Monday, January 31, 2011

Heritage Fair Example



Questions/Jot Notes

When and Where was he born and what was his childhood like?
• Born, Brantford, Ontario January 26, 1961
• The Wayne Gretzky family is very close.
• His dad, Walter Gretzky was born October 8, 1938.
• His mom Phyllis Gretzky was born October 14, 1941 and passed away on December 19, 2005.
• Wayne Gretzky had four siblings:
o Kim Gretzky was born May 12, 1963.
o Keith Gretzky was born February 16, 1967
o Glen Gretzky was born August 15, 1969
o Brent Gretzky was born February 20, 1972
• When he was six years old, his father, Walter, built a rink in the family's backyard, and it was there that Wayne skated for hours on end, every day, practising his skating, shooting and stickhandling and learning everything about the game from his dad. (his dad was sick of going to the park to watch him practice)
• From the time he was six, he played many leagues above his age. He scored only one goal in his first year, when he was playing with ten-year-olds
• 378-goal season in his last year in pee wee in Brantford.
• Nicknamed "the White Tornado" because he wore white hockey gloves and because of his speed and skill.
• When he was 14, he decided that the pressure of playing in his small hometown was too great and he decided to move to Toronto and there he played for the Toronto Nats.

Homework

Math
  • surface area/volume test-Tuesday
LA
  • ch, 8 questions-Tuesday
  • ch. 1-8 quiz-Tuesday

The Real Game-Who Am I?

Who Am I? Who Are You?

1. Finding out about each other's roles

Blog about and answer the following questions:

  • You are now an adult, with a work role.
  • What do you like or dislike about your role?
  • Is your role different from those of others?
  • In what ways is it better or worse?
  • Is it fair that some roles pay more than others? Why?
2. Make your own business cards
  1.  Business card: a small card, sometimes carrying a company’s logo. People use them to share their names, titles, addresses, and contact information with others.  You can either use micrsoft publisher or adobe illustrator
Business cards example

Elements of a business card

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Homework

LA
  • ch. 7 questions-The Outsiders:Monday
  • ch. 1-8 quiz-Tuesday
Math
  • pg. 233 1-7 Monday
  • 3-D polygons Test: TUESDAY
    • Surface Area and Volume of a:
      • cube
      • rectangular prism
      • triangualr prism
      • cylinder
    • Capacity units
      • 1ml=1centimeter cubed
      • 1L=1000centimeter cubed
    • Convering cubed units of measure
Social
  • good start on Heritage Fair Jot Notes

Home Economics and Industrial Arts Term 2 Classes

Re: Changes to original note sent out on Friday

Home economics and industrial arts classes are beginning on Monday, February 7th and will run every Monday until June 27th.  Home economics will take place at Pleasant Hill School and industrial arts will take place at Westmount School.  If your child misses the bus, they are required to find their own transportation to class.  If your child’s behavior is poor while riding the bus, they will be banned from riding the bus and be responsible for finding their own transportation to class.  I will accompany them on the bus during their first trip on February 7th, but after that they will not be chaperoned by a teacher.  Below are important schedules to look over and put onto your fridge.

A.   Industrial Arts and Home Economics Dates

Term 2

Monday Classes
February
7, 14, 28

March
7, 14, 21, 28

April
4, 11, 18

May
2, 9, 16, 30

June
6, 13, 20, 27


B.   Drop off and Pick Up Times

Pick up-  Fairhaven                           Pick up - Pleasant Hill          Pick up-Westmount
8:45 a.m.                                                         11:30a.m.                                11:40a.m.


If you have any questions or concerns please give me a call at the school.

Thanks,

Mr. Catton


The Outsiders-Ch.7: Changing Views on Gang Violence

Beyond Scared Straight-A&E

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Homework

Math
  • surface area and volume test-Tuesday
  • review-Monday
  • 10% Bonus-Tuesday
Science
  • analogy of a cell assignment-Monday
Career Ed
  • wish list-$46 000 000-posted on blog

Monday, January 24, 2011

Check out the Saskatoon Heritage Fair!!

The Outsiders-Sense of Belonging

The theme of belonging/wanting  recurs throughout The Outsiders, but is exhibited with specific regard to Johnny in Chapter 6.
Discussion

  1. How might Johnny's life at home contribute to his loyalty to the greasers?
  2. Conversely, how does Johnny's relationship with Dally make him feel like he does belong in this chapter?
Activity

Many criminals attribute their actions to a bad childhood or painful home life. After watching the video, do you think JaDwayne Wade life either proves or disproves this opinion? What kind of things did Wade have to deal with in his childhood that may have lead him to a life of crime?  What attributes does Wade have that allowed him to rise against his situation and become a successful basketball player?  What similrities does Wadehave with Johhny?  How do they 2 differ?

