CommunicationSpringSummer... - Ontario Modern Language ...

SPECIAL EDITIONSPRING/SUMMER 2011Volume 1, Issue 4OMLTA/AOPLVTHE ROAD WE’VE TRAVELLED...THE ROAD AHEADSPRING CONFERENCE 2011Inside this issue:Chair of the 125thGalaMessage from thePresident24Student Inquiry 12Concours Oratoire 15International LanguageContests17Dégelis, Québec 25Branchez-vous! 44Special points of interest: War Child Canada OMLTA and OSSTF-Partnership in Action Springtime in Paris Projet à Québec-Looking forward toanother sizzling summerSpring Conference Chair, Karla Torrente-Lepage with President, Faten HannaA GALA EVENT TO CELEBRATE OUR 125TH YEARThe OMLTA-AOPLV Celebrates!The 2011 Spring Conference held at the Double Tree International Hotel in Torontowas the site of a special Gala Celebration on March 24 th , 2011. A quaint andclassy setting was the hub of an evening that saw a series of past OMLTA presidentshighlight the illustrious past, present and future endeavors of our subject associationthroughout the last 125 years!continued on page 2

KEY NOTE SPEAKER:DR. SAMANTHA NUTT,WAR CHILD CANADAIn our celebratory year, we had a moment to stop and think about the significance of educators inraising social awareness and bringing about social justice. In a passionate address, by Dr. SamanthaNutt, founder of War Child Canada, we learned of the vital role of learning a second language, asshe shared her experiences and made connections to the importance of action in language education.Her message to our members: ``If you cannot speak to them, you cannot help them.``The mission of War Child Canada is to work with children and their families to overcome thechallenges of living with and recovering from conflict. In collaboration with local people, WarChild aims to increase access to education, lift families out of poverty, and to create a protectiveenvironment for the rights of children. War Child is operational in Afghanistan, Sudan (Darfur),Uganda, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Haiti. www.warchild.caThe message of Dr. Nutt underscores the relevancy of our work in the field of education andthe possibilities of the impact that we can have on the future. From her example, we can learn tomake a difference.Dr. Samantha Nutt is the Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada. Committed to peace, humanrights and social justice, her humanitarian work has benefitted hundreds of thousands of war-affected children globally.She was recently awarded the Order of Canada. Dr. Nutt's first book, Damned Nations will be released byMcLelland & Stewart Ltd. on October 25th, 2011. Damned Nations is available for pre-order. page 3

OMLTA/AOPLVMESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTDear members,Grand merci à tous et toutes pour me permettre de continuer à vous servir comme Présidente de notre fameuseassociation. It is an honour and a privilege which I take very seriously.As I have learned over the years, the OMLTA functions very much as a team and it is amazing! The board of directorsare talented, hard-working, enthusiastic professionals who believe in the importance of language education.I am fortunate to be leading them in the coming year which promises new possibilities, great opportunitiesand wonderful experiences. I will do my very best to keep real and alive our mandate of providing support andopportunities for professional development to our members, creating multimedia teaching resources and studentsactivities that will support the anxiously awaited revised Ontario FSL curriculum, and using technology for communicationwith members.We welcome to the Board four new Directors: Geoffrey Collins (Durham DSB), France Dupuis (CatholicDSB of Eastern Ontario), Linda Pletzer (Toronto Catholic DS), and Christina Schilling (Upper GrandDSB). All members contribute on an on-going basis and we are fortunate to have returning members; Jayne Evans(Niagara Catholic DSB), who organised the Fall Conference 2010, Pina Visomi (Pickering College), JimmySteele (Toronto DSB) – International Languages contest Coordinator, Jennifer Rochon (Toronto DSB) - WebMaster and who continues to work with CPF to organize the annual Concours d'art oratoire. Kim Lundquist(Simcoe County DSB) - Editor of Communication. Kim is also working with Janet Smith (Lambton Kent DSB)in order to coordinate Projet à Québec 2011. Some of the members have changed roles this year; Wanda West-Gerber (Waterloo Region DSB) has plans underway for the next spring Conference, Sharon McNamara-Trevisan (Algonguin and Lakeshore Catholic DSB) is now our Secretary and Karla Torrente-Lepage (DurhamDSB) becomes Vice-President after running a successful Spring Conference. Helen Griffin (Thames ValleyDSB) continues to be our Treasurer but is also the Chair for the Fall Conference. All Directors work on committees,volunteering their time throughout the year, working on the projects mentioned above, as well as on advocacy,professional development, regional language competitions for students, and representing you at meetings withvarious stakeholders. What a great team of dedicated, skilled and energetic professionals you have working foryou!Our OMLTA/AOPLV Spring conference was always an excellent opportunity for language educators to renewand re-energize. This year we celebrate our 125th anniversary so the Spring conference reflected our association'sdevelopment through the years as we commemorate the notion of The Road We've travelled ... nous croyons bienqu'on a fait du chemin ... we take pride in our accomplishments and continue The Road Ahead ... et la route continue.Our passion for languages and the communities they represent nous donnent le courage de continuer malgré tout.On behalf of all who have benefited from the conference, I would like to thank conference chair, Karla Torrente-Lepage and the 2011 conference committee along with our administrative assistant, Heidi Locher, for the hoursof work they devoted to making this a tremendous success and fabulous conference. We have heard very positivecomments from attendees who enjoyed the workshops and the wonderful décor! I would like also toacknowledge Colette Fraser (Sudbury Catholic DSB) for her leadership in making the 125th an outstanding celebrationand I know she dedicated numerous hours to planning and organizing "Gala" night. I congratulate you all,know that your hard work is much appreciated.page 4

