EMF8B&C English

The "I Was There" creative writing assignment is due this Thursday, December 17; well, the first draft, at least.
    
For this assignment, we'll be taking a trip in the good ol' time machine, back to a historical event of the students' choice. Our goal is then to retell that past event as if you "were there", either as the event's main character, a (fictional) bystander, or even an inanimate object, such as the Berlin Wall, for example.

We've already completed our wikipedia-style intro, a selection of explosive openings which were judged by our peers, and are well into the writing process, including a graphic organizer to plan our work.

An outline of the assignment, along with the evaluation rubric, has been posted on Google Classroom. Several samples from previous years' students have also been made available in the classroom.

Source: http://worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/i-was-there.png

English

Our "Tell-Tale Heart" mock trials are almost over. We had some spectacular performances by the lawyers and a wide variety of witnesses.

Two assignments are coming up:

1.  Thursday, Dec. 3: A quiz based on the vocabulary of "The Tell-Tale Heart" and irregular plural forms.

2.  Friday, Dec. 4: Final revised copy of the "Where I'm From" poem.

TTH Trial

Our mock trial based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" is scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this week.

Each student was assigned a specific role along with a description and needs to prepare a statement for the trial. These statements need to be submitted on Wednesday!

Students who do not have their statements prepared will not be allowed to participate in our trial.

Source: https://farm1.staticflickr.com/129/383476178_8fe0f5e767_o_d.jpg

What We've Been Up To Since September

As mentioned, I will be using this blog again from here on in to keep you updated on some of our classroom assignments and events, but I thought I would take the time to let you know what we've been up to so far.

In terms of writing, we started out by writing a letter of reference about ourselves. This not only gave me a good idea of individual writing levels, but it also allowed me to learn a bit more about each new student. We applied for our dream job, which some of us took seriously, others not so much -- there were marine biologists and bed mattress testers...

Under the umbrella of recounts (texts that retell a past event), we've read several texts, but here are some of the highlights, along with key assignments:

• "Smoky Night" by Eve Bunting, a child's account based on the L.A. Riots. We used this text to identify text features of a recount and started our exploration of the theme of childhood innocence.

• "The Composition" by Antonio Skarmeta, based on a child's perspective of growing up under a military dictatorship. As part of this text we took a look at human rights in general and our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in particular. We also connected the story's events and themes to current events, including dictatorships, past and present.

• "What Do I Remember of the Evacuation", a poem by Canadian author Joy Kogawa about the interment of the Japanese-Canadians in BC during WWII. We extended this to the Holocaust and the current global refugee crisis.

• Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was our Hallowe'en read. Aside from learning more about Poe himself, we explored the human condition as expressed in the narrator's emotional rollercoaster. We also took a closer look at the myriad of poetic devices Poe so craftily used in his famous poem. Oh yes, we also watched The Simspons' version of the poem. A highlight was "The Raven" media project which asked students to represent the poem in any media format of their choice. These project were then presented in a Gallery Walk, with each project acting as an exhibit. The results were amazing and I hope to share some of them on this blog. We had musical interpretations, comparisons to Harry Potter, "The Raven" as a series of mathematical equations, an interpretative dance performance, collages, short films, "The Raven" represented through famous paintings, etc., etc.

• Sticking with Poe, we read his classic short story "The Tell-Tale Heart". We studied some vocabulary and will now be examining the narrator's state of mind before staging a mock trial based on the story.

And that's pretty much where we are at the moment. 

Snowhawks Ski & Snowboard Club at GMS

I am passing along some information about the GMS...

...Snowhawks Ski & Snowboard Club

This year, Snowhawks Ski & Snowboard School is offering Greenbank Middle School students a four-Monday ski and snowboard program. The program will run the same evenings as the Snowhawks-Knoxdale program. The first outing is Monday, January 4, and the program then continues through January 25. Two trips each to Vorlage and Mt Cascades will provide plenty of variety. Participants are welcome to register for lift tickets and motor coach travel only, or may add on lessons and/or equipment rental as desired. Motor coaches will leave the school at dismissal, and return to school at 9:00 PM. Deadline for registration is Dec 3rd, although space may fill before the deadline. A PDF version of the info-sheet is attached to this message. There is a limited amount of funding to provide assistance to families who require financial assistance. Inquiries should be directed to Snowhawks.

To register please go to: https://snow-hawks.com/For any questions about the program, please contact Snowhawks directly at Ottawa@Snowhawks.com or 613-730-0701.

Ahhh, this brings back memories from ski club when I was in grade 8...

