SPRING/ SUMMER 2016 - OMLTA · Schulich School of Education 3 5 G R R S MEMBERSHIP ... we start a new teaching and learning journey. My best wishes to you all for a safe and relaxing

What’s Inside:A Message from the President ...............3

Letter from the Editor .............................4

Meet Your Directors ...............................5

Quoi de neuf ? .......................................6

The First Five Years ................................8

Membership Benefits ...........................11

Spring Conference ...............................12

Take It and Make It Yours .....................15

Concours d’art oratoire ........................18

Language Contests Highlights .............21

International Languages .......................26

5 Questions with/avec .........................27

Branchez-vous ....................................29

Resource Reviews ...............................30

Save the Date ......................................31

À la prochaine ......................................32

Communication

SPRI

NG/ S

UMME

R 201

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• Devenir <vert> cet été

• ‘5 Questions With’ esteemed language lover Dr. Michael Salvatori

• New ‘ready-to-use’ FSL Resources

• Les meilleures applis pour apprendre les langues

• Which Speech Topics Most Impacted Concours Judges?

• Language Contests Highlights

DON’T FORGET:Back issues of

Communication areavailable online at

www.omlta.org À NE PAS MANQUER!

OMLTA/ AOPLV - SPRING/ SUMMER 2016

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VISION & MISSIONVISION

OMLTA/AOPLV is the leader in professional learning and advocacy, inspiring and connecting Ontario’s French and International Languages educators.

MISSIONOMLTA/AOPLV:• Fosters collaboration amongst language educators and

professional partners• Delivers practical, user-friendly best practices in language learning.• Influences policies and directions that support French and

International Languages education

Go ahead, take the credit.

AQ COURSE: EDUC1185 International Languages (Spanish), Part 1Nipissing University is proud to be the only accredited provider

of this Additional Qualification (AQ) Course in Ontario

The underlying purpose of this AQ course is to develop awareness and understanding of classroom theory and practice in International Languages (Spanish). Candidates will examine

various strategies for planning, assessment, and evaluation within an International Languages (Spanish) classroom. Focus will be placed on effective learning strategies, differentiation

and collaboration. Candidates will have the opportunity to examine resources and tools for International Language integration, in the context of a 21st Century classroom.

Candidates are certified teachers and must successfully pass an online Spanish Language Proficiency Test: www.nipissingu.ca/spanishtest

For more info email [email protected], or call 1-800-655-5154 ext. 4

www.nipissingu.ca/AQ

Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, Box 5002, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7

Schulich School of Education

35PROVIDING

AQ COURSES FOR OVERYEARS

MEMBERSHIPIt’s not too late to renew your membership with the OMLTA! There is still time to take advantage of discounted fall membership rates (as of September 2016), discounted fall conference rates, access to outstanding resources, back issues of Communication and much more. Your professional dues are also tax deductible. Visit http://www.omlta.org to renew your membership.

DISCLAIMER:The information and views set out in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association/Association ontarienne des professeurs de langues vivantes (OMLTA). The OMLTA, its employees, its Board of Directors, or any person acting on their behalf may not be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.

All use of the masculine in any language to designate individuals or groups of individuals is employed only to lighten text, and serves to identify persons of all genders without discrimination.


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A Message

From The

President

Pictured above is the Board of Directors

Hello everyone! Bonjour tout le monde!

My name is Michael Green and I am honoured to have been elected as the president of OMLTA/AOPLV for 2016-2017. Thank you all so much for this incredible opportunity. I am excited to collaborate with the OMTLA/AOPLV directors and hope that I will live up to the expectations of the presidents who have come before me. I would like to share a little about me: I am a secondary FSL and music teacher in the Waterloo Region District School Board, I have co-authored a PD book for FSL teachers, and I have served as a special assignment teacher with the Working Together to Improve Students’ Proficiency in FSL through CEFR-Inspired Practices project. I am the father of two young girls, who are not only my world, but my inspiration for everything I do in education and in life. I have been involved with the OMLTA in some way since beginning my career. I have had the pleasure of working with this dedicated, hard-working group of directors since 2013. J’aimerais remercier le conseil administratif de 2015-2016 pour tout leur travail pendant l’année. On a beaucoup accompli pour nos membres et pour l’enseignement du français et des langues internationales à travers l’Ontario cette année. Si vous étiez à l’assemblée générale annuelle, vous auriez entendu les chefs des comités parler de tous nos

projets, tout ce que nous faisons pour promouvoir l’enseignement des langues et comment nous soutenons les enseignantes et enseignants de français langue seconde et langues internationales de notre province. J’ai hâte de continuer ce travail en 2016 – 2017!Looking to the future, we have big plans! We have an amazing group of educators working on your behalf on the 2016-2017 Board of Directors. Our team brings a variety of experiences, perspectives, and ideas from across Ontario and they are all ready to tackle new opportunities. We are looking forward to implementing our strategic plan to better serve you, our members. As our revised mission states, the OMLTA/AOPLV will foster collaboration amongst language educators, our professional partners and stakeholders; we will continue to deliver and refine practical, user-friendly best practices in language learning; and we will advocate on your behalf to influence policy and directions that support FSL and International Languages education. As we do this, we will be looking more to you, our members, for feedback on what is working well, where and how we can improve, and seeking to get you even more involved in the development and implementation of our initiatives. I would like to encourage you, our members, to get involved in your association – apply to serve on writing teams for new resources (financial literacy and international languages opportunities will be coming soon!), participate in webinars and conferences in both the Spring and the Fall (Peterborough in November!), volunteer as a judge for the provincial concours oratoire in May, submit an article to Communication, apply for Projet à Québec, encourage other FSL and International Language educators to take out an OMLTA membership, consider becoming a director on the board… there are many ways for you to be involved in your organization. As our newly articulated vision states, the OMLTA/AOPLV will be striving to be the leader in professional learning and advocacy, inspiring and connecting Ontario’s French and International Languages educators.I thank you, again, for the trust you have placed in me as President this year. We look forward to an inspiring, collaborative, and creative year!