OMLTA/AOPLVAlso, I would like to thank those of you who took time on Friday afternoon to attend the AGM. I encourage allthe members to become involved in the OMLTA/AOPLV as we are always looking for fresh ideas and viewsfrom across the province.Cet été, le Projet à Québec 2011 aura lieu du 18 au 29 juillet. C'est un stage de formation organisé par AOPLV/OMLTA, et financé par le Ministère de l'éducation de l'Ontario à l'aide du Patrimoine canadien. Il consiste de12 jours de formation continue dans la ville de Québec. Les participants assisteront à des ateliers de formationprofessionnelle et s'amuseront en découvrant le patrimoine culturel du Québec. Je dois remercier tous et toutesles candidats qui ont envoyé leur candidature, cette année, on a reçu une centaine. Le comité travaille très fortpour prendre la décision définitive dans la sélection des lauréats. Bonne chance à tous et toutes!We are excited about our annual Fall conference that will take place in the London, Ontario region this year onOctober 14 th and 15 th . The theme is Pathway to Pluralism / La voie vers le pluralisme. Remember to check ourwebsite frequently for news and information. Registration should open at the end of AugustIn closing, I would like to remind everyone of my challenge to each of you. Get involved and send an article,lesson, favorite book with a review, student work, etc. to the Editor of Communication. The more we share,the more we learn, the more we grow!Je saisis cette occasion pour souhaiter à tout le monde une excellente fin d'année scolaire et de très bonnes vacances.Bien à vous!Faten HannaOMLTA/AOPLVONTARIO MODERN LANGUAGES’ TEACHER ASSOCIATIONASSOCIATION ONTARIENNED DES PROFESSEURS DES LANGUES VIVANTESpage 5

OMLTA/AOPLVRECOGNIZING COMMITTMENT page 6

OMLTA/AOPLVDEDICATION page 7

OMLTA/AOPLVREMEMBERING page 8

OMLTA/AOPLVWe sincerelythank all pastpresidents andguests whohonoured uswith theirpresence at thegala.A PASSION FOR LANGUAGESpage 9

OMLTA/AOPLVCELEBRATING page 10

OMLTA/AOPLVmore photos on p. 31HONOURINGpage 11

OMLTA/AOPLVSi tu peux le dire, tu peux l’écrireStudent and Teacher Learning Through InquiryNadine PharandFrench TeacherSt. Thomas More Catholic School, KingstonAlgonquin & Lakeshore Catholic DSBI have some great discoveries and success stories to share with you! To begin with the end: I am having a fabulousyear; my students are speaking and writing only in French! The credit goes to what I learned by beingpart of the FSL Inquiry group in our school board and the growth I have made as a teacher.I spent the summer thinking about how I wanted to approach teaching French this year. I knew that I wantedto change my traditional approach and implement what I learned through the professional development opportunities,the FSL Inquiry meetings, the guest speakers, the amazing resources we have received and the time wewere provided to be able to talk as colleagues in our meetings. Many concepts stuck out in my mind that Iknew I wanted to apply to my teaching this 2010-2011 academic year:If you can say it, you can write it (my new motto!);All vocabulary posted on walls should be in complete sentences and thus always in context;Students need to be asked questions in complete sentences and learn how to always answer in complete sentences(modeling and repetition);Grammar must be taught in context and not as a concept set apart from daily routines;Students must have the opportunity to practice oral dialogue as a group and among their peers on a daily basis(discussion groups, talking circles, clock partners);The teacher must speak French at least 90-95% of the time;Create a daily oral routine consisting of: the calendar, days of the week, months of the year, numbers, vowels,alphabet, punctuation, accents, spelling out loud, dialogue; I don‟t want to be a walking dictionary for my students;Billet de rentrée et billet de sortie: I love this idea. To enter or leave the class the teacher determines thetheme and the students must say something in French. Theme examples: different ways to say Hello, Goodbye,You‟re welcome, Excuse me, I‟m sorry, Words of Encouragement, etc;Create a continuity of learning where students build on their previous knowledge. To accomplish this, CON-CEPT units must be taught as opposed to teaching individual units to each class. The ideas for the conceptunits and the final projects should come from the students by asking them what they want to learn in French.My FSL Inquiry question: If my French class program is based on a solid foundation of dialogue and life skillknowledge, will my students be able to communicate independently in French, orally and in writing?

OMLTA/AOPLVL’ÉCRITUREAfter a solid month of oral practice of our routines, I gave the students pencils and journals and askedthem to write a paragraph about themselves using the rehearsed language of the dialogue we had beenpracticing. I removed all the sentence strips and anchor charts. I told them that spelling was not myconcern. Their focus was on correct sentence structure and content. I told them «tu peux le dire, alorstu peux l‟écrire».Do you know what happened? THEY ALL WROTE A PARAGRAPH IN FRENCH by themselves!!!!!!!! Even my students with IEPs and the four English Language Learners who barely speak anyEnglish. Their sentences were complete, all the components were there and I couldn‟t be prouder of mystudents!The students will now be working on their summative projects, where they will create a skit using theselearned language structures to make a video!STUDENT REFLECTIONSI had students write their responses on a large sticky note and then I taped the feedbackto a Bristol board and posted it on the French bulletin board inside the school.J’apprends le Français1. How does learning French in this new way (through dialogues) make you feel?2. How does understanding “if you can say it, you can write it” apply to your life?3. Have you been presented with a situation where you have used what you have learned in French classthis year? What happened? How did you feel? How was it useful? In what other situations do you think youwill use what you have learned? How do you think it will be useful?My Observations: This works! I am now organizing my Long Range Plans with this model as my guide andmy base. If you can say it, you can write it: I am a believer!

