Happy Friday!
Notice:
A great number of students are not turning their work in. Many times we start an activity in class, and finishing that activity is assigned as homework. These written activities are typically based on class notes and handouts kept in subject notebooks.
The assignment is written on the board and expected to be turned in by Friday of that week. Daily verbal reminders are given referencing the assignments on the board, and encouragement to write reminders in student planners are frequently made. Yet, many students fail to turn in their work by Friday, or they turn in incomplete work (only what was finished from class time).
As a teacher, I keep track of who has turned in what and mark for completion. I check for accuracy, but my interest lies in the idea that students are taking their work home and reviewing the materials while finishing. Missing work and incomplete work shows me students are not making effort in their learning and this will be reflected in report cards.
One another note;
We had a very busy week of learning!
In English we started our new unit on pre 1914 literature by looking a little bit at Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his beloved character Sherlock Holms. Students read an excerpt from The Hounds of Baskervilles and paid attention to the authors use of words to create atmosphere and tension. We also explored how the different characters personalities are shown through actions rather than words.
Then, we looked at Lewis Carroll and his poem ‘Jabberwocky’. This poem is unique in that it tells a clear story through utter nonsense. We looked at different types of nonsensical words and how we can derive meaning through English semantics. Students had a chance to think of their own beasts and write a few stanzas of a poem, through nonsense of course.
Students have an ongoing English research project that they are working on each week. There is a checklist with each step assigned to each week. We also go over the step and instructions in class. This Friday a biographical information sheet was due. Next Friday, a list of major novels or poems (about 4) with a synopsis of what the story or poem is about is due. Students should be citing all their sources and paraphrasing information, of course. By week 10 they will turn in the culmination of their work final submission in a clearly formatted handwritten or typed report.
In math 7’s carried on with equality and equivalence, 8’s with multiplying fractions, and 9’s with conjunctures with algebra. All students have a math review packet for the steps covered, so be sure to encourage practice to be prepared for next week.
Science has been especially busy as we explored the cell cycle and cellular division. We took a look at both mitosis and meiosis and their application to the characteristics of life. We briefly looked at human development from meiosis to zygote to embryo, into mitosis again. On Friday we did a quick and fun Kahoot review of science to check in with understanding.
Students also explored using Padlet in a group mini-project investigating the mechanics of different transportation types. They researched and summarized how various vehicles move, cited their webpages, and posted pictures and videos to support their explanations. Everyone seemed to enjoy the learning tool enough that we will definitely use it again for our next, more detailed project.
We talked a bit about misogyny using real world examples from the news in PSHE. We focused on what misogyny was and wasn’t, but how blurred the line gets this day and age with online memes and communities like Giga Chad and gaming steamers. We also discussed what we felt the importance of the issue was and who and how it should be handled. Everyone was very engaged and interested in this topic so we will revisit it again with more examples and discussion prompts next week.
Everyone have a wonderful weekend and remember that next week we do not have school on Tuesday or Thursday!
Take care,
Mrs. Leah