Dwayne Wade

Parent Leaders-After-Farewell

It's hard to imagine, but it's already time to start thinking the grade 8 farewell (Monday, June 27th), particularly the after-farewell party.  Due to liability and insurance concerns, staff and teachers are not allowed to take part in the planning of the after-farewell party.  It is left up to the parents to make  a committee to plan the after-farewell party.  The farewell itself is planned and paid for (through fundraising) totally by the students and the grade seven class takes care of the farewell tea.  If you are interested in being part of this committee, email me at cattonc@spsd.sk.ca and I can fill you in on the details and what other classes have done in the past few years.  It is important to get this committee going fairly soon since venues fill up quickly.

Thanks

The Outsiders

Chapter 6 Abstract
* Johnny considers turning himself in for Bob's murder.
* Johnny asks Darry if his parents are worried about him. Darry says they aren't worried. Darry and Ponyboy try to comfort Johnny.
* Upon returning to the church, the boys realize that it is on fire and some kids are trapped inside.
* Ponyboy and Johnny rescue the kids from the burning church.
* A teacher named Jerry rides in the ambulance with Ponyboy, and Ponyboy tells Jerry about how he and Johnny are wanted for murder.
* Johnny is burned and badly injured and he and Ponyboy are taken to the hospital.
* Darry and Soda come to the hospital, and Ponyboy can see that Darry is crying. He realizes Darry truly does care for him.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Homework

Math
  • pg. 225 1-4, 9
OPEN HOUSE TONIGHT AT TOMMY DOUGLAS COLLEGIATE-7pm IN AUDITORIUM-BE EARLY!!!

"Wish List" You Won The Lottery!!!!!! $46 000 000!! What are you going to do?

In this session we are dreaming. What kind of lifestyle would you live if you won the Lotto Max Lottery and an amazing $46 000 000 ?

Things that you to think about once you have this new lease on life are as follow:
  • Somewhere to live \- Would you move or stay in Saskatchewan?
  • Transportation to get around
  • Leisure items and activities
  • Ways of helping others
You are to make a presentation using any technology you want which outline what you would do with the money.  In your presentation, you must show the articles you would purchase, the cost of the items and why you chose the items.

Later, you will be doing another Wish List activity where you will not have won the lottery, but rather live a 'normal exixtance' so be sure to live it up on this assignment!!

Note: Make sure you are able to post your presentation on your blog

I am Poem

Writing an I AM poem

Directions: Using the supplied template as a guide, you are to write an I AM poem.  Make sure you put a lot of thought into what words you use to describe yourself.  The completed poem should be a good representation of you.  After you have completed your I AM poem for yourself, you are to do the same for a character in the novel.  S.E. Hinton has done a wonderful job making the character in the novel come to life and gives the reader a deep understanding of the main characters in the novel.  Your final copy of both poems should be typed and they can also contain images that pertain to the poems.

I Am (Example)
I am sharp and focused
I wonder what the camera really sees
I hear the buzzing bee
I see flowers in early morning light
I want to stop time in a box
I am sharp and focused

I pretend to be a statue
I feel the shakes inside
I touch the shutter button
I worry about the blurry result
I cry that the moment has forever passed
I am sharp and focused

I understand moments in time
I say let's freeze them forever
I dream of watercolor effects coming to life
I try to see all the soft muted edges
I hope it happens someday
I am sharp and focused




Write an I Am Poem (for you)

Method:


I am (two special characteristics)
 

I wonder (something you are actually curious about)
 

I hear (an imaginary sound)
 

I see (an imaginary sight)
 

I want (an actual desire)
 

I am (the first line of the poem restated)
 

I pretend (something you pretend to do)
 

I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
 

I touch (an imaginary touch)
 

I worry (something that really bothers you)
 

I cry (something that makes you very sad)
 

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
 

I understand (something you know is true)
 

I say (something you believe in)
 

I dream (something you actually dream about)
 

I try (something you make an effort to do)
 

I hope (something you actually hope for)
 

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
 







Write an I Am Poem (character from novel)

Method:


I am (two special characteristics)
 

I wonder (something you are actually curious about)
 

I hear (an imaginary sound)
 

I see (an imaginary sight)
 

I want (an actual desire)
 

I am (the first line of the poem restated)
 

I pretend (something you pretend to do)
 

I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
 

I touch (an imaginary touch)
 

I worry (something that really bothers you)
 

I cry (something that makes you very sad)
 

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
 

I understand (something you know is true)
 

I say (something you believe in)
 

I dream (something you actually dream about)
 

I try (something you make an effort to do)
 

I hope (something you actually hope for)
 

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Homework

MAKE SURE PONYBOY/GREG ESSAY IS POSTED ON BLOG BY FRIDAY!!

