Australia, Africa and Asia - Let's Take a Closer Look

Here are links to the Lonely Planet websites which gave give us a starting point to compare our lives as Canadians to those in a different county.

Australia

Asia

Africa

Keep our Learning Goal, Guiding Questions, Purpose, Writing Form, Topic, Audience and Writing Checklist in mind when using these sites as research tools.

Graphic Novels - How do they come alive?

January 23-27 is "Teach Graphix" week so it is a perfect time to take a closer look at how the books we are currently studying come to life.  There is a previously live broadcast with the authors of some of Scholastic's most successful graphic novels, as well as a link to information, games, and interactive sites that give you a chance to learn more about this growing literary genre.  Let's take a look!

Scholastic Graphic Novelists - How does it all work?

Teaching Graphics Week Information

Interview with the Authors

Build Your Own Graphic

Here's an example of  a comic I created! Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

So how do you begin? Let's list some strategies!

- make the end first, then go back

- write it out first, then add pictures

- write words and pictures at the same time

-draw pictures, then words

- have a clear beginning, middle, climax and end

How To Help the Syrian Refuges - Swimming Lesson Fundraising

UPDATE!!! We have now decided to sell Candygrams for Valentine's Day! We will have sales every Friday, starting Friday, January 27, leading up to Valentine's Day.  Our goal is to raise as much money as possible for newcomers to have access to swimming lessons.  We'd like to help at least 4 children, roughly working out to $360, but if possible, we'd like to help even more! Today we will put our plan into action to help people new to Canada have the opportunity to take swimming lessons. As we saw in various news articles and videos, there were multiple drownings this past summer in Manitoba and many of them were young people new to Canada. After our "Please Help Us Help Our Country Unit" Syria was nominated as the place needing the most help. Being that this country is in crisis, it may make more sense to help people who have moved to Canada, looking for a new start in a new country.

This weekend, I headed to the story to pick up the supplies.  Today we work on our posters, letters and announcements so we are ready for this Friday.


 Today you will make a choice of how you will help our cause.

 1) Write a letter to a nearby business organization to ask for money and or donations we can use to create Candy Sticks and/or Tim Bits Sticks to sell.

 2) Create a poster advertising the Candy Stick/TimBit Stick Sale.

 3) Write an announcement we can include in the daily announcements to let Chief Peguis staff and students what we are doing and when it is happening. We will break off into groups to be efficient. 

All letters, posters and announcements need to be as close to completed as possible today. We have a bit of time tomorrow to finish up, with all posters, letters and announcements ready for distribution by Friday.

Graphic Novels - Short Story Samples

Winnipeg Jets - Link

Jets - Please Come Read to Us!

Want to Make Your Own Graphic Novel?

This is an amazing site! Click here or on the image below to reach the Scholastic site that lets you create your very own Bone, Smile Amulet or Nnewts Graphic Novels!  There are also tons of interactive activities you can do to learn more about characters, plot and upcoming books.

Here is also a link to an interesting article about why Graphic Novels are so popular! 

The Arrival - Chapters 2-7

Today we will continue our unit on graphic novels.  We'll take a look at our Anchor Charts that will keep us focus on our ultimate goal of writing our very own "Graphic Novel" while staying focused on learning about the elements of a story,

Let's start by looking at other types of literary genres that we can compare to Graphic Novels.


Brain Pop - Literary Genres

Next, let's watch and "read" Chapter 2 of The Arrival.

Here are the questions/writing prompts we will consider today.

1) Describe a time when you really felt lost or out of place.

or

2) Describe a moment you had to do something for the first time and were nervous to try.

or

3) Describe a moment when you you had to do something difficult, even though you knew it would be for the best.

Chapter 3

Questions:

1) Have you ever been away from family or friends for an extended time? Did you find yourself thinking of them often or did you enjoy where you were? 

Or

2) Does this story remind you of any other stories you may read or movies you've watched? How are they similar? How are they different?

Chapter 4

1) What is a food that you've tried that didn't think you would like but ended up loving?

or

2) What is a food you hated when you were younger but are starting to like now?

or

3) Was there a time you tried a new food for the very first time and either loved it or hated it?

or

4) Have you ever lived in a different country where you ate differently than here or have you visited a new place and tried a new food item?

Chapter 5

1) Tell me about a time you played a sport or game for the first time.  Did you know all the rules? Were you good at it? What got you interesting in playing?

or

2) Do you think it would be easy or difficult to find a job here in Winnipeg? What about if you moved to a different country?

or

3) If you were to overhear the old man talking to the younger man, what would you hear him say?

Chapter 6

1) What do the multiple pictures of flowers represent? Why was this effective?

or

2) What does the man send and what does he get back?

or

3) Have you ever sent a letter to someone or received a letter from someone in the mail?

