Grades 6-8: Public Speaking Finalists

All of the speeches this year were incredible! Each and every student should be proud of their accomplishments. As a judge, it was incredibly hard to choose who would be moving on to the finals. Remember that these events are opportunities to grow and further your develop your learning skills.

The 2021 Middle School Public Speaking Finalists are:

Grade 8

- Jenny Peters
- Maayan Shrem
- Yamaya Newman

Grade 7

- Maya Spanglet
- Griffin Baker
- Halel Willner

Grade 6

- Audrey Moore
- Mara Cherun
- Maor Waldman

FAQ

When are the finals?

The Public Speaking Finals will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.

The Grade 4 & 5 Public Speaking Finals will be held from 9:00-10:30AM

The Middle School Public Speaking Finals will be held from 11:30 AM-1:00PM

2. Can family members, friends, and other loved ones watch the finals this year?

Yes! Click the link below to watch the live stream of the public speaking finals.

https://stream.meet.google.com/stream/ea4a172d-4dc5-4e08-8b42-25d6a65fb9bc

Grades 6-8: OJCS Maccabiah Games (Friday, June 11th, 2021)

Each year, our student government works hard to plan מכביה (Maccabiah) – our school-wide colour war event. Featuring various high-energy events, Maccabi Canada athlete stories, competitions, and even trivia challenges, it is something our students and staff all look forward to. Our school-wide day of friendship and fun will take place on Friday, June 11^th, 2021 and we’re gearing up for a great day! How many days until this event? Only 17!

This year, our students are excited to be sorted into the houses of Hogwarts as they prepare for Maccabiah – Harry Potter style. We can’t wait to see what sorts of high-jinks our wizards get into. Will there be potion making? A game of quidditch? A life-size game of chess to reach the Sorcerer’s Stone? Time(turners) will tell!

Though our students will represent Gryffindor (red team), Hufflepuff (orange team), Ravenclaw (blue team), or Slytherin (green team), we know that there is nothing quite as good as when we’re all rooting for the same team – in this case, OJCS. And that’s where we need your help. Our school is just $10,800 away from reaching our fundraising goal this year. That is just $60 per student! Please help support our students (current and future), by supporting our Maccabiah. Feel free to share on social media and with your friends and family:

http://bit.ly/maccabiah2021

Thank you, merci and todah rabah for your help in reaching our goals.

Grades 6-8: Public Speaking Update

Today we set the order for the upcoming public speaking presentations. Please remember that every student must be ready to present their speech on Tuesday, May 25th, 2021. If you are not ready to present when it is your turn you will lose 10% of your mark.

Middle School Public Speaking Order

Please remember to edit your speech, review the rubric, plan a few key gestures, and practice!

You can find all of the necessary public speaking information (including the rubric) within this presentation: Public Speaking Google Slideshow Presentation

Grade 6: Making Quality Blog Comments

Today we discussed the importance of making quality blog comments. The students spent time commenting on the memoirs of their peers. The Grade 6 students did a fantastic job composing their memoirs. It is great to see the students commenting words of encouragement and offering suggestions.

Click the link below to access the links to their blogfolios:

Grade 6 Student Blogfolios

Mrs. Thompson created a wonderful infographic about creating quality blog comments:

Download

Grades 6-8: Public Speaking 2021

This post contains all of the essential information for public speaking

Welcome to this year’s public speaking contest for grades 6-8. Expressing ideas aloud in a clear and effective way is an important life skill! Students will have the opportunity to plan, develop, and deliver a speech to showcase these skills. Students will be spending the upcoming weeks working towards preparing a 4-5 minute speech. Additionally, we will be spending time in class practicing various oral communication skills (eye contact, inflection, effective use of gestures, etc.)

