Welcome to Winter!!

Welcome to Ottawa Winter!  

Here is a little video about winter in Ottawa and what to look forward to!

Winter in Ottawa

Snow Days - Listen to the radio in the morning or check this link to see if buses are running:
Are School Buses Running?

If buses are not running, SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION will not come to your house to pick you up.  Unless roads are safe, do not have someone drive you in - that could be dangerous.

Here is an article about things to do in Canada during the winter
What to do in the winter!

This is what my family likes to do during the winter.  What are  you looking forward to?

Here is an article about the winter we could expect.  What is the Farmer's Almanac predicting?
Farmer's Almanac Winter Predictions

Period 2:  We will be learning new Winter Vocabulary and reading Winter short stories.
English Vocabulary for Winter!
Try these short quizzes about Winter!
easy - Winter Clothing quiz
Winter weather quiz
Winter sports - word jumble
Period 3 and 4:  We will be finishing the short story The Monkey's Paw, answering comprehension questions and writing an alternate ending.

IXL:

Period 2:  
2- J.2, BB. 1, BB. 2
3- I.2, J.3, M.1, M.2, M.3

Period 3 and 4:
7- Z. 1, Z.2, W.1, W.2, W.3, X.1, S.1

Remembrance Day Activities

This is Veteran's Week!  This week we will watch short video clips and complete a graphic organizer.

We will also read a poem - Prayer for the 21st Century and complete choral reading activities.
Prayer for the 21st Century by John Marsden

We will also be doing a creative project - writing our own poem, descriptive writing or competing an art project.  Be creative!

Assignment

If anyone is interested in putting in an entry for the art/poetry and writing contest, put on by the Royal Canadian Legion - I have the registration forms due by next Monday.    Many of you have already started brainstorming and coming up with amazing ideas.  I can't wait to see your work! 

link for stationary for your poem or writing:
pretty paper 

Special Presentation in the LC tomorrow!

Tomorrow we have a special visitor from the Air Force who is coming to talk to us about Peacekeeping and Remembrance. Wear RED tomorrow to support our troops for the presentation in the LC. Students who have completed ESL, if you are interested in hearing a soldier from the Air Force speak, ask your teacher if you can be excused for the presentation. Grade 9s, if you are not going to Take Your Kid to Work day, or have a grade 9 friend who is going to MT tomorrow, they may also attend the afternoon session. Just let me know in advance.
Thanks Nikole for the gorgeous flowers and display for November 2nd.

News article is due for Periods 3 and 4. Share with me on Google or print it out.

Awesome pumpkin carving and story writing from Period 2!!!

Hallowe'en is coming!

Spirit Week this week - check the atrium for what to wear!  Titan Wear, Athletes, Bad Fashions, Grade colours!   Get your costumes ready for Monday the 31st.

We will be beginning our short story unit, and reading some spooky stories for Hallowe'en.

IXL - our trail may have run out... but see if you can do the following exercises:

Period 2:  Keep reading RAZ on your ipad.  Great efforts!
ESL AO-  1- P.1, P.2, P.3, P.4, P.5
ESL BO-2 - T.1, T.2, T.3, T.4,   3 - T.1, T.2, T.3

Period 3 and 4:  Due this Friday - your news report about McFarlane
Check out this video that tell us how to write a news report:

Writing a News Report! 

Use the graphic organizer provided to help you plan your report.  Be creative!   


Reading a News Report!
Go to Newsela.com
Period 3 - enter this code:  8R57UR

Period 4 - enter this code:QXMGHX

Read the article assigned and try the quiz.   While reading the article, look for quotes and where the 5Ws and the H are located.  

OSSLT PREP!

Period 3 and 4:  Everyone has been working so hard to prepare for the Literacy test this week.   Your Opinion Essay is due on Wednesday.   

Wednesday night - you could watch these little videos to have some tips fresh in your head!  Also, get a good nights sleep and have a good breakfast on Thursday morning.

Writing a News Article

Writing a News Report!

Look at some of these samples:
Sample news reports

Now Try it- Question 19 - Session 1
Writing a News Article - Question 19 on the On-line practice!

Plan:
1. Read the headline and picture and decide on an event. Ask: “What happened?”
2. Jot down answers to the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
3. List the names of the participants.

Write:
1. Write the first paragraph using the answers to your 5Ws.
2. Write the body: Explain using details what happened, using quotations from participants to support the facts in your news story. (Make them up. They do not have to be accurate!)
3. Quotations are important in the newspaper article.   Include a couple of quotations - from eye witnesses, participants, observers, experts - make them up! 
4. Write in the third person (he, she it, they) Avoid using the first person. (I)
5. Write in the past tense. (Last Monday, Bridget H. came fourth in the slalom race at OFSSA.)
6. Write a conclusion or ending to your news story.