OMLTA/AOPLVSPRING CONCOURS 2011On Saturday, May 7 th , students, parents and teachers from all over Ontario came together atYork University‟s Glendon Campus in Toronto for Le Concours et Festival d‟art oratoire, an annualFrench public-speaking competition for students from Grades 4 to 12 studying French as aSecond Language. This event is organized by Canadian Parents for French in partnership withthe OMLTA, with our organization being responsible for recruiting judges, moderators andquestioners. Once again, the event provided a fantastic opportunity for students to celebrate theFrench language.The event began in 1985 as a Concours for high school students. That first year saw a total of35 students from 14 different school boards participate. In the last 26 years, the event hasgrown to include over 300 participants from over 30 public and separate school boards as wellas from independent schools across the province. In 1993, Grades 4 to 8 were added to theevent: this part of the day is the Festival d‟art oratoire, a celebration of language rather than acompetition.Today, participants are divided into four categories based on hours of FSL instruction. At thesecondary level, first, second and third place winners in each category win monetary prizes:$500, $250 and $125 for Grades 9 and 10, and $1000, $500 and $250 in Grades 11 and 12. Forthe first time this year, first place winners in the Grade 11 and 12 category also won $1000scholarships to York University. These senior level winners will also continue on to the nationallevel of Concours, held in Ottawa. First place winners at the National level are awarded$20,000 scholarships to the University of Ottawa.Each year, the OMLTA recruits officials for this important event. Over 60 teachers took partthis year as judges, moderators or questioners, making it possible for students to enjoy this incredibleopportunity. We would like to extend our sincerest thank you to everyone who attended.We will be again seeking volunteers in January 2012 – stay tuned!Next year’s Concours will take place on Saturday, May 12, 2012.page 15

OMLTA/AOPLVTHIS YEAR’S WINNERS-CONCOURS ORATOIRE 2011Place Prize Amount Group Category First Name Last Name Speech Board1st $1,000.00 11-12 Core Julia Romanski Les produits de téléachat Independent Schools1st $1,000.00 11-12 Extended Curtis Quan La tyrannie de la beauté Ottawa Carleton DSB1st $1,000.00 11-12 Immersion Zach DeFreitas Comment travailler chez le McDonald's Ottawa Catholic DSB1st $1,000.00 11-12 FSL+ Julien Jefferson La baguette Waterloo Region DSB1st $500.00 9-10 Core Jeremy Wang Pour l'amour du vert Toronto DSB1st $500.00 9-10 Extended Cristina Andronic Civilizations anciennes Ottawa Catholic DSB1st $500.00 9-10 Immersion Liam Bekirsky La nourriture Peel DSB1st $500.00 9-10 FSL+ Antonia Stanev Jack l'Éventreur vs. le présent Ottawa Carleton DSB2nd $500.00 11-12 Core Yara Abou-Hamde Le sourire canadien Ottawa Carleton DSB2nd $500.00 11-12 Extended Kathleen Matthews Le chocolat douleureux Halton Catholic DSB2nd $500.00 11-12 Immersion Daniel Raffi La beauté de la langue française York Region DSB2nd $500.00 11-12 FSL+ Verinsa Mouajou La critique de notre système éducatif Dufferin Peel Catholic DSB2nd $250.00 9-10 Core Anna Chen Le chocolat équitable Peel DSB2nd $250.00 9-10 Extended Angie Tang La démocracie en Egypte York Region DSB2nd $250.00 9-10 Immersion Alexandra Okarmus La génération endormie Independent Schools2nd $250.00 9-10 FSL+ Safia Fakim Le feu Toronto DSB3rd $250.00 11-12 Core Anna-Kay Russell Le mystère de la pomme Dufferin Peel Catholic DSB3rd $250.00 11-12 Extended Christine Nassif Les martyrs égyptiens Dufferin Peel Catholic DSB3rd $250.00 11-12 Immersion Ashley Hammerbacher La fondation Bill et Melinda Gates Waterloo Region DSB3rd $250.00 11-12 FSL+ Aida Liman-Tinguiri Améliorer le monde grâce au clonage Ottawa Carleton DSB3rd $125.00 9-10 Core Mah-e-leqa Jadgal L'Amitié Niagara Catholic DSBTHANK YOU TO ALL THE TEACHERS WHO CAME FROMAROUND THE PROVINCE TO SUPPORT STUDENTS IN LEARN-ING FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. YOUR DEDICATIONIS KEY TO MAKING THIS EVENT SUCCESSFUL!CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL PARTICIPANTS

OMLTA/AOPLV12 TH ANNUAL MCMASTER FRENCH CONTEST GIVES STUDENTS THE CHANCE TO WINOVER FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN PRIZES !!!!!170 middle and high school students from across Southern Ontario come to McMasterto compete for cash prizes and scholarshipsNearly two hundred young participants arrived at McMaster University on Thursday, April 28 for the annualMcMaster French Contest, the largest-scale contest of its nature for public and independent school students inSouthern Ontario.Students representing thirty schools competed in a comprehensive language testing, including an essay, a grammartest, a listening test, a reading comprehension test and a face to face interview with an evaluator. Cash prizeswere offered for the best scores in each of the six categories (core and immersion French, divided by grade levels),with McMaster bursaries offered to the grand champions in each of Grade 11 and 12 core and immersionFrench. The unofficial winners were determined and the official results were published in late May, after anawards reception at Convocation Hall on May 11.Participants, accompanied by teachers and parents, were welcomed by a large corps of volunteers, themselvesstudents in the French Department, who showed the students around the campus, gave them a taste of universitylife, and talked to them about studying French at McMaster.The Faculty of Humanities and the French Department of McMaster, with the generous support of the OntarioModern Language Teachers‟ Association, are proud to offer this contest each year, continuing a very positivespirit of cooperation and a celebration of academic excellence.The next edition of the McMaster French Contest will take place in late April 2012.For further informationDrs S. Posthumus and P. BanksCo-organizers, McMaster French contest905.525.9140 x 24470http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~french/concours/index.htmlOMLTA IS APROUDSUPPORTER OFLANGUAGECOMPETITIONSpage 17