Trip To Public Library

The grades 6 to 8 will be taking a trip to the main Saskatoon Public Library next Monday (Jan. 24th). One of the main reasons we are doing this is to help students get some valuable resources for their Heritage Fair projects.  For those students who do not have a library card, they must bring back their permission form tomorrow so the forms can be processed in time for Monday.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Real Game

Dear parents,
Your son or daughter is participating in an innovative career exploration program called The Real Game - Saskatchewan.  It is the newest program in The Real Game Series (www.realgameonline.ca) developed over the past 10 years by the National Life/Work Centre (www.lifework.ca). Saskatchewan is the first province to collaborate with National Life/Work Centre to create its own provincial version that reflects the realities of living and working in our province. The goal is to help young people prepare for success in the workforce of the 21st century, and in adult life.

Your child may bring home exercises with which you can help. You may also be invited to attend class events.

During the curriculum, students will:
           Role play adult roles, based on contemporary Canadian workforce realities
           Learn about many aspects of real life that you and all adults face regularly
           Hold a job, and balance work and other aspects of their character’s lives
           Budget for housing, groceries, transportation, and other needs
           Learn time management, goal setting, and problem solving
           Learn skills they will be able to use throughout their lives
§     Learn about small business and entrepreneurship

Participating in The Real Game – Saskatchewan allows your son or daughter to:
           Assume an adult work role and explore aspects of adult life in a safe, supportive environment
           Realize the importance of mastering essential workplace skills, knowledge and attitudes
           Emphasize the value of work and the importance of lifelong learning, teamwork, and positive attitudes
           Learn how success in school will impact future life and work options and roles

The involvement of community members, particularly parents and guardians, is a key element of The Real Game - Saskatchewan. You are living the adult reality your son or daughter will soon be navigating independently. Any support you can provide will help reinforce the issues and lessons the program introduces, and will help prepare your child for the future.

If there is anything you would like to discuss about The Real Game – Saskatchewan, your child’s progress, or your participation, please contact me. (cattonc@spsd.sk.ca )
        
The Real Game Online Version

Collegiate Open House Dates

Tuesday, February 1st
  • Bedford Road Collegiate
Thursday, February 3rd
  • Centennial Collegiate
  • City Park (Walk in the Park)
  • Mount Royal Collegiate
Tuesday, February 8th
  • Even Hardy Collegiate
Wednesday, February 9th
  • Marion Graham Collegiate
  • Nutana Collegiate
Thursday, February 10th
  • Tommy Douglas Collegiate
  • Aden Bowman Collegiate
Tuesday, February 15th
  • Walter Murray Collegiate
  • Saskatoon Christian School

Homework-January 17th

LA
  • Ponyboy/Greg essay-due Wednesday
  • WANTED POSTER
Science
  • 1.1 Worksheets-Tuesday

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Heritage Fair

Heritage Fair Saskatchewan

Media Shorts on Great Canadians

HERITAGE FAIR
Heritage is ….
something that is passed down (inherited) from preceding generations; as a characteristic, a culture, tradition, etc.

Task
You will discover and learn about a topic that you find important to Canadian heritage.  You will research your topic and present it through a written report, display and oral presentation.
Step #1 – Selecting a Topic
Find a topic that you are interested in. You must ensure that you can defend why your topic is important to Canadian Heritage.  (Make sure there are enough resources and information on the topic – check with the teacher) – (HO #1)
Step #2 – Creating Questions to Guide Research
i) Brainstorm sub-topics or categories that you can research.
ii) Under each category, use the 5W’s (who, what, when, where, why, and how) to write questions about the topic.
(HO #2)
Step #3 – Researching the Topic
Research using a variety of resources (internet, books, photos, interviews, encyclopedias, magazines, videos, etc).