Practice the on-line test!
Take some time to practice writing your answers on the on-line test. 

Preparing for the On-Line Literacy Test!

This is a busy week.  We are preparing for the on-line Literacy test.  This is a short week and time is flying! 

If you are in ESL CO/DO/EO, in grade 10, 11 or 12, please download the EQAO Online app from the App Store.    We will be using this during the week to practice.

Go to this site for another on-line practice test that does not require a code:
Online EQAO practice test

Period 2:  We are still learning about Nouns, and working on a Vision Board.  

IXL - 1- E.1, E.2, E.3, E.4, F.1, X.1, Y.s
2- E.1, E.2, E.3, F.1, F.2, II.1

Period 3 and 4:  Working on our Opinion Essay.  Keep working on your IXL and reading your independent novel.

Today we are working on writing a good hook.  We will also be learning about using Transition Words.  Follow the organizer given to you.  I am looking forward to hearing about your favourite holidays and traditions!  

IXL- 7- F.1, E.1, D.1, G.1, J.1
8- A.1, A.2, C.1, C.2, J.1

I realize this is a lot - do what you can!   You may see questions with these skills on the literacy test!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is coming up!   What are you thankful for?

Learn more about Pumpkin Pie and Thanksgiving traditions:

Pumpkin Pie!
Try the quiz and let me know how you did.
Here's a little video about the origin of American Thanksgiving:
The origins of Thanksgiving!

IXL:  
Period 2:  This week we are practicing NOUNS - 1 - D.1, D.2, D.3, D.4, D.5, D.6, E.1, E.2, E.3, E.4

Harder questions:  2 - F.1, F.2,      3- D.1, D.2, D.3, D.4, E.1, E.2, F.1, F.2

We are also finishing up our unit on Terry Fox.  What is your dream?  We will be talking about our dreams for the future and completing mini-presentations. 

Period 3 and 4:  This week we are practicing using context clues in a reading passage to help with understanding, as well as learning about different types of sentences, 
Try:   Synonyms:  7- II.1, II.2,  L.1, 0.1, O.2, O.3
                              8 - GG.1
                              9 - Want a challenge?  W.1, W.2, W.3

We will finish our summary and try another one on our own.  

Your opinion DOES matter!  We will also be talking about our favourite holiday and writing an opinion piece about it.

Practice writing your opinion:  Are professional athletes positive role models?

This short video summarizes and provides tips about how to write an opinion piece.

These slides give us further information about writing a series of paragraphs.
Opinion Writing - samples from the literacy test

Here are questions that have appeared in previous tests.  These are questions that are relevant to teenagers.  You might have a strong opinion about some of them...  So, what do you think?

• Should zoos exist?
• Are today’s famous people good role models for young people?
• Is it a good idea for high school students to have a part-time job?
• Are cellphones necessary in teenagers’ lives?
• Is participation in extracurricular activities an important part of secondary school life?
• Do teenagers place too much importance on what they wear?
• Should every student be required to take a Physical Education class every year of high school?
• Should Ontario high schools allow students to eat junk food and sell junk food in their cafeterias?
• Should the sale of junk foods be banned from Ontario secondary schools?
• Should Canada join the United States?
• Is it important for teenagers to pay attention to world news?

Week of September 26! Week 4!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Fall is here!!

Periods 3 and 4:This week we are completing our Two Truths and a Lie Assignment.  Students will present in groups and decide which stories are true and which are false.  This is always one of our most popular assignments of the year! 
Make sure the written work is PRINTED OUT and ready to be handed in by Tuesday!  

Grammar focus:  Homophones
complete IXL _ 7- A.1, A.2, A.3, FF.1, GG.1
                           8 - HH.1
                           6 - QQ.1
Quiz on Friday!

We will also work on summary writing this week!
Check out these videos to help you prepare for the OSSLT summary writing section.

OSSLT- Writing a summary!

How to write a summary

Also, remember to read every night for at least 20 minutes!

Period 2:  
We will try using IXL to practice our new grammar skills!

What to say when you don't understand:
Excuse me! I don't understand!

Homework - Try:
1 - L.1, L.2, L.3, L.4, M.1, M.2, M.3, V.1, V.2

Read every night for 20 minutes! 
Good luck! 

First week down!

