Ants!

It's been a while since the last post... I was working in the garden today and as I lifted up huge rhubarb leaves from the ground (see picture as a proof!) I noticed a colony of ants. So I thought of this cool video found on the internet. Enjoy!

Back to Vancouver, Maganés!

We're back!  What an amazing experience we've had!  Out of all the exchanges I've participated in, this one was by far the best.  People kept telling us how awesome and polite JQ students were.  I was proud as a peacock!

I've been following this blog and it seems like the word of the day totally applies to what we're going through at the moment.  This post will help you understand how I felt once I got home yesterday morning.  I'm sure I wasn't the only one feeling this way!

J'étais maganée.  Tellement maganée que je me suis couchée à 13:00 et je me suis réveillée à 06:00 ce matin.

I hope you have a great weekend. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow and I look forward to seeing the sun again. Our last week in Montréal was very wet!

Here are some pictures for you.  I am pleased to present to you Division 3 students! Which one is the intruder?  If you can find the name of this little guy, you will be eligible to win a prize.  Do not write it on the blog but on a post-it note instead.  The deadline to give me your answer is Tuesday May 10.

Leçon de Maths!

Il a fait beau tout le weekend, j'espere que ça en a été de même pour vous!

I'll write the following part in English in case parents are still reading this blog...

Students are on their way to Québec city and I'm in a coffee shop waiting for them to arrive. Since my parents live here, I came to spend the weekend with them. It's been almost 2 years since I saw them so they were really happy to see me. Instead of driving back to Montréal last night, I stayed here, saving me a 2 1/2 hour trip (last night and this morning). Can't wait to see everyone and show them what this beautiful city is all about! I know it pretty well as I've lived in Old Québec for a few years. 

On the agenda today: 

-lots and lots of shopping

-discovering old and very cool stuff (a cannonball stuck in a tree, cannons, fortifications, historical sites, etc.)

-activities on the Plaines d'Abraham (reenacting the battle between the French and the English!)

-lots of driving (5 hours for a return trip)

I leave you with a link to a really neat blog that I want to share with you. This post is very informative and the fun part is that it's totally linked to the Grade 6 Math textbook. Many of you probably know this but in Québec, we often use the 24 hour clock system. As I often tell the students, "Math is everywhere"!

Et voilàI Have a great day! Missing you all... 

Picture (and word) of the day: Pou-tine!!!

Vous nous manquez!!!

Leçon de français #1:

Je te manque (ou encore pire "je manque toi") ne correspond pas à "I miss you" ou "We miss you".

Alors voici, les amis de la Division 3, ce qu'il faut dire la prochaine fois que nous allons nous voir.

We miss you = Vous nous manquez

We missed you = Vous nous avez manqués

So there you go. Wishing you were all here with us in Québec.

Vous nous manquez!!!

Quelques photos pour vous... What do you think happened in picture #1? I'm sure these 2 will have lots to say when they return. :-)

Ville de Québec - Le boulet de canon!

Va dans Google Maps et recherche l'adresse suivante: 58 Chemin St-Louis, Québec.

Si tu vas te promener dans la rue (Google Street) et que tu regardes au pied de l'arbre qui est devant cette adresse, tu trouveras le boulet de canon dont nous parlions en classe. L'arbre est juste à côté du bâtiment en rénovation.

Le vois-tu? 

Ville de Québec - Place Royale et Parc de la Cetière

Voici un endroit que nous visiterons sans doute lors de notre passage dans la ville de Québec, le lundi 2 mai.  Comme les 6ème année suivront sans doute nos péripéties de loin, j'ai pensé partager ceci avec vous.

Visite ce site, tu en apprendras beaucoup sur l'histoire de cette partie de la ville.

Les cartes virtuelles qui s'y trouvent t'aideront à mieux visualiser les lieux. 

A voir:

-Parc de la Cetière

-Place Royale

-Les rues faites de pierres

As-tu hâte? Moi oui!

Musique: Mes recommendations + Cute Videos

Si tu recherches de la musique à écouter en français voici quelques-uns de mes groupes de musique (ou artistes) préférés.

1. Malajube. Leur site internet est le suivant. Tu pourras même y télécharger** une de leurs chansons gratuitement. Elle joue beaucoup à la radio en ce moment. Je suis certaine que les Québécois l'ont entendue jouer à la radio aussi.

**Mon ordi (Mac) ne me permet pas d'ajouter mon adresse de courriel pour le téléchargement si j'utilise Firefox. Si tu as des problèmes, utilise Safari.

Voici un article qui viwnt de paraître dans le Devoir à leur sujet. Au cas où tu te cherchais quelque chose à lire en français... 

