MATH

We have just finished up working with patterning and algebra.  Our class has been graphing linear equations and determining the term rule to answer the nth term.
We are now moving on to converting fractions, percents and decimals.  PLease check out this song to help remind you how to do this task.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM2RDtNh7Ak
Another source of information is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr52yfR3wGA

TITANIC

In Literacy we are studying the history of the Titanic and some of the passengers that survived and died during the voyage of 1912.  Our focus is to learn about the time period of 1912 and what lead to the sinking of the Titanic.  We will be reading several novels related to the ship and students are required to complete mini assignments as they read their novel.  We will also be completing a REPORT based on a passenger from the Titanic.  The students will be asked to complete a written and oral report about a passenger that interests them.

BEDMAS

BEDMAS  is Order of Operations in math and we are using BEDMAS to solve multi-step math problems.  Check out a video to remind you how to perform the operations in order BEDMAS SONG

The next few weeks in Math are devoted to BEDMAS and finding number patterns in algebra.

ROOTS of EMPATHY

Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among schoolchildren by raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. The program reaches elementary schoolchildren from Kindergarten to Grade 8.

Today our Child and Youth Worker (Laurie Nicholson) began this awesome program with our class.  Our latest and greatest teacher at Tay Shores Public School will be THOMAS!

On Wednesday, November 11th Thomas will meet our class!  We look forward to meeting him and his mom.

TUMBLEBOOKS

Our board subscribes to a website called Tumblebooks.  This is a great resource for students to read online!  It's not just for primary students, as there are several chapter books and videos online for everyone to enjoy.
The username is scdsb123 and the password is books.  Please check it out!
Tumblebooks website

Boys Volleyball Team Games

Please check out the Tay Shores Boys Volleyball Team games.
Tuesday, October 27^th, 2015 – Mini Tournament @ HURON PARK ride needed from Tay Shores at 3:40 PM

Thursday, November 5^th, 2015 - @ MUNDY’S BAY (Midland) ride needed at 3:40 PM

Monday, November 9^th, 2015 - @ WYEVALE ride needed at 3:40 PM

Thursday, November 12^th, 2015 - @ Tay Shores playing St. Antoine end time 5:00 PM

Tuesday, November 24^th, 2015 – Mini tournament @ BAYVIEW (Midland) ride needed from Tay Shores at 3:40 PM

Please note our Thursday, October 29th game has been canceled. we will have a practice after school instead until 4:45 PM.

Multiply by Powers of Ten

We are working on Multiplying and dividing by powers of ten.  Check out this video:  Powers of Ten

Reading - How to help

Reading is a very important part of all areas of the everyday school day.  Please encourage your son/daughter to read daily for at least 20 minutes.  They can read anything!  Graphic novels are an excellent reading tool to help develop inference skills that are an important part of daily life.  Reading the driver’s handbook early, or studying for a boaters exam is an excellent real world reading skill.  Just read!  Better readers make better writers and so much of the world requires good inference skills that we can all work together to help each other improve.

You too can help with inference skills.  While out and about just ask the simple question of why do you think there’s a gas station right here?  Don’t just accept the standard answer of “because.”  Expect a reason with evidence/proof from the real world.  Also, while in the grocery store ask your son/daughter to locate the peanut butter by using the signs posted.  Ask your child to empty the dishwasher!  Yes I know a challenge in and of itself, but this allows the student to use their powers of inferencing for good and not evil (as I always say).  By unloading the dishwasher your student has to figure out a lot of unwritten rules and infer where plates go versus cups.  This is a simple skill that we adults sometimes forget to actively teach our children and yet we use inferences every day!

Marks Change in Grade 7 to Percent

You will also notice that in Grade 7 the marks have changed to a percent and are no longer a letter grade.  Please refer to the chart below for assistance.

