Ms. Kassam's Humanities Blog

Update This week we spent some time developing quality research questions for our Renaissance Faire projects. 'How' and 'Why' questions are stronger investigative questions than 'Who, What, When and Where". We also investigated a news article about ocean levels rising and how to ask critical questions about the information presented. Our field study to Telus Spark provided students with an opportunity to design, test, and re-design, in order to develop stronger responses to the challenges they were given. Book Orders Dear Families, This is a friendly reminder that your Scholastic Reading Club orders are due by 10/31/2019 . You can place your orders online at  scholastic.ca/canadaclubs . Happy Reading, Ms Kassam Youth Climate Change Panel Discussion The City of Calgary is excited to invite youth to the “ Climate Change Panel Discussion with Young Calgarians”.    Please share that your students and parents are invited to attend and hear...

Update: Ask your child about the five factors that came together to start the Renaissance. They had some excellent conversations in their groups, and I was really proud of how well they are explaining things from only a three word reminder. It's like they're learning to converse effectively! We are also beginning to consider the many themes of investigation of the Renaissance period. Students are getting excited about creating a 'Renaissance Faire'. As part of our strategy to enhance reading comprehension skills, we did a close reading of a newspaper article about a rooster who was sued by its neighbours. Students were asked to consider the value of each perspective on their exit slips. "The Lottery" backstory was handed back to students on Tuesday with feedback and a rubric. Next Week: Monday - Read Theory is due (up to number 8) Wednesday - Telus Spark field study (all day) Have a wonderful weekend!

Update This week we spent some time examining party platforms for the upcoming Federal election. Students selected on of the 21 parties running, and provided information to their classmates about the goals of their party. We will participate in Student Vote next week with the seven eligible candidates who are running in the riding where our school is. Ask your child who they will be voting for. You (students and parents) may be interested in trying Vote Compass to determine the party that is closest to your beliefs: https://votecompass.cbc.ca/canada/ We also met with our buddies this week (104) and performed poetry duets for each other. The Grade 8 students were excellent at supporting their buddies in this public performance. Finally, we practiced effective note-taking skills, and in particular, 3 Key Notes.  *Please complete Read Theory to the end of #6. Next Week: Monday - Thanksgiving, no school Tuesday - Social Studies homework due - 3 Key Graphi...

Update We spent a great deal of time working on developing writing that is more interesting for readers. The first written assignment, "The Backstory of the Lottery" was submitted on Friday. The reason we used this particular short story is to look at what are the actions/events/interactions that create a change in society. This is tied to our study of the Renaissance, and the factors that prompted this particular era. We've begun investigating worldview (values and beliefs) of society. We did a comparison of the Western and Aboriginal worldviews and how our own worldviews can be diverse, yet still make up a functioning society. University of Calgary University of Calgary is hosting an event called Go ENG Girl on  Saturday October 19 , from 9:30 am to noon. It is an opportunity for Grade 7-10 girls and their parents to learn about engineering and try their hands at various activities, such as soldering. It is a free event but requires registration. If you hav...