Merci! Thank you!

Michael GreenPresident, 2016 - 2017


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Salut mes chers collègues,Je suis tellement contente de vous écrire pour la première fois dans ma nouvelle position comme rédactrice de Communication! This past year and a half, I have been lucky enough to serve all of you members of the OMLTA on the Board of Directors. What an amazing leadership journey it has been! I joined the Board of Directors in March of 2015 and since then, have had the privilege of working with the most dedicated and inspiring colleagues, who also serve with me on the Board of Directors. They work tirelessly and on a volunteer basis to make sure that professional development opportunities are available to our members in a timely and thoughtful way. They help make resources available to all you second language teachers. They advocate for all you language educators so that learning environments for both educators and students can continuously improve. They provide opportunities to you to work on writing teams, to give feedback on Ministry policies and documents, to have active participation on issues of importance to modern language teachers. They promote the benefits of language learning in everything that they do and they maintain strong partnerships with other organizations which benefit all of you second language teachers. I have learned so much from this collective group of educators and that is why I know that OMLTA can have such a far-reaching impact on all of its members. We can enrich the lives of every teacher by sharing our knowledge with you and, in the spirit of collaboration, we can ask you to share your knowledge and successes with us! Collaboration can be so essential in making a good idea come alive

and become a great tool for others. It is in this vein that I will strongly encourage you all to get involved and send me any resources, ideas, classroom practices that have been successful, stories of personal growth/successes in your classroom, useful suggestions and tips for teaching, technology, resources, projects, field trips and anything else that you feel would benefit another language educator. Look at it as a

mentoring challenge…. If you had to give a brand new teacher three pieces of advice and/or three tools that would see them through their first few months of teaching, what would those three pieces of advice and/or tools be? How would you counsel them? What would you do to ensure that they have a rewarding and reflective year? These are the things that we can share with each other, and in turn, become more knowledgeable, confident, and mindful educators.Let’s use our collectivity to strengthen our positive effect on other teachers. I welcome your comments, feedback, suggestions, and I encourage you to contact me with any ideas you may have. You can reach me at [email protected] wishes for all of you are that you have a restful summer holiday, enjoy time with loved ones, read a

good book or two, do things that you love that you never seem to have time for, and most importantly, get reinvigorated for September when we start a new teaching and learning journey.My best wishes to you all for a safe and relaxing summer holiday.

Ida ContinenzaEditor, Communication

Letter from the Editor

Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ AssociationAssociation ontarienne des professeurs de langues vivantes

Hébergement / Accommodations - Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn

84 Lansdowne St E, Peterborough, ON K9J 6Z3(705) 742-3454 | www.bwotonabee.com

Ateliers / Workshops - Holy Cross Secondary School1355 Lansdowne St, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7M3

18-19 novembre 2016, Peterborough


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Meet Your OMLTA Board of Directors 2016 - 2017Michael Green (President)Waterloo Region DSBFrench, Spanish, English

In addition to teaching vocal music, he sings in, directs, and accompanies various choirs.

Nicole Czaja (First Vice-President)Rainbow DSBFrench, English

An elementary school vice principal, she brings a valued perspective to the Board of Directors.

Laura Dursley (Secretary)Trillium Lakelands DSBFrench, Spanish, English

Has worked in Botswana and Ecuador, in addition to many rural areas across Canada.

Susanna Beatrice-Gojsic (2015-2018)WebmasterHamilton-Wentworth DSBFrench, Italian, English

Also has a Master’s degree of Public Administration.

Ida Continenza (2016-2019)Editor - CommunicationHalton Catholic DSBFrench, English, Italian

Loves “family time”, family vacations, reading, dancing & cooking homemade Italian meals.

Vanessa Heydrich-Swan (2016-2018)Hamilton-Wentworth DSBEnglish and French

Is a French Immersion Instructional Coach,a longtime Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan, and is learning to ride Cyclocross.

Beverly Kukhta-Jackson (2015-2017)Hamilton-Wentworth DSBFrench, English

Loves connecting people with resources and other people.

Sharon Lajoie (2016-2019)Peterborough Victoria Northumberland & Clarington Catholic DSBEnglish, French, Danish and Spanish

Has lived and worked overseas (in 7 countries). Loves learning new languages.

Jennifer Rochon (Past President)Toronto DSBFrench, English

Loves travelling, spending time with friends, drinking a glass of good red wine, knitting, and mothering her 4 fearless cats.

Jimmy Steele (2nd Vice-President/Conference Chair)York University/Toronto DSBGerman, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Icelandic, English

A recipient of a 10-year volunteer merit award from the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

Pamela Marshall-Gray (Treasurer)Near North DSBFrench and English

Enjoys family camping, sitting in front of the campfire, and Pinterest.

Josée Boutin (2015-2017)Kawartha Pine Ridge DSBFrench, English

Responsible for Centre DELF-DALF Centre, Sud Ontario.

Pauline Galea (2016-2018)Durham Catholic DSBFrench, English

AIM Certified Teacher/Mentor with a passion for teaching expressive oral language skills, assisting colleagues and collaborating.

Danielle Hunter (2015-2017)Durham DSBFrench, English

Recently presented at the Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants at the Council of Europe, Triathlete, and Safe Schools Facilitator.

Alessandro La Gamba (2016-2019)Toronto Catholic DSBFrench, English, Italian

Loves learning new things every day and sharing what he learns.

Lisa Picerno (2016-2019)Independent SchoolsItalian, Spanish and French

Has lived in Northern Peru, doing mission work, has studied in Mexico, Spain and France.


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NEW FSL RESOURCES AVAILABLE!OMLTA President Michael Green and Past-President Jennifer Rochon

participated in the FSL Working Group at the Ministry of Education

Field Services Branch on April 13, 2016. Listed below are highlights of

new FSL resources available:

• The link below will hook you up with the Powerpoint Presentation for Educators relating to the document “Including Students with Special Education Needs in FSL”. It includes document highlights, a reminder about the revocation of Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) No. 58 that provided for the possibility of exemptions from the elementary Core French program and more! When you enter the link, scroll to the bottom and click on the “Presentation for Educators” tab. Here’s the link:www.curriculum.org/…/…/including-all-students-in-fsl/

• The link below will bring you to the new resource, available through Curriculum Services Canada (with the financial support of the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage), which focuses on Supporting English Language Learners in FSL. Here’s the link: www.curriculum.org/…/supporting-english-language-le…/

• “Samples of Student Oral and Written Production Based on CEFR Levels”, a resource from Curriculum Services Canada, will guide you through the following questions:

- What does an A2, B1 or B2 student sounds like;

- What types of tasks students at each level are capable of doing;

- What CEFR action-oriented tasks look like for speaking and writing;

- What criteria the evaluation and moderation process uses?

Here is the link for this great resource: www.curriculum.org/…/samples-of-student-oral-and-wr…/

• Curriculum Services Canada is now known as Learnography. On their FSL site, there are many support resources for the FSL classroom. The link below will hook you up with lesson plans from their project “From Communicative to Action-Oriented: Illuminating the Approaches”. The activities in each lesson example can be adapted to support any grade or program. Here is the link:

www.curriculum.org/fsl/en/resources/from-communicative-to-action-oriented-illuminating-the-approaches/

SELF-ADVOCACY FOR NEW AND EXPERIENCED SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS• Understand the school vision and integrate key aspects into

classroom

activities (e.g., in a school focused on the arts, consider incorporating arts into classroom projects)

• Invite administration into the language classroom to observe and participate; they do not know the great things happening unless

we show them

• Share stories of success with administration and the community (awards, recognition, new initiatives, creative/innovative student work)

• Extend language study beyond the classroom by integrating it into the school and the community (school performances, community events)

• Invite members of the community to speak to language classes about the role that languages have played in their lives (professionals, activists, artists, athletes, former students, etc)oriented-illuminating-the-approaches/

• Incorporate language anywhere in the building where appropriate, e.g. Ô Canada, In Flanders Fields in French; signage in the library)

• Consider integrating the language into the morning announcements

• Separate schools: say the prayer in language

Quoi de neuf

SELF-ADVOCACY FOR NEW AND EXPERIENCED SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS

This important self-advocacy resource was compiled by your OMLTA Advocacy Committee Directors, who are working hard to ensure that all of you, as members, can benefit from these

wonderful suggestions in your schools and school boards. We thank them wholeheartedly

for their tireless work on our behalf! Merci bien!


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SELF-ADVOCACY FOR NEW AND EXPERIENCED SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS - CONT’D.• School events can incorporate a small element in languages taught

(e.g. an introduction to a skit, announcement, or award ceremony in the language)

• Share what is happening in the class via newsletters, blogs, vlogs, and email

• Ensure that visuals in the target language are outside of the classroom

• Collaborate with your teacher-librarian to access print and digital resources in the library

• Negotiate with colleagues for bulletin board space in the classrooms where you teach

• Join committees within the school (e.g. literacy, student success, equity, etc. ) to remind colleagues that language teachers contribute to student success and well-being across the curriculum

• Attend parent council meetings

• Find out who your school board coordinator/program leader is or a respected teacher who would be interested in mentoring, in order to have full access to all resources available to second language teaching staff

• Request a mentor who is also a language teacher, when possible

• Plan school-wide cultural events, avoiding clichés and stereotypical imagery

• Spend time with guidance counsellors to ensure that they have the information regarding the benets of studying languages including post-secondary pathways (university, college, workplace, apprenticeship)

• Provide information about post-secondary pathways

• Spend time in class discussing the benets of studying a second language and encourage your colleagues to do the same

• Consider classroom visits to promote second language study

• Incorporate languages studied into student publications (e.g., school newspaper, website)

• Ensure cultural activities, excursions, and eld trips are featured in the yearbook and on the school website

• Celebrate successes with school (morning announcements, newsletters)

• Consider using school display cases to showcase interesting and creative student work

• Invite university/college student groups to be a part of school events

• Encourage student volunteers of all ages to be a part of your programming

• Welcome students interested in pursuing a career in education to volunteer in your class and host teacher candidates from the Faculty of Education; you will learn from each other!

SUMMER INSTITUTESStay tuned for more information on “Camp OTF”, the Summer Institutes offered through OTF and OMLTA. They will be held in Niagara Falls from July 25 to July 27th. Check www.omlta.org for more information as soon as it becomes available.

PROJET À QUÉBECThere were 130 applicantws for this amazing learning opportunity which will be taking place in July at Laval University! 50 people were chosen to attend. Applicants were selected based on project criteria regarding teacher representation in geographical regions, public and Catholic school boards, full time Core French positions, grade levels taught and years of teaching experience. The “Projet” team leaders are confident that the applicants chosen represent the diversity of our education system in Ontario. Stay tuned for feedback and photos in future issues of Communication from this wonderful event!

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING..... DID YOU KNOW?....Consultations on the Future of Experiential Learning in Ontario (Winter 2016)

The ministry is expanding experiential learning to provide students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 with a broader range of learning opportunities that are “connected to the community.” This is learning that takes place both inside and outside the classroom, and in partnership with local, national and international community organizations and businesses.

