Friday, 19 December 2014

Bonnes vacances!

Dear parents/guardians,
I would like to thank each parent for the gifts and thoughtful cards. Truly, I feel blessed to have amazing students to teach and wonderful parents to work with. I wish each family a delightful winter break and a pleasant start to the New Year.

Below are pictures of our final day at school !!!

They decided to get ready for arts and crafts....

Happy faces decorated gingerbread cookies with yummy sweets....



A surprise pizza delivery came our way in the afternoon....


The students in Room 111 were so generous, they decided to invite Room 106 to watch a movie, eat popcorn and enjoy delicious snacks....



And the day was far from over....

See you in 2015!
Bonnes vacances!

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

Reminder!

Dear parents/guardians,
Please make sure to return library books every week. Our class has library every Day 4. Students who have overdue/missing library books have a slip stapled into their agenda. We have library tomorrow (Wednesday, December 17th). It would be great if you can make sure to bring all overdue books so we can start fresh in the New Year (without any overdue items).

Merci!

Sunday, 14 December 2014

Week at a glance in Room 111

Week at a glance - December 15- 19
Monday, Dec. 15 - Qu'est-ce que la gentillesse? 
Tuesday, Dec. 16- Procedure : Comment faire une pizza?
Wednesday, Dec. 17 - Pizza Lunch & Bricolage
Thursday, Dec. 18 - Les devoirs sont due! (Homework package is due.)
Friday, Dec. 19- Panther Assembly, Festive Wear, Class Party

The winter break is fast approaching and we have several items on our class "To Do List" (listed above). The students and I thought it would be grand to celebrate our time together with a party on Friday, December 19th. I will bring in some treats. If parents would like to bring treats as well, please be mindful of the following food restrictions/allergies in our class:
- nuts of any kind
- gelatin

Merci !

*Note: There is no dictation this week. An optional practise package along with dictation words will be sent home on Friday for the winter break. Other than that, I would like my students to rest well and enjoy the break with family and friends.

Friday, 28 November 2014

Clairlea's Annual Food Drive

 
Dear parents/guardians,
The Student Leadership Team (SLT) has been working diligently with teachers to promote our annual Clairlea Food Drive. Donations will go to two areas: Birchmount Community Centre and Corvette P.S.

Some facts to consider:
  • 17% of Canadian children live in poverty
  • 29% of children live in low-income families
  • 1.1 million children in Canada experience food issues
  • 1 million visits to GTA food banks per year, for six years in a row.
  • 40% of GTA food bank clients reported that they did not eat for an entire day due to lack of money.
  • Canada ranks 24th among 35 developed countries when it comes to child poverty.

  • Food items to be collected include foods representing ethnic diversity: canned beans, peas, rice, etc. 
  • A listing of food items was provided for you in a red flyer sent home.
Thank you for supporting a worthy cause!


Une recette

The culminating activity for the Language unit on procedures was to write a unique hot chocolate recipe using a success criteria as a guide (e.g., interesting title, ingredients, number steps, use verbs in the beginning, write clearly).
Here are pictures of the writing process (e.g., writing rough and good copies):






Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Stratégies pour la dictée – le 28 novembre


Each week, students are given a set of 5 dictation words chosen from the word wall in our class (either tied to a unit of study or are high-frequency sight words). During the quiz, I say each word aloud three times and use it in a "context" sentence. Dictations will be sent home on Monday for correction and parent signature.

In Grade 1 we spend time discovering how each student learns differently and we encourage the students to try new strategies when they study for the dictation. Here are some ideas:

1. Practice writing the words on a white board.

2. Use Scrabble letter tiles to put the words together and spell them aloud. Bananagram letters or alphabits work great too!


3. Take an old puzzle and write letters on the back of the puzzle pieces. See how quickly you can put the puzzle together. Use pencil so that the words can be erased and re-used each week.

4. Try "tactile, sensory" strategies by spelling the words with letters made out of plasticine or play dough.

5. Create a word search puzzle with the dictation words hidden in it. Bring it to school to share with the class.

I hope this helps :) !

Saturday, 22 November 2014

Updates in Room 111

La classe de Mme. Bensalam
Dear parents/guardians,
The following is an overview of the new units we are beginning in each subject area. It would be greatly appreciated if you could review the material discussed in class in order to make sure your child understands the content.