2. Marie-Pierre Arthur. Elle a une voix magnifique. Son style plus lent ne plaira pas à tous par contre.  Si tu visites son site internet tu pourras entendre une de ses chansons gratuitement. Marie-Pierre a travaillé avec des grands noms de la chanson francophone: Stefie Shock, Ariane Moffatt, Karkwa, Mara Tremblay et Edith Butler.

3. Mon groupe préféré de tous les temps: Les Cowboys Fringants! Va visiter leur site si tu ne l'as pas déjà fait, ça en vaut la peine. A visiter absolument lorsque tu seras sur leur site:

-Audio (des chansons qui ne sont pas parues sur CD)

-Bibliothèque (quelques histoires de chansons intéressantes)

-Vidéo (pas besoin d'en dire plus!)

And last but not least... Not one, but two videos!!!

Three Telephone Expressions in French

A présent que le jumelage est complété, tu es en mesure de contacter ton correspondant par téléphone. Afin de t'aider avec ton vocabulaire, clique sur ce lien. 


Si tu as peur de faire le premier contact par téléphone, tu peux communiquer par courriel en premier. N'oublie pas que les 'courriels polis' sont de mise!


A ne pas oublier:
-Au Québec il est plus tard qu'ici. Donc, si tu choisis d'appeler ton correspondant à 18h00, il est sans doute trop tard. Il sera 21h00 là-bas, l'heure du coucher pour plusieurs.


-Le meilleur moment pour communiquer avec ton correspondant par téléphone est entre 15h00 et 17h00 puisqu'au Québec ceci correspondra à 18h00-20h00.


J'ai hâte que vous me racontiez comment ça s'est passé!

Claude Thivierge

Explore le site suivant. En t'inspirant de ce que tu as lu et appris, prépare 5 questions que tu pourras poser à Claude Thivierge lors de sa visite demain. Chacune des questions doit entrer dans au moins deux de ces catégories.  Tu dois diversifier tes questions.

Les catégories (en lien avec ce qui a été discuté en classe cet après-midi)

-Personnalité

-Motivations

-Information personnelle (background information)

-Succès et échecs

Voici ce que je dois retrouver sur ta feuille:

-ton prénom et ton numéro, au haut de la feuille, sur le coin gauche

-un titre

-tes 5 questions - indique à quelle catégorie chacune appartient

Bon travail!

Back to School!

Two of them
Helmets
Cold Eyes
Boots
On the path to home
Rifle in the hands
She looked into the face

----------------------------------------------------------

Little Sneezing Cows

Hey
Cow Look Shiny
Wet
No
Someone's polished them
Cows sneeze
Nope
Dunno
Sneeze not around
Cares
Dashed puddled
LIttle, little, little, little
Hi
Hi
Hey
Cow sneeze no

----------------------------------------------------------

Out of bed
Feeling about
Heard something
Freeze
Only imagination
Prayed
Unanswered
Again
Unmistakable
All too familiar
Detestable
Too late

----------------------------------------------------------

Wake up on island surrounded by cool water
Wake up to chirping and red squirrels tapping
Their feet on metal roof
I cool off in water after long run
Hang out on beach
Soothing
Cliff, jump
Tubing
Warm dinner

----------------------------------------------------------

I Think

He drew a design
And every time
He drew a
Black and white
Design on his side
They are different
I think like one
Which I know I'd prefer not to
But often I think more than I remember
And that is a good thing

----------------------------------------------------------

Courage
Drain away
Pulled a plug
Couldn't put back in
Pretend
No different
Crying, shaking
Everyone could see
Sat down
And hoped

----------------------------------------------------------

The Blue Danube Piano

Picked music, she'd heard before
Atlas, smelled of attic
On the edge, there was Hungary
Budapest, wandering on a yellow blotch
A puzzle a map... the whole world ran across it
She smiled in the book
She remembered Madeline in Paris
She was Ruth
Blue Danube
Playing, passed the window into view

----------------------------------------------------------

Twig snapped
Froze
At sound
Noise travelled
Been heard
Heart raced
Held
Breath
Nothing
But crickets chirping

Turned
My
Head
Spot
Movement
Trees
On all sides

----------------------------------------------------------

One day
I was
Making a uniform
With a
Red
White
and black design

----------------------------------------------------------

Spring Break - Day 11

Project
Dummy
Cool
Goes to Egypt
Drives a tank
Shara Desert
Flies a Messerschimidt
Fiddled with the zipper
Going to work
Hitler's daughter
Silly idea
Another story
Can choose
Story about Heidi
Make her a princess
Stubbornly
Other Heidi
Talking about

-----------------------------------------------------

Lily went into her bedroom

A glass of lukewarm iced tea

A spring of mint

Mrs. Colgan's Victory Garden

She sent over

Her mother's stars pasted

Still thinking about tomorrow

-----------------------------------------------------

One thing

Just one

Saving for my brother

A soldier

He gets everything

I'm going to have a nut thing

With chocolate

-----------------------------------------------------

We're fools

I

Thinking more heroes

How?

