" Ce qui est remarquable c'est que, chaque jour, nous pouvons choisir l'attitude que nous aurons pendant cette journée. Nous ne pouvons pas changer notre passé. Nous ne pouvons pas changer les actes d'autrui. Nous ne pouvons pas changer l'inévitable.
La seule chose que nous pouvons modifier, c’est notre attitude face à la vie et à ces événements.
Je suis convaincu que ma vie est faite à 10% de ce qui m'arrive et à 90% de ma réaction face à ce qui m'arrive. Et il en va de même pour vous. Nous sommes responsables de nos Attitudes."
(Charles R. Swindoll)
"The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
(Charles R. Swindoll)
LE MONDE FRANCOPHONE
Le Monde Francophone
http://www.kameleo.com/wc/JEU-Ch0-MondeFranco.html
La Francophonie
http://ms.loganhocking.k12.oh.us/~madame/francophonie.htm
Laissez les bons temps rouler !
Live the language Youtube clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_QO8LoGNpc
Speaking to le Monde
Richard Shryock argues that French is the most practical language to learn!
http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=4098
Français
This Week (Sept. 11- Sept. 15, 2017):
In French:
We started this week trying to build our classroom community and get to know each other better. This will extend all along September. We also started our first semester novel study “La Nouvelle Maîtresse” by Dominique Demeter. “Boîte sur Moi Project” presentation will be next Monday, September 18th and extend the next day if necessary.
In Science:
We’ll start our first major unit of study, THE HUMAN BODY. We will talk about major organs and systems in general. It is usually one of the units that most students are excited about. Encourage your child to choose books that are connected to his Science and Social Studies units of study.
In Social Studies:
We’ll enter a time capsule and go back about 10000-20000 years to meet the first habitants of Canada. Since they will be submersed into the history of those first people, I encourage the parents to talk to his/ her child (ren) about their own history (facts about their birth), about the family’s history (arrival in Canada, transportation upon arrival) and anything relevant to the child’s identity.
Sept. 18- Sept. 22, 2017
We'll start our spelling program this Monday. Students will receive 10 French words weekly that will practice in order to remember. One of the options on the practice worksheet is cursive writing. Kids are not required to master this skill as part of the curriculum so if this turns to be an inconvenient and taking too much time, kindly guide them towards a different option: bubble letters, writing consonant in blue and the vowels in red, writing each word with a different colour, etc. At least one of those 10 words will be a verb so the teacher will chose one verb weekly for the students to conjugate to the 4 main French verbal tenses. The students are to use an online verb conjugation website (ex. http://www.conjugation-fr.com/) to make sure they learn the accurate conjugation. Most weeks, the dictation will be done on Friday unless otherwise specified.
Sept. 25- Sept.29, 2017
Students will receive their spelling practice sheet on Tuesday and since it is a short week, the dictation will take place the following Monday, October the 2nd.
Please make sure, your child returns his/her Social Studies booklet "Les Autochtones" on Tuesday as it was sent home so they can complete questions A, B & C on pg. 4.
Oct. 16- Oct. 20, 2017
Students will not have a Dictée page to study as they normally do, instead they will receive their login information for Infos- Jeunes and will have to read the article "Je suis Invictus", answer the related questions and react to it. They have to make sure they submit it by Monday, Oct. 23 so I can view their work.
Infos Jeunes is such a great website that can be used as a tool for French Home Reading, and will improve their decoding skills since it has the option "listen to reading" incorporated. The first set of question will demonstrate their literal comprehension while the second set will develop their inferential skills. The reaction part is meant to develop their applied comprehension, to help them make personal connections and to actively work on their evaluative meaning.
Nov. 13- Nov. 17, 2017
This was a week full of academic challenges as we went from building a model of our immunity system in action or drawing a comic strip to being European explorers that discovered the new world. Most kids had solid arguments to prove why they would not be a good fit for explorations, and at the end I find myself in the position to agree with them that “food” is always a real deal breaker :).