The Ministry is looking for feedback on the draft Community-Connected Experiential Learning Policy Framework. This policy framework may include the provision of ELAR credits for students who participate in two- and three-month FSL exchanges. Stay tuned for more information on this initiative!

Quoi de neuf

OMLTA’S FINANCIAL LITERACY WRITING PROJECTOMLTA has selected experienced teachers to work on creating lessons for use by elementary and secondary FSL classroom teachers. This project will include revising and/or rewriting the current financial literacy resource for Core French, Grades 4-12 as well as producing updated resources to build teacher capacity and understanding of Financial Literacy.

The revisions to this resource will include:• connections to the current revised curricula with an emphasis on

action-oriented, authentic tasks

• emphasis on oral language development and proficiency

• integration of technology to support student engagement and learning

• incorporation of the current financial literacy resources and materials

• implementation of current instructional, assessment and evaluation practices in second language acquisition

• integration of 21st century skills, including opportunities for inquiry-based learning

• a focus on fostering compassionate and responsible citizens

Stay tuned for more information on these fantastic resources!


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The First Five Years

The day of the conference, a scant hour after beginning, our presentation came to an end. This left us facing a room of colleagues with whom we had shared ideas, experiences and resources. We were content and satisfied with the positive reaction from our audience. We had achieved our goal.

We never would have considered applying to be presenters had it not been for the support and guidance of our Curriculum Consultant, Anna Marie Toltl. She supported our ideas and made sure we were on the right track. She even helped make our photocopies the week leading up to the conference. Thank you Anna Marie!

In speaking to colleagues during the time leading up to the presentation, we heard often the question, “Where do you find time to plan a presentation when you have a teaching commitment?” As teachers, finding time is definitely a challenge. The juggling of planning, teaching, marking and extra-curricular activities can be challenging enough on its own. To ease some of this, anyone considering presenting at future OMLTA Conferences, should consider presenting with a colleague.

It was a blessing that we were able to work together. There were a multitude of benefits, chief among them the ability to collaborate and to share the workload. We were able to divide preparation for the presentation, such as preparing slides and handouts. Furthermore, while an hour-long presentation may seem daunting, being able to share the commitment, makes the task more manageable. We also found it extremely beneficial to bounce ideas off one another and to practise

OMLTA – WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A PRESENTERBy: Maria Calandrino & Courtney Andrey (HCDSB)

Who would have thought that an invitation to share some work and ideas at a family of schools FSL meeting would turn into an

invitation to present at the 2016 OMLTA Modern Languages Spring Conference? Never having attended the OMLTA Conference,

we were unsure of what to expect as participants, let alone as presenters. With an idea about which we are passionate, «Making

Use of What You Have – Adapting On y va to the 2013 FSL Curriculum », we were excited and ready to go. After several weeks of

preparation we had a product which we were happy and excited to share with colleagues from all across Ontario.

together. Having a co-presenter who works in the same school was of further advantage. We were able to use parts of our planning time, as well as short periods after school to complete the bulk of our presentation together. What couldn’t be done during school hours became part of an extended social get-together.

We loved being presenters and of course presenting in a conference format meant that there was the additional benefit of listening to other great presentations! We were able to gather new ideas, resources and contacts – an experience that goes a long way in a profession that values and depends upon on-going professional development.

We found presenting at the OMLTA Spring Conference to be a very rewarding experience. At the end of the presentation, several participants approached us with positive feedback and posed questions to further their own professional growth. We were happy to continue to share our knowledge. It was encouraging to hear that our presentation had been so well received! We couldn’t have imagined a better experience. Having the opportunity to speak to colleagues that share our passion was rewarding. The opportunity to network and to share a project into which we had put so much time and effort was a validating experience that we would repeat and also encourage others to try as well.

Maria and Courtney are FSL teachers with the Halton Catholic DSB. Thank you, Maria and Courtney, for having embraced this opportunity to share all of your wonderful strategies at the Spring Conference!

HONOUR SPECIALIST COURSE IN SPANISH, ITALIAN, AND GERMAN OFFERED SUMMER 2016!Do you have summer plans? Even if you are busy traveling, vacationing, teaching summer school, or just relaxing with your loved ones, it has now never been easier to get your Honour Specialist qualifications in International Languages!

OISE/UT will offer the Honour Specialist course in July 2016 completely online! (http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/aq/Additional_Qualifications_Course_Offerings.html)

If you have never taken an online Additional Qualification course, do not worry: you will be surprised at the ease of the user-friendly format.

Most importantly, the course was recently updated by practicing teachers to include practical, useful, and relevant information on current second language pedagogy and strategies.

All Ontario Certified Teachers (members in good standing of the Ontario College of Teachers) can take the course, including Saturday school/heritage language teachers. Don’t forget that your Honour Specialist qualifications will often increase your salary and open doors to various leadership roles in your schools.

There are two ways to be eligible for the course:

1. If this is your first Honour Specialist designation, you require:

a. the equivalent of nine (9) full university courses in Spanish/Italian/German language, literature, culture, etc.,

b. two (2) years of teaching experience in Ontario schools, and

c. one (1) year* of experience teaching Spanish/Italian/German. [Note that one semester in a semestered school counts for this requirement.]


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The First Five Years2. If you already hold an Honour Specialist qualification, and would like to obtain a second (combined) designation, the process is even simpler:

a. the equivalent of six (6) to nine (9) university courses in Spanish/Italian/German language, literature, culture, etc., so that the total of courses counted for the two Honour Specialist courses is at least 14,

b. two (2) years of teaching experience in Ontario schools, and

c. no experience necessary teaching Spanish/Italian/German.

All interested applicants will need to submit a form, certified by a superintendent or other supervisory officer, which indicates the relevant experience, and pass a language proficiency test in the month of June (which will be done online and via Skype, as appropriate).