OMLTA/AOPLVpage 20

OMLTA/AOPLV

THE 41 ST ANNUAL ONTARIO HIGH SCHOOL GERMAN CONTEST:LERNEN, LEBEN, LIEBEN!OMLTA/AOPLVThe 2011 Ontario High School German Contest was held on Saturday, April 9 at the newly-renovatedNorth Toronto Collegiate Institute. It was a truly special event, as we welcomed the twenty-nine studentsfrom six schools in three school boards across Ontario who took part in this year’sDeutschwettbewerb.Again this year, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany generously awarded an allexpensespaid trip to Germany and enrolment in a three-week “PAD” language and culture course toour contest! Our recipient will undoubtedly enjoy his experience! It was an honour to welcome the ViceConsul for the Federal Republic of Germany, Catrin Stibbe, to the celebration banquet, to present theprize in person.Gifts and donations from the OMLTA, the Ontario Association of Teachers of German, the University ofToronto Department of Germanic Languages and Literature, the Goethe-Institut Toronto, Mercedes-Benz Canada, Deutsche Welle, Hueber Publishing House, Cornelsen Publishing and many other kindorganizations helped bring the total of gifts and prizes awarded this year to nearly $5,000, includingnearly $2,000 in cash. The committee extends its thanks to all of its wonderful supporters!Herzlichen Glückwunsch to the winners:The German languageAmy Hao – University of Toronto SchoolsGruppe 2 (some additional experience with the German language)Imogen Jenkins – University of Toronto SchoolsGruppe 3 (no additional experience with the German language outside of the secondary school classroom)1 Clinton Wang University of Toronto Schools2 Laura Hesse-Moroney North Toronto C.I. (Toronto DSB)3 Alice Tan University of Toronto Schools4 Shanna Shi University of Toronto Schools5 Adam Watkins Gordon Graydon Memorial SS (Peel DSB)6 Linda Xuan The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)Students participated in listening, reading, writing, and grammar testing, in addition to an oral interview.The contest is geared towards students in their third year of study, but many students have been successful– and even won! – the contest after just two years of instruction.Take part next year: e-mail the Committee at james.steele@tdsb.on.ca with any questions and checkout the Ontario Association of Teachers of German Web site at http://www.oatg.org for full details. MachenSie mit!Contest Committee: Lesley Chisholm (Host Chair), Andrea Irvine, Anne Popovich, Jimmy Steele(Chair), Nicola Townendpage 22

OMLTA/AOPLV

OMLTA/AOPLVDÉGELIS, QUÉBEC-A NEW EXCHANGE EXPERIENCEFor the first time in my teaching career, I embarked on an exchange this year. After consulting with a number ofteachers, I decided to contact SEVEC and commence the process. While there is a great deal of paperwork involved,it is undoubtedly worth the time! I had the privilege of travelling with 19 students (in Grades 10, 11 and12) to Dégelis, Quebec for one week. While in Dégelis, we went to a cheese factory, an observatory, a dam, anagricultural museum, Fort Ingall, a sugar shack, a maple farm, and a Nordic spa. We spent a day at l'École secondairede Dégelis and a day in Quebec City. When the students from Dégelis visited my school, we went to Toronto,Niagara Falls, the Ontario Science Centre, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and the NewmarketMuseum. We also played Laser Tag and watched a theatrical performance of Romeo and Juliet. Studentsemerged from the experience not only understanding and speaking much more French, but also feeling moreempowered, independent, and confident. Below you will find testimonials written by some of my students:Sophie ArmstrongHaving the opportunity to go to Dégelis for the week was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Being in a smallfrancophone town forced me to use my French and allowed for me to learn new words and expressions. At thebeginning I was extremely nervous to stay with a family that only spoke French because I was worried that wewouldn‟t be able to communicate. I really had nothing to worry about; the family that I was staying with was absolutelywonderful and I felt like they took me in and treated me like one of their children right from the start.They made me feel at home and not like a guest in their house. One of the highlights of the trip was the snowshoeing on the last day of the exchange. We snow shoed up to the summit of a small mountain and saw an absolutelybreath-taking view. Then we slid down the side of the mountain on our snow shoes. One of the funniestmoments of the whole trip was when we were sliding down trying to avoid trees and I looked behind me and Alewas trying to grab onto a tree but the branch broke and she crashed right into me. Overall the exchange was anamazing experience and I would definitely do it all over again.Philippa PowisThe week that we spent in Quebec was one of the best weeks of my life. The family I stayed with consisted ofmy French twin, her mother, step-father, 15 year old sister and 4 year old brother. They were all incredibly niceand never got frustrated when I didn‟t understand what they were saying. On the contrary, they would happilyspend five or ten minutes playing charades with me until I understood exactly what they were trying to say.The memories that we made there still make me laugh: attempting to perform a French dance at a talent showthat only one person knew the steps to; snowshoeing through a sugar shack that we were convinced was inhabitedby hibernating smurfs; eating maple butter out of the jar with a spoon; trying to knock each other off of foamboards with padded sticks in their school swimming pool; and finally…the lingering smell of the cheese factory…that, none of us will ever forget. The town of Dégelis was small, but so welcoming and I know all nineteenof us had an incredible week.Courtney DeSouzaHaving the opportunity to go on an exchange to Dégelis, Quebec to improve my knowledge of the French languagewas an experience like no other. The town I lived in for the duration of my stay had 85 people in it, so Iwas surrounded by French the entire time. Although at first it was tough to adapt to speaking and hearingFrench all the time, after just two days I could already see the improvement in my French speaking and comprehensionskills improving.continued on page 26

