Saturday, December 20, 2008

Pay It Forward Parent Information.

This is the note that was sent home with the students about the Holiday "Pay it Forward" assignment. Thanks for allowing your student to participate.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Grade 8 students at Sargent Park School are being asked to ‘pay it forward’. Students will be watching the movie Pay it Forward on Friday, December 19th. The main message in the movie is that just one person can make a difference. Over the winter break, students are asked to perform a random act of kindness…just because.

Excerpt from the movie:
"You see, I do something real good for three people. And then when they ask how
they can pay it back, I say they have to Pay It Forward...to three more people. Each. So, nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven." He turned on the calculator, punched in a few numbers. "Then it sort of spreads out, see, to eighty-one, then two hundred forty-three, then seven hundred twenty-nine, then two thousand, one hundred eighty-seven. See how big it gets?"

Some possible ideas include:
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen, hospital, care home
• Clean up your community/school yard/park
• Donate Food/Clothing/Toys/Books/
Christmas gifts
• Collect new and used toys and donate them to a hospital
• Help deliver Christmas hampers
• Make and deliver treat bags for children in hospitals (include pens, notepads, stickers, puzzles, candy, etc)
• Send care packages for soldiers / write letters to soldiers
• Become a pen pal with a senior citizen
• Shovel your neighbour’s driveway (or your own)
• Volunteer to baby-sit for free
• Write ‘Thank you’ notes to people who have helped you
• Leave cards or notes in mailboxes, on windshields, or hanging from doorknobs
• AND LOTS, LOTS MORE!!

These are just possibilities. Students are asked to be creative and try to make a difference in someone’s life.

Students are asked to capture their act of kindness on video or in a photograph.
After the holidays, they will be sharing their experience with the class.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Lee or Mr. Harbeck.

The Grade 8 Team
charbeck@wsd1.org
775-8985

Pay It Forward

On behalf of all of your Grade 8 Teachers I would like to thank you for making the Christmas season Happier for so many people. You rallied the school and we donated over $500 in pennies to Pennies to Heaven. We collected 8 full garbage bags of winter clothing and filled Mr. Penner's truck with items for the Christmas Cheer board. Your pamphlets, posters and assemblies made the difference this year. So once again THANK YOU.

Now for your next assignment.

Pay It Forward. We watched the movie on Friday and you were given the task to "Pay It Forward" over the break. You will create a blog post showing what you did. You can upload a picture or movie of your "Pay It Forward" action.

Both the picture and movie upload buttons can be found on the toolbar at blogger. You do not need to upload to youtube.

You need to label your post payitforward and complete the following questions in the body of the post:
  • After viewing the movie Pay It Forward you are being asked to do the same. Think of ONE act of kindness you would like to do for either a person youknow or a stranger. the goal is to make a difference in someone's life. Think about the following steps:
  • Who are you going to help?
  • What are you going to do?
  • Where are you going to do this?
  • When are you going to do this?
Those questions should be answered in the first paragraph of your post.

You then will place the picture or movie following that paragraph.

Finally I would like you to use the following questions to reflect on your "Pay it Forward" action.
These questions will help you create a second paragraph.
  • What happened?
  • How did you feel?
  • How did the person/people react?
  • Did you ask the person/people involved to "Pay it Forward"?How did the person/people react to this?
  • If you did not ask the person/people to "Pay It Forward", how come?
Your final paragraph need to answer this one question....
  • Can one person make a difference?
Thanks for Paying it forward. This is due before you arrive back at school in January.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Pre Quiz help

Here are some questions that are going to be on your test on Monday. Hope you find them.

6x-(-3x)+2x-9

3x+2(5x-7)

A number is divided by seven and then decreased by nine.

Six less than a number divided by 4 is 25.

20 questions. 30 minutes. Good luck see you tomorrow

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Great Big Book Of Algebra Chapter 2

I have finally figured out what I want your second chapter to be in your GBBOA. I would like you to create a conversation between two people talking about combining like terms and the distributive property. You will use xtranormal to finish this chapter. Ok here we go.

In your post The Great Big Book of Algebra underneath your poems you will create Chapter 2. Here you will type out a script between two people having a conversation.


Biff "Hey how is it going"
Mortimer "It is going fine"

You get the picture!!

Now these two people are having a conversation about two algebra questions. The questions are:
  • n+3-5n+12
One person thinks the answer is -6n+15. Is the person right or wrong. In the script please show the steps to solve the statement and what the mistake was.

The second question is:
  • 2 + 4(3n+8)
One person again thinks that the answer is 12n + 10. Is the person right or wrong. In the script please show the steps to solve the algebraic statement and tell what the mistake was.


  1. REMEMBER you need to still be in your original post.
  2. You need to call this Chapter 2 Combining like terms and the Distributive Property
  3. You need a script typed into the chapter between two characters. They will be talking about the two questions above.
  4. You need to create an xtranormal movie to be the end of your chapter. Please use the script of you chapter to be the script in the movie. You then can cut and paste the blog text into your movie!!
  5. This is due December 19th. Add a label to your post XTRANORMAL

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Distributive

Ah a little computer homework. Please play the following game. It is a game of battleships. Please have a notebook handy. You will be expected to write out 3 questions from the game. For each question please show the step by step process of solving it.


Here is a second matching game. Please do the same as the first game. While you are playing select 3 questions and show how you arrived at the answer. You now should have 6 questions in your notebook.


This is a movie and a quiz. Please watch the movie and then take the quiz. You need to have 4 questions solved and put into your notebook. You will be expected to leave a short comment behind at the blog. In your comment please leave a complete how to of a solution to one of the questions that you have solved today.
Thank you and that is all. Please leave a comment behind and enjoy your computer math class.

Distributive Property

Here are todays notes

Distributive Property
View SlideShare document or Upload your own. (tags: algebraspmath)


Here is the class

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Sunday, December 07, 2008

The Great Big Book Of Algebra Chapter 2

Have you ever wanted to make a movie? Well you are going to. You are going to use this application xtranormal. To make the movie... well that would be telling. You will need to sign up and figure out how to use the application. I will show you how later in the week but you can test drive this program with your poetry.

Your movie will be talking about combining like terms. You will create a movie that will involve characters having an argument or a conversation about combining like terms.

The program is as easy as typing a script and allowing the characters to talk. Play around and you will have the official assignment on Wednesday.

Here is my quick movie. It took 10 minutes. Yours should be more interesting than mine.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Help your blog mentors.

Over the past few weeks there have been mentors commenting on your posts. These preservice teachers from the University of Regina also have blogs. It would be great if you took the time to leave comments behind at their blogs.

Remember not everyone has the same sense of humor as you. It is important that you think before you comment. Thanks for blogging with me and being some of the best commentors ever.

Here are your blog mentors

Jocelyn Skogberg

Nicole VanCaeseele

Sara Thibeault

When nobody comments it is hard to stay motivated and want to learn. Part of the reason we blog is to have others read our posts. You would be amazed at how many people read your posts. Most of them do not leave you a comment behind. It is like preforming for this audience below. All empty seats.

These preservice teachers gave you an audience. Now it is your turn. Please leave comments when you read their blogs. Be their audience. Fill the stadium that is their learning blog and motivate them to learn.

Thanks in advance. You really are the best blogging classes ever.

Words to Algebra Part 1

Here is the video of today's class.



Here are the slides of today's class.
Words To Algebra1
View SlideShare document or Upload your own. (tags: spmath algebra)