Did you know? If you are like me and are “Experienced but not Certificated” in Spanish/Italian/German (a.k.a. you have taught the course without an official qualification), but you meet the above eligibility pre-requisites, you can take the course!

**Special note: GERMAN Teachers who are members of the Ontario Association of Teachers of German (www.oatg.org) and/or the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (www.omlta.org) are eligible for a $150.00 rebate from the OATG upon successful completion of the course!

The course may run with a small number of candidates, but we hope to see a fantastic turnout of interested International Languages teachers to show our Additional Qualification providers that we need and deserve professional development in our subject areas!

Registration is now open. Visit the OISE/UT AQ website at: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/aq/Additional_Qualifications_Course_Offerings.html

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jimmy Steele, at [email protected].

See you online this summer!

KEEPING THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE & CULTURE ALIVEBy: Brittany Praturlon

Over the last 8 months, 5 of my colleagues and I spent our Saturday mornings teaching Italian to elementary aged students at St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School in Oakville (HCDSB). The classes are a part of The International Language Program which is run through the Thomas Merton Centre for Continuing Education.

This past academic year has been such a rewarding experience, although it did not come without its challenges. I taught a class of 17 Grade 2 Students, however the dynamics of the class were quite unique as there were only 3 girls in the class. As a result, students were always full of energy to burn and I had to quickly adapt traditional language teaching methods accordingly. Not only did lessons and activities need to appeal to the kinesthetic learner, but they also had to be lively and entertaining.

My goal was to expose students to vocabulary related to each week’s theme. Some of the activities that I found to be the most effective were word searches and vocab tombola (bingo). I loved hearing the conversations between them as they worked on trying to find the words in the word search, even though they conversed in English I always could hear an Italian word being toosed around. For example: “Did anyone find fratello?” (brother) or “I found nonno!” (grandpa). One of the greatest challenges I found was the structure of the year. With a new theme each week you have the opportunity to expose students to new vocabulary, but they don’t necessarily have enough time to acquire it, as the next week we move on to a new theme.

Another challenge for me was the varying skill levels of the students as they are grouped based on their grade in school as opposed to their knowledge of the language. I had some students who coming into the school year were able to count past 20 and other students who struggled to count to 5. Trying to find a happy medium so that activities were not too challenging and at the same time not too elementary, was not always an easy feat. Ultimately the key was to have multiple activities so that those who finished early had something else they could work on.

We need to encourage students in the language learning process, as the ability to communicate is so crucial in our ever expanding and diverse society. To conclude, I leave you with this quote on language from the famous Federico Fellini, “un linguaggio diverso è una diversa visione della vita” (a different language is a different vision of life).

Brittany has just completed a four year B.A. in French and Italian Studies from the University of Toronto, Mississauga, and will be a teacher candidate at Laurier’s Faculty of Education in September. Thank you for sharing your experiences in the Italian classroom and good luck in September!


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By: Alejandra Ortiz

Alejandra has been teaching for about 8 years. She has taught French and Spanish in private schools and is currently a Core French Teacher for YCDSB. She loves teaching languages and and incorporating technology into her teaching, thus reducing the use of paper. Merci pour tes idées, Alejandra!

Do you want to assign more writing activities in your second language class, but are afraid of all that messy marking?

This is how you can do it all in one single document and completely paper free!

If you work in a school that has adopted Google for Education (or Office 365; it has the same document sharing features), you can assign a writing activity to one entire class in one single document.

By having all your students (in any one given class) write in the same document, you are:

- integrating reading into the writing activity by allowing students to read their peers’ work,

- allowing students to see a variety of examples of the work required in case they need it,

- fostering an environment where students know about each-other’s lives,

- increasing students’ vocabulary by reading other students’ work (which can include images),

- interact in French with your students while getting to know their interests,

- using a tool that has a dictionary (and spell-check) one click away,

The First Five Years

- being kind to the environment by assigning a paper free activity,

- using a tool that allows you to make corrections and/or comments in the same document,

- making the marking manageable.

In order to set this up you need to:

Create a document. This is your MASTER copy, name it as such.

Insert a two column table.

Write your students’ names on the left column and leave the right column blank for the students’ writing.

Make a copy each time you are creating a new activity and name it accordingly ( for example: “La fin de semaine - Le 30 mai 2016” ).

Then share the activity document with the students in your class and give them permission wto edit.

Once the students have completed the activity you can change the settings to “view” only (they will no longer be able to edit but will have access to see it with the corrections and notes you may have added).

To avoid using any paper I ask them to write their marks on their agendas (I teach elementary).

See photos of MASTER and writing activity.

ATTENTION ALL ELEMENTARY FSL TEACHERS!

Camp Tournesol is a day camp that has been operating in the GTA for 15 years, and now offers French teachers an option for their field trips! Tired of looking to go to a site, only to find out they don’t have any counsellors that speak French? Look no further, because Camp Tournesol has solved this problem. On top of organizing a fun-filled itinerary full of camp classics, team-building, and leadership activities catered to your students’ age, level of French, and your programming needs, they also supply the counsellors to lead all of these activities entirely in French!

Programming is available for both day and overnight trips in Ontario, giving students a chance to experience the great outdoors, all while having fun in French. For more information, you can check out their website www.camptournesal.ca. If you have any questions, just ask Martine at [email protected] who coordinates all of the booking. The website says trips are only scheduled for May and June, but if you’re looking for something in the fall or winter, just ask and Martine can see if that can happen!


11

Membership BenefitsBeing a member of the OMLTA affords you much more than discounted rates to our Spring Conference. This year, OMLTA members:

• have been informed about new initiatives and best practices in education, stemming from the OMLTA’s role as a stakeholder with the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, and other leading organizations

• have been able show their leadership by applying for writing teams for projects to inform teachers about the revised elementary and secondary FSL curriculum,

• have been able to be informed about the revised FSL curriculum by attending member-led professional development workshops in five cities across the province

• applied for a bursary to study in Spain, for interested Spanish teachers, courtesy of the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C.