Chapter 7

1) When you move to a new place, do you change as a person? How are you the same and how are you different?

or

2) If you have moved in the past, do you wish you could return to where you once lived?

or

3) If you have never moved, is it something you would like to do?




Dracula Ballet Music to go along with Reading


Here is the complete story, with music and sounds,

Shaun Tan - The Arrival Animation from Frederik Vorndran on Vimeo.

The Arrival - Introduction to our Graphic Novel and Elements of a Story Study

As we begin our unit on Graphic Novels, together we will "read" the book, The Arrival. For today's lesson, we have a video version of the book's first chapter.

But first, let's do a quick quiz to see our knowledge of Graphic Novels.

What do I Know about Graphic Novels? 

             If I opened a graphic novel I would expect to find:

 lots of writing                     not much writing                  cartoons    

 colour                                  black & white pictures         speech bubbles

 a real story line                   not much story                    a story for little kids

 lots of humour                     horror                                 romance

 no idea

     I have read the following number of graphic novels (approximately):

 0                 1 – 5            6 – 10          11 – 20         too many to count

   The types of graphic novels I have read come from the following genres:

 Comedy                                Horror                                 Romance

 Adventure                           Fantasy                               Historical

 Myths & Legends                 Non-fiction                          Novel adaptations

 Manga                                 War                                     TV adaptations

 Mystery                              Real life                               Action

 My reading habits:

a)    I like reading long stories                Yes              No

b)    I like looking at pictures                 Yes              No

c)    If there are words and pictures on the page I would look at the words first                    

                                                              Yes             No

Now here is a question to think about while watching and "reading".

What part do color and shading have to do with telling the story?


 

 After viewing, in your journal, respond to one of the following prompts . . .

 1) Who would you miss the most if you had to leave your home land by yourself? What day-to-day things can you think of that you would really miss?

 or

 2)  What five things would you take with you if you had to leave home immediately?

 or

 3) What are some reasons you would want to move to another country?

 Be sure to copy down the question at the top of your page in addition to your response.

Comment-y-aller?

Comment y aller?

Par Wendy Maxwell

Personnages: Marie, la policière, le conducteur, le capitaine, Zozo, la mère de Pierre

Le narrateur: Voici l’histore d’une fille qui s’appelle Marie. Elle habite à Québec, au Canada. Un jour Marie décide d’aller voir son ami, Pierre. Il habite très, très loin à Paris, en France. Elle ne sait pas comment elle peut y aller. Elle pense et pense à son problème…

Marie: Hmmmm… Je veux aller voir mon ami, Pierre. Il habite très, très loin, à Paris. Comment est-ce que je peux y aller? Ahhh! Je sais! Je peux y aller à pied! Oui! C’est vrai!

Narrateur: Marie marche et marche. Tout à coup, elle voit quelqu’un qui conduit une auto. C’est une policière. Marie traverse la rue et dit…

Marie: Bonjour, policière. Je m’appelle Marie.

La policière: Bonjour, Marie. Est-ce que je peux t’aider?

Marie: Oui, merci. Je veux aller voir mon ami, Pierre. Il habite très, très loin et je suis fatiguée. Alors, est-ce que je peux y aller en auto avec vous?

La policière: D’accord, Marie! Viens avec moi!

Le narrateur: Marie monte dans l’auto avec la policière. Après quelques minutes, l’auto s’arrête. Elle ne marche pas.

La policière: Je suis désolée, Marie, mais l’auto ne marche pas.

Marie: Vraiment? C’est dommage, mais merci quand même. Alors, qu’est-ce que je fais maintenant?

Le narrateur: Marie marche et marche encore. Tout à coup, elle voit quelqu’un qui conduit un train. C’est un conducteur. Marie dit:

Marie: Bonjour, conducteur. Je m’appelle Marie.

Le conducteur: Bonjour, Marie. Est-ce que je peux t’aider?

Marie: Oui, merci. Je veux aller voir mon ami, Pierre. Il habite très, très loin et je suis fatiguée. Alors, est-ce que je peux y aller en train avec vous?

Le conducteur: D’accord, Marie! Viens avec moi!

Le narrateur: Marie monte dans le train avec le conducteur. Après quelques minutes, le train s’arrête. Il ne marche pas.

Le conducteur: Je suis désolé, Marie, mais le train ne marche pas.

Marie: Vraiment? C’est dommage, mais merci quand même. Alors, qu’est-ce que je fais maintenant?

Le narrateur: Marie marche et marche encore. Tout à coup, elle voit quelqu’un qui conduit un bateau. C’est un capitaine. Marie dit:

Marie: Bonjour, capitaine. Je m’appelle Marie.

Le capitaine: Bonjour, Marie. Est-ce que je peux t’aider?

Marie: Oui, merci. Je veux aller voir mon ami, Pierre. Il habite très, très loin et je suis fatiguée. Alors, est-ce que je peux y aller en bateau avec vous?