We didn't have snowboards back then, so we tried sliding down the Alps on ironing boards. Ahh, the good old days...

EMF7A Math

We are coming to an end of our mini unit on order of operations and there will be a brief quiz tomorrow. And no, it will not be a speed-walking scavenger hunt! Sorry;)

Source: http://image.mathcaptain.com/cms/images/101/order-of-operations1.png

Back in business!

Thankfully the labour unrest has been settled and I am now in a position to use this blog to provide updates on class assignments and events.

To begin with, you can subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in this box on the right side of this screen:

By subscribing you will receive an automatic email notification if anything new is posted on this blog.

Parent Interviews:

Even though progress reports will not have been issued yet, we are going ahead with parent-teacher interviews this week. Unfortunately, I am not available this Thursday evening due to a family commitment.

I am booking interviews for Wednesday evening and Friday morning instead. I apologize for the inconvenience, but will make every effort to set up a meeting time suitable to your schedule.

Having said that, I am teaching five classes this year. As a result, I will not be able to accommodate all requests and will need to prioritize. If a face-to-face interview is not possible, I am happy to conduct a phone interview at a different time instead.

Thank you,
Karsten Gitter

Blog Updates

Due to ETFO sanctions as part of the ongoing Work-to-Rule phase, effective September 21, 2015, I will not be updating this blog about classroom happenings.

I sincerely hope the current labour unrest can be resolved soon. 

James Frey AKA???

As discussed in class, there are some prizes to be won for the correct answer about James Frey, the author who got into a lot of trouble for being too inventive with his famous memoir.

You need to log into Google Classroom to find the question and answer it. Check your old email to see how to access your new email account and Google Classroom.

Welcome Back!

And we're off to the races!

Students, as discussed in class, this will be one of the ways for you to keep on top of  your work. We will be using Google Classroom a lot this year, so this blog will not be as detailed as in past years.

Parents, since you do not have access to Google Classroom, you can use this blog to find out what's going on in our classes.

Hope you enjoyed Day 1. See you tomorrow...

The End...

Congratulations on your grade 8 graduation!

Students, thank you for keeping me on my toes and for many memorable moments. For me personally, some of your work on "The Raven" sticks out in particular, as well as as the countless debates and arguments in class. "I ain't awoofin'!"

Parents, thank you for your support throughout the year. If your child was absent when report cards were handed out, the office will be mailing them.

Have a great summer and all the best in grade 9!

Source: http://libraries.ne.gov/walthill/files/2015/05/schools-out.jpg

Congratulations!

You made it!

Enjoy the summer, be safe, and read a good book, or two. How about another Agatha Christie? Here's a list of suggestions: Top Ten Agatha Christie Mysteries

Want to get ready for high school? Start off with Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, which many of you will be reading in grade 9 English? And after that, the long-awaited sequel Go Set A Watchman. Only took Harper Lee more than 50 years to write it... Coming to a store near you July 14.

Stock Market

Big day tomorrow! Are you ready?

Make sure to bring in everything you need for your office and get ready to make some money!

Trip Forms

There are two forms that some of you still haven't handed in:

1. The grad ceremony form indicating your plans for June 24.

2. The Haunted Walk/IMAX field trip permission form for June 22. This one's due this Friday, June 12 as we need to submit numbers to the museum.

R8C Math

SRB Math Olympics & BBQ trip coming up Tuesday, May 26. Trip forms need to be returned by Friday!

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R8C Math

Fractions test on Friday:

• comparing
• adding
• subtracting
• multiplying
• dividing

R8C English

TMDG Maps due Monday!

EMF8B English

Check the English tab at the top for the discussion questions.

Math

So you thought today's geometry problem was tough?
(As promised, here's the hint from period 5.)

How about this math problem that went viral last week. Oh yeah, by the way, it's from a grade 5 school exam in Singapore...

Math POTW

University of Waterloo's  Problem of the Week

7/8:
The Missing Link

9/10:
Trapped!

I'll email the solutions on Sunday.

Grad Photos

Grad photo orders were handed out yesterday and are due Wednesday, April 15.

English

RAFTS assignment for "The Escape" due on Tuesday, April 7!

This is where you're headed if you don't hand it in!

Kahoot!

Here's the app for today's Alcatraz activity.

Click on the pic. Also available on itunes and Google Play.

Grad Photos

Grad Photos this Wednesday, March 23 for R8C and EMF8B.

Call your stylist now!

Today's Ruby Bridges?