• will be able to part in another session of Nipissing University’s new Additional Qualification course in Spanish, developed by OMLTA Directors, this spring-summer

• can apply to participate in Projet à Québec, the extraordinary summer immersion program for FSL teachers across all panels, now open to Extended and Immersion teachers as well,

• have profited and will profit from the experience of their colleagues at conference workshops in Toronto and Peterborough, and from articles in Communication

• will be able to network, meet their peers, and celebrate the successes of some of our province’s brightest FSL students by volunteering at the provincial Concours d’art oratoire in May

• receive access to dozens of helpful documents via our Members Only section on our website

• share ideas, tips, resources, and best practices via our Facebook page and Twitter account

• receive discounted rates for membership in and products from the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT)

• and much more!

Stay a part of the OMLTA and take advantage of the benefits of being involved!

Le congrès de l’ACPI rassemble annuellement des professionnels

d’immersion française de toutes les régions du Canada depuis plus de 35

ans. Cet événement rassemble plus de 600 enseignants, administrateurs,

leaders, conseillers pédagogiques et chercheurs en immersion française.

Le congrès offre plus de 50 ateliers qui présentent les dernières

tendances en pédagogie immersive, fournissant ainsi aux éducateurs

de partout au Canada de nombreuses possibilités d’apprentissage

professionnel.

Réservez vos dates pour #ACPI2016!

L’ACPI sera à Niagara Falls (Ontario) du 20 au 22 octobre 2016 à l’hôtel Sheraton on the Falls.


12

Spring Conference Talk to Me/ ParleMoi

OMLTA’S 2016 SPRING CONFERENCE - A HUGE SUCCESS!!

Over 700 delegates participated in the 2016 OMLTA/AOPLV Conference - Talk to Me!/Parle-moi on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. This was an increase of approximately 200 delegates over 2014, the last time we hosted our own conference. With eight blocks of workshops and twelve workshops in each block, delegates had a huge variety of workshop choice - from integrating technology to CEFR-inspired practices to including students with special needs. Overall, the conference was a grand success - most delegates left inspired to try something new on the Monday they returned to work. The social hour at the end of the day Friday gave delegates the opportunity to talk to each other, see old friends, make new ones, and continue to develop their professional learning communities.

Denis Cousineau was an excellent keynote and energized everyone at the beginning of the day on Friday. It would have been great to hear him speak for longer!

As is a long-standing OMLTA tradition, we honoured our award winners, life members and honourary members at Saturday morning’s breakfast. Congratulations to all our award winners!

Thank you for your patience as we tried something new with the electronic program. We realize there was a bit of confusion, but as with all new things, we will get the bugs ironed out by next time!

Our roaming directors with iPads were able to seek feedback from our membership so that we can continue to improve and make the conference experience even better in the future. We also continue to comb through the survey feedback, all in an effort to ensure the best conference we can provide.

We are excited to announce that the International Plaza Hotel has been purchased by the Delta Hotel chain! Between now and the end of the year, they will be working to renovate the common spaces and hotel rooms to bring the hotel up-to-date and modern. We look forward to our continued partnership with the hotel as it transitions to the new look and feel.

A huge thank you to the planning committee from the Waterloo Region District School Board - Antoinette Minutillo, Jazmine Muller-Germann, Eva Robinson, Nicole Verhoeve, Emma West, and Wanda West for all their help during the conference. Thank you, also, to Sonia Blanchard, our administrative assistant for keeping everything on track and together.

We look forward to seeing you again at our Fall Conference in Peterborough and our Spring Conference in Toronto!

Michael Green2016 Spring Conference Chair

SPRING CONFERENCE REFLECTIONA definite highlight for many dedicated Modern Languages teachers, the OMLTA/AOPLV Spring Conference returned this year to the International Plaza in Toronto after last year’s glorious adventure in Niagara Falls of the World Congress of Languages, a combined event with FIPLV, Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes and CASLT/ACPLS, Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers. Again this spring, hundreds and hundreds of teachers enjoyed professional development in a fun, interactive and informative setting aptly organized by Michael Green (who is now the President of OMLTA/AOPLV) and his effective, friendly conference committee who worked tirelessly in the months leading up to the conference and who provided support to attendees, exhibitors, student monitors and presenters from early morning until evening. This year’s theme was “Talk to Me / Parle-moi” and it was beautifully reflected in the keynote address by Denis Cousineau, in myriad workshops exploring ways of enticing students to talk in the target language and how to support them, including using technology, in the displays and wares of the exhibitors and in the opportunities to network and socialize with educators from across the province.

More than 80 different presenters shared their knowledge and expertise with us and were rewarded with the participation of colleagues and a pretty sweet bag of chocolate truffles. If you have never presented a workshop, consider teaming up with a colleague or developing a session by yourself to present at a future conference. It’s fun and a great opportunity for professional development.

This year’s AGM (Annual General Meeting) was lively and interesting, with about half a dozen educators stepping up to be nominated for a position on the Board of Directors. The level of enthusiasm was exciting and contagious, with plenty of questions, comments, speeches and finally a vote to determine who would be the 2 new directors. Meet them in the “Meet your directors” section of this issue of Communication.

As we were saying our goodbyes at the end of 2 packed days, a colleague remarked on the mood of contentment and the grand number of hugs delivered. We are looking forward to the “revoir” next spring, or, perhaps we’ll see each other again at the Fall conference this year in Peterborough. À bientôt!

