Author Archives: jmender
Grade 7 – Calling All Reporters & Writers
We are more than half way through the Outsiders and things have gotten intense. You are no longer a Grade 7 OJCS student. You have been hired by “The Times” to report and write on one of the main events that have taken place in our novel thus far. Check out your assignment sheet for precise direction and possible topics. All articles will be published in our classroom newspaper.
Grade 8 – Welcome to the Ranch
In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie have been sent to a ranch by their employment agency. We can assume that the ranch contacted the agency saying they need to hire some new workers. In this assignment, you will create a brochure to recruit migrant workers to come to the ranch. Your brochure must be divided into 6 parts and should be done electronically. Don’t forget to have a printed copy that can be submitted on the due date (November 21st) so that we can do a gallery walk!
TODAY – I Read Canadian Day
I Read Canadian Day is a new nationwide initiative that celebrates the richness, diversity and breadth of Canadian literature. Taking place for the third year on November 2, 2022, this celebration will empower families, schools, libraries, bookstores and organizations to host activities and events by reading Canadian books for just fifteen minutes. For more information, visit ireadcanadian.ca/day and sign up for free to participate. Help get the word out on social media by following @IReadCanadian and using the hashtag #IReadCanadian.
Grade 6 – Ghost
Hi Grade 6! We have begun working on our World Record Project in order to get into our first Novel Study. Next week, we will begin reading Ghost, by Jason Reynolds. What record do you think our protagonist is trying to obtain and conquer? Will he achieve it?
Grade 7 – The Outsiders
Hi Grade 7! Let’s do the time warp back to the 60s…Mr. P’s time. What was life like? What kind of music did teens listen to? What was the political climate like in the US? What did teens do in their spare time? What were some of their worries? Are they similar to our (teen) worries today? What about social class and gangs? Was there a division? Did this impact teens socially? Did they overcome it? How? Today you had an opportunity to do a digital scavenger hunt throughout the 60s and we listened to an epic 60s playlist to set the mood and get extra inspo. Tomorrow we will begin working on our group research project to be even more in the “60s know”.
Grade 8 – Of Mice & Men
Hi Grade 8,
Friendship is what it’s all about. How far would you go for a friend? What makes someone a good friend? What makes someone a terrible friend? Why are healthy friendships important for our well being? Is there a difference between companionship and friendship? These are all questions that we will begin to answer as we read through this novella. But before we start, we need to put ourselves in that decade. What was life like? By completing this research project and sharing your knowledge in a presentation, we will all become 1930s experts!
Reading Buddies are Back!
Hi Middle Schoolers!
Reading Buddies are back! Reading Buddies is a great program that allows our senior students, like you, to be paired with younger students to build relationships, be positive role models, and engage in activities such as reading books around a particular theme, learning about a holiday together, and support our North Star that ‘we learn better together’. The Grade 8s teamed up with the Grade 3s yesterday morning for our very first session. It was a lovely and heart warming way to start the week!
Grade 8 – Friday Funyay
Today in class we looked at some of the challenges and issues that face you, as teens, in 2022 vs your parents as teens in the 80s and 90s. We than considered what challenges your future children may encounter. Your lists were dynamic, thorough, reflective and a little scary! Body image and acceptance was an issue that kept reoccurring on all lists. These discussions brought us to Christina Aguilera’s song, Beautiful. We watched the 2002 version of the video and compared it to the 2022 updated video which was released yesterday! Both were powerful and thought provoking for their time. Please complete the assignment either by hand or electronically so that you are ready to further our discussion on Monday. Shabbat Shalom Y’all!
Grade 6 – How to write a bibliography
Hi Grade 6!
In case you were absent today we learnt about plagiarism and how to write a bibliography in MLA format. Here is the Nearpod on Bibliographies we used to help guide us. You are very lucky that Google makes it very easy for you! All you need to do is go to TOOLS – CITATIONS and fill in the prompts. Happy “bibliographying”!