Nicole Reczek

Let's get ready to run!

Our class has made the extraordinary decision to join the Terry Fox Run run! One of the greatest strengths to have while running is endurance (click on the word for its definition and add it to your "words of the day") so that you can perform a moderate-to-high activities for a longer period of time without losing momentum or becoming shorter of breath too quickly. 

Over the next month we will be setting short-term goals related to health and fitness, such as improving cardiorespiratory fitness, monitoring heart rate and recovery time, and our small group assignment of creating an aerobics routine for the whole class to perform!

For now, here is a MINI-CHALLENGE: how long have you been sitting at the computer? While we do want to be engaged in technology and incorporate it into the classroom, sitting for longer periods of time does not improve our health. Just like we do in class: if you've been sitting for more than 25 minutes, stand up and do 25 repetitions of an exercise! 25 jumping jacks, 25 side punches, 25 'skip-rope'! It will refresh your mind and release endorphins which make you happy! 

What other 25-repetition exercises can you think of?
Who is excited for the upcoming run?

Bonus Research:
Research and Tweet your findings of why Terry Fox is so important to Canadian history with the hashtag #TerryRun

Dear Parents: Joining the Terry Fox run is not mandatory for all students but a personal choice and will not be used for assessment. However, it is a rewarding experience to share with classmates! Only the reflections on setting short-term goals and assignments such as creating an aerobics routine leading up to the run will be assessed. The living skills and healthy living section of the curriculum talk about self-awareness and self-monitoring skills, and the active living section deals with actively participating, to their best capability, in a wide variety of program activities.
Nicole Reczek

History by the Minute

Good morning Grade 8s! We've been talking a lot about the "moments" that make up Canada's history, focusing mostly on pre-Confederation and the events leading up to 1867, but also making connections with events in everyday life.

If you happen to watch Canadian television channels every now and then, you'll notice the Part of our Heritage one-minute commercials. There's actually an online resource called Historica Dominion that has all the videos posted! You can narrow the Heritage Minute search to different themes and down below the website provides more historical background on that particular defining moment in Canada's history.

There are also playlists that you can discover in YouTube by searching "heritage minutes", such as this one here.

Your feedback: In the comments section below, provide either an HTML link to a page on the Historica Dominion site OR a YouTube video of a heritage minute and briefly describe the moment, why you chose it, and if you noticed any biases present in how the information/drama was played out. Keep it about a two-tweet length (140 characters x 2! Work your math minds!)

For example: Here's a video of Jacques Cartier and his meeting with the First Nations. Any biases you notice? Here is the Historica Dominion page for it, as well. You can pick a topic that we've discussed so far in our class or something you remember learning in Social Studies from earlier grades!








Have you ever seen these on TV?
Did you pay attention to the message?
Video found from YouTube and created by Historica Dominion.

What do these videos tell us
about Canadian history?
 


Dear Parents: Through this activity, the students will be exploring the Ontario curriculum expectations of describing and analysing conflicting points of view about a historical issue or personality.
Nicole Reczek

Welcome to YOUR Grade 8 Blog!

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! This will be your grade 8 resource for the year - a place to keep yourself updated with homework and assignments and to collaborate with your fellow classmates with ideas and groupwork. Not only that, but it will be a place to grow, to discuss, and a great memory keepsake of what we've accomplished throughout the year!

From time to time, you will be asked to use this blog as a means of giving feedback on the various videos and resources we will be taking about. Remember to keep in mind proper Internet lingo and Internet citizenship, and let's keep this blog going all year-round!

Parents & Guardians: Thank you for taking the time to visit! Think of this classroom blog as a "newsletter" that you can access to see what is going on in our classroom. Our grade 8 class will incorporate a variety of digital tools, from Twitter to Bitstrips to Storybird. If you need any clarification or have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
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