Welcome to Grade 8!

My name is Heather Leard and I have been here in Cat Lake, teaching my wonderful Grade 8 students, for two months. I am enjoying it immensely and I have grown very fond of the community here and all of its members. We in Grade 8 have our classes in the Portable located right next to the Economic Development building. Since we are a little more cut off from the school, I feel we have a deeper sense of unity within our classroom. 

We are always hard at work, preparing for the rigors of High School. The main focus of our learning is a solid Language and Math core, supplemented by a survey of important topics and concepts in History, Geography, Health and Science.

We begin each day by listening to a chapter of a novel. At the moment, we are two chapters away from finishing Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I think this gives the students an appreciation for the art of storytelling and the power of both the written and spoken word. We also have daily Journal writing, where the students are able to explore their inner thoughts through the writing process. I believe that giving the students the means to express themselves empowers them and encourages their self-confidence.

A new method that we have recently implemented in our Math program has us doing weekly quizzes to ensure that everyone is confident it the week's concepts before moving on to the next steps. This experiment is still in the first stages and we are keeping a close eye upon it to see if it bears fruit. I am confident that this will increase the students' understanding of the Math skills that they will need to compete in the High School environment.

In Science, we have a heavy emphasis on biology and the workings of the cell. However, I think that the students are more looking forward to the unit on the different mechanical systems and I hope to deliver with an exciting set of experiments for them to enjoy. History and Geography are the studies of the cultures and peoples of the earth and as such, we treat them with respect. We are learning much to broaden our social conscience through our researches into the lives of others, past and present.

One very exciting project that we are involved in is called the G8 Supplementary Online Course. This is an internet program that we have joined with 15 other First Nations schools across Ontario. This first term we are working on Science. In term 2, we will be studying Math concepts and term 3 is English Literacy. I believe that this course will provide the review and the reinforcement that will give my students the skills and tools they will need when they go on to High School next year. The students really enjoy engaging with the other students from the other participating schools through the online forums.