On Tuesdays after school from 3:00-4:30pm, students are invited to stay after school to work on their projects. Science teachers will be around to answers any questions. This is a great opportunity for some extra support outside of class time.

I wanted to take a minute to share with you all some excitement from the past few weeks.

My Grade 8 students are currently helping introduce their Grade 5 buddy to the steps of the scientific method. Last time, students worked to see if it was possible to create a device that would keep a cup of hot chocolate piping hot after being place outside in a snow bank. Here are some of their creations.

In Grade 9, as we study blood and the circulation, students simulated different blood types to see if they were compatible as donors.

Finally, as last week’s instant challenge warm up, my homeroom class was tasked with creating a free standing tower made from craft sticks, binder clips and clothes pins.

Learning is so much fun!

Believe it or not, we have arrived to the last week of January. Wow does time ever fly by!

This last week of the month will be jam-packed. Take a look…

French-With our oral presentations and biographies wrapping up last week, this week we will dive even deep into our novel “Le complot.” We will put our reading strategies to good use as we predict, make connections, makes inferences and discuss the themes, characters and messages of this book. We will also continue to compare and contrast the lives of the two main characters and our own.

Building upon the feedback following last week oral presentations, students will set their language goals for the next few weeks. We will also practice the skill of presenting, rather than simply reading or speaking at a group, through some short and informal presentations as part of our warm-ups this week.

Science-Over the next few classes we will finish out our unit on the living world with our review and assessment of Chapter 4 on human reproduction.

Everyone should now have a topic and questions for their science fair project. This week our focus will be on doing some background research to form a hypothesis and begin to construct the list of materials necessary to conduct our experiments. A reminder that Day 6 of each cycle from now until the fair is reserved for in-class preparations.

Grade 9 Science- If all goes as planned, we will mark the moment many Grade 9 students have been waiting on since September: our first dissection. First, students will write their final assessment on the circulatory system. Then, later on this week or early next week, we will dissect a mammal’s heart, as students work to identify its structures and discuss its functions. I look forward to sharing some pictures with you following this exciting project 🙂 After our dissections are complete, we will begin to look at the excretory system. Another dissection will accompany this system! More details to follow 🙂

Grade 7 Science- Over our next few classes, students will finish up presentations of their animal research projects to show their knowledge of the ecology concepts presented in Chapter 3. We will then begin to dive into our second section of our unit on the living world, starting with the characteristics of living things.

Day 2 has been reserved as our class to work on our projects here at school, and students should bring any materials they may need to class with them on that day each cycle between now and the fair. This week’s focus will be on solidifying our questions and beginning to develop an informed hypothesis.

Core French 4-9- My grades 4-6 students will wrap up their look at the short text entitled “Bienvenue à la fromagerie.” This story explores how cheese is made, as we finish our study of food and items in our lunch boxes.

In Grades 7-9, students will finish placing orders using the menus they’ve been creating over the past few weeks. We will then continue exploring a new chapter in our unit “On part à l’aventure”-planning an outing en français.

Have a fantastic week!

Mme MacNevin

The month of January is definitely flying by. Despite the nasty weather, I hope that everyone had a fantastic weekend 🙂

Today, our Grade 7-9 students will have a visit from some members of the Charlottetown Islanders. The focus of this presentation will be on bullying; their experiences and how to prevent bullying and how to be a friend.

Here is a look at the learning activities we will be working on in our classes together this week…

French-We continue to read through through our novel “Le complot.” There is lots of great discussions happening in class both about the themes and plot of the story itself and the differences between teenage life today and that of the late 1980’s 😉

Students will finish up both their written and oral presentations of their biographies of people who have fought for justice and equality this week. They will then receive the feedback provided by both their peers and Madame from their presentations on “Le prix d’équité”. Students will explore this data; taking a look at areas of strength in addition to areas of improvement for future presentations.

Science-This week students will finish up their study of human reproduction. Students will work in pairs to research one or two sexually transmitted infections. Each pair will then present their findings to their peers. Following the presentations, we will begin our review of all concepts presented throughout Chapter 4 in preparation for our unit assessment next week.

Some class time will also be spent brainstorming ideas for our Science Fair projects and discussing what makes a good question and hypothesis. Day 6 of each cycle from now until the fair is reserved for in-class Science Fair preparations.

Grade 9 Science- Over the next few classes we will continue our review of the circulatory system and prepare for our assessment of learning on these concepts. We will also participate in a virtual lab where students will have a chance to look into how blood circulates through a goldfish. Finally, we will start to discuss protocol for our heart dissections which will take place in the coming days. Stay tuned for more details 🙂

Grade 7 Science- This week students will finish preparing and will then present their animal research projects to show their knowledge of the ecology concepts presented in Chapter 3. They will then use these assignments to guide themselves through their final assessment on these outcomes.

We will also continue to work on our projects for the Science Fair. Day 2 has been reserved as our class to work on our projects here at school, and students should bring any materials they may need to class with them on that day each cycle between now and the fair. Students are reminded that their results need to be measurable. They should keep this in mind when selecting their topic and forming their question.

Core French 4-9- My grades 4-6 students will spend some time this week and next exploring a short text entitled “Bienvenue à la fromagerie.” This story explores how cheese is made, as we wrap up our study of food and items in our lunch boxes.

In Grades 7-9, students will use the menus they finished preparing last week, to place orders at another student’s restaurant. We will then start exploring a new chapter in our unit “On part à l’aventure”-planning an outing en français.

Have a marvelous week!!

Mme MacNevin

Despite the mid-week storm days, last week we were able to return to our regular classroom routines and we had a very productive, yet short week of learning. I’m looking forward to the second week of 2020, as January rolls along 🙂

Parents are reminded of the Home and School meeting on Wednesday, January 15th at 7:00pm in the Science Lab.

Let’s take a look at what the next few days will look like here at Gulf Shore…

French-This week we will finish up preparing and presenting our oral presentations called “Le prix d’équité.” After each presentation, students will give their peers some feedback surrounding areas of strength and next steps. This, in conjunction with our self, teacher and peer assessments of our most recent recordings in Flipgrid, will be used as great data to help set our focus in regards to our oral language goals for the next few weeks.

We have now begun our novel “Le complot.” There are many interesting themes in this story that tie in perfectly with our unit on equality and justice. Many discussions around these themes will take place in the coming days as we learn new vocabulary along the way. Students are reminded to keep on top of their readings and to re-read any parts that they may not fully understand.
Finally, tomorrow will our first session of 2020 with our Grade 5 Book Buddies. Our elementary friends are currently learning about the scientific method, as they prepare to begin science fair projects for the first time. We will spend some time discussing ideas together and reading through what makes a great science project.

Science-We continue to work through our study of human reproduction. This is a very important component of the curriculum, however it can sometimes be an uncomfortable topic to discuss. While our focus in class continues to be on the scientific and biological processes involved in human reproduction and pregnancy, I do understand at other questions may arise. I’d encourage you to have discussions around the topics we are covering in class, at home. I have reminded students of the sensitive nature of this chapter and the importance of not sharing information with younger students, who may not be ready to receive it and that if they have any questions they are more than welcome to come see me or our guidance staff. They will also be covering other aspects of these topics in Health class in the coming weeks. Later on this week, we will begin to prepare for our unit assessment on Chapter 4.

The Gulf Shore Science Fair will take place on February 26th. Preparations have begun. By the end of this week, students should have solidified if they are working alone or with a partner, as well as their topic and question.

Grade 9 Science- This week we will continue our study of the circulatory system. Students will wrap up their exploration of the different blood types and their compatibility as donors. We will then take a look at the parts of the heart and learn how blood vessels transport blood and its components throughout our body.

Grade 7 Science- Our study of the living world continues this week as we explore ecological niche and adaptations. To demonstrate their understanding of these concepts, students have will each choose a Canadian animal. They will spend a few classes researching their specific animal, and will eventually teach their peers about its name, species, habitat and niche.

We have also begun our work on this year’s Science Fair projects. Students will be provided a timeline of where they should be with each part of their project to keep at home. It will also be posted in our Google Classroom.

Core French 4-9- As we continue our unit on the important elements of our day, over the next few classes together Grades 4-6 will wrap up discussions around vocabulary surrounding the foods we eat for snack and lunch. They will practice sharing what is in their lunch box with their peers in French. We will also begin reading the book “Nos aliments préférés.”

In Grades 7-9 students will present their menus to their peers. They will then practice placing orders from these menus. They will also listen to other students place an order, and identify the items they have ordered and the key elements of this type of oral text.

Have a wonderful week!!

Mme MacNevin

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is refreshed and ready to get the first few weeks of 2020 off to a great start 🙂

Here is a look at how we will starting off on the right foot during our classes together this week….

French-Before the break we had almost finished up our anthology unit on equality and justice. We will use these first few days together to finish preparing and eventually presenting our biographies and our “prix d’équité.”

We will then begin a class novel on the book “Le complot.” This book is the perfect follow up to this unit, as it explores the story of two young people who believe that an injustice is happening as they fight against a new factory being built in their community. Their quest however, is a little misguided… 😉 As this story was written in the late 1980’s, students usually have fun not only reading and predicting, but comparing and relating what life was life for the characters in this novel with our lives today 🙂 Throughout the next few weeks we will put our reading strategies to good use; reading together as a class, in small groups, and on our own.

We will also be spending time setting new goals to improve our oral language. Additionally, we will refresh our memories on some basis principals of verb conjugation and subject/adjective agreement; as we take another look our biographies through these lenses.

Science-Work will continue this week on our unit about human reproduction. We will spend the next few classes learning about the stages of human development before beginning to discuss birth control and sexually transmitted infections.

Grade 9 Science- Todays marks the beginning of our study of our fourth human body system: the circulatory system. Everyone has been anxiously waiting this unit, as it will conclude in the few weeks, with our first dissection of the year: a sheep’s heart. Before we get to that however, we will spend the next few classes discussing blood and blood types. If possible, students should know their own blood type, and if not, I will assign them a specific type for the purpose of an in-class activity next week.

Grade 7 Science- Continuing with our study of ecology, students will explore the concepts of habitats, populations and niches. Later this week, students will begin a research project where they will apply knowledge from Chapter 3 to a specific organism.

Core French 4-9- Both my elementary and intermediate students are finishing up their projects related to things we eat. In Grades 4-6, students will present their projects “Dans mon sac à lunch.” Students in Grades 7-9, will finish up their creation of their own menus and then place orders en français from the menus of their classmates.

Have a fabulous first school week of 2020!!

Mme MacNevin