I hope everyone had a great week!  Remember to organize your binder.
Try these little grammar quizzes and let Mrs. B. know how you do.

Beginning-Grammar-Quiz

Intermediate

Advanced-Level-Grammar-Review-Quiz

Period 3 and 4 - Finish your writing assignment using ROPES - phone and writing due on Monday!

Homework:  Read in English 20 minutes a day.
Titans Around the World Shirts are on sale for $10 if you want one.

Welcome Back!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a great day!

Remember to get your 4 dividers for your binder (labelled) and have your parents sign the form for class expectations.

What a wonderful group - I can't wait to get to know you better!  To our returning students - it was so good to see you again - I would love to hear more about your summer!

Any problems with your technology or transportation - come and see me and we will get it sorted out.

TED-ED - a new way to learn English!

We have watched various TED talks.  TED-ED offers videos for students.   On your own time, watch these and try the questions.  I will add more as we go!

http://ed.ted.com/on/aMyB5lJX

http://ed.ted.com/on/gxXKia8i 

Chicken or the Egg?

If I had a Million Dollars....

This was one of the most popular songs when I was a teen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXdFTh1yX2c

The conditional tense is one of my most favourite tenses to use in writing!   It is full of possibility!   “A conditional sentence expresses a condition that leads to, or does not lead to, a specific result.” (Gallagher, 2009, p.116).  The way I like to think of the conditional sentence is this; If _____, then _____ will (or will not) happen.

The conditional sentence follows the basic structure of subordinator + subject+ verb (+rest of clause).  It is good to remember that “different types of conditional sentences express differences in time (present, future, past) and differences in degree of reality or truth” (Gallagher, 2009, p.116).

I am finding in writing,  some students are having some difficulty using the conditional tense.   Please review these little exercises and try the quiz.   We will have our own little quiz at the end of this week (hint!  hint!)
Remember:

If you study, you will do well!
Don't be the one to say:

If I had studied,  I would have gotten a perfect mark!  

Give these exercises a try:

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/first-conditional-exercise-1.html

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/second-conditional.html

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/second-conditional-exercise-1.html

What would YOU do with a million dollars??

Book Club Meeting #3

Periods 3 and 4 - Here are the questions for the next meeting.   

Meeting #3:

1. Choose a character in the novel to compare and contrast with a character from another text that you have read, who is similar or deals with similar circumstances. Explain how they are similar and dissimilar.
2. Is it possible to create real change in a person?  Which characters change throughout the novel?  What is the overall goal of the author in creating this change of character?
3. What is the significance of the title? Create a title of your own.
4. What are the themes of the book? Write them as theme statements.
5. Find 2 quotes from the book that support your choice of theme.   Why are these quotes important to the theme development?  
6. Using the Q-Chart as your guide to higher level thinking questions, create 2 questions for your group. Prepare your answers, but share them only after each member has had a chance to answer the question.

Opinion Writing

Hope you had a super day!
Period 2:   Read 20 minutes a night on Raz Kids or Newsela. Study your spring words.
http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_intermediate.php?id=4659

Everyone- Try this little listening quiz about Easter!  You can show me your mark next week!  

Period 3 and 4:you could work on your opinion essay, and I have put another fast quiz up on Socrative for those doing the literacy test. It DOESN'T count on your report card - it is just for practice - but it would be a good idea to do it. Code: ESL210

We will do book club next week after the literacy test. Have a wonderful Easter Weekend!!!

 If you haven't already - Watch these little videos about writing an opinion piece and make notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaT1T9ObyLY

Watch this video and fill in the graphic organizer:

https://sites.google.com/a/ocsb.ca/grade9english/text-forms/opinion-writing

Here are some tips for writing your opinion essay.

https://docs.google.com/a/ocsb.ca/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=b2NzYi5jYXxncmFkZTllbmdsaXNofGd4OjE1ZTUzZTlhOTU5MW

Now- you are ready to write!!

Book Club #2, Discussion Questions

Here are the questions for Meeting #2.   Your answers for last meeting were excellent - these are a little more challenging.  Start using sticky notes or make notes as you read to find evidence from the text.  Good luck!

Meeting #2:

1. What is most surprising in the novel so far? Why?
2. What are the power dynamics between the characters? How are they established? Do you think this will change?
3. Choose a quote that stands out to you as important to the novel. Explain why you think it is important.
4. How does the author use language in the novel?  What is the overall effect?  How does the language shape the novel?
5. Using the Q-Chart as your guide to higher level thinking questions, create 2 questions for your group. Prepare your answers, but share them only after each member has had a chance to answer the question.