Have a wonderful summer!

Don't forget Monday is our trip to Simeon Park!
Dress properly - bring lots of water.

Letters to next year's class are due tomorrow in hard copy.
Please check back in the blog for the success criteria.

Signed math tests from Mrs. Scott are due back tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will be doing some activities from the Participaction 150 challenge.
If you would like to sign up to win prizes - check out the website and ask your parents if you can sign up.

https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/programs/participaction-150-play-list

Final Writing assignment of the year!
A piece of advice from those who know...
We are writing letters to my next year's grade seven class.
Tell them what it takes to be successful in grade seven with Mrs. Nye.
Here is the success criteria we decided on together:
- convincing/persuasive vocabulary
- date, greeting. sign-off
- free of grammar, spelling and punctuation errors
- use of capital "I"
- paragraph form
     Opening paragraph - greeting, introduction
     Body  - details, important ideas, expand on introduction
     Conclusion - summary, rephrase introduction
This is due next Wednesday, June 21st.

Remember - your storybook is due Friday!

Health letters went home yesterday for some, today for others.

Don't forget your permission slip for our Simeon park day.

Here are some pictures of our collaborative learning from yesterday;

We are in the home stretch now!
Area track and field meet is tomorrow.

Math 
Party planning assignment was due Friday.
Reminder - if you have not handed it in - you will not go to the track meet.

Literacy
Reminder - Your outdoor ed challenge written lesson and reflections were due the day after you presented. Again, many have not been handed in. If you have not handed it in - you don't go to the track meet.

Your children's storybook is due Friday.
Please check back on May 24th blog post to see what I will be marking it on.

We have been doing some great work with our dance instructor, Ms. Lauren. Our final performance will be this Thursday during last period (2:15). Invite your friends and family to come out to watch!

Final book orders are due tomorrow.

Math
Your party planning project is due Friday.
Please don't leave it until the last minute - do your best!

Literacy
You should also be working continuously on your children's book.

Final book order of the year - due this Wednesday.

Literacy
You should be working on your storybooks. Now that you have received feedback, you can be working on revisions to your writing and then illustrations and your final book.

Math 
Your end -of-year party project is due this Friday.

Simeon Park
On Monday, June 26th all intermediate students will be going to Simeon Park for the day.
A permission form went home today with the details of the trip.
Please return this form, with $5 to cover costs, as soon as possible.

Those of you who have presented your outdoor ed challenge - please get your writing portion with reflections to me as soon as possible. Please check back in the blog (May 1st and May 11th) for what I expect from your writing.

Continue to work on the following projects (don't get behind!!!)
- Children's storybook
- Math party planning project
- Geography project

Have a great weekend!

Ongoing assignments you can be working on:
- Geography environmental project
- Math year-end party planning project
- Children's storybook (we have all received feedback now.)

Our dance workshop continues tomorrow.

Math

Could you all please return your textbooks?

Please continue to work on your end-of-year party planning assignment.

This assignment will be due no later than Friday June 9th.

Literacy

Continue to work on your story book.

Our outdoor education presentations continue tomorrow.

The start of our track meet was delayed so we got some work done this morning.

Those of you who did not present your storybook draft to the class you will do so as soon as possible to get feedback. Those of you who did get feedback - you can start making revisions and keep moving forward with your story.

Math
Here is the project outline we discussed today.
Please get started.

Party Planning Project Summative Task

Description:  Over the last several weeks, we have been exploring data.  We have looked at the collection, representation, interpretation, and evaluation of data.  It is now time to put all of the skills we have practiced to good use. You are tasked with coming up with a plan for a class end of year celebration.  You are responsible for coming up with the survey questions, collecting the data, representing the data (making the graphs), interpreting the data (describing what the data tells you), and evaluating the data (determining if it is valid and if we can do what it is telling us).

Your party plan must include the following:

1. Your survey questions – be prepared to discuss if they are biased or unbiased and why you asked the questions you did.  Be prepared to discuss the population you asked as well.
2. Your graphs – you are required to produce at least 3 graphs.  Be prepared to justify why you chose the type(s) of graphs you did to display your data and why you feel they were the best choice to represent your data.
3. Interpretations of what the data told you – be prepared to discuss how you interpreted the data in your graphs.
4. Evaluation of your data and your final recommendation for our class celebration.  Note that your recommendation must be based on the data you collected.

You will present your party plan by sitting down with the Party Planners (our class) for a short interview.