1. In Mathematics, we are learning about directions and positions in Geometry. Here is a list of prepositions and vocabulary to practice at home:

- sur (on)
- sous (under)
- dans (in)
- devant (in front of)
- derrière (behind)
- entre (between)
- à gauche (to the left)
- à droite (to the right)
- à côté de (beside)
- près de (near)
- loin de (far)
- contre (against)
- en haut (above)
- en bas (below)
- une case (a square/box)
- une grille (a graph)
- une carte (a map)

Sur, sous, dans chanson : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIYS2_Y9XhM
Vocabulary Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW5rdguq0q0
http://www.francaisfacile.com/exercices/exercice-francais-2/exercice-francais-47685.php

You may play a game at home titled "L'objet mystere" (Mystery Object), wherein your child hides an object and describes the location of the object by using preposition words.

2. In Language, we are developing our procedural writing skills. We are learning that procedures have steps, are numbered, begin with a verb, and describe the actions we carry out to make something. On Friday, we prepared hot chocolate (le chocolat chaud) with marshmallows (les guimauves). This week, we will be writing the steps needed to make our own unique hot chocolate recipe.
                      
Students will also get a chance to practice reading, writing, listening, and dictation skills in literacy centers.

3. In Social Studies, we are continuing our community member puppet show presentations. We would like to expand our understanding of the unit by building the structures we see in our community using recycled material. This culminating activity will help students design maps with a legend and practice describing location on a grid for Mathematics. Please send in any of the following recycled material as soon as possible to our classroom:
- bottle caps
- cereal boxes
- tissue boxes
- egg cartons
- card board
- magazines
- newspapers
- toilette paper rolls
- empty plastic fruit cups

UN GRAND MERCI!

4. In Science, we are wrapping up the unit on living and non-living things and identifying parts of the body. We will soon begin the next unit on daily and seasonal changes.





5. In Drama, we are going over a series of activities tied to the character trait of the month, empathy. We will continue discussing the importance of understanding, acknowledging, and talking about our feelings through activities such as, "Put downs and Put Ups", Listening Role Play, Point of View, etc.


6. For practice at home (les devoirs), students have:
a. A weekly dictation on Friday. They receive a list of 5 new words on Monday's.
b. A language and mathematics package which is due on Thursday's.
c. A sound booklet to read (i.e.,"Mimi la souris", "L'histoire de chats", "Une orange pour Solange"). We take the time in class to do shared reading activities, such as; reading buddies, recount graphic organizers (Qui, Quand, Ou, Pourquoi, Comment), making inferences, writing new vocabulary on the word wall ("mur de mots"), and discussing grammar points. After two weeks, the book is sent home for your child to read with a parent/guardian. It is recommended that your child spend at least 10 minutes reading the book and answering comprehension questions orally. Students in Grade 1 are not given homework, but rather practice work/reading to help build a routine at home and develop independent work skills for 10- 15 minutes.


As always, thank you for your continued support in your child's education in the French Immersion program. I would like to remind all parents to encourage their child to make more of an effort to speak French at all times. Please continue viewing websites listed on the tab titled "Parent Resources".




 





Wednesday, 19 November 2014

L'empathie?

Every morning, we sit in a community circle and before we begin our calendar routine, I ask each student the simple question "How are you?" - "Comment ca va?". As a class we discuss how we could support each student for that day (e.g., possible solutions to feeling tired are to eat a healthy breakfast, get to bed early, drink plenty of water, exercise).
 
Since this month's character trait is empathy, I would like to encourage parents to explain to their child that expressing and acknowledging feelings are an important tool for conflict resolution.
 
Please practice the French vocabulary listed below with your child.
Je me sens... ( I feel …)
1. heureux/ heureuse  (happy)
2. triste  (sad)
3. fâché/ fâchée  (angry)
4. peureux / peureuse (scared)
5. curieux/ curieuse  (curious)
6. surpris / surprise (surprised)
7. embarrassé / embarrassée (embarrassed)
8. fier / fière (proud)
9. excite / excitée (excited)
10. désolé / désolée (sorry) 


Monday, 17 November 2014

Goodbye Fall, Hello Early Winter Weather

Dear parents/guardians,
Since the weather is projecting a lot of wet snow and is significantly colder, I would like to kindly remind you to dress your child appropriately (e.g., snowpants, water-proof boots, warm coats, hats, gloves/mittens, sweaters, warm socks, etc.). Please pack your child with extra socks and gloves as well.

Merci!

Pendant l'hiver, tu dois porter tous ces vetements pour ne pas prendre froid:
- un pantalon de neige/ une salopette
- les gants
- un chapeau
- une tuque
- les mitaines
- un manteau
- les chaussettes
- les bottes
- un chandail