You

Uncovered plot

Escaped despite risked lives

First respond alarm

I protested

-----------------------------------------------------

Spring Break - Day 10

This post is long overdue... Please note that all poems were written by Division 3 students.

Clouds stretched

Tight grey sky shrank

Mushrooms puffed

Diamonds began

-----------------------------------------------------

Flanders fields

Crosses mark our place

Larks sing bravely

The guns sound below

Dead

Days ago we lived

Saw the sunset glow

We were loved...

Quarrel with our foe

From failing hands

The torch is yours

Break our faith, we die

Though sleepless

The poppies still grow

-----------------------------------------------------

Everything seemed opposite

Couldn't beleive that

The house in Berlin

On a quiet street

Along a hand full like its own

Nice to look at other boys who he played with

New house stood empty

Desolate place

No families

No other boys to play with

Berlin was enormous

Lived there

Nine years

-----------------------------------------------------

Found freezing

They will probably die

Let her look after them

They didn't die

Let them go

Hoped they'd remember

And come back

Would be good to have friends

Scuttled off

Didn't see them again

-----------------------------------------------------

A present

What is it?

Something small and warm

A rabbit

Lifting it

Soft and black and white

-----------------------------------------------------

Spring Break - Day 4

It was raining
It was still raining
Mama was crying
The whole world was crying
It was getting dark
So angry
The noise
Slam, slam, slam

Spring Break - Day 3

A plane coming

Over the water, so low

Above the waves, its wings tilt

See the people standing on the beach

Watching far down the beach

Looking up

Perfect wobbly shading

Roared over the beach

Huge, dark shadow

Flattening

Spewing along the sides

Backed against the boardwalk

Heart is thumping

Bursting with the sound

Stinging plane gathered speed

Gathered height

Was up, over and past

She realized

See his face

His blue eyes huge

Blowing across the beach

Without thinking

Spitting out sand

Wiping her eyes

The noise fading

See Albert's hand trembling

Reached out and grabbed his arm

"It's alright," she told him

Everything went still

Waves rolling in on the shore in front of them

Spring Break - Day 2

A traitor

A nazi

Loyal only

to Germany

Always look

To those who protest loudest

Tie up your brother

No

Now!

Tighter

These poems were inspired by novels we are reading in class.

Spring Break - Day 1

Saw the next moment

Loving eyes

Sorry, Isobel

Cry

Letting her speak

A small voice

Don't want me

She choked and had to stop.

Spring Break!

Students have been writing poems and doing art these past few weeks.  I thought I'd share a few projects and pictures every day during Spring Break. Out of respect for them I won't give names.  Feel free to add any positive comments you may have.

Enjoy...

Everything Makes a Difference

How do I choose?

How do I remember?

I listen to the sound of the water

I feel the cool smooth caressing

I imagine the hugging, stretching and lifting that will guide me

I walk with pride

I dive with my heart

No life vest now,  just love and memories wrapped up in a big warm towel.

How do I thank everyone?

Everything makes a difference, remember that.

Operation NICE

I discovered a great blog recently. It's called Operation NICE.  Have you guessed what it's for?  Well here's a link that will tell you more about it. 

What is Operation NICE?

Two of the tips I really like that came from the Readers' Suggestions page are:

1. Give at least one sincere compliment a day and it doesn't have to be much.  Tell someone they have a nice smile, or you like their shoes or you envy their patience.  If you look for it, you can find something positive to say about anyone.

2. Make eye contact with people and smile.

So... Which ones out of THIS LIST do you like best? Feel free to also add some of your own ideas in the "Comments" section of this blog...

School Wide Write + Cooking With my Kid

This is such a great blog that I thought I'd share it with you.  Let me know if you try any of the recipes.  There is a "School Lunch" section, if you are looking for some new ideas.  I'm getting hungry just looking at the pictures!

On a more serious note, students recently wrote a persuasive essay and I'm done marking them.  Every student at JQ went through the writing process and teachers used the Ministry's Performance Standards to mark students' work.  All of the rubrics can be found here.

No video today, I'm taking a break! :-)

Adaptations - Be the Creature

There is a really neat show on TV right now, on the Knowledge Network (channel 5). It's all about animal adaptations, exactly the stuff we've been learning about in class.

Here's the website if you want more info.

Hope you get to watch it!

Who can tell me the adaptations that cats have? Don't write your answer on the blog, put it on a post-it on my desk! A draw will take place at the end of the week...

Writers' Toolbox

I've been talking about 'thesis statements' for a while now and I thought this website could be useful to some of you.

There are many more useful tips given on the site so feel free to browse through.