OVERALL GRADE : 

Level	1-	1	1+	2-	2	2+	3-	3	3+	4-	4	4+
Letter Grade	D-	D	D+	C-	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A	A+
Percent	50-52%	53 -56%	57-59%	60-62%	63-66%	67-69%	70-72%	73-76%	77-79%	80-84%	85-89%	90-100%

Math

In math we are working on Factoring and Multiples to solve many different problems.  If you are looking or more work on multiples please check out some of the math websites on the side of this Blog!

French Class

In French class today our class was learning how to ask and answer daily questions (how are you, what is the weather today, etc.) and speak our answers and write them in our journals.  Please check out the link for help with translating English in to french.  Translation  Our French teacher is Madame Nightingale this year.

Scientific Method

In science we are learning about the way science experiments are completed (with a logical sequence).  The Scientific Method helps us to organize our thoughts when completing an experiment.  Check out this video for more information.  Scientific Method

September 14th - 18th

This week we continue to work on Place Value and the value of a number (whole or including decimals) in our math classes.
In Literacy we will be finishing "Frindle" and working towards completing an oral presentation where students are asked to role play a character sketch of a chosen character from the book.  More information is to follow.
A new web site of interest is a homework help site.  Check out the link.  Homework Help
As always please feel free to use the agenda for any quick notes, or contact me at the school!

Busy Week!

It's been a very busy and awesome week here at Tay Shores P.S.!  This week we have been busy getting to each other and learning names and more names.
In Literacy we are learning what makes a good reading book for us and that language changes over time.  I am reading Frindle to the class to show that the "joy is in the journey" and that language changes over time.  For example, the words text and email didn't exist in their current form several years ago.
In MATH we are reviewing place value and working with decimals.  Check out this video to help with place value.  Place Value RAP 
This song is a parody of "Rude" and also help students to understand the value of numbers.  Place Value

Looking Forward to Meeting Everyone!

I am so excited and I am looking forward to meeting all of my Grade 6-7 students and fellow Tay Shores students as well!
Here is a short survey for my class to complete.  Getting To Know You!
You need to use your SCDSB login from last year.

Welcome to Ms. Elson Grade 6-7

Welcome to Grade 6-7 at Tay Shores!
It is going to be an exciting year her and I am looking forward to getting to know each of my students and their families.

Solving For Inequalities

Grade 8 Math

We are working on ALGEBRA for the next few weeks.  We are focused on simplifying like terms, using the distributive property and solving for unknown variables.  Our next step is to use problem solving (our "Let x represent" statements) to solve for unknown variables and to solve for inequalities.

GRADE 7 SCIENCE
 We are working on exploring bridges and the forces acting on them and the reasons bridges fail.

Check out this link for help:  Bridges
This website explains how bridges work and had other articles to describe bridge failures.  How Stuff Works

Bridges Assignment (can be done in partners)
GOAL:  To demonstrate our understanding of bridges and why they work and why they fail.
SUCCESS CRITERIA:  - choose a bridge that has failed
- show how it was made
- explain how it failed and why it failed
- use some terminology discussed in class regarding forces acting on bridges, materials used to create the bridge, etc.
- present final product in ANY format you choose (for example; poster, slide show, written format - essay, oral presentation, etc.)

ALGEBRA!

We are changing our math track to ALGEBRA for the next few weeks.  We will be looking at solving equations with multiple steps and combining like terms.  Please check out this video for help with like terms and the distributive property.

Subtracting Integers POTW

A team of 4 golfers scored 69, 73, 70 and 74 on the first round on a par 72 course.  They reduced their team score by 3 on the second round.
A)  How many strokes above or below par was the team score on the first round?
B)  How many many strokes above or below par was the team score on the second round?

Multiplying Integers

When multiplying integers there are some rule to follow.  When you have the same signs the answer is positive and when you have different signs the answer is negative.