The rubric that will be used to assess your work is below:

Criteria	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Collection (questions etc…) - Sample vs. census - clear? biased?
Representation (Graphs) - accuracy - data choices
Interpretation and evaluation of graphs - meaningful interpretation
Interview - able to defend your data and interpretation to class?

Remember! Track and Field is scheduled for Monday.
Please bring a water bottle, a hat and sunscreen.

If track doesn't go on Monday (rain) please be prepared to share your draft of your storybook. We will give each other feedback on how to improve. Make sure you check back to Wednesday's blog post for what I am looking for in your story.

Band members - please sign up for our Wonderland trip on School Cash Online.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Early next week (Monday, if it is raining, or Tuesday) we will present the rough drafts of our picture storybooks. We will receive feedback from our peers as to how to improve our story. Please have your first draft ready to share.

Math - please complete the "Mona's bicycle ride" work that we started today.

Due tomorrow.

We will be performing our integers dance tomorrow.

Try to go over the steps to keep it fresh in your mind.

Literacy
Outdoor Ed challenges continue each day.
We may have to postpone if it is raining too hard.

The first draft of the text of your children's book should be written by Friday.
Over the next couple of days we will looks at different ideas for illustrations.
These are the things I will be looking for in you storybook:

Cover Title, author Illustration clearly relates to the story “a teaser” Text Supports the story - doesn’t interfere or disrupt the communication Grammar/Spelling Free of errors Plot development All five areas of the plot are present (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution) Illustrations Neat and creative Help present the plot and tell the story

Math  - Measures of Central Tendency - Mean Median and Mode
The following test marks were collected:
75, 68, 47, 55, 88, 76, 82, 73, 79, 80, 70, 64, 76. 55, 73, 76, 68

1. Create a stem and leaf plot and calculate the mean, median and mode.
2. Three students wrote the test late. Their marks were: 98, 92, 94
3. Did the new data affect the median more than the mean?
4. What is the best measure of central tendency for this data? Why?

Please make sure you return your overdue library books!

Next Monday, May 29th, is our Track and Field meet.

Geography
Environmental project is due Wed. May 31st.

Health
Questions are due next Tuesday, May 30th

This weekend may be a good time to get caught up on overdue assignments.
If you are all caught up - congratulations and enjoy your long weekend!!!

Math
Today we talked about continuous data, discrete data, and categorical data.
Continuous - numerical data with any value possible
Discrete - numerical data with only certain values possible
Categorical data - describes groupings/categories

Please think of a theme and come up with one question for each type of data that you could ask to collect data on this theme.

Literacy
Tomorrow we will have a writing period for the two projects that we are working on; outdoor ed challenge and children's picture book. Please come prepared to make some good progress on these assignments.

Art
Tomorrow the following assignments will be due at the end of class:
- Humans of Highview
- autobiographical comic
- sketchbooks

Geography
Project due - Wed. May 31st.

Literacy
We got lots of feedback on both our outdoor ed challenge and our children's lit book pitch.
Please start to apply the feedback.
Children's picture book - start to draft out the words for your story. Don't worry about illustrations yet. Remember to keep it short, simple sentences and short paragraphs.
Outdoor ed challenge - Make sure that your game introduction is very clear. You need to assume that nobody has ever played your game before.

Math
Today we talked about how we can manipulate data to show a certain perspective or bias.
Follow-up assignment. Using the homework data that you were given, create a graph to tell a specific story. Use only the data that supports your perspective.

Questions -
1. What is the story your are trying to tell?
2. What data did you decide to leave out? Why?

Math
Today we created a budget for a lemonade stand on Google Sheets.
Follow-up assignment (due tomorrow) is to create your own budget for some enterprise you are interested in.
You budget needs to have:
-itemized income
-itemized expenses
-the use of a formula in your spreadsheet

Answer the following questions for your budget:
1. How did you decide on your income price point?
2. Some businesses start off with a loss at first (expenses are greater than income) Why do you think they would make this choice (to lose money, at first)? and how can it be turned around later into making profits?
3. Why do people use spreadsheets to manage data like a budget?

Literacy - Outdoor Ed Challenge!
Tomorrow we will be sharing our lessons with our partners in order to get feedback to improve before we hand it in. Please make sure you have a first draft of your lesson - written out completely - to present to your partner tomorrow. Please check the older blog posts for the criteria for this assignment.

Literacy - Children's literature
Tomorrow we will make a "pitch" of the book we plan to make.
Please have completed  for presentation to a partner/group tomorrow:
1. Setting map
2. Character map
3. Conflict map
4. Resolution map

Math
Today we began to look at collecting data on a spreadsheet.
Our table groups created a spreadsheet in Google Slides.
A complete spreadsheet will include:
1. At least three sets of data (just like ours- No high school, high school, College Diploma)
2. At least one function (sum, average etc..)
3. Labels to clarify what data is being displayed

Art
Please remember that you have three things due at the end of class this week.
- Humans of Highview
- Autobiographical Comic
- Sketchbook (ceramics sketches, four op art sketches, comic storyboard)

Math
Today we collected some survey data from our classmates.
Please create two different fully labelled graphs of that data.
Answer the following questions with your graphs.
- What story does your data/graph tell?
- Were there any surprises and/or problems with your results?
- How could this information be used?
- Who would you present this data to?
- Which graph would be most appropriate for presenting your data. Why?
- If you were to do this exercise again, what would you do differently?

Art 
Due next art class (Friday)
1. Humans of Highview
2. Autobiographical Comic
3. Sketchbooks

Book orders are due tomorrow.

Literacy
Here is the writing outline for your outdoor challenge that we talked about today:
1. Learning goals - learning skill goals?
                             - subject goals? - art, science, math etc...
2. Preparation and equipment - What do you need to do ahead of time?
3. "The lesson" - step by step procedure.
4. Reflection - how did it go? what went well? what would you change?

Analysis of your children's picture book is due tomorrow.
Remember - I need a hard copy and the book itself handed in.

Follow-up to our Williams visit
The folks at Williams have asked us to complete the following survey.
http://bit.ly/gr7day2017

Please make sure you have returned your signed midterm report.

Math
Algebra/Integers final assessments were returned today.

Literacy
Please complete your analysis of the your picture book for Friday.
Use the handout to guide you in the following headings.
1. Plot outline (graphic)
2. Text
3. Illustrations
4. Characterization

Math
Using the set of data that we used today, please tell a portion of the story of the sinking of the Titanic through a graph.

Literacy
Please remember - tomorrow you will share your favourite picture book with the class.
Remember to bring it!
Think about the plot chart we talked about today and how your book fits into that.

Tomorrow at lunch is the Gauss Math contest.
Make sure you bring your lunch and a calculator.

Thank you to Dr. GW Williams Secondary School for hosting us today at Grade Seven Day.
Please tell your families all about your day there.

Students taking the Gauss Math Challenge/Contest are reminded to bring a lunch on Wednesday as you will be writing at lunch.

I will be taking book orders until Friday.

Math
Create a graph for the situation below.
Please make sure your graph is fully labelled.
One September day in Tobermory, the air temperature was constant for several hours in the morning. Then the temperature rose steadily for several hours. It stayed the same temperature for most of the day before dropping sharply after sunset.

Literacy
For Wednesday, please remember to bring in your favourite story/picture book for our children's lit study.
Tomorrow we will be signing up for our dates for our Outdoor Ed challenges. Please have an idea of what you wish to do for your activity, so you can start writing your lesson procedure.

Monday is Grade Seven Day at Williams.
Please remember to bring in your permission form.
You cannot go without the signed form.

Midterm reports need to be signed and returned as soon as possible.

Next week we will begin study of Children's Picture Books.
You will have a challenge to bring in your favourite picture book and read it to others.
What is your favourite picture book?

Midterm "report cards" went home today. Please make sure they come back signed as soon as possible.

Monday is grade seven day at Williams. Permission slips went home today. We must have a signed permission slip in order to go. Remember - even if you are not going to Williams this will still be a good day to get a preview of high school.

Those of you who are writing the Gauss math contest, it will take place next Wednesday at lunch. Please make sure you bring a lunch that day. It takes a full 60 minutes to write.

Tomorrow is Hoops for Heart.
If you haven't already, please make sure you bring in your $5 donation.

Tomorrow we will complete our sharing of our inquiry projects and we will present our music open projects.

Outdoor Education Challenge

Design a Lesson

Your challenge is to create an outdoor education experience for your classmates and to lead that experience by teaching it with a partner. Each partner will write their own individual activity (to be handed in as a published piece of writing) but will teach with a partner, so each group of two will present two activities as part of their lesson.

