November 9th, 2017
Dear families,
In this update you’ll hear about:
- what we have been learning and what is coming up in each subject
- important information about progress report interviews
What we are learning
Reading
We are currently finishing a read-aloud novel called Les bas du pensionnat, which is about the experiences of an Inuvialuit girl who goes to residential school in Aklavik. We are learning how to take notes as we read, which helps us react and draw conclusions after reading.
Soon we will use these skills more independently while reading short science-fiction stories.
Writing
We have worked hard on learning how to organize written responses so that our ideas are well explained and supported. We are now focusing on improving the clarity and accuracy of our spelling, grammar and word choice through the use of several digital tools (i.e. Google Read and Write, Google Docs spell/grammar check, bonpatron.com).
Listening and Speaking
We have been watching a francophone video series about analyzing and deconstructing media messages and have learned how to take notes while listening so that we can build on our understanding of tricky francophone speakers with each repetition.
Soon we will build on our ability to talk about personal stories and interests while asking questions that help us understand the experiences and perspectives of others.
Health
We are finishing up our unit on dangerous situations and students are busy creating a campaign to reduce incidents of violence and educate others about how to seek help.
Up next, we will build on our understanding of human rights, inclusiveness and self-worth as we explore how different identities are portrayed in the media (including different gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations). Our goal will be to identify and move beyond stereotypes.
Drama
Students have been working to improve their portrayal of a role by acting in short scenes that share different types of relationships (i.e. challenges between friends, classroom relationships, etc.).
Soon we will be reading and preparing short plays on a variety equity or science-fiction related themes.
Interviews
Progress reports go home on Monday, November 13. Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, November 17 and many staff will also be available on the evening of Thursday, November 16.
Thursday, November 16
Interviews will be in gym and will take an open-house, free-flow format. I will be available between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. If you would like to book a specific interview time, please email me (ryan_wettlaufer@wrdsb.ca) and I will reserve your time slot.
Friday, November 17 (12:00 – 2:40 p.m.)
Interviews will take place in classrooms. Once again, an open-house format will be used, however, I would be happy to reserve a specific interview time if you prefer. Please email me to do so.
As always, I welcome your questions and feedback. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to chat about what’s is happening at school.
Sincerely,
Ryan
ryan_wettlaufer@wrdsb.ca
@wettfrench (Instagram and Twitter)
teachers.wrdsb.ca/wettlar