Check out the video to help with this concept;

Subtracting Integers Quiz

Please follow the link to complete the mini QUIZ.
Subtracting Integers Quiz

SUBTRACTING INTEGERS

We are working on SUBTRACTING integers and various strategies to make this a reality.  We can use a number line (remember to change the direction if you have a double negative) and using the OPPOSITE ADDITION STATEMENT to complete subtraction.  For example, if the question is        5 - (-3) = 5 + (+3) is the opposite addition statement and therefore the answer is (+8).
Check out this video for some help:

Addition of Integers Quick Quiz
Please follow the link to our quick addition of integers quiz.  Grade 8 Integers Quiz

Integers!

We are moving on to integers.  Integers are positive and negative WHOLE numbers. We will be adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers using a variety of strategies.  Check out this video to help you understand positive and negative numbers.

This video outlines addition of integers.

Our problem of the week (POTW) is attached:

Use the topics we are currently working on to help you work through this problem.  Remember to show your KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING, COMMUNICATION, THINKING and APPLICATION of skills taught.  One way to do that might be to show a solution using two (2) methods (consider using a diagram, algorithm, and/or number line).

Patrick borrowed $15.00.  He paid $8.00 for lunch and $4.00 for a new notebook.  Then he received his $10.00 allowance.  How much more money did Patrick need to repay the $15.00?

Good luck!

POTW March 30th
There will be no POTW this week.

POTW - Week of March 23rd, 2015

Please see the following problem of the week for this week.  Remember to use the skills and concepts being taught this week to help you.  Also, always look for that real world connection.

The Bayview Bobcats play an 80 game season.  They won 3/5 of their games in the first half of the season and ¾ of their games in the second half of the season.  How many games did they win in total?

CHALLENGE:  Forests once covered 1/3 of the land on Earth.  Two thirds of the forested land has been cleared.  What fraction of the land on Earth is now covered in forests?

I am looking for your ability to communicate your knowledge and understanding of the concept of fractions with this question.  Show me what you know and apply it to the question.

Multiplying and Dividing Fractions!

Our next unit is about multiplying and dividing fractions.
Check out this video to help with these concepts.

Another good resource for quick tutorials is the Khan Academy of learning.  You can locate their videos on Youtube.

Pi Day with PIE!

Today in Ms. Elson'sGrade 8 math class we celebrated Pi Day with what else?  PIE!

This week in MATH - March 10th, 2015
This week we will have a test on addition and subtraction of fractions.

On Friday, March 13th we will celebrate Pi Day!

1. Pi Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (or 3/14 in the month/daydate format), since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π in decimal form. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day
2. This year is a very important Pi Day as Saturday, March 14th 
3. represents the first 5 digits of Pi 3/14/15.
4. In this video the Michael Blake interpreted Pi to 31 decimal 
5. places and played it to music.
6. 
   

   
   Check out this Pi Day advertisement.  What  is the product 
7. that is being sold?
8. 
   

Grade 8 MATH - Week of March 2nd, 2015

This week we are reviewing fractions.  Please check out this link for practice and instruction videos that we will be using to help us in our fraction journey!  Math Clips

Our POTW this week is:

A sum of money is to be divided among three children.  Alex, Bogdan and Chai.  The money will be split as follows:
i) Alex receives $500 plus 1/5 of what remains.
ii) Bogdan receives $800 plus 1/4 of what remains; and
iii) Chai then receives the rest, which is $900
How much is the original sum of money?  Which child receives the most money?
Taken from the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing.

Grade 7 Health

This week we are exploring various substances that are legal (tobacco and alcohol) and illegal and decision making skills surrounding these issues.

February 23rd, 2015 In Math

There will be no Problem of the Week this week, to allow students the opportunity to catch up on any work from the past 2 weeks.
This week we are working with multiplying decimals and moving on to fractions.

Week Of February 17th, 2015

This week in math we are continuing our work with percents and decimals.  Please check out the Problem of the Week.

