Getting Active and Eating Well

Hello Class,

I hope all is well. In life today it is of utmost importance that we take measures to ensure our health. Good health includes eating healthy as well as being physically active. Being physically active is a great way to have fun with friends and family while at the same time taking measures to remain healthy. Playing games in the schoolyard or in the community is a great way to meet new people and share some laughs and fun time. Please visit the CATCH website if physical activity and healthy nutrition is something that interests you. On this site you will find many great games you can play at home, at school, and in the community. You will also be educated about healthy eating habits and how you can ensure you are getting the proper nutrition required to be the great students you are. Healthy eating is another practice we should all partake in. Have a look at the Canadian Food Guide for daily food group requirements. By eating healthy and being physically active, we can optimize our performance in school and life as a whole. Happy surfing!

Kind Regards.

Mr. B

Getting Narrative

Hello and welcome to all.
In response to studying narrative writing in class, I have chosen to include a graphic organizer and an activity for all students to complete by next weeks class. Narrative writing is a great way to express oneself and be imaginative. For this activity I would like you to read King Grisly Beard or a narrative story of your choice, and fill out the Story Graphic Organizer in relation the story. Remember, you will be required to present your completed organizer with the class. This activity is designed to prepare you for the narrative writing portion of your alphabiography. Through reading and completing the graphic organizer of the chosen story, you will be able to apply these concepts to developing ideas to incorporate into your own narratives. The graphic organizer provided will also give you a tool to use when organizing ideas for your own narrative pieces.
*this activity is designed to address the specific expectation of organizing ideas (specific expectation 1.5) of the writing strand in the language curriculum.

The Greatness of Structures

Ready, Set, Build!
Welcome students. In today’s blog we will be discovering structures and mechanisms. Throughout this blog we will be specifically addressing bridges. The science strand of understanding structures and mechanisms requires that we study structures and mechanism and determine what forces act on these structures and how these structures affect our daily lives. Some of the greatest structural and engineering ideas have been used to build many of the magnificent bridges that exist in our world today. You as students will be researching the structural and engineering aspects that are applied to bridges and you will be responsible for applying what you have learned about bridges to complete a final unit activity in groups of 3-4 in which you will be building your own bridges. Although this project is going to be discussed further in class, and is not due for quit some time still, it is a great idea for us as a class to be thinking of the aspects that we might apply to the completion of this project. It is recommended that you visit and explore the Construction of Bridges link provided to acquire information that will benefit you as we complete our unit on structures and mechanisms. When visiting the website you will be presented with a bridges home page; from this point you may click on thumbnails what will take you to other areas of the site. I recommend clicking on the basic notes about bridges first. Some questions you may want to consider finding the answers to are as follows:
1) What forces act on the structure of bridges?
2) What are some construction concepts that are applied to the building of bridges that help to reduce/protect against various forces?
3) What shape/design concepts are used in the construction of bridges?
4) What are some different types of bridges and how do they work?
5) How do bridges affect our lives?
*The completion of this activity will address the specific expectation of investigating the factors that determine the ability of a structure to support a load.

Geometry:Exploring Dialations

Hello Grade 7's,
Great to see you are visiting the blog. As we continue to move through our mathematics curriculum and wrap up or fractions unit, we will soon be jumping head first into the geometry unit. Hey, I heard that, stop groaning, just kidding. Geometry can at times be challenging, however like all other subjects we will try our best and have fun while developing our learning. As you have experienced through my time with you all, I am a great believer in the use of dynamic software in which students can use hands on activities and games to aid in their own learning process. Keeping with this belief I have provided a link to some dynamic geometry software that will help you to explore the geometric concept of dilations (enlarging and reducing the size of an object). Please try this activity to explore this concept further. You will notice that you can clear the objects on the screen by simply pressing the clear button. From this point you can create your own shapes and patterns and continue to explore dilations by using the patterns you have created. Points you may want to think about may include:
1) What must I do to a shape and its original measurements to shrink it?
2) What must I do to a shape and its original measurements to enlarge it?
3) Can I describe dilations in my own words?
4) How might an artist or architect use dilations to construct works of art?
*The above mentioned activity will assist you in building understanding of dilations in preparation for our geometry unit.
*The activity is also designed to address the specific expectation of identifying, performing, and describing dilations through investigation using a variety of tools (i.e. dynamic geometry software). This specific expectation is an expectation that lies within the Geometry and Spatial Sense of the Grade 7 Mathematics Curriculum.

*As an further review activity you may want to view the Alphabet Geometry videos, these should give you a quick review on the many transformations involved in the geometry unit.

Geography: The Effects of Natural Phenomena on People and Places

Hello Students. Today we will be exploring weather and many of the natural phenomena that are associated with it. Natural phenomena such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis can have catastrophic effects on the earth as well as the people and places that inhabit it. The awesome power and force of these natural phenomena is something that has fascinated scientists, meteorologists, and people in general for centuries. The following link to discovering natural disasters and phenomena will provide you with the tools needed to research these phenomena. Your goal is to research a natural phenomena (i.e. tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes) of your choice and report back to the class the effects that this natural phenomena has on us as individuals, the places we live, and the environment as a whole. This activity is specifically designed to address the specific expectation of indentifying the effects of natural phenomena (e.g. tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes) on people and the environment, in accordance with the patterns of physical geography strand for the grade 7 geography curriculum. Have a whirling tornado of a time.

Links to Fun Learning Activities

Hello students.
Part of a teachers' challenge today is making learning fun and engaging for students. After all, we learn best when we have fun with what we are doing. Aplausmath provides a great site for you to explore different mathematics games of varying degrees of difficulty. I recommend trying the algebra meteor shooter; this game will help you to brush-up on solving algebraic equations.
As we are moving into creating our alphabiographies, a good idea might be to familiarize yourself with the different aspects of speech (i.e. nouns, verbs, prepositions), as we will be using many of these in the various writings of our alphabiographies. A simple and fun site to visit is the Grammar Gorillas. This site allows you to play games related to aspects of speech at either a beginner or advanced level. It may not be necessary to attribute a great amount of time on this site; however it is fun to visit for a review. Have fun!
To review what instruments are represented in an orchestra, you can play the game Stay Afloat. This game is similar to hangman; however it only deals with instruments. Watch out, when you guess a wrong letter or instrument your boat begins to fill with more and more materials and begins to sink. This is a great way to review the musical instruments we have been discussing in music.
Students, please give these games a try, they are great fun and a great review for what we have been covering in class or will be covering in the future.

Enjoy.

Resource Links

Hello parents and students of Mr. B's 7/8 class. This semester, as a class we will be covering many topics and concepts in relation to the Ontario curriculum for many varying subjects. Below I have attached a link to the Ontario Ministry of Education site. On this site you can view the various subjects that will be covered throughout the year. You will also be able to view the expectations that accompany each subject and strand. By viewing these expectations, I believe you will be able to generate a greater concept of what is to be taught and learned throughout the school year. Through this link you will also be able to view exemplars of works that give examples of what different levels of students work will resemble. If parents and students take the time to view these exemplars, I feel they will develop a deeper understanding of what successful work resembles. Thank you.
Kind regards.
Mr. B

Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum Grade 7
*Exemplars can be found by using the search tool in the right corner of the page