Les écosystèmes - chapitre 4

Le chapitre tire à sa fin et nous avons eu d'excellentes discussions en classe! Les vidéos "Planète Terre" a beaucoup alimenté ces échanges. En lien ci-dessous, il y a les feuilles de travail qui accompagnent le chapitre 4 de cette unité. Un test suivra bientôt.

4.1 Qu'est-ce qu'un écosystème?

4.2 Les besoins des êtres vivants

4.4 Les interactions entre les êtres vivants

4.5 Quelle place les êtres humains occupent-ils dans les écosystèmes?

The Giver - A Model Society?

Well, we are over half way through the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry and I feel so mean. I have stopped the reading for the next week and I am watching, with more than a bit of guilt I might add, as my students mope about resentful about the wait. I really am sorry, but we have to respond in the middle to consider some of the elements of a response midway through a novel as opposed to one done at the end of the book.

With this in mind, remember that your thoughts (good and bad) help to show me the meaning you are making from the text as we stop and discuss the themes we are finding as we plug away. I have attached my own response (just one of many possible ideas) so that you can get some ideas about responding to a longer story. Just click the link below to read it and to add your comments.

Don't hold back. Be creative and have some fun with this one. Remember that it will be as interesting as you make it. This novel is great for providing some controversial topics about controls in society. What would you accept? What wouldn't you? Back it up. Be specific. I'm anxious to read your thoughts and I hope you respond to mine as well.

Also, just to see who is actually following my blog from time to time, I have read a rumour (and it is a rumour because it is as of yet unconfirmed), that the Giver is being made into a movie starring Jeff Bridges!!!! Keep your fingers crossed people! We could all meet up at the theatre on opening night!

OK! Update! It's been confirmed! With an August release date! Anyone interested? We should make it a group outing!

The Giver - A Model Society?

The Lessons of Poetry

Just as a reminder and to give you a reference point in case you need one, I have summarized the lessons of poetry here.

1. The Power of I: Give your reader someone to be with.

2. Beware the participle: Avoid "ed" or "ing" endings. They weaken your verbs. This does not mean you CAN'T use them, only that you need to be sure that if you do, it does make the poem stronger.

3. Cut to the Bone: Cut all unnecessary words. Remember that a poem is elegant shorthand. And when you can't find another word to cut, then your poem is finished.

4. Line and Stanza Breaks: These can guide your reader as he or she reads your poem. They usually indicate the natural pauses that are needed when reading the poem. Rules are made to be broken, however, so if you break lines or stanzas in an original way, just be sure that you are doing it for a reason.

5. Effective and Ineffective Repetition: Sometimes repetition works well in a poem, and sometimes it just sounds redundant. Read your poem aloud or have someone read it to you so that you will "hear" what it sounds like to a reader.

6. Strong words: Look at each word you have chosen for your poem. Is it the best word you could have chosen? If not, what would be stronger. Feel free to use a thesaurus to inspire you or to suggest new words for your writing.

7. Conclude strongly: The ending of your poem is what gives the reader something to think about after they have finished reading. An echo (repeated line from earlier on in the poem) can remind the reader of an previously mentioned image that still rings true.

8. Begin inside: Starting with an image can help to set the mood for the poem. It helps the reader connect with the ideas you are presenting in the poem.

Calcul mental - Stratégies de divisions

Enfin, on finit avec les divisions. Les notes pour les stratégies de division que nous avons revues en classe son dans le lien ci-dessous.

CM - Stratégies de division

This Is Our Planet to Care For

For animals and planet lovers alike, this little video will make you think twice about the things we do to disrepect this planet. What it reminds us to do is to remember that we are not alone. The Earth is shared with other living beings and they are counting on us to look after it. To them, that trust is a matter of life and death. What can we do to show we care?

The Advice We Take

This video has at least one lesson for everyone. I can watch it several times and find something new each time. What you get out of it will depend on a number of things: What you believe about life right now, what you believe about the future and what you have already lived. Different people will smile at different points during the video based on those factors.

Take the time to rewatch this one a couple times. Which of the gems of advice speaks to you? Why? Does it change the way you see the future?

Peer Pressure at its Finest

Peer pressure is a very real issue that affects people of all ages, although it is more known for its effects on teenagers. Some face it head on and others skirt the issue by going along with the expectations of others. How we stand up to it (or fail to) often defines us as we allow or resist others in controlling us. Who would you relate to in these videos?

Lost Generation

This is an example of reverse poetry where the text reads one way forward and a completely different message emerges on the way back up. It's very cool, but it also gets people talking about what they are willing to accept for their future and what they are willing to do to be a part of the solution. I would love to get your feedback on this one.