A part of the trip that I will never forget is the day my twin and I spent with her family. They took me to theirsugar shack, and we went snowmobiling for the day with her friends and family. This is a memorable part of thetrip for me because I got to live in the life of her for a day, and experience the culture of a small French community.I feel so fortunate to have been given the chance to participate in such an amazing trip, and make lifelongfriendships with the many people I met.Alycia HubbardI had an amazing time in Dégelis, Quebec. Before I left I was very nervous to be leaving my family and movinginto an entirely French speaking community. I had no idea what to expect during my 6 days in Quebec and everyday was a new experience. The family I stayed with was very welcoming and wanted me to feel at home, I met somany new and amazing people that I will remember forever. There were so many highlights on my trip that it‟sso hard to pick just one. Every day was full of new activities such as getting to visit the cheese factory which hada very interesting smell… we got to visit their school and go to a few classes with them, we went into Quebeccity to shop, we got to visit the sugar shack and on the last day we went to a spa and bowling. Even though wehad so many things to do in Dégelis that I could choose for my favourite part of the trip I would probably haveto choose the people. I thought it would be hard to become close with the students from Quebec because theyspeak a different language than us but it didn‟t stop us from becoming really good friends. All of the studentswere so welcoming and had so much in common with us; it was so easy to make new friends. It was sad to leaveDégelis because it meant leaving my new friends for a while but I can‟t wait for them to come to Newmarket!Shannon CumiskeyTraveling to an entirely French speaking community like Dégelis was an intense learning experience for me. I leftNewmarket feeling very confident in my French speaking abilities, but upon arriving I came to the harsh realizationthat I wasn‟t as close to being bilingual as I thought I was. Trying to communicate with and understand everyonearound me was a challenge for the first few days, but I was lucky enough to have an incredibly patient andhelpful exchange family and twin who helped me make sense when I started speaking French gibberish. Alongwith learning how to properly form a sentence, I was taught many other important things over the week: how tosnowshoe, how to enjoy maple syrup on everything, and how to properly order a Happy Meal at McDonalds…just to name a few. But with every experience I had on this trip and every interesting place that we visited duringour jam-packed days, the one thing that I loved most about my week in Dégelis was the people. The group that Igot to spend my week with could not have been better. From day one everyone was doing their best to learnfrom and understand their twins and by the end of the exchange we had collectively created our own language ofFrench words mixed with English words accompanied by many over-the-top hand gestures. I cannot wait for ourtwins to come and stay with us for a week, and although it will be sad to say goodbye, it is nice to know that overthose two weeks we all have made some really good friends.Wendy DuOMLTA/AOPLVThe trip to Dégelis was incredible. The environment, people, and culture are so different than here in Newmarket.The transition from hearing and speaking English every day to hearing French, watching TV in French, andlistening to French radio was abrupt, but it really immersed me into the language. The family was very welcoming.On the second day I was there, we went to their family‟s sugar shack where their family makes maple syrup,maple butter, and maple sugar. We had lunch at the sugar shack and we also had “la tire”, which is a kind of maplesyrup toffee. During the afternoon, we collected all the tree sap from the buckets on the trees surroundingthe sugar shack. My twin‟s grandfather also explained how the sap got changed into the different maple products.continued on page 27

OMLTA/AOPLVAlthough I have been to a commercial sugar shack, I had never had the opportunity to help collect the sap orbeen there while the maple syrup was being made until the exchange. If I had the chance to go back or do anotherexchange, I would definitely take the chance.Maria NorrisMy Quebecois family in Dégelis was my perfect match! Stephanie Levesque was my twin‟s name. Her parentsspoke no English whatsoever, the brother teased me like his baby sister, the two golden retrievers tackled me tothe ground every time I came home, and the house was located only three minutes from school – yet the housewas surrounded by a forest, mountains and an enormous river. Never would I imagine that living with strangerswould be better than my actual home in Newmarket, twelve hours away by bus.The week in Dégelis was so eventful, yet I‟ll never forget the bonding between me and Stephanie. On the thirdday of the trip, I got to experience her average day at school and at home. We were both silent and tired on thebus, arrived at the school and weren‟t very excited for the boring history class that was waiting for us. We endedup chatting and napping throughout the entire class. Lunch at a public school was something new to me and shewould constantly giggle at my failure of pronouncing French words. We chatted through the entire volleyballgame and then, on the bus home, her friends and I clicked so well that I felt like I‟ve known them for years. Theyall teased me about talking on the phone with my boyfriend and then screamed goodbyes when Stephanie and Iran off the bus. Entering the house, we both got tackled by dogs, fed them, and jumped on the couch. At thesame time, we called a friend to share our day with and then the real fun began. She asked me what music I liked,which was the exact same that she liked, and then we danced and sang in full voice until her parents came home.When the parents did come home, we just ran to the kitchen to prepare dinner and dessert together.I have 4 older siblings, boys and girls, but I‟ve never felt such a strong and caring connection to someone athome; especially a stranger I just met two days ago and can barely speak the same language as me and I hers. Iwould love to go back to Dégelis and live at the Levesque house again and hopefully for a longer period of time!Je me souvienspage 27