By: Beverly Kukhta-Jackson, Hamilton-Wentworth DSB


13

Spring Conference Talk to Me/ ParleMoiSINCERE THANKS TO ALL OUR

PRIZE DONORSAlliance Française • ATG • Bon Patron • Booksmarts • Chenelière

Publishing • CLÉ International • CPF Ontario • Échos • Échos Pro • Éditions CEC • EMC Paradigm • Étienne • Jouets Nancy •

La Boutique • Normand Gaudreault • Pearson Canada • Poster Pals • Rigodon • RK Publishing • Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons •

Scholastic Canada • Tralco Lingo • Voyageur

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CONFERENCE-GOERS THAT WON!Abder Bourdouz • Kayla Caragiahakos • Luciana Doria-Adamiszyn

• Roma Franciz • Alice Franco • Denise Fraser • Kristine Gombai • Sarah Haanstra • Tenin Mah • Marlene Mira • Lynda Mitchell • Marisa Moser • K. Parsons • Sonia Petrosoniak • Doreen Pierini • Christine

Rees • Jonathan Ruhnke • Lindsay Smith • Anabela Wallace

OMLTA’S SPRING CONFERENCE PRIZE WINNER FROM HURONIA HISTORICAL PARKS

Congratulations to Ms. Janet Bannerman and her class from Sir Isaac Brock Public School in the Upper Grand District School Board, who has won the draw for a complimentary 2016 “Enhanced” education program for up to 50 students at either Sainte-Marie among the Hurons (Midland) or Discovery Harbour (Penetanguishene), operated by Huronia Historical Parks.

The Enhanced Education program for up to 50 students is valued at $400.00. Make sure to enter the next draw at the Huronia Historical Parks booth at the Fall OMLTA conference in Peterborough!

For further information on Spring Education Programs at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons and Discovery Harbour, please visit www.hhp.on.ca or call or email Diane Archambault, Tour Coordinator, at 705 528-7694

or email [email protected] .


14

Spring Conference Talk to Me/ ParleMoi

MY EXPERIENCE AS AN OMLTA WORKSHOP PRESENTERBy Lisa Raposo

I had the privilege of presenting at the Ontario Modern Language Teacher’s Association, Spring Conference 2016. I am a Secondary Literacy Itinerant with the Halton Catholic District School Board who focuses on the curriculum needs of the schools under my portfolio. When I was asked to present at the conference, I really didn’t think I had anything to offer French teachers as I am not an expert in that curriculum area, however I have worked with French teachers to help make literacy more transparent in their courses, hence the connection to OMLTA. Literacy skills are transferrable and important to consider in your lesson planning and our session featured ideas to help teachers infuse those skills into lessons they were already teaching. For example, we had a shopping receipt activity to support inferencing that could be used at the applied or academic level to practice communication skills, vocabulary, grammatical structures, building background knowledge, incorporating critical thinking and there were tips on how to scaffold the activity as well as different ways to change the assignment to practice other skills and to add variety. Teachers left the session with practical activities to use the following day in class that were linked to the enduring ideas or fundamental concepts in the FSL curriculum like authentic oral communication critical and creative thinking skills.

Lisa Raposo is a Secondary Literacy Itinerant Teacher with the Halton Catholic District School Board and graciously accepted the invitation to provide input to FSL teachers through the lens of literacy skills acquisition. She had a rewarding experience working amongst OMLTA conference-goers and we thank her very much for her contributions!


15

Take It And Make It Yours

PRAYER OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONSCreator, God, as relatives of the community we are brought together to celebrate our lives in your love. Let us remember all of our relatives, past and present, winged and four-legged.

Four Drumbeats: Please face East.

****As we face East, it is the time of beginnings. With the rising of the sun, the birth of a child, the start of the week we begin anew. With the springtime comes the blossoming of plants and the birth of animals, and we celebrate the emerging patterns of life. We hear the drumbeat, the heartbeat of Mother Earth. We give thanks for our birth, this time of exploration and creation.

Four drumbeats: Please face South.

****As we face South, we celebrate and acknowledge our emotion. We recognize the strengths and struggles of our youth. Help us share our laughter, love and joy as we walk through our diverse world. In this time of growing, we hear the drumbeat. We give thanks for the gifts of tenderness, kindness and understanding,

for these draw us closer to each other and our Creator.

Four drumbeats: Please face West.

****

As we face West, we celebrate spirit. This is the time of reflection and of stillness in readiness for growth. Bringing together the patterns of life and our emotions with the spirit, we are led to a greater faith.

As we reap the harvest, we hear the drumbeat.

Four drumbeats: Please face North.

****In facing North, we celebrate the life of our elders, for the gifts of insight and wisdom that God has revealed to them out of their past which are so vital to us in our present. In the evening, as we gather at home to listen to the stories, we hear

the drumbeat.

Four drumbeats

****As we continue the circles of life, we are united in the love of the Creator. As we look downward to Mother Earth we are reminded of her care. As we look upward to Father Sky, we are reminded of the gift of his grace. We listen for the drumbeat and are reminded that as we move through life, we impact all around us. We are reminded of our responsibility to nurture those around us, as we are nurtured through creation. We give our thanks to God who provides the gifts given to us

from the four directions, Mother Earth and Father Sky.

Four drumbeats

HOW CAN WE BEGIN TO EXPLORE FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT PERSPECTIVES IN OUR CLASSROOMS?

The Ministry of Education strongly advises us, as educators, to infuse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education into our classroom. The prayer below would be appropriate for teachers in Catholic school boards. A reflection question that could accompany this prayer would encourage students to think about the lands that we all live on through a historical lens. The prayer below could be used in conjunction with any French Canadian and Québecois history and literature studies.