Learning goals:

• Write a lesson plan with a clear set of steps to follow
• Communicate orally in a clear and coherent manner, using a style appropriate to teaching

Success Criteria:

Writing

• Your activity has a clearly written set of steps to follow - written in your own words
• You revised your lesson after you presented and clarified any gaps and questions that arose
• Your lesson plan is free of spelling and grammar errors

Oral Presentation (teaching)

• You used a big clear voice and you were easy to understand
• You practiced your lesson ahead of time and planned carefully what you were going to say
• You answered questions that arose and clarified any confusion

Learning Skills - Collaboration

• You co-operated with your partner and fulfilled your expectations
• You gave constructive feedback to your partner in a respectful way
• You received feedback with an open mind
• You made sure this was a positive and fun assignment for your partner

Math
Final assessment on Wednesday - Algebra and Integers.
Two problems for you to work on. What would a level four answer look like?

1. Carol is y years old and her daughter is 25 years younger.
Find Carol’s present age if the sum of their ages in 6 years’ time is 75 years.

2. The sum of two consecutive numbers is 111. What is the smaller number?

Literacy

Inquiry sharing is on May 4th and 5th.

Please come to class on Monday with a new self assessment on your progress. This should mainly be about your learning skills. Also write your next steps for this project.

Music

Open Project performances are on May 5th.

May 2nd is Well Being Day, Please may sure you have your permission form signed.

May 8th is Grade Seven Day at Williams!

Upcoming dates to remember:
- May 2nd - Well Being Day (permission forms required)
- May 3rd - math final assessment of learning ( integers/algebra)
- May 4th and 5th - inquiry project sharing
- May 5th - music open project performances
- May 8th - Grade Seven Day at Williams

Math
For the following visual patterns, try to figure out the equations without doing an input/output chart.
As we discussed today, take a look at what is constant and how the pattern is increasing - try to figure out the equation from there.

Literacy
Continue to work on your inquiry project.
What was the feedback you received today? how will you act on that?
What are your own personal next steps to improve? How will you act on those?

Music
Please keep working on your open project.
We will perform duet #77 Wednesday.

Dates to remember (Please don't leave things until the last minute - make a plan!)
Contemporary First Nations Issues Inquiry
    - Presentations May 4th and 5th (I have had to change these dates from the original 1st and 2nd)
Music Open Project
 - Friday May 5th

Earth Day!
Tomorrow is Earth Day.
If you can, please join our class members on the Eco-Team at the Clean Up! Green Up! festival at Anchor Park.

Hoops for Heart
Please remember to bring in a five dollar donation to participate in the annual Hoops For Heart tournament on Friday May 5th. If you wish to donate online to the Heart and Stroke Foundation please donate on the link below and let me know that you donated on line.

www.jumpropeforheart.ca.

Pet Pals Drive
The Greater Good Club (aka the GG's) are once again collecting gently used blankets, towels, dog and cat toys for the Georgina Animal Shelter. This is another way to do your part for Earth Day by giving your older towels and blankets a second life with animals that would really appreciate them.

While I am away...

Math
http://solveme.edc.org/mobiles/

Literacy
http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/gradingthegap/


Music 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBPKHLhq1Qc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lscd62ZLMGw

Math
For the following input/output, please create a visual pattern, an equation and a graph.

Input -      2     3     4
Output-     5    7     9

Here is a reminder of our discussion today

Music
Keep preparing for your open project performance on Friday May 5th.
Please don't leave it until the last minute!

Literacy
Today we set out a play for our inquiry project.
Sharing of our work will be on Monday May 1st and Tuesday May 2nd.
Don't forget -

The assessment and evaluation of this project will be rooted in learning skills. These skills will be self-evaluated and discussed with Mrs. Nye periodically throughout the project.

• Responsibility
• I fulfill my commitments
• I manage my own behavior and focus in class

• Initiative
• I approach my learning with a positive attitude
• I demonstrate curiosity and interest in my learning
• I’m taking risks and trying new things

• Organization
• I devise and follow a plan
• I manage my class time and resources

• Independent Work
• I use my class time appropriately, with minimal supervision
• I monitor and assess my progress towards my goals

• Collaboration
• Through peer feedback, I support my peers in their work
• I respond positively to the ideas and opinions of others

• Self Regulation
• I set my own goals and monitor my progress towards achieving them
• I identify my strengths and areas in need of improvement and I respond accordingly

Math
Great work today!
Now we have made the connections between patterns, equations and graphs.
Over the weekend, please find an equation and create a graph to represent this pattern:

What do you think a level four answer would include?




Literacy
Your Quotles are due Tuesday.
Please take the time to do a great job.
Paint a picture of your story in quotes.

