We gratefully acknowledge, respect, recognize and appreciate that we live, learn and work and teach on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dun First Nations and the Ta'an Kwächän Council. 
​Shä̀wnítha / Shro neethun

The Curriculum Document

Click on the embedded link below to visit the B.C. Curriculum page for English Language Arts 8

Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum

Story/text forms such as narrative, exposition, report , functions, and genres literary or thematic categories such as fantasy, humour, adventure, biography of text Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, or digital communication: Oral texts include speeches, poems, plays, and oral stories.

Keeping up with The Class

Please note that this page will feature descriptions of the plan for the week / a debrief of the week.  Actual materials are available on the password-protected Yukon Education Digital Cloud Services Google Classroom, which students access using their Rapid Identity credentials.  

The most recent additions / information will be at the top of a section.  For earlier material, please scroll down. 
August

Week 2 - Aug 30th - Sept 3rd

As it happened: 
  • As part of our Bell Ringer Activities we: 
  • We learned about types of nouns
    • Proper vs. common
    • Concrete vs. Abstract
    • Countable vs. non-Count
    • Compound Nouns
    • Collective Nouns 
  • There were worksheets for the different types of nouns and an open book quiz. 
Students practiced different techniques for figuring out the meaning of a word: 
Students engaged in personal reflection, small group discussion and full class reporting on a question: How would the world be different if humans could fly?  (Focus: oral communication). 
Students learned about the Cornell Note Taking Method: 
​This note-taking method is useful in all subject areas.  It is particularly flexible because you can include elements of the bullet list, mind-mapping methods in the "Notes" column, and you can include charts, links, diagrams, etc. 

Blank Cornell Note template sheets were provided, but students know that they can create their own on blank or lined paper. 
Students learned about the RACES writing structure, which will be one of the main frameworks we will use all semester for non-fiction written work.  This structure is useful across all subject areas, particularly when writing tests. 
The Plan for the Week: 
  • We will begin using the Bell Ringers - daily, short activities for practicing reading, writing, discussing and correcting a variety of texts (written, video, etc.). 
    • Monday Image Response
      • Students will use an image as the basis for writing about a personal memory, writing a brief narrative or a brief description.
    • Tuesday Text Fail
      • Students will practice using context and resources to correct a piece of writing (grammar, spelling, word use, punctuation, etc.) 
    • Wednesday Word Choice
      • Students will learn and practice the skill of selecting precise and compelling words to clearly communicate an idea.
    • Thursday Persuasive Position
      • Students will engage in individual brainstorming, small group discussion and full-class discussion around a provided prompt. 
    • Friday Video Response
      • After watching a video on a specific topic or concept, students will engage in a written reflection task. 
  • We will begin doing a series on parts of speech - identifying and using them accurately.
  • Students will be introduced to the RACES writing strategy. 
    • This will be used all semester for all written assignments. 
  • Students have already been informed that there will be a seating plan implemented this week.  Seating plans are designed to maximize learning for every student in the room and to minimize students being distracted or distracting in a way that compromises learning.  
    • Seating plans are dynamic and subject to change based on observed student behaviour. 
    • IEPs and StLPs are considered in developing seating plans.

Week 1 - Aug 23rd - Aug 27th 

As it happened: 
Classroom Expectations Review
  • We viewed and discussed a meme-based review of basic classroom expectations.  The foundational expectation is courtesy, from all members of the classroom community, towards all members of the classroom community, and to all materials and classroom resources. 
  • Later we will be reviewing how our Classroom Expectations related to the Anishinaabe 7 Grandfather Teachings.  

Students completed the following: 
  • A basic student information sheet 
  • Initial writing, reading, and learning preference inventories (just about their preferences, self-reported strengths, etc.) 
  • Some initial writing activities to get samples of where they are at now, at the beginning of the semester. 
    • Activities included: Stranded, Alphabet Biography, About Me Top 10 Survey
  • Students were provided with a how-to sheet on accessing their Yukon Education Digital Cloud Services Google Classroom using their Rapid ID credentials, and logged in to our digital classroom. 
    • This is NOT a blended learning course. Materials will be posted in Google Classroom in the event that students are ill or otherwise missing class due to circumstances beyond their influence. 
    • Please note that the materials on Google Classroom are intended to be used in conjunction with classroom teaching and lack that context online. A student cannot complete this course online. Google Classroom is simply a digital storage repository for this course.  (Any students who want/need to attend school online should speak to the school counsellors; AVS is the only Yukon school equipped to provide fully online curriculum.) ​
September

Week 4 - Sept 13th - Sept 17th

As it happened: 
We watched a series of videos about 9/11. 
Students were prompted about when to take notes (Cornell Note taking method), and provided with context. ​
The Plan: 
In honour of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the WTC we will be using a range of materials (articles, videos, etc.) to practice the Cornell Note Taking system and then create an integrated piece of non-fiction writing using the RACES structure on the prompt: 20 years later, what has been the legacy of the 9/11 attacks? 

At least one day this week will be a work catch up day for students to catch up on any work missed during absences last week. 

Week 3 - Sept 7th - Sept 10th

The plan for the week was significantly disrupted.  The teacher (Ms. Carrey was home sick all week, and many students were absent in the wake of the announcement of a confirmed case of COVID 19 linked to the school. 
As it happened: 
Tues Sept 7th Wed Sept 8th 
  • Students created 3 pieces of baseline writing (a snapshot of their current writing levels) based on images from The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (students were provided with 4 choices, need to use 3)
    • 1 Newspaper article
      • (focus on 5Ws and 1H plus a made up "expert" quote) 
    • 1 Short Story
      • 1 - 3 pages
      • Clear beginning, middle and end
      • Clear conflict and at least 3 attempts at a solution
      • Clear character relationships
    • 1 I am Poem Template completed from the perspective of an animal or item in one of the photos
Thurs Sept 9 
  • Students read the passage "Do Zoos do more harm than good?" and used the RACES writing structure to draft a response.
  • Students did a matching activity about terminology commonly found on tests in any/most subject areas
  • Students did a "Meaningful Connections" activity that involved using contextual cues inference to answer questions about a short passage. 
Fri Sept 10
  • ​Students read two non-fiction passages: 
    • Is Mt Everest a Garbage Dump? 
    • The Pacific Trash Vortex
  • Students answered comprehension questions on both sight passages
  • Students drafted a response to a question using the RACES writing strategy that drew on both pieces of text.
October
Information coming October 2021
November
Information coming November 2021
December
Information coming December 2021
January
Information coming January 2022