Important Due Dates

Choose topic + fill out topic brainstorming sheet (email your teacher with your choice by the end of the day)	4/20
Speech planner/Graphic Organizer	4/30
Introduction If students complete paragraphs early they can always move ahead and work on the next step in the process.	5/5
Body Paragraph 1	5/11
Body Paragraph 2	5/14
Body Paragraph 3	5/19
Conclusion	5/21
Class Presentations	5/25-5/27
Self-assessment and reflection	6/3
Public Speaking Finals Grades 6-8	6/8

Click the links below to access important public speaking documents:

Public Speaking Google Slideshow Presentation

- - This contains the public speaking writing process, tips, and requirements

2021 Public Speaking Due Dates Checklist

2021 Public Speaking Speech Planner Graphic Organizer

2021 Public Speaking Rubric

2021 Public Speaking Self-Reflection

Beneficial Resources:

Download

Grades 6-8: Public Speaking Intro

Today we will discuss public speaking! We will review the different types of speeches (informative, entertaining, and persuasive). Students will receive more information about public speaking (due dates, check-in dates, etc.) at the beginning of next week.

Click the links below to access our first public speaking sources:

Intro to Public Speaking Slideshow

PS Topic Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

Task: Students will complete their Brainstorming Graphic Organizer by 4/20

The students must brainstorm 2-5 topics and decide the purpose of their speech for each topic.

Grade 6: Memoir Writing Task

We have spent the last two weeks analyzing various memoirs. Students are tasked with writing a memoir about an important event, personal interaction, image, place, or object in their life. A memoir is an account of a personal, emotional experience that attempts to allow the reader to feel what the writer felt in that moment. This memory must have affected you, your life, or your personality. Overall, this memory must have meaning in your life.

Focus Skills

The writing process: evidence of planning, drafting, revising, and editing
Sensory language/imagery: paint a picture in the reader’s mind, the use of descriptive adjectives
- Make sure the reader can:
  - Sympathize with you
  - Can understand how you feel and experience the emotions you felt at the time you’re describing.
The impact: the deeper meaning, message, or importance that this topic had for you
- Incorporation of a theme

Click here to access the assignment instructions/rubric: Memoir Writing Assignment

Schedule:

Assigned: Monday (4/5)
Check-In #1 Topic Selection: Wednesday (4/7)
Check-In #2 Rough Draft: Wednesday (4/14)
Peer Review: Thursday (4/15)
Final Copy posted on the blog: Wednesday (4/21)

Grades 6-8: Responding to Comprehension Questions

Mr. Kom prepared a great presentation about how to properly answer comprehension questions. We discussed the importance of “tagging the question”, providing examples to support your thoughts, and editing your work prior to submitting a task.

Click the link below to access Mr. Kom’s presentation:

How to Answer a Questions Google Slideshow

Grade 6: Memoir Unit

The Grade 6 cohort will begin focusing on writing and analyzing memoirs. By the end of this unit, students will be able to answer the following questions:

What are the essential components of an effective memoir?
How can figurative language play a role in the description of a particular memory/event?
What can we learn from memoirs about the human experience?

Click the link below to access our Memoir Unit Slideshow:

Memoir Unit Google Slideshow Presentation

Download

Grades 6-8: Guest Speaker on Monday!

We have an incredible guest speaker, Jesse Miller of Mediated Reality, “coming” to speak to our Middle School cohort on Monday, March 1st. In this session, he will discuss social media awareness, internet safety, and mental health.

Grades 6 – 8: 11:45 – 1:00 – Google Meet

Parents: Parent Registration Link

Even before COVID-19, we’ve been living in a world where social media plays a large role in the way we communicate – for our children too! With lockdowns, school closures, and the need to physically distance, many of us have increased the amount of time we spend online, as a family, and as individuals. With this has also come concerns around the amount of screen time for our children, and how to best support them as they navigate an increasingly online world. Jesse Miller of Mediated Reality, is a national social media awareness expert, and he will be holding a parent information evening on Monday, March 1st at 7:30 pm to address parental fears and minimize stress around screen time, discuss perceptions around technology addiction, and answer all your questions.

Download