Have a great weekend class!

TO DO LIST

1) Final copy of French explorer diary entry due Tuesday. Be sure to review, revise/edit your rough copy. Have a friend/parent read it over and correct grammar, spelling and structural mistakes.

2) Complete your portfolio assignment for Tuesday. Choose two artifacts from humanities (as discussed in class) and write a short reflection on each artifact.

3) Try to watch the news on TV or read a newspaper. The world is experiencing a plethora (look up plethora in the dictionary) of events at the moment. One in particular to watch is the political unrest in Burma, where monks and other protesters have been killed in recent days. The government has actually cut off all means of communication (internet, phone) so people in Burma might not actually know what's happening in their own country!

Click on this link for news on Burma:
Burma news

Thursday - Spelling Test and rough copy of French Explorer diary entry due

Be sure to study this weeks spelling words for Thursdays test:

1) monopoly
2) Acadian
3) France
4) King
5) Catholic
6) Royal
7) colony
8) coureur de bois
9) Algonquin
10) Mi'kmaq
11) canoe
12) paddle
13) whitewater
14) river
15) lake

bonus: petroglyph

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

Your assignment is on Page 35 in your Voices and Visions textbook. The assignment is #1) featured in yellow at the bottom of the page. Basically you need to imagine being a French explorer in the 1500's and explain WHY you want to go to North America?

CHAPTER 1 EXAM - MONDAY, SEPT. 24

Be sure to study chapter 1 in your Voices and Visions textbook. Way to go on your pre-test; your performance makes me proud to be your teacher.

The learning goals/objectives for chapter 1 are:

1) Gain an understanding of what Canada was like before Europeans arrived

2) Begin to learn about specific First Nations groups and their influence on events leading to Confederation (the formation of Canada as a nation)

3) Gain appreciation for the challenges of co-existence among peoples

4) Learn important vocabulary that relates to Canadian history

* These learning objectives are based directly on the learning objectives set forth by the Alberta Program of Studies

Your test has three parts: 10 matching, 16 true or false and 14 multiple choice. There are 40 questions total and it should take you a full 50 minutes to write.

Crossword and Chapter 1 Vocabulary

The crossword is designed to give you an understanding of the meaning of each of the definitions. The definitions are straight from the textbook.

WE ARE HAVING A QUIZ ON CHAPTER 1 VOCABULARY, SO WRITING THE DEFINITION IN YOUR GLOSSARY SECTION OF YOUR BINDER IS RECOMMENDED FOR STUDYING! YOU CAN ALSO GET A PARENT, OR FRIEND TO TEST YOU ON YOUR VOCABULARY, BY STATING A DEFINITION AND HAVING YOU RESPOND WITH THE CORRECT TERM.

WE ARE ALSO HAVING A TEST ON CHAPTER 1 VERY SOON! PLEASE RE-READ CHAPTER 1 COMPLETELY (page 1-28) TO PREPARE!

These are the defintions: You can copy and paste them into a microsoft word document and then print them off, if you like.

Chapter 1 Vocabulary

1. culture - A way of life shared by a group of people.

2. pluralistic-society - A society made up of many different groups of people.

3. point-of-view - An individual's personal viewpoint.

4. authentic - Trustworthy and reliable; original; not a copy.

5. bias - A personal like or dislike of something or someone that is not necessarily based on fact.

6. primary-source-image - An image of an event created by a witness.

7. secondary-source-image - An image created from memory, imagination, or a pre-existing image.

8. natural-world - The land, water, mountains forests, plants, wildlife, and climate.

9. core-values - Important ideas or beliefs about how people should live.

10. world-view - A way of looking at the world that reflects one's core values.

11. traditional-teachings - Unique beliefs of the First Nations passed down orally from generation to generation that explains how the earth was created.

12. Elders - Respected members of an Aboriginal community.

13. oral-culture - A way of life in which language, teachings, and traditional stories are memorized and passed down.

14. ethnocentric - A viewpoint that judges other global cultures and ideas according to personal values and standards.

15. clans - Extended families living in small villages.

16. decision-making-by-consensus - A debate in which people discuss an issue until they can all agree on one outcome.

17. government - The way people organize themselves to choose their leaders and make decisions.
18. matrilineal - Ancestral descent through the maternal (mother's) side.

19. democracy - A system of government in which the people of a nation are involved in decision making.

20. alliance - A union in which groups agree to trade and help each other resolve disputes.
21. Iroquois-Confederacy - An alliance including the five Haudenosaunee nations living in the Great Lakes.

22. Three-Sisters - Haudenosaunee name for corn, beans, and squash.

23. communal - Something done or owned collectively.

24. economy - The way in which people meet their basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

25. stereotype - An over generalized portrayal of people from one group.

26. sovereign - Self-governing and independent of external powers.

27. perspective - The generally shared point of view of a group.

28. historic-site - A location of historical or cultural importance to a group of people or nation.

Writing assignment

You're writing assignments are due on Tuesday, September 18. Your art assignments are also due on Tuesday. If you have any questions be sure to ask me!

Grade sevens, welcome to our BLOG!

Welcome students to our offical blog for 2007/2008!

I will use this post to explain some of the features of the blog. You might be wondering why this "post" or message isn't at the top of the page? The reason is because this is the first post and as more posts are added, older posts get "bumped down". I chose a bog style format for our website because its easy for me to keep the site current. I will add lots of stuff to the blog throughout the year so be sure to check it at least every 2 days or better yet, every day.

POLLS: We are going to have votes on issues so be sure to cast your vote! This weeks poll is "Was Terry Fox's Marathon of hope a success?".

There is a news real at the bottom of the page which scrolls the latest news. Click on the name of the newsource, for example Globe and Mail, if you would like to visit the news sources website. You are encouraged to utilize this source for your current events projects. There is also an internet button that gives the weather forecast. You can even select a different city if you want to know the weather somewhere else.


Winter is almost here. Be sure to get outside while you can!