January

Week of January 29th

Hello parents!

Here is your update for the week.

Social Studies

• We are focusing entirely on our Bubonic Plague journals this week.  Last week, students were given the assignment outline, as well as some supplementary materials (a few articles and a vocabulary sheet) that would help them plan and organize their first journal (taking place BEFORE the plague).  Now, both classes have started watching the documentary video about the plague, which covers the DURING and AFTER phases.  Most of our time this week will be on planning and organizing, and then students will have time at the end of this week and throughout next week to actually do the writing.

French Language Arts

• After learning about the (relatively simple) regular and irregular verbs in the passé composé tense, we will not focus on the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs (otherwise known as “the verbs that use the auxiliary verb ‘être’ instead of ‘avoir’ when conjugated in passé composé”).  The first step is to learn these 16 verbs (for which DR MRS VANDERTRAMP is an acronym), so students will do a small visual project to illustrate each of these verbs in way that helps make them memorable.  Examples of previous projects will be provided and students will do this work in class.  Once we’ve learnt what the 16 verbs are, then we’ll work on the (more complicated) conjugation process.

That’s it!  Have a great week!

Katt

Week of January 22nd

Hello parents!

Here’s your update for this week!

Social Studies

• We’re following up with our learning last week about the feudal system and we’ll now be moving on to a focus on the bubonic plague.  Like during our Japan unit, students will be doing a larger written assignment, writing three journals from the point of view of a peasant before, during, and after an outbreak of the plague.  In order to prepare for this, we’ll watch a documentary about it, and do some additional reading about the life of a peasant in order to prepare.  Students won’t actually start writing these until next week, as this week is for preparation and planning.

French Language Arts

• Last week, we focused on the REGULAR passé composé verbs.  This week, we’ll work on the IRREGULAR passé composé verbs, and likely start the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs by the end of the week.  For each type, we do an intro, do some practice as a group, and then do some individual practice.

Message from Student Council

• The student council will be taking pre-orders Monday-Wednesday this week for Valentines crush-o-grams. For $2, students can pre-order a can of pop, pack of rockets candy, and they can write a Valentine message to a friend, teacher, or even themselves that will be delivered to their class on February 14. Students may order multiple crush-o-grams. Thanks for supporting student council events at ÉMMS!

Manachaban Casino Coming Up – Volunteers Needed

• The Manachaban Fundraising Society has a casino coming up on February 14^th and 15^th and we are in DESPERATE need of volunteers.  If you’re able to help out, please click HERE to sign up.  Thanks so much for considering!

Katt

Week of January 15th

Hello parents!

Here is your update for this week.

French Language Arts

• Last week, we began working on our passé composé unit.  We started with a general introduction, and took some notes about the first category: regular verbs.  This week, we’ll work on conjugating these verbs.  Later on, we’ll start looking at our second category: irregular verbs.
• As we’re doing this, I’m also getting students to practice the verbs through writing simple sentences in the past tense that they then get up and share with the class.  This mini exposure to public speaking is designed to help build their comfort at speaking in front of the class, which will be the final assignment at the end of this unit.

Social Studies

• After last week’s introduction to the Renaissance, we’ll continue to work on this topic this week.  We’ll begin by going over the notes about the basics of the Renaissance, and we’ll look at how some different factors (ex – the Crusades, exposure to different cultures, the Silk Road) began to change the worldview of Europeans towards the end of the Middle Ages.

That’s it for me!

Katt

Week of January 8th

Hello!

Happy New Year!  I hope that you all had a wonderful winter break, and are feeling well-rested as we get back to our usual routines!  Here is an update for the week.

Social Studies

• After doing a quick overview review of the Japan unit (which we are doing as a class in less than one period), we are moving on to our Renaissance unit.  We’ll start with a quick look at just what the Renaissance even is, and then we’ll dive in with a bit of map work to familiarize ourselves with the parts of Europe we’ll be focusing on during this unit.

French Language Arts

• Having completed the poetry unit before the break, we are now moving on to a grammar / public speaking unit.  Essentially, we will review and look at the use of passé composé verbs, which are used to describe actions of the past.  This will include regular verbs, irregular verbs, and a special category of verbs which we can the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs (a mnemonic to help remember which verbs are conjugated with a different auxiliary verb).  As we progress through the unit, students will use their past tense verbs to prepare a short oral presentation about something they have done in the past: a trip they went on, a description of a fun day out with friends, the day they adopted their puppy, or another past event of their choice.  They will use the three different types of verbs in their (eventual) presentation and they will be assessed on both their oral presentation skills and their grammar.
• That being said, we’re just getting started!  We’ll do a little pre-quiz to see how much they remember about passé composé in general, and then we’ll dive in to the regular verbs as our focus for this week.

It’s chilly out – dress for the weather!

• After a blissfully mild December, the temperature has dropped!  Unless it’s below -20, students will still be expected to go outside for lunch recess, so they should be prepared with winter coats, mitts, toques, and any other accessories they may need to stay comfy and cozy.

That’s it for me!  Have a great week!

Katt