arts Education

Math

Core Competencies (Genius Hour)

We are looking forward to a great term 2 with your children.

Poetry: Wish Upon a Stone

This week, we began our study of identity. I brought in thirty wishing stones from a place that shapes part of who I am- the beach on Hornby Island and the summers I spend there.
Students started by choosing and examining their stones. What did it look like? Smell like? Feel like? Sound like? And then each student chose their best lines and we created this collaborative poem.

Wish Upon a Stone 
by Division 2

At first touch, it gives a sad cold message

but a new sensation of warmth radiates, the longer it’s in my palm.

Like the warm sand against my feet

as the ocean tide stretches in and then out.

Like a galaxy clouded with misty bursts of dark orange and white streaks

all contained in a raindrop.

Like speckles of warm dandelion fluff

dancing about the marble

An abandoned trunk with musty polaroid photos.

Like hard gum that has yet to be chewed

Like a crack in the earth, bursting with energy-

wonders to discover in every corner.
Smooth salt water flowing through my fingertips

The scent of midnight fog on the city’s harbour

Stones in an ocean of wishes.

Like the head of a golf club

A cold gray stone with glowing pale energy

Marked with an x 
like an abandoned and rejected doll

Like a wooden plank thrashing 
against cobblestones

And the midnight sky with bright shooting stars 
soaring across the surface of the stone.

Green shades waft into each other-

chemicals corrupting a lake.

Booming like someone trying hard to send a powerful message 
without a making a scene.

The smell of an antique rocking chair 
found in an abandoned house.

The aroma of fresh sweet dew 
wafting lightly in the air.

At the crack of dawn,

Stones in an ocean of wishes

Like the dull jagged spearhead

carved by an ancient tribal warrior clashing in battle;

on the edges, blood from his victims.

Like the night sky obstructed by bolts of brilliant lightning

illuminating the starry heavens

Or the choking scent of dry rock and dust

Mine is smooth like the fresh husk of an untampered almond

Or sap from a cedar tree in the forest

It's the salty waft of ocean air filling us with peace

Stones in an ocean of wishes

Like the thick scent of an ancient antique store burning to the ground

It’s a grey discoloured jelly bean waiting 
to finally be picked off of the old candy store windowsill.

A draped elephant with the face of a human and the howl of a wolf

Like a bowling ball striking bowling pins

Like coal on an old miner’s pick axe

Uneven surfaces, jagged edges and crevices make it unique, one of a kind and perfect.

Thirty stones in an ocean of wishes.

Climate Change PSA's

Students are creating public service announcements to promote ways that others kids can help mitigate climate change. This assignment is due on January 11th.
More details will be available down the "assignments' tab.

Good News About Climate Change and the Environment

We are wrapping up our unit on Climate Change with a little exploration of the progress made in 2016. Check the assignments tab for our latest task- to select, read and be ready to discuss something good about climate change in the world. Links courtesy of Colonel Chris Hadfield.


Discussions will take place tomorrow, January 5th, in class.
** Please note: We have rescheduled this discussion for Tuesday,  January 10th.

Can you do the problem of the week?

Welcome Back!

Today the students were presented with a cube conundrum. Can you solve the mystery of the blank side? What colour, name and numbers should appear?