Please take some time to think about the direction that your personal inquiry will take.
On Tuesday I will be asking you to commit to a topic and a final project - a way to respond to what you learned and show the class what you found.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Math
Checkpoints were returned today.
We discussed them in detail.
We will continue to look at integers and connecting them with patterns and equations.
Coming soon - graphing our equations!

Literacy
Today we looked at the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada.
We looked at this site.
http://www.cbc.ca/missingandmurdered/

I have asked that if you go into this website please do so with the support of your family at home.
Remember - there is no need to go into detail about the cases - it is not necessary.
We are just asking the question - why is this an issue? What does this say about Canada?
What can we learn from this?

Tomorrow we will have a Knowledge Building Circle.
Please come with any questions you may have as we head into making a decision about our inquiry projects.

Art
Two new projects on the go:

• Humans of Highview. ( http://www.humansofnewyork.com/ )
• Autobiographical comic

Tell your families about these projects

Music
Open project presentations will be on May 5th
Don't leave this until the last minute!!

Remember - Tomorrow is International Day of Pink

School Climate Survey - In class

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/yrdsb2017StudentGrade7and8

Literacy
Please make sure you handed in a hard copy (paper copy) of your letter. It was due today. If you only shared it with me on google drive it will not be marked.

"Quotle" is due next Tuesday.
Please take time to give a really thoughtful portrayal of your book.
I'll be looking for:
- hand written - make it a piece of art
- use of different "fonts" to display different feelings and voices
- different sizes of words for emphasis and importance of quote

International Day of Pink
This Wednesday is the International Day of Pink.

Monday is day three - please plan to learn in the forest.

Math
Checkpoint on Monday
- integers  (adding and subtracting in particular)
- pattern recognition - equations to explain patterns - proof!

Literacy
Final book clubs on Monday.
Please make sure you have finished your book and come prepared to discuss the entire book in general. Bring questions.

Monday - you will have class time to work on your "Quotle"
Make sure you have something to work with.

Letters are due on Monday.
Please make sure to refer to the rubric on the blog post from Monday
Please bring a hard copy (paper) copy of your letter to hand in.

Have a great weekend!!!

What an awesome day, despite the rain!!
Thank you to Gina and Judy at Vivian.
Thank you to all the grade sevens that came today with open minds and positive attitudes!
I am very proud of you.

Here is the bird cam website Gina talked about:
The Cornell Lab Bird Cams

Tell your family about Wolf Prowl!

Tomorrow is our trip to Vivian!
PLEASE dress for the weather.
Rain boots and as much waterproof gear as you have. ie: water proof jacket with a hood etc...

Math
(-6) - (+15)
What is the answer here?
Show the proof in numbers, words and pictures.
Be absolutely confident of your answer.
Checkpoint on Monday
- integers
- expressions and equations from a pattern - proof!

Literacy
Today we read this book.
Please talk to your family about it. We will continue the conversation.

Art
We now have four Optical Illusion sketches in our sketchbooks.
Please make sure you are up to date.
Here are the choices from today

Vivian is Thursday! Please make sure you have your permission slip handed to me.

Math

Today we looked at adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers.

We shared several different ways of looking at these operations.

Please make sure you have answered your partner's question for tomorrow.

Extras practice? pose questions to your family members and work through them with together.

Literacy

We had class time today to work on our letters.

Please keep the rubric in mind as you write. It is on yesterdays's blog post.

If you would like feedback you need to have a draft to be by Thursday at the latest.

Please make sure I have your permission for our trip to Vivian on Thursday!

Literacy

Next Book Club meeting is Friday

Stranger - to pg 104

Red Wolf - to end of chapter 23

Seepeetza - to pg 109

No Time - to "Nelson" pg 153

Today we began a writing assignment. A call to action letter. We have been doing a great deal of reading around current and past First Nations issues. Now we are writing a letter to someone who you think needs to know about these issues. Who that is, is up to you. A politician? a celebrity? a family member? You are going to tell them about what you have learned, and are still learning, and what they can do about it - a call to action.

This is due next Monday.

Here is what I'll be looking for:

Thinking -What you say - persuasive ideas - Are your ideas explained and supported with evidence? - Is there a call to action for your reader?

Communication - How you say it - word choice - spelling

Knowledge - What you write -Conventions of a formal letter - Salutation/closing          -body paragraph(s)

Application - The way you connect it - Makes connections to other ideas that help your audience relate to the argument - Is highly persuasive