OMLTA/AOPLVpage 28

OMLTA/AOPLVBom dia!The second Ontario Secondary Schools Portugese Contest took place on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at York University.Under the leadership of a team of decicated secondary teachers and university staff, the event was agreat success. The goal of the event is to promote the Portuges language, and cultues and histories of the Lusophone(Portugese speaking) world among students of Lusophone heritage and students of Portugese as a secondor third language. Students from six schools in three school boards participated in six different languagetests, putting their listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to the test, along with their knowledge of grammarand the cultures of the Lusophone world.The results are as follows:Beginner +1. Carla Almeida-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)Intermediate1. Pedro Charneca-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)2. Veronica Fernandes-Archbishop Romero C.S.S. (TCDSB)3. Paulo Araújo--St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)Advanced1. Jorge de Oliveira-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)2. Walace Freitas-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)3. Cecília Fernandes-Escolos Novos HorizontesHonourable Mention: Andrea Alves-Escolos Novos HorizontesHonourable Mention: Diana Maltez-Archbishop Romero C.S.S. (TCDSB)Advanced Plus1. José Cardoso Lima-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)2. Cindy Ferreira-St. Augustine C.S.S. (TCDSB)3. Amanda Ferreira-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)Honourable Mention: Milene Puziol-St. Mary`s C.S.S. (TCDSB)Sincere Thanks to our Sponsors and Supporters: York University Department of Languages, Literatures andLinguistics; Toronto District School Board; Ontario Modern Langauges Teachers Association; CHIN Radio; TDBank; Presidência do Governo Regional dos Açores, Istituto Camões; Casa das Beiras Portugese CommunityCentre; Portugese Book Store; York University Portugese Association; Bairrada Churrasqueira Restaurant; GreatPlains; Consulado-Geral de Portugal em Toronto; Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board; I Am Future;Nova Era Bakery; Toronto Catholic District School Board.The event co-chairs were Jenny Lopez (TCDSB) and Jimmy Steele (TDSB), with committee membersLiliana Martens (TDSB), José Pedro Ferreira (University of Toronto), Alda Nunes (DPDSB) and Maria Silva(TCDSB). The contest day volunteers were Jonathan Inàcio, Inês Catarino, Celso Pereira, Sarah Lopes and MichaelChan.Best Wishes to all! Paràbens!page 29

OMLTA/AOPLV

OMLTA/AOPLVSpring conference photos continuedRE-ENERGIZING

OMLTA/AOPLVRENEWINGpage 32

OMLTA/AOPLVTHANKING...and so many more ...page 33

OMLTA/AOPLVPrizes anyone??Several participants in the 2011 Spring Conference were delighted to receive an additional perk fromthe conference. The following list of members acquired a prize donated by one of the exhibitors.Félicitations à tous et chacun! À la prochaine conférence!Ana Baptista, Toronto Catholic District School BoardAndré Charlebois, Expert-conseil, Services pédagogiquesAngela Goodman, Durham District School BoardAnne Popovich, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School BoardArlene Yeates, Durham District School BoardBernadette Walsh, Niagara Catholic District School BoardBev Kukhta-Jackson, Hamilton Wentworth District School BoardBob Abrey, Durham District School BoardBrenda McKinley, Halton District School BoardBrenda Thomson, Thames Valley District School BoardBryan Smith, Thames Valley District School BoardCatriona Decaire, Hamilton Wentworth District School BoardChristina Schilling Upper Grand District School BoardDanielle Dupuis, Niagara Catholic District School BoardDeb Verhart, Lambton Kent District School BoardDiana Petica, Durham District School BoardGeoff Collins, Durham District School BoardGrace van Niejenhuis, Private SchoolHeather Henke, Avon Maitland District School BoardJacinda Sanders, Lambton-Kent District School BoardJean Peers, Peel District School BoardJeanne D‟Arc Byaje, Toronto Catholic District School BoardJessica Mota, Niagara Catholic District School BoardJodi Saunders, Catholic District School Board of Eastern OntarioKendel Ince, Grand Erie District School BoardLinda Pletzer, Toronto Catholic District School BoardLinda Woodhead, Peel District School BoardLiz Riches, Halton District School BoardLori Peck, Durham District School BoardLuciano Manserra, Durham District School BoardNatalie D‟Elia, Halton District School Boardpage 34

OMLTA/AOPLVprizes continuedPhilippe Morin, Bluewater District School BoardRenee Meloche, Halton District School BoardRandell Ryan, Durham District School BoardRenata Pavicic-Zupan – Toronto Catholic District School BoardRosa Cipparone, Windsor Essex Catholic School BoardSandra Ulysse, Grand Erie District School BoardSarah Haanstra, Upper Grand District School BoardSvitlana Svyatnenko, Durham District School BoardSusanna Beatrice-Gojsic, Hamilton-Wentworth District School BoardSylvia Dunn, Bruce-Grey Catholic District School BoardTennyson Ulysse, Grand Erie District School BoardTristanne Zybala, Durham District School Boardpage 35

OMLTA/AOPLVA Night in ParisWalking up to the building I was greeted with brightly coloured stained-glass windows, reminiscent of those atNotre Dame Cathedral. As I entered the doors I could hear the sounds of an accordion, and the murmur ofvoices. As I looked ahead of me, I was greeted with a scowl from the maître d‟ outside a cafe. “BonsoirMademoiselle” he said, looking down his nose. “Do you have a reservation?” I, flustered, answered in mybroken French that I was sorry, and no. After which he rolled his eyes and said he would try to squeeze me in.It looked busy alright. He suggested I take a stroll to peruse the art made by local artisans while I waited andhe would seat me when possible.The art, hanging on walls and stacked on tables, was varied, vibrant and it drew me in. I saw photographs,sculptures, graphic art and pencil drawings; each more unique and interesting than the last. On my stroll Iwas joined by two mimes who mimicked the maître d‟ – particularly his nose- which made me chuckle. As Ineared the end of my walk through the artists‟ stalls I was escorted to a cafe table. My young waiter waspleasant and articulate. He informed me that tonight‟s menu included “les crêpes avec la crème glacée, lesbaies fraîches et une boisson de mon choix.” I salivated a little as the smell of coffee and crêpes had permeatedmy senses since entering the building.While waiting for the delights I noticed the conversations around me; servers and patrons conversing inFrench, a flower vendor selling her wares, voices and guitars providing music and a crepe chef and her assistantscreating their delicacies. Where am I? I asked myself. Paris? Sigh ... no, but it sure felt like it.The Paris Café is a celebration of the Arts and French / French Immersion programs at Erin District HighSchool. It was originally designed as a way to create excitement for and generate interest in the Core Frenchand French Immersion programs for the feeder school community, but it quickly developed into a collaborativeventure between the Arts (music, art and drama) and French departments. The café provides an opportunityfor students in both these subject areas to use the skills developed in class in a real-life setting.Each aspect of the café is designed to showcase the talents and abilities of the students at EDHS. The maitre‟dand mimes hailed from the drama department, the art show was organized by grade 12 art students andthe art was supplied by students in all grades, the crêpe chef was assisted by students in the hospitality program,the servers, proficient in French, were from both the Core and Immersion French programs and themusic was performed by music and drama students. Students and patrons (and in particular feeder school studentswho stopped by to enjoy their crêpe) had the opportunity to see the exciting opportunities available tothem in the future as part of French or arts courses at EDHS. Of course all of this was overseen by the teachersin the Arts and French departments hereThe Paris Cafe provides a unique opportunity for the school community to come together to celebrate a culturethat is important to Canada. Students were given the opportunity to show the importance of courses likeFrench and drama in their lives. At first, the students were nervous to use their French language skills in sucha public setting, but over the course of the evening they learned they were more proficient than they hadthought, and many observed that “more people can speak French than [they] thought.”continued on page 36

