Students had a few minutes to complete the final section of their Japan Unit Study Guide. And then we continued reading through the final Chapter of our Japan unit: Chapter 6. Students were discussing question 3 from page 198. We'll get into this question in class tomorrow.
Students had time in the Learning Commons to work on the artifact write-up which is due tomorrow. Students were getting feedback from me and their peers. This write up, along with the artifact, is due tomorrow. If the lifespan of the artifact is short (example: a symbolic cake), it's best to bring this in on Monday when we have out gallery walk. Note: I will be out of town in meetings on Thursday and Friday this week.
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Thank you to all the parents/guardians and students who were able to make it to Student-led Conferences last week.
A few reminders:
We started the day with a quick Chapter 5 quiz. We discussed the possibility of another grade 8 class joining our class: what would be the benefits? What would be the drawbacks? How could be maintain our classroom culture? This was a thought experiment designed to approximate japan opening it's borders after the Edo period.
Students had time to work on their Independent novel study. Tracking sheets due tomorrow. Artifact & written component due Tuesday, May 1. Tomorrow afternoon is student-led conferences. 8A and 8B (LA, Social, Math, and Science) will be in rooms 8 & 9. Students are also encouraged to bring their parents to room 11 to show off our bulletin boards and tell them what they learned during these projects. Student-led visits are designed to last about 15-20 minutes. Mr. Kurcwal and I will be in rooms 8 & 9. I look forward to seeing everyone! Students had time in class to prepare for tomorrow's quiz.
Students were working on their Independent novel study by:
Novel studies and their tracking sheets are due on Thursday morning. Over next weekend, students will work on an artifact and short written piece.
We conducted an overview of Chapter 5 in preparation for a quiz on Wednesday. Today students presented impromptu reviews of their independent novel studies to give their peers an idea of what is available.
Today we also watched part of a documentary about Japan, Memoirs of a Secret Empire. Students had a follow-along sheet to focus their attention toward some key ideas. If anyone needs to re-watch sections to complete their sheet, they can use the link above (first 55 minutes). Have a nice long weekend, everybody! Students had time in Language Arts to read and/or complete their tracking sheets for their independent novel study.
In Social Studies, students worked on their Japan study guides. Homework: keeping up to date on novel study, complete Japan study guide (except for Meiji vs. Edo chart). Today students were given time to work on their novel study. I collected the first three check-in sheets and I'll hand them back tomorrow. Students will have some time tomorrow to continue. Check-in #4 is Thursday.
We continued learning about why and how Japan ended their policy of isolation. We are finishing up this section and will have a short test on Monday. Congratulations to our grade 8's who premiered the plays that they wrote/produced/directed... It was an absolute blast and I'm thrilled to have seen them. It was a lot of fun for me seeing everyone displaying their own sense of character and story in their individual tasks (prop-making, puppet design, writing/editing...).
For those who missed it, the plays were: A Legal Murder by 8A and Standing Toward The Sun by 8B Students put the finishing touches on puppets, props, backgrounds, and scripts for our puppet play. We'll practice tomorrow and then present to the other grade 8 class on Monday.
Students have their 2nd novel study tracking sheet and were given time to work on their novel today. I'll be collecting the first three check-ins on Monday. |
AuthorMr. Spencer teaches Grade 8 Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Drama at Mount Royal School. Archives
May 2018
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