-Effective Titles

-Introductory Paragraphs

-Thesis Statements

-Development

-Unity and Coherence

-Conclusion

-The Basic Principles of Persuasive Writing

This is also a great site if you wish to know more about writing.

Learning Logs, Masks and a Cute Video

Wow! I started reading your learning logs and I'm so impressed by your responses! I'm in the process of typing some of them so we can look at them tomorrow in class. Should be fun!

On a different note, make sure to come to school this week. Some students are already behind schedule with the masks and it's not easy to catch up. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be spent painting them. If you have your own acrylic paint feel free to bring it to school (I won't be expecting you to share). I might not have all the colors you wish to use but I'll try my best to buy some good ones.

And the video of the day is... (my favorite part is at around 55 seconds)

Phishing - Important Message - Please Read!

I found an interesting email in my inbox today.  A lot of intermediate students have already fallen into the trap.

-If you get an email and it looks something like this (see picture at the end of this post) DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION!

-If you have already fallen into the trap, change your password immediately.  Please watch this video if you can't remember how to create a safe password.   

-If you received the message and haven't replied yet, delete the message immediately. Tell you friends to do the same thing. 

This is called phishing. The following definition was taken from this site. 

Phishing is the use of email or Short Message System to encourage individuals to reveal financial details like credit card numbers, account names and passwords or other personal information. Phishing messages can look like genuine messages from a real bank, telecommunications provider, online retailer or credit card company. Often the message will contain an urgent ‘call to action’, such as claims that the bank account will be closed or compromised if action is not taken. Phishing is usually sent by email from falsified email addresses, but is increasingly being sent to mobile telephones and VoIP telephone services.


Let me know if you read and understood this message.  I'll make an announcement tomorrow so that everyone knows about this.

Body Image: The Real Me Vs the Media

This was the theme of today's lesson for Health and Career. 

Videos viewed were:

1. Dove Evolution  (don't forget to click on the link!)

Tomorrow I'll post what some of them wrote following the lesson (it was done anonymously).

Click on this link if you have some time to kill!

Cute Stuff!

One word: ADORABLE! (image found on reddit)

Let's see if students remember what they learned in school...  Ovipare ou vivipare?  You have until Wednesday to come see me with the answer. Don't write it on the blog!!! If you have the correct answer, you will be eligible to win a prize on Wednesday afternoon.

"Be the person you are asking your child to be; the person that you wish for them to be."

This quote was taken from an article I just read in the March issue of Today's Parent.

"You can't make me!" - Discipline and Older Kids 

The same issue was also featuring a bedroom makeover that I really liked.  Purple has always been one of my favorite colours, it might be why!

Many other designs can also be found here. Make sure to check the various articles and pictures featured on the site by clicking on the links.

Review for the Weekend

Some sites to visit in case you have nothing to do tomorrow!

1. Our Toolkit (to review balance and color)

2. For the Love of Art

3. Google Art Project (make sure you click on 'learn more' to view the tutorial video)

Happy Friday!

Yay for the art we worked on today!  Yay for the weekend!

Students are currently learning about the elements and principles of design.  They are creating posters while keeping in mind balance and color.  I can't wait to show you the results, their work looks terrific!

Here are some pictures I took this afternoon.

And since I'm talking about color, I wanted to share this really neat product I just came across on the internet.  Created by a "Université du Québec à Montréal" student.  Isn't it cool?

Late Work

Today students were supposed to hand in two things:

1. Their learning log (which was completed a few weeks ago) with a parent signature on it.

2. Their improved timeline. The work was initially handed in last week but I gave everyone a chance to improve their work.

So far here is what I received:

-Learning log with parent signature: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 15, 22 => 26% of the class

-Timeline: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 => 59% of the class

A HUGE thank you to all students who remembered to hand in their work!

Work Habits and Efforts are as important as Grades on a your child's report card.

Now let's see... Who remembered to take their binder home? Off to do a desk inspection...

Organization - Binders to Go Home!

I want to thank all students who have started taking their binders home. I checked some desks this evening and found many binders left behind.

Thanks to all parents who are still reading the blog and who are helping me out with this. It's important that we all work together so that your child can be as organized as possible when entering high school. Grade 6 students have another year to go but the Grade 7s are running out of time.

Organization is key, it's as simple as that.

=>No more loose papers (in desk or back pack, on a separate clip board, in accordion folders)

=>Agendas must be completed daily

=>All daily tasks need to be clear and detailed

=>Everyone must set up a priority list when writing down in their agenda

=>Deadlines must be written down too

When making plans and setting up appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.), parents should encourage their child to note things down in their agenda. Having a big family calendar at home also helps so that he can start referring to it when unsure about future plans.

My other advice for the day? Everyone should start wearing a watch!

Have a great night everyone... :-)

Maru says hello, too!