OMLTA/AOPLVIn its third year, the EDHS Paris Café has developed a strong following in the community and is something bothstudents and the public look forward to. Each year something more is incorporated into the evening and theprocess is refined. It has been highly successful in building bridges between feeder schools and the high school,connecting departments and giving students an opportunity to apply the skills they develop at EDHS. We hopeyou will be able to join us next year!Written by Heather BuckSpringtime in Parispage 37

OMLTA/AOPLV

OMLTA/AOPLVSIZZLING SUMMER EVENTSPROJET À QUÉBEC IS BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR!Once again, OMLTA, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is offering a professional growth and networkingopportunity for teachers of Core French. PROJET À QUÉBEC is a unique experience for Ontarioteachers of French as a Second Language to improve their oral skills and diversify their teaching techniques inthe French language.Through authentic daily classroom activities and guided tours of „la Belle Ville de Québec‟, FSL teachers willreturn to their classrooms with a wealth of culturally related lessons for use at different levels of instruction.Successful applicants will live and speak the French language for 12 days, interact with native French speakers,participate in daily discussions and produce a final, applicable project to share with colleagues.Forty participants have been selected for this year‟s Projet à Québec from over 100 very qualified teachers ofFSL. These participants will reflect the many geographical regions and numerous public and Catholic schoolboards of Ontario, all grade levels, full time Core French teachers and teachers‟ with a variety of years of experience.This year promises to be another success and we look forward to meeting and sharing the many ideas that weall have accumulated over the years.2011 SUMMER PROGRAM SUBJECT-BASED WORKSHOPSOMLTA has once again paired with the Ontario Teachers` Federation to provide three-day workshops in locationsaround Ontario. From July 12-14, OMLTA will be offering a session entitled CEFR: The Foundationof the Revised L2 Curriculum. K-12 teachers have been invited to learn about the CEFR which is a userfriendlycontinuum for second language learners. The CEFR is the foundation of the revised FSL and InternationalLanguages curriculum.The second offering from OMLTA, for teachers from grades 7-12, is entitled French: Differentiated Instuctionand Critical Thinking in FSL. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to explore both of thesetopics and look at concrete ways to apply them into their practice. This session takes place from August 10-12in Sudbury.Thank you to our members who offered these courses for this summer session.page 39

OMLTA/AOPLVYou are not alone!From the time I was nominated for director of OMLTA, my focus has widened considerably. First came thephone calls and emails from OMLTA executive members, what a friendly, helpful group of people. Then therewas the connections with other people who speak and teach French!My eyes were opened to new possibilities. As a result, I applied to and was accepted by OECTA as an instructorfor the FSL Part I course. Again I met people who speak French (some much better that me) and who teach (orwant to teach) French.Overall, the realization that there were others out there having similar experiences was very motivating. With thehelp of a couple of students (Thank you Lana and Vicky) we began to „chat‟ online! Once you get the hang of it, itis amazing!We, as French teachers, need to make that contact with other French teachers. When we connect, we feel lessisolated, less frustrated and very comforted by sharing our experiences, complaints and concerns with someonewho really understands. When we connect, we discover others‟ methods for dealing with problems and we canuse them (as is or modified). We begin to look at our own practices and share what works with others. We do notneed to “re-invent the wheel” as someone else has already dealt with the same issues. We can gain resources,methods, websites and software ideas to refresh our lesson plans, our jobs, and our lives.We are French teachers and we are not alone!Madame PletzerP.S. From May 13 to May 15 a group of French teachers from TCDSB signed on to share a wonderful weekendof connecting, sharing and learning as we visited our Nation‟s Capital. Ottawa is a great place to visit, with it‟s bilingualenvironment, bilingual „authentic‟ resources (information pamphlets everywhere) and it‟s rich museums,government buildings and monuments. We had a great time and all of theCore/Immersion/Elementary/Secondary we connected, sang, dance, ate, and talked, and talked, and talked!page 40

OMLTA/AOPLVBeginner Spanish word match: StoresPrint these two pages on sheets of different coloured paper. Cut out thewords and phrases, place them in an envelope and invite your studentsto construct these logical sentences. ¡Diviértanse!Yo voy al estadioTú vas a la panaderíaÉl va a la agencia de viajesElla va al centro comercialNosotros vamos a la bibliotecaVosotras vais a la tienda de ropaEllas van al cineEllos van al café

para asistir al partido de fútbol.OMLTA/AOPLVpara comprar pan y postres.para reservar un billete de avión a Sudamérica.para ir de compras con sus amigas.para leer y prestar libros.para comprar una camiseta y unos pantalones.para ver una película de acción.para beber té y hablar con sus amigas.para comprar el nuevo disco compacto de Shakira.para almorzar con su familia.