Following up on our Prezi on "What's today's civil rights struggle?", here's the clip mentioned in class by Ms. Rumstein:

Public Speaking

Well, we finally have our two finalists for Wednesday's school-wide public speaking contest.

R8C will be represented by Noah who will be speaking about the perils of technology in the classroom... This pic pretty much captures the class' reaction.


Evangelea will take the podium for EMF8B with her speech on child labour.

Ruby Bridges Reunites With Mrs. Henry

Here's the clip showing the reunion between Ruby Bridges and Barbara Henry for the first time since Ruby was Mrs. Henry's student in grade 1:

R8C Math

UW Problem of the Week:

This one fits perfectly - E.T., but without the product placement...

Grade 7/8

Grade 9/10

Earl Lloyd - First African-American in the NBA

The following sad news fits in with our class discussions for Black History Month.

Basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd, the first African-American ever to play in an NBA game, died Thursday, Feb. 26. He was 86 years old. Lloyd was also the first black assistant coach in league history, and the NBA's second black head coach.

Earl Lloyd

Public Speaking Speeches

Here's what we had discussed in class re. the intro to your speech:

Speeches Intro

You may 'recycle' your debate topic for your speech, but you also have the option of choosing a different topic.

All speeches are due this Wednesday, March 4. 

Persuasive Essay

Here are the details re. our persuasive essays, as discussed in class:

Essay Outline and another one (based on R8C's class essay on DPA)

Essay Intro

The essays are due this Friday, March 6. If you are entering for the school-wide public speaking contest, you get an extension to Monday, March 9.

R8C DPA

Skating tomorrow!
Yes, it might a bit chilly tomorrow, but we will be outside skating for DPA.

Toonie Tuesday

Tuesday, February 24, is Toonie Tuesday at Greenbank and across the OCDSB.  Students are asked to bring in a donation of $2 in support of the Education Foundation.

As an educator and coach, I cannot overemphasize how helpful the Education Foundation is. Any time the school needs financial support for students in need, whether it be to help pay for field trips, team fees, or other school programs for students in need, the school can turn to the Education Foundation for assistance.

Please help us this Tuesday by having your child donate a toonie. Thank you!

R8C Math

Math quiz on Monday covering the following topics:

• surface area and volume of triangular prisms
• surface area and volume of cylinders

 

R8C DPA

R8C, Tuesday will be a Day 5, so bring your skates!

English Debates

Debates start on Tuesday!

By now I've provided feedback to every planner that was submitted. Some of you still have a lot of work ahead of you. Details in the English tab above.

Make sure you're ready for Tuesday!

R8C Math

UW Problem of the Week

As mentioned to some of you last week, I will be posting the University of Waterloo's Problem of the Week every Monday.

These problems won't necessarily always line up with what we're doing in class, but none of the concepts (at least not the 7/8 ones) should be completely new to you.

There will be two problems posted: one at the grade 7/8 level, and the challenge problem at the grade 9/10 level.

You will have one week to come up with a solution. I'll post the answers at the end of the week.

Here's our first set:

• 7/8 Problem of the Week

• 9/10 Problem of the Week

Mr. Gitter's alma mater

Debates

As part of our unit on persuasive text we will be staging mini in-class debates.

Your debate planner is due on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Debates will start on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Skating

As part of our DPA program, R8C will be skating on the rink in the school yard each Friday leading up to March Break. We're on again this Friday, so bring your skates and helmet.

We're also looking for size 9 skates for three students in our class. If you have a spare pair you can share for an afternoon, it would greatly appreciated.

 Who's going to be "it" this week?

Report Cards

Yes, it's that time of year again! Term 1 report cards were sent home today. Please return the bottom section of page 3.

SRB Forms

Course contracts for SRB are due January 23!

R8C Field Trip

R8C is going cross-country skiing on Thursday.  Please check your email for details.

Forms and payment need to be handed in by Wednesday.

Here's a copy of the field trip form: Skiing Field Trip

  Last year's class; no pressure, though...

Booktalks

We originally had planned to get these done before the break, but the Tool Time procedural videos took up all of our time.  So here we go...

• EMF8B starts Jan. 7
• R8C starts Jan. 12

For details, see the English tab above.

Can you spot Mr. Gitter?

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year, everybody!  I hope you all enjoyed a peaceful, healthy and relaxing break.

We're now back in the swing of things.  We've moved on to our next unit in math, which is Patterning and Algebra.  In English we have already jumped into our next textform, which is persuasive texts.

And to top things off, it's basketball season at Greenbank!