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Pre-Collegiate Night @ TDHS-Thursday, January 20th @ 7:00 pm

This is a letter to inform you that the PRE-COLLEGIATE NIGHT for grade 8 students will be held on THURSDAY, JANUARY 20TH at Tommy Douglas Collegiate in the auditorium at 7:00 pm.  During this time, the Tommy Douglas administration and guidance team will give a great overview of what ALL Saskatoon Public High Schools offer for students when they enter grade 9.  All Tommy Douglas Collegiate feeder schools (Fairhaven, L.B. Pearson, Montgomery, James Alexander, and Henry Kelsey) will be invited to attend this informative evening so be sure to arrive a little early in order to ensure good seating.  There will also be plenty of time for a question and answer period. 
Next, On January 25th at 9:15 am, a guidance counsellor will come to the grade 8 classroom to answer any questions the students may have about the transition to grade 9.  It is always a great experience for the students since it gives them a chance to ask questions that they might not want to ask in front of a large group. 
If your child has been recommended for either modified or alternate programming, you will be receiving a letter in the mail shortly which outlines recommendations.
If you have any questions, contact me via email (cattonc@spsd.sk.ca) or by phone (683-7210).

Monday, January 10, 2011

5 Paragraph Essay Example- Introduction and 1st paragraph of body

        We are currently in the process of reading The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton and we have been introduced to all 7 of the main ''greaser' characters .  The narrator of the story is Ponyboy, the youngest of the gang. We also just watched the movie "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and that movie also has a young boy, named Greg, as the narrator.  Greg and Ponyboy live two very different lives with Ponyboy facing problems such as gang violence, the death of his parents and poverty while Greg lives with an ideal family with 2 parents that love him dearly.   Even though Ponyboy and Greg are 2 very different people, they do share some similarities.

      The first similarity I see between Ponyboy and Greg is that they are both trying to fit in with their peer groups.  Ponyboy is tyring to fit in with the older greasers while Greg is trying to make the difficult change from elementary school to middle school.  Ponyboy is the youngest of the greasers and isn't the average greaser since he got good grades in school and had a high I.Q.  Steve Randle also thinks that Ponyboy is a tag along and is just in the way.  Even with all those differences, Ponyboy desperately wants to be part of the gang and does his best by dressing, talking and acting like a greaser is supposed to. Ponyboy needs to be part of the gang since his two older brothers, Dally and Soda, are 2 of the main members of the gang.   Greg, on the other hand, will do anything to fit in. He seems to not even really care who he hurts along the way.  There are lots of examples in the movie of Greg treating his best friend horrible in order to get ahead.  Some specific examples are cutting down the way he looks, what he likes and lying to keep himself out of trouble.  Overall, I think both boys are pretty insecure and scared since they feel that they can't just be who they are as a person and be accepted by their peer groups.

3 rd paragraph (body)

4th paragraph (body)

Conclusion: What does it include?
  • restate the thesis (use different wording)
  • summarize the body
  • leave the reader with something to think about
     As you can see, Ponyboy and Greg do share some similarities even though they have very different lives.  They both share a desire to fit in with their peer groups which I think stems from some insecurities they have.  They both also have experienced bullying from family members and from other people.  I think it's important to note that Ponyboy's experiences with bullying were much more dangerous than Greg's experiences.  Lastly, they both seem to not use their head sometimes and act without considering consequence.  Overall, I am not surprised that Ponyboy and Greg share some similarities since aren't all kids kind of the same not matter what their situation is?  I think even I share a lot of these same characteristics that Ponyboy and Greg share. Do you?

Friday, January 7, 2011

Designing your own animal

DESIGNING YOUR OWN ANIMAL
                                            
Animals have physical features which make them well suited to their environment.  This includes animals which are camouflaged to their habitat, features which allow animals to survive in their climate, and features which allow animals to get food and defend themselves. Physical features include:

Elephant – trunk Shark – sense of smell
Giraffe – neck
Hunting dogs - ears
Echidna – spines
Lion – color, claws
Gecko – fake tail
Polar bear – coat, color, claws
Kangaroo – hind legs
Skunk - smell
Goat – surefootedness
 Zebra – what happened there?
Bright colors indicating poisonous Sloth – can be man-made


Animals gain and adapt their physical features over millions of years, but our task today is going to cut down that time just a little - you are going to design an animal which is perfectly suited to its environment.

Background Information: It is the future, the year 3000, and it is now possible for humans to build planets, and genetically engineer or create plants and animals to live on that planet. You are one of the scientists working on the animals, and it is your job to design and create an animal which will be perfectly suited to its environment on this new planet.

Task: You need to pick one of the following environments of already created planets and create an animal which is going to be strong and resilient enough to survive in that environment. You need to consider the following:
How is this animal is going to stay warm or cool?
What it is going to eat?
How it is going to get its food and water?
How it is going to care for its young to make sure they survive?

Your animal must FIT INTO the existing food chain - it cannot be the ultimate predator (the one which can eat everything else and nothing can eat it).





ENVIRONMENTS
Select 1 of the following:

1: This planet is dark and cold most of the time. It is very mountainous. It rains almost all day. Because of the wet, dark conditions, the only plants that grow well are small mosses and funguses. Animals on this planet include a type of mouse, a nocturnal hunting large cat, fish, and a variety of insects.