OMLTA/AOPLVwww.warchild.ca

OMLTA/AOPLVBranchez-vous!Par Helen GriffinLES CÉLÉBRATIONS & LA CULTUREDiversity Calendar http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/ethnic.htmlA chronological list of cultural dates assembled by University of Kansas Medical Center.Select a month to view Ethnic and Religious holidays by month.Culture Days: Celebrating Arts + Culture from coast to coast to coast http://culturedays.ca/en/2011-activitiesJoin Canadians in hundreds of cities and towns across the country during the second annual Culture Days weekend!On September 30, October 1 &2, 2011, participate in activities that celebrate expression of your community. CultureDays features free, hands-on, interactive activities and “behind the scenes” experiences where you can get up closeand discover a world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators and designers. The website allows you to dosearch by Region, Category or Key word.Interactive Learning Games http://www.apples4theteacher.com/socialstud.htmlAlthough this site is linked to social studies curriculum, the activities are just as useful in our language programs. Clickthe following links to find out more: Cultures Around the World: Chinese New Year, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico, NativeAmericans as well as Multicultural Study – Hispanic Heritage MonthMulticultural, Cross-cultural & Intercultural Games & Activitieshttp://wilderdom.com/games/MulticulturalExperientialActivities.htmlLearn how to say “Hello in Different Languages”, find out “The Story of My Name” OR for older students, you may wantto try “Cross-cultural IQ Tests”. There are also more links to other websites if you scroll down the page.Best French Websites http://www.uni.edu/becker/french31.htmlThis website was created by Jim Becker, Webmaster / Professor Emeritus University of Northern Iowa to accumulatelinks to multiple French sources including: Grammar, Help with French verbs, Dictionaries, Quizzes and Drills, CollegeSites, Games, Weather, Newspapers & Magazines, Paris, French Culture, UK Sites, Literature Sites, Pen Pals, LessonPlans, Great French Food, French Search Engines, Why Study French, Super Sites, Maps of France, Potpourri ofFrench sites, French cheese, French Wine, AP French, French Tutorial Lessons, Liens en français and French TeacherSites. This is really one stop linking!Jim’s Multilanguage Homepage http://www.uni.edu/becker/Yes, this is the same person as above… he has collected together links to the following languages: Spanish, French,Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Portuguese, German, TESOL/ESL, and Latin.Click & Learn!page 44

OMLTA/AOPLVWhat is culture? http://www.truworld.ca/__shared/assets/culture_in_the_classroom13174.pdfShort presentation with these questions in mind: What do you believe about teaching? What do you believe aboutlearning? So….. How does culture influence teaching and learning?Lesson Plan – Culture Shock http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/04/g68/cultureshock.htmlNational Geographic’s lesson for “Culture Shock” asks students to think about how cultural customs differ throughoutthe world. Students will research a foreign culture's customs and write stories pretending they are on vacation with afriend from the country they have researched. They and their friend will travel to a new country that neither person isfamiliar with, and students will describe each person's reactions to the new culture and how these reactions differ basedon each person's own cultural customs and habits.Culture Shock: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquettehttp://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field keywords=culture+shock%21#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=searchalias%3Daps&field-keywords=culture+shock!+survival+guide&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aculture+shock!+survival+guideThis series includes multiple countries and can be purchased as individual books. It is available from amazon but probablyother online services as well. You'll never feel intimidated and awkward about the customs and etiquette of anothercountry again. With the insights provided in this CULTURE SHOCK! Guide, you'll learn to see beyond the stereotypesand misinformation that often precede a visit to a foreign land. Whether you plan to stay for a week or for a year,you'll benefit from such topics as understanding the rules of driving and monetary systems, religious practices and makingfriends. There are tips on political traditions, building business relationships, and the particular intricacies of settingup a home or office. A sincere attempt to cross the bridge into a new and exciting culture.TEACHING CULTURE: Strategies and Techniques by Nada Salem Abisamrahttp://nadabs.tripod.com/culture/This site’s index includes: Definition, Common Approaches, A Framework for Building Cultural Understanding, PlanningTeaching for Cultural Understanding: Goals, Themes to use, Strategies & Techniques, Lesson Plans, Conceptual Modelof Culture Learning, Measuring Cross-Cultural Awareness & Changes in Attitudes, Dealing with Students’ NegativeAttitudes, Practical Tips, List of Useful Books, References & Bibliography, Relevant Internet Sites.Teaching Culture http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/culture/cuindex.htm"The exquisite connection between the culture that is lived and the language that is spoken can only be realized by thosewho possess a knowledge of both" (National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 1999, p. 47).There are also links to Goals and Techniques for Teaching Culture, Strategies for Learning About Culture, DevelopingCulture Learning Activities, Using Textbook Culture Activities, Assessing Knowledge of Culture, Resources.page 45

OMLTA/AOPLVHeidi Locher,Administrative Assistant17A-218 Silvercreek Parkway N., Suite 123Guelph, OntarioN1H 8E8Tel: 519-763-2099Fax: 519-763-3987CONTACT US:OMLTA@OMLTA.ORGBoard of Directors, 2011PATHWAY TO PLURALISMLA VOIE VERS LE PLURALISMEMedway High School, Arva, OntarioOctober 14- 15thLes 14 et 15 octobreSpecial thanks to photographers, Heather Henke, Claude Belcourt, Brian Lepage and to Pina Viscomifor her assistance in editing. Thanks also to Heidi Locher for her suggestions andpatience.page 46