Two sports items are purchased at a store.  Calculate the cost of the items and find the amount saved, the sale price, the amount of tax and the total amount for each item if there is a discount of 10% and a tax of 13%.  Round each answer to the nearest hundredth.

Item	Amount saved less 10%	Sale price	Tax Amount 13%	Total Amount
Basketball Cost $18.50
Soccer Ball $28.00

If Bob the salesperson gets a 4% commission of the final price of the things that he sold.  What is his commission from this sale. 

CHALLENGE:  At the end of his shift Bob sold 5 basketballs and 7 soccer balls.  How much commission does he make?

Converting decimals to fractions and percents

Check out this video to help you move from fractions to decimals and percents.

POTW February 9th

We are moving on to fractions, decimals and percents for the near future.  Please refer to the POTW for this week (see below).

POTW Number Sense                                                      

February 9^th, 2015

Mr. Jones owns a convenience store.  He bought a box of 144 chocolate bars for $72.00 from his wholesaler.  He marks them up by 50%.  How much does each chocolate bar sell for?

CHALLENGE:  If Rohaan bought one (1) bar from Mr. Jones and paid 13% tax, how much will Rohaan pay all together for one bar?

Remeber to show all of your work as you go and develop a plan.

GRADE 7 Science video link

We are creating our own experiment to demonstrate our knowledge of solutions and mixtures in Madame Martini's Grade 7 Science class!

The experiments will happen on Thursday, January 29th, 2015 and we will have a TEST on Friday, February 6th, 2015.

Metric Song

This music video is a good reference for the  metric system and conversion rates.

Metric Conversion Video

Here is a video to help with converting metric units.

January 26th, 2015 in Grade 8 Math

This week in Grade 8 Math we will be finishing up Area of a circle and working on metric conversions.  Check out the link below for help with conversions.

Thursday, January 29th, 2015 we will be having a TEST on perimeter, area and conversion of metric units.
There is NO POTW this week, due to the PA day and the test.
I am available for help every day during activity break and before school.
Remember to work on the assignments given to you via Math Prodigy and try the measurement strand questions on the website Math IXL to help you study for the test.  The link to IXL is Grade 8 IXL Practice

Thursday, January 22nd, 2015

MATH PRODIGY
Students were invited to play Math Prodigy as a way to keep their math skills fresh through the strands of our math course.  As you play I will include mini assignments that are specific to the strand we are currently covering in class.   Go to the Math Prodigy website via the link on the side of this page.

Don't forget your POTW is due today!

COMING SOON TO GRADE 8 MATH - Math Prodigy Game Play 

In class I will be introducing an interesting way to work on your mad math skills!  Math Prodigy is a free online gaming system that allows you to practice math concepts (at your own level) and while you are completing a mission.  Please check out the website list on the main page for the website MATH PRODIGY  and Ms. Elson will give you your username and password (to be changed once you log in) in class.

This week in Grade 8 Math - January 19th, 2015

GRADE 8 MATH - Week of January 19th, 2015
This week we are working on understanding area of a circle and the related formula.

Your problem of the week (POTW) is:
A CD has a diameter of 12 cm.  The hole in the centre has a diameter of 1.5 cm.  What is the area 
a)    Including the hole  
b)    Excluding the hole

Check out this link to explain the area of a circle.  Area of a Circle: How to get the formula.

GRADE 8 MATH
Check out these links for Circumference!
Circle Song

Your problem of the week (POTW) for the week of January 12th:
You are working with a section of a patchwork quilt.  This section of the quilt is 12 cm square with 5 (right angle) triangles on it.  Each triangle has a base of  5.2 cm and the height of each triangle is 3.6 cm.
a) draw a diagram of this section of the quilt
b) what area of fabric is needed for the triangles?
c) what area of the background is visible?

Remember to use the four block problem solving method we have been using in class (Q, K, M, A).  If you are looking for that level four please make a plan in the K(KNOW) section and refer to the real world and prior knowledge.