A copy of their Social Studies Quiz went home this week. I advised them to keep the copy as I will file the original in their portfolio and have the agenda signed at the indicated location to prove that parents have seen it.
December Update
French - Students continue to use listening and speaking strategies in class. Students will also be working on a small French presentation on the biography of a Quebec personality. Research will start this coming week and the presentation itself will be taking place in late December. We continue word study activities in class and at home. Writing- Students are encouraged to use classroom tools (word wall, dictionaries and Chrome books) when writing in class. Reading- In class, students are learning how to write clear answers to comprehension questions asked about texts. Students continue to work on using reading strategies in class such as making connections, predictions, visualizing and writing summaries. We are will be reading our last two chapters of the novel “La Nouvelle Maîtresse” and continue our letter writing.
Science- We are also going to finish our Human Body project and as a culminating task, the students will be assigned a Project Based Learning (Inquiry). The project will be touching the following BIG IDEAS:
1) Analyse the impact of human activities and technological innovations on human health.
2) Investigate the structure and function of the major organs of various human body systems.
3) Demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of human body systems and interactions within and between systems.
In Social Studies- we will follow Jacques Cartier lead in exploring the new world and will descend the Saint Lawrence River and visualize the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona (Quebec City) and at Hochelaga (Montreal Island). We will also analyse aspects of early contact between First Nations and Europeans in New France to determine the ways in which different parties benefited or in which this impact became detrimental.
The following is a website with free French downloadable books. They are good Desert Books. Remember, students in grade 5 should regularly read Junior Novels or level appropriate articles such as the ones found on Infos- Jeunes website.
http://www.childrensbooksforever.com/childrenpages/French.html
January Update:FRENCH: We will continue determine meaning in a variety of oral French texts, using appropriate listening strategies; we will also demonstrate an understanding of information in French texts about aspects of culture in diverse French-speaking communities and/ or other communities around the world. In writing, we will focus on editing spelling, grammar, punctuation, the flow of idea and last but not least, the pertinence of the information included (differentiating between main ideas and details).
SCIENCE:- we will identify and describe forces acting on and within structures. As the kids measure and compare external forces (natural or human) acting on structures and their effects on different materials, they will develop a more sophisticated understanding of the concept of force and of ways in which structures respond to forces acting upon them. Students will have an opportunity to apply their learning as they design and build a designated structure.
SOCIAL STUDIES: we will delve deeper into our first semester unit “First Nations and Europeans in New France and Early Canada” by continuing to analyze aspects of early contact between First Nations and Europeans in New France to determine the ways in which different parties benefited (e.g., early settlers benefited from First Nations people’s knowledge of medicine, geography, and modes of transportation appropriate for local conditions; the imperial government in France benefited economically from the fur trade and from alliances with First Nations, who aided them in their conflict with the British; First Nations benefited from new materials and some of the technologies introduced by Europeans).
February Update: French- we will focus on a variety of oral and listening activities. We also plan to watch a movie that is an adaptation of two novels written by Dominique Demers, having the same central character, Mlle C. One of those novels has been studied by our class this semester. Afterwards, we will work on a comparison between the movie and the book in order to have a deeper understanding of each one’s value. This movie praises the right to be different and unique. It is also a movie about the happiness of reading and the power of imagination. I encourage parents to purchase the novel and have the students reread it at home. It would successfully replace the daily French reading for up to 2 weeks. The study of the novel BGG will start in March, so I strongly encourage each student to have his/ her own copy too. The financial investment in both novels will be around $30. I have also attached a picture of each, for your view.
Through writing, we will connect to our current reality, the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games by creating the profile of a participating athlete, by writing a letter of encouragement or of congratulation to our athlete, by inventing a new winter game and by creating and describing a mascot that will fit the current location, season, represented sports and countries.
Science- Currently we work on the major unit “Forces and Structure”. In collaboration with our teacher librarian and the other grade 5 English teacher, we started a project that will require students to build free-standing structure that can hold a hard-cover chapter book. Another criterion for their structure is to keep the book at least 5 cm above the ground. I know, so far, many of you have said, easy task. Now listen to the amount and type of materials provided and we’ll see if you’ve changed your mind or not afterwards. So, each group will have 20 straws and 1 meter of masking tape.