Le capitaine: D’accord, Marie! Viens avec moi!

Le narrateur: Marie monte dans le bateau avec le capitaine. Après quelques minutes, le bateau s’arrête. Il ne marche pas.

Le capitaine: Je suis désolé, Marie, mais le bateau ne marche pas.

Marie: Vraiment? C’est dommage, mais merci quand même. Alors, qu’est-ce que je fais maintenant?

Le narrateur: Marie saute dans l’eau et nage et nage. Tout à coup, en haut, dans le ciel, elle voit quelque chose qui vole. Il y a quelqu’un dedans! C’est un extraterrestre qui conduit une soucoupe volante. Marie dit…

Marie: Bonjour, extraterrestre!

Le narrateur: Mais l’extraterrestre n’entend pas. Alors, Marie crie…

Marie: Bonjour, extraterrestre!

Le narrateur: L’extraterrestre descend sur la terre.

Marie: Bonjour, extraterrestre. Je m’appelle Marie.

Zozo: Bonjour, Marie. Je m’appelle Zozo. Est-ce que je peux t’aider?

Marie: Oui, merci. Je veux aller voir mon ami, Pierre. Il habite très, très loin et je suis fatiguée. Alors, est-ce que je peux y aller en soucoupe volante avec vous?

Zozo: D’accord, Marie! Viens avec moi!

Le narrateur: Marie monte dans la soucoupe volante avec Zozo. Après quelques minutes, la soucoupe volante arrive à Paris.

Marie: Merci, Zozo! Je suis tellement contente d’être ici!

Zozo: De rien, Marie. Au revoir!

Le narrateur: Marie va à la maison de Pierre et frappe à la porte. Elle parle avec sa mère.

Marie: Bonjour! Je veux voir mon ami, Pierre. Où est Pierre?

La mère de Pierre: Je suis désolée, Marie. Pierre est parti te voir à Québec en avion!

Marie: Oh, non! Qu’est-ce que je fais maintenant!

La fin!

Democracy

As we have spent time this year learning about places around the world, one thing that culturally separates countries from one another is how they are run.  For example, when a country is a democracy vs dictatorship, the lives of the country's citizens are greatly impacted.

After we have reflected on our needs and wants writing from last class, let's take a moment to look closer at the different types of systems that govern the many countries of the world.

Question to think about:  Do the needs and wants of people change depending on the country they live in and it's government?  

We will then take a read and respond to some quotes regarding power. Finally, we will then write our own thoughts to reflect our thinking.

Let's get started!

Democracy - Brain Pop

Communism - Brain Pop

United Nations - Brain Pop

After watching the videos and going over the quotations with your group, write a response to the following question.

"What are the benefits to human rights in a democratic society?

Quotations regarding Power

You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in your power.

 – Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer who was imprisoned for his political views  

Wealth may be an excellent thing, for it means power, and it means leisure, it means liberty.  

– James Russell Lowell, American poet, late 19th century

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

 – Jimi Hendrix, 1960s rock guitarist

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.  

– Lord Acton, 19th-century British scholar and writer

Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.  

– Paulo Freire, famous Brazilian educator and thinker (1921–1997)  

Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species—man—acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.

– Rachel Carson, environmentalist and author of The Silent Spring  

Power, however it has evolved, whatever its origins, will not be given up without a struggle.  

– Shulamith Firestone, feminist and writer (1970s)

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.

– Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States (1801–1809) and author of the Declaration of Independence  

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

– Mother Teresa, Catholic humanitarian among the poor in India  

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.

– George Bernard Shaw, 1893, British writer and playwright

Non-violence is the weapon of the strong.

– Mahatma Gandhi, Indian leader and non-violent rights activist

                                                                                          

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), American thinker and writer

I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.

– Dwight D. Eisenhower, United States General and President of the United States (1953–1961)

Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and co-operation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.

– Dwight D. Eisenhower

The world will never have lasting peace so long as men reserve for war the finest human qualities. Peace, no less than war, requires idealism and self-sacrifice and a righteous and dynamic faith.

– John Foster Dulles, American Secretary of State (1953–1959) during the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union

When I recall the path of my own life I cannot but speak of the violence, hatred and lies. A lesson drawn from such experiences, however, was that we can effectively oppose violence only if we ourselves do not resort to it.

– Lech Walesa, 1983, labour leader and non-violent worker for human rights in Poland

We must indeed resolutely refuse to be tempted to violence: that is the short cut which invariably turns out to be the blind alley.

– A.J. Muste, American minister and writer, supporter of non-violence  

An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.

– Victor Hugo, French writer and humanitarian

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant… I believe that what self-centred men have torn down, men other-centred can build up.”  

– Martin Luther King, U.S. civil rights leader, on his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize