One Teacher's Adventures

I'm excited to share two free Core French projects that align with the new BC Curriculum for Grade 6-8! Francophone Communities Across Canada Project The first fits in with Grade 6 and Grade 7.  It is a Francophone Communities Across Canada Research Project.   Grade 6 BC Curriculum Connections: Big Idea Learning about Francophone communities helps us develop cultural awareness. Content Students are expected to know the following: There are many Francophone and Francophone Métis communities across Canada Basic information about a Francophone or Francophone Métis community in Canada Curricular Competencies Students  are expected to be able to do the following: Demonstrate awareness of Francophone and Francophone Métis communities across Canada Recognize that some Francophone communities are connected to First Peoples communities Identify and share information about a Francophone community in Canada Grad...

My feet are sore, I'm exhausted, and I already have a cold, but I made it through the first week back! Tuesday was our first day back with the kids.  I am teaching Math, Science, and French to two groups of Grade 8's this year and both classes seem like great kids.  One group is much more active and energetic than the other, but the kids seem really nice and respectful towards each other and to the adults in the school, which is a huge relief! Our school is a 6-8 Middle School, so my kids this year are the oldest.  I have been reminding them daily that they are setting the example to the 6's and 7's of how to behave at school, and they are rising to the challenge of being leaders already. I wanted to start the year off with my homeroom group with expectations for the year.  I really like the My Job/Your Job model of establishing classroom rules and expectations.  Students write down what the teacher's job is and what the teacher's job isn't, and ...

I've done this project now with two different classes, and I absolutely love how it turns out!   We began this art project during Earth Week this year.  We looked at images of Banyan trees and researched where they grow.  After the students had some background information, we set on creating our own.   I encouraged the students to pull their branches off the edge of the page, and fill in the background with bright colours to highlight the silhouette of the tree.  We talked about negative space and how we could bring the tree to life by colouring the backgrounds. My students used chalk and oil pastels for the colours, and tempera paint for the tree itself.  I suggest drawing out the shape of the tree first in pencil, filling in the background, and then painting as the last step.  This will prevent any smudging of the black paint. They are colourful and bright and add so much to our classroom d...

As a wrap-up project to a lesson on stereotypes with a Grade 7 class, I decided to have the students create travel brochures for our great country, but they were only allowed to use typical Canadian stereotypes to bring in tourists. Each student had to include information on food, accommodations, sights, and activities to try.  It was hilarious to read what they came up with!  I was very impressed with their final projects!  Some students included typical Canadian advertisements, as well! So, what do you think? Would this work in your classroom? Have you done something similar? Let me know in the comments below. Looking for more great tips and ideas for middle school? Subscribe to my email list and receive an exclusive FREE sub plans resource. It includes plans for math, ELA, science, social studies, and Core French. Click  here  to subscribe.