The kids have already started their planning. They have been encouraged to create several prototypes to choose from. Our main goal is to make sure that every student understands that structures and mechanisms throughout our environment have forces that act on and within them. While explaining their plan, they will have to use appropriate science vocabulary such as tension, compression, torque, and load and will identify the external and internal forces acting on their structure.
Also, this month, we will focus on developing an understanding of the fact that forces resulting from natural phenomena can have severe consequences for structures in the environment.
Social Studies- We will wrap up our current unit of study, “First Nations and Europeans in New France and Early Canada”, by focusing on different aspects of the colonization such as the importance of Samuel de Champlain, the relationship between the colony and the mother country, the perspective of different groups such as settlers, coureurs de bois, missionaries, Filles du Roi, First Nations.
April Update: It is hard to believe that there are only 3 months of school left which works out to be less than 60 school days. We can do this!
French- As we head towards the end of the school year, we will focus on developing our critical thinking skills in the way we respond to reading short stories; focusing on timeline, providing evidence from the text. We will also make greater connections to Science & Social Studies texts. We will start the study of the novel Guillaume and we will analyse the character’s feelings and internal turmoil as he is looking for solutions to his problem.Starting on April 20, we will partner with our grade 2 classes and will read in French with our little buddies. As teachers, we always love those partner activities as we get to witness incredible responsibility, leadership and role modeling from the part of the older students. I know it will happen again this year !
Tips To Support Your Child In French Immersion When You Don’t Speak French
https://www.camptournesol.ca/5-tips-to-support-your-child-in-french-immersion-when-you-dont-speak-french/
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideFrench.pdf
Social Studies-Good Government and Responsible Citizenship
In the month of April we will discussing different aspects of our government. We will be talking about the roles and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen and the impact one can have in his/her community.
Big Ideas in the Curriculum:
• Our governments perform challenging and complex work.
• Responsible citizens monitor and improve government decisions and actions.
• Governments and citizens have joint responsibilities to take care of our community, province and country.
Science-Properties and Changes in Matter
Big Ideas in the Curriculum:
1. There are three states of matter. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
2. Matter that changes state is still the same matter. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
3. Physical change refers to the fact that a substance can be changed from one form to another. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
4. Chemical change implies the formation of a new substance. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
5. The properties of materials determine their use and may have an effect on society and the environment. (Overall expectation 1)
June Update:
We are wrapping up our Government Unit in Social Studies. The kids created a provincial bill and I have to admit that multiple proposals have been very strong ideas that would easily compete with the proposals made by our political stakeholders. In Science, we are working on our last unit "The conservation of energy and resources". One of the tasks sent home approximately a month ago was to complete daily an Environmental Calendar. For the final science project, the kids have been asked to bring once again, recyclable materials to create a device that will transform one type of energy into another, some examples include transforming elastic energy into motion (kinetic energy) or chemical energy into electrical energy. They will answer the first two question on the received pages at home and the rest has to be done in class.
In Reading, we are going to read the last chapters of the novel Guillaume and continue to do study questions to have a deeper understanding of the events, the main character's feelings, to acquire new vocabulary, etc.
Last but not least, continue to encourage your child to use Infos-Jeunes for home reading. Watching French television is highly recommended as it will improve the listening skills and ultimately the oral communication too.
Online French Reading
sites.google.com/a/hdsb.ca/outils-de-recherche/outils-de-recherche-5#Sciences !!!!
www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SimpleSearchCategory?ids=&cnum=1&langid=12&ilang=French
www.1jour1actu.com/
www.geoado.com/
fr.vikidia.org/wiki/Vikidia:Accueil
iletaitunehistoire.com
www.thefrenchexperiment.com
www.lechientomate.com/livres/index.ht
Useful tool for grammar checking
bonpatron.com/