2: This planet is dry and hot. Most of the planet is flat. Water is found in underground streams but there is little water on the surface of the planet. Most of the planet’s surface is covered in sand, although there are patches of dry grass. When plants can get their roots down into the water table, they grow into tall trees with leaves at the top but not along the trunk. Plants which are not connected to the water table are small and dry, but they are edible. Animals on this planet include insects, a species of birds which roost in the high trees, a sand-colored lizard and a type of rat.

3. This planet is tropical: wet and hot. Most of the planet is covered by rainforest. The planet is very flat. Water collects in large pools and lakes which have water in them all year ‘round. A species of poisonous plant grows thickly on the ground. The spines of this plant are poisonous, and any animal which steps on one is sure to die. The vegetation is plentiful, and includes leaves, fruits and nuts. Animals include carnivorous snakes, varieties of insects, monkeys, fish and birds.

4. This planet has a moderate climate. It never gets very hot or very cold, but stays mild all year ‘round. It rains for part of the year and the water forms pools and lakes which dry up towards the end of the year and then the planet is very dry. The planet is partly mountainous and partly flat. Vegetation includes tall trees with high leaves and fruit, and a smaller plant which bears nuts. However, these nuts are inside hard shells which need to be removed before the nut can be eaten. Animals include rats and mice which live underground, insects, birds that nest in the tall trees, slow moving mammals which also live in the trees and a species of carnivorous nocturnal wolf.

When you are designing your animal consider the following:

·Size
·What does it eat?
·How will it catch/get food and water?
·How will it keep warm/cool
·Where will it shelter?
·How will it protect/defend itself from attackers?


You need to draw a labeled picture of your creature. If you wish, you may just draw arrows from your list of criteria to your picture rather than write it all out again. Give your animal a name and congratulations! You’ve created a new animal!


Assessment
·Has the student fulfilled all parts of the task?
·Has the student chosen features which allow the animal to survive in this environment?
·Is it neatly presented and labeled?


* DO NOT BE SILLY WHEN DECIDING ON YOUR ANIMAL.  THIS MEANS NOT USING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONE OF YOUR CLASSAMTES!!
switcheroozoo-design your own animal link






Thursday, January 6, 2011

Homework, January 6th

LA
  • Chapter 2 questions The Outsiders-Friday
Math
  • rectangle part of surface area assignment-Friday
Science
  • great job on hovercraft investigation

Finished Hovercrafts Using Only Balloons for Air Presure

BRIT-Friday, January 7th

Dear parents/guardians,

This is a letter to inform you that the grade 8 class will be attending a basketball game at the Bedford Road Invitational Tournament on Friday, January 7th. Costs for the game will include $1 admission into the game and $1 to help pay the cost of the bus. The game begins at 12:30 pm and will end around the 1:45 pm. Our bus will be leaving from Fairhaven School at 11:45 am so students should bring a bagged lunch.
Thanks,

Chris Catton
683-7210
cattonc@spsd.sk.ca

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Homework. Jan 5th

LA
  • Quiz on chapters 1 and 2 - The Outsiders
Science
  • have your hovercraft ready to compete tomorrow
*Brightwater letter went home today

Notes For Class to Copy into Notebooks-Wed. Jan. 5th, 2011

Literary Devices in The Outsiders




  • Point of view: This story is told in first person point of view. One can easily identify that the narrator is also a central character in the story because he uses the pronoun "I."



  •  

  • Narrator: the person who conveys the action of and often provides commentary about the story. Fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis is the narrator of The Outsiders.



  •  

  • Flashback: occurs when a story begins at one point and then transports readers back to an earlier time of the story. This novel flashes back to previous events in the story to help readers understand the characters.



  • Symbolism: occurs when one concrete object represents itself as well as something else that is often more abstract, such as an emotion.



  •  

  • Theme: this is a central purpose of a novel which often reveals a lesson or observation about life; an important theme in the story is that friendship can be as strong a bond as family.



  •  

  • Foreshadowing: hints at future events in the story






  • Monday, January 3, 2011

    Homework

    LA
    • Journal Response #1 for The Outsiders
      • "When have you felt like an outsider?"
    • Victim Impact Statement-Wen. Jam 5th
    Social
    • Genocide Documentary-Fri. Jan. 14th
    Math
    • Surface Area of Prisms assignment

    Hovercraft



    The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

    Click on the link below to read the book online:

    The Outsiders Online Novel Link


    Click Here To Read The Outsiders Online Free