Bonnes vacances

Today, the students came in to class found surprises on their desk.

1. They received 2 biscuit ornaments to decorate.
2. They received a gingerbread house kit for each group. We had a competition to see who had the best teamwork skills to build a solid structure.
3. We will have hot chocolate and pop corn on Friday along with a class pot luck party.

And.....
The day was far from over. The students had a great rehearsal in the morning and later came back in the evening for the winter concert. Amazing job to all! Felicitations mes amis!

To all the families in my class, I wish you a wonderful December break and a prosperous New Year. 

The Crayon Box That Talked- Je suis différent

I wanted to help the students better understand why we should celebrate differences, especially since many students are celebrating different festivities this winter break. Inspired by The Crayon Box That Talked, I used a drawing exercise to help students discover the value of diversity. 

I provided each student with two sheets of drawing paper, then allowed each student to pick out one crayon from a box. Students were then asked to draw a picture with only the single crayon. Later I asked students to draw another picture on the second sheet of paper; they could use as many different colours as they wished. When they finished, I asked the following questions:

Which picture do you like best? Why? Which picture would you like to display in your classroom, the hallway, at home?

Invariably, all of the students preferred the pictures drawn with the whole box of crayons. They were asked to make inferences by putting "themselves in the shoes of the crayons". They declared that it would be a boring world if we were all alike- like the picture drawn with one crayon. The diversity in the world makes it like a wonderful box of crayons with endless colours. 

Each crayon had something special to offer to the picture- green for the grass, blue for the sky, yellow for the sun. The students agreed, and I asked them to brainstorm all of the unique and special things we have to offer to our groups or the class as a whole. 

Later we made connections by reading the book entitled "Je suis différent" about a girl in a wheel chair, a boy who could not hear, and a girl who could not see, amongst other special needs. We learned about sign language and tried to empathize by putting our shoes in the life of a student who could not speak but rather use sign language. It was quite the hard task! So, we are very much appreciative to have working body parts!

"We could learn a lot from crayons ... (They) all are different colours, but they all exist very nicely in the same box."

Academic Update

In Room 111, we are finishing strong before the end of the year!
As you view the pictures at home, ask your child to fill you in on what he/she is learning. Please continue to reinforce speaking in French in the classroom. Merci!

In Mathematics, we are learning about surveys, bar graphs, pictographs, and new vocabulary in the Data Management unit.

In Language, we are delving into the poetry unit as we discuss poems and songs about winter.

Winter Vocabulary

Snowman Song

Petit Ours (Little Bear) Poem

Literacy Centers

With the Daily 5, students will be given the option to visit a language centre on a weekly basis. The centres will consist of Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading/Song, Word Work, and Drama Centre. The students will be held accountable for their learning at this time, either by completing a reader response/graphic organizer, or recording a dialogue, all for assessment purposes.

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 and commence a project entitled 'A Year in My Life'. 

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 to visit websites listed on the tab entitled Parent Resources. 

REMINDERS:

1. Book bag ('sac a livre') and Reading Buddies are now Friday's (Day 5). 
2. Dictations are every Friday, unless there are presentations or a P.A. day. 
3. Library book is to be returned Wednesday's (Day 3). 
4. Show and Tell ('montre et raconte') is at the end of every month. I congratulate all students who presented their Show and Tell this month. They were quite informative and enlightening. 

5. Continue to enforce the Zones of Regulation with your child at home if he/she is experiencing challenges with self-regulation. Please view the previous blog for a video and more information. Merci!

IMPORTANT DATES

Winter Concert is Wednesday, December 19th, 2018 @ 6:00 - 6: 30 pm for Act 1 (Primary Division)- Please wear festive colours and arrive 10 minutes early to Room 111. 

French Book Fair - Will run throughout the concert dates. Feel free to go to the library after the concert and view what French books/resources you can purchase. 

Show and Tell- Theme is Cultural Festival/Holiday

Montre et raconte - Cultural Show and Tell

Yesterday the students and I discussed what a "montre et raconte" presentation consists of. Your child received a yellow duotang with forms containing instructions on how to prepare for the oral presentation, what to say in French, and the date of the presentation all attached in their agenda.

The theme for this month's presentation is to choose an object/clothing that represents your favourite cultural festival or holiday. Since the winter break is fast approaching, I would like to take the time to do an inclusive activity wherein every student in the class can boost his/her self-esteem by discussing what they love. We are trying to make a connection between what we celebrate at home and how we can encourage and support that at school to ensure every child is feeling happy!

What you can do as a parent/guardian?

1. Please help your child choose one suitable show and tell object (e.g., picture, game, book, travel souvenir, etc.).

2. Provide time for your child to practice saying the prompt phrases. I have written the instructions both in French and in English to make it easier for parents/guardians.

We will begin all presentations on Monday, December 10th, 2018. 

Below is the schedule we will use at the beginning of every month. Bonne chance!

Wonderful Experience at Forest Valley!

On Monday, December 3rd, 2018, our class went to Forest Valley and had a blast with two amazing instructors, Mitchell and Ken.

We were very intrigued by nature and all that it gives us and teaches us. We learned many interactive games from our instructors (e.g., fox and rabbits, mice and hawk, migration game) and were given the task to create an animal habitat using the materials we saw in the forest. We had a mediative session near the Don River and breathed in fresh air for our lungs. 

Thank you ever so much to our three volunteers for attending the trip. Three panther cheers for you!

Check out the pictures to see what your child learned.

We shared our knowledge of what the attributes of living things are. 

Students observed animal fur. 

Students observed various rocks.

Students placed living and non-living things in hula hoops. 

Students walked on a bridge to view the Don River. 

Students discovered that large nests are actually for squirrels and they are called a "dra". 

Students had a warm bottle of water and were asked to use fur and other materials found in the outdoors to build a warm habitat. 

After lunch, we checked the temperature of each water bottle. The highest temperature was from this group ranging 17.5 degrees Celsius. 

Students learned about plant habitats as well.

Small insects called beetles made tunnels in the wood log to navigate. 

We were given a piece of delicious candied syrup to eat. 

We thanked the tree's by hugging them and expressing thank you in the First Nation, Metis, and Inuit language- "miigwech". 

Until next time - A la prochaine!