Friday !3th April

Apologies for the lack of a blog post yesterday. I went as quickly as I could from school to pick up my mom for a trip to visit my father at LGH. I managed to get myself a traffic ticket for speeding in a school zone (me, you'd think I'd know better!!) but I was rather distracted and didn't even register that I was over the speed limit. Thanks, Gurpreet, for understanding my embarrassment :) He and his mom drove by when I was pulled over.
Anyway, I finally arrived home last night about 9:30pm and then started a round of phone calls to my siblings. It has been two months since he was hospitalized so it is both exciting and stressful news that my father is finally being discharged today. He can use a walker slowly but is not really100% mobile yet so I'll have to see how they (my parents) manage.
Now, about why you are really reading this Blog (after my long excuse). I'll give a quick Thursday general run down of our day...

Thursday April 12th
Review of our alternate schedule today to accommodate the, Bye Bye Birdie, performance by the Musical Theater class at HSSS
Redo Spelling Unit 1 while others study for Unit 2 tomorrow
Work on the response to the short story, The Goalie (for word processing Friday)
Band (extra class)
Math 11:30-noon circles- using a protractor to create circle graphs and using the Chart Wizard function of creating 'pie charts' using Microsoft Excel
Prep for tomorrows review test using the Chapter review test in the text
I have promised to create a one page review focusing ONLY on finding area and perimeter of circles using 'cut n'paste' from the examples we have already completed together in class or text practice.
Lunch time performance
we played first and ate after (I liked it but think it would be better if the students didn't have to get up again to go somewhere. We had to get to the gym for the performance and then there was another short break outside. So it would be interesting to try it again. I can't imagine scheduling Phys Ed. time right after lunch however knowing how hard the students in this class 'play'.
Silent reading 1:15-1:45pm (wasn't exactly as silent as I think silent should be)
French l'armoire activity is looking great and I have encouraged students who are finding it difficult to draw clothing to use the resource pages I provided to cut and paste (or use clip art- so if you see your son printing pictures of summer clothing don't worry about it) lol
Phys. Ed gym session: split class hockey and badminton with a little music thrown into the mix which always ensures that everybody is moving!!
Back in class, we continued work on the French activity for the next 20 minutes and then we did a bit more organizing for term 3 and cleaned up the day's efforts for...
Dismissal.
Needed to go... there was a traffic ticket with my name on it waiting for me just outside the school!!!

So that was yesterday...today
Homework
Nothing new
I try not to load the weekends as I have all the assessment to do.
Some students opted to take home their French activity (wardrobe with clothing labelled in French)
Others have worked at home on the word processing of their story responses.
Friday 13th
Spelling Unit 2 test
Science review work on the general knowledge of the vocabulary and definitions for the three states of matter. A few students had the last activity (the booklet on density to complete first)

Computer session students completed their "Horrible day/Fabulous Day) stories we started last week and others worked on the word processing of their responses to the short story, The Goalie.

Math 7 Review test Chapter 8 circumference and area of circles.
The last 20  minutes were for assisting Ms. Sorban as buddies for the primary class or playing a board game as a group. It was amusing to watch as four of the boys played a Sponge Bob Square Pants board game so carefully that it could have been the New York Stock Exchange. Another group played checkers one getting upset that the girls were managing to outsmart the boy's moves!!!
I watch them play and see personalities that are deep and wide! It is very interesting. I try not to play "mom" but there are a few times that I need to settle or smooth the waters so to speak. It reminds me that they really are just kids at heart.
"I wanted to be the motor car. You were the motor car last time. Come on let me be the car!" and that is just choosing player pieces for Monopoly you should hear them when the banker is wrong. And don't get me started about Checkers!! Jack taught us a family card games called 'spoons' which got a little raucous for the class especially as they were playing with forks!


1-2pm We changed the afternoon schedule to undertake a science experiment: So, you think you can Dance?
It is an activity that should (if done correctly) cause raisins to dance in a solution of vinegar, water and baking soda.
It didn't work in all cases due in part to students who add things at the wrong times or stir things with relish that they shouldn't and then get impatient and start to start their teenage anthem "This is stoopid"!!

It is really an exercise in following directions and I feel great empathy for the students who do it correctly and then have to wait as we clean up the spills and need to deliver more resources. They were very chatty this afternoon and I found myself getting quite frustrated with the students who just look at me with those caught-in-the headlights eyes but go ahead and do what they were asked NOT to anyway!!!
Screaaammm.
So I finished with a You Tube example of the experiment done correctly and found an on-line explanation of the creation of Co2 and showed them a couple of California Raisins commercials from 1986...remember "I heard it through the Grapevine"? Some students were NOT amused. Oh my, they are a little grumpy this afternoon!
After completing a follow up post experiment activity (that some students were very upset that they were asked to complete on a Friday!!!!Sheesh- one student said "No fair, you never told us we had to write about it") we worked a bit more on the French wardrobes and ended the day with Silent Reading which by that time was fraught with tension and not really silent.
We really need to get EVERYONE back to a proper reading time. I have been part of the problem of eroding reading time as I have allowed some other activities that students have missed or need to complete. Need to take it back for all of us.
Well I think that is it for the last couple of days. I'm glad of the weekend to try to get organized for another busy week. I took home a lot of paperwork this weekend!!

Hope it stays sunny. Have a great weekend.
See everyone next week
Mrs. J.