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Take It And Make It YoursHOW THE DELF HAS CHANGED METhree years ago when I was finishing up my Maternity Leave for my fourth child I decided to enroll in a course offered by my school board to become a Correcteur for the DELF A1/A2 level in order to get my head back in the French teaching game. I chose it because I thought it would be good to see what to expect for my students and to hear and speak French again. I didn´t realize at the time that this course would entirely change how I would approach teaching French as a second language. Here´s some of the things I have learned:

1) The focus of my lessons has changed. The learning goals I create for students are based on the purpose for communicating and the skills they need to achieve a goal. They are no longer learning how to use object pronouns, but instead how to avoid repetition. They are no longer learning passé composé, but instead how to describe what happened. By changing my focus, students are more engaged and can see the application of the language outside of the class. They have the confidence of ways they can use the language out of the context that it is taught in.

Strategies to shift focus:

• Be explicit about the learning goals and connect back to them daily so students make the connection about why they are learning what they are learning

• Have students selfassess in relation to the learning goals so that they know where they are and where they need to be

• Provide descriptive feedback regularly (can be oral or written)

2) Students are capable of way more than I realized when they aren´t just memorizing a script or a presentation. My oral production marks in my courses are now focused on spontaneous interactions in French. We build vocabulary lists together as students need the words for a specific purpose. I have observed that their retention of the vocabulary has improved. They also need to be explicitly taught how to interact effectively in a conversation ex. Ways to react, ask a question connected to what partner said etc.

Strategies to build vocabulary:

• Build a visual dictionary where students are assigned a category and have to come up with words they need to talk about that category. Dictionary includes word in French, sentence in French using the word in context and visuals to help us understand what the words means.

• Give students lots of opportunities to use the vocabulary in different contexts so they get used to using it

• Debrief after oral practice Quels mots te manquaient pour parler de ce sujet?

3) Authentic listening activities can be done in a Core French class. I have used authentic listening with my 1P French class. The important thing is how we adapt our questions and what students are listening for. I focus on a global comprehension of the document rather than picking out specific verb tenses or pronouns. At the beginning it is important to build their confidence so that they don´t

shut down and feel that they can´t succeed. It is also important to challenge students with listening exercises that have background noise and different accents and explain how this affects how they understand.

Strategies to use authentic listening:

• Use pictures and have students circle pictures that correspond with a particular question

• Get students to listen for : QUI, QUOI, QUAND, OÙ, POURQUOI

4) Students need to have multiple opportunities to speak in French with classmates daily. The student talk time in my classroom has increased dramatically for all levels that I teach.

Strategies to increase talk time and confidence in speaking:

• Using protocols so everyone can share their ideas ex. Think Pair Share, Speed Dating, Inside Outside Circle etc.

• Inspire conversation through use of visuals, concrete objects or animated short films

• Have students share their answers with a partner before sharing with whole class.

When we first offered the DELF test in UGDSB my school only had 1 student participate. This year we had 30 senior students who signed up to complete either their A2, B1 or B2 DELF exam. I feel that because of the way we have adapted our programs in the last few years based on our DELF training and the new curriculum, students are feeling more confident with their abilities and willing to take risks. It is an exciting time to be an FSL teacher!

Amy TurnerSecondary Core French TeacherUpper Grand District School Board


17

Take It And Make It Yours

HOW THE TEACHER LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM HELPED ME IMPROVE MY FRENCH CLASSROOMBy Chantal Desbiens

Imagine tailoring professional development to suit your needs as a language teacher. Once you can envision the changes you wish to see happen in your classroom, you can accomplish them via your PLN (professional learning network) and the TLLP (Teacher Learning and Leadership Program).

I have to admit that when my colleague, a physics and math teacher, asked me if I would be interested in joining her in the application of the TLLP, I was intimidated. She had already flipped her classes and is very tech savvy. Up to that point, I had integrated elearning courses into my Core French curriculum and faced many challenges, including computer labs that were ill-equipped for large classes and students who did not have access to the internet at home. The more I thought about the possibility of improving my programming and bringing some much-needed technology into my classroom, I knew that I had to join in on the application. I am the only language teacher in the group of five teachers who applied for and received the TLLP grant. I am grateful for taking the tech leap and joining my colleagues as I have learned so much from them.

The TLLP application process takes some time and preparation. I would suggest getting together with a couple of colleagues before this school year ends, visiting http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teacher/tllp.html for information on the application process and perusing the completed projects. There

are video tutorials to help guide you through the application process. It states that the TLLP is for experienced teachers as you are expected to share your teaching and learning with your colleagues. I would recommend this process for new teachers as well. The grant will provide release time to meet with your team, attend PD of your choice and to eventually share your experiences with your colleagues.

I was able to purchase ipads that belong to my classroom. I appreciate having a mobile language lab for students who never want to speak in front of their peers and who are now able to record and submit work. The resources in my classroom engage students in the lesson and offer creative solutions for both formative and summative evaluation. Now, my students are producing creative work and are having much more fun in the process. I must admit that I am having much more fun now too.

Thank you, Chantal, for sharing your experience with the membership. TLLP’s are a great way of partaking in professional development that is personally relevant, challenging and very rewarding. Way to go!


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Concours d’art oratoire 2016

On Saturday, May 14th, CPF Ontario welcomed over 270 students from 24 school boards and 8 independent schools across Ontario to the provincial event at York University’s Glendon College in Toronto. Students recited their original speech on a topic of their choice before a panel of officials recruited by the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (OMLTA).

Each year, the OMLTA’s Concours d’art oratoire Co-Ordinators recruit officials for this important event. Over 50 teachers took part his year as judges, moderators, and questioners, making it possible for students to enjoy this incredible opportunity. We would like to extend our sincerest thank you to everyone who attended. We will be again seeking volunteers next January so stay tuned for this great professional development opportunity!

Students in grades 4 to 8 took part in a non-competitive festival at the event showcasing their French-language, creative writing and public-speaking skills. Students in grades 9 to 12 participated in a competitive Concours with ambitions to win cash prizes.

The following students from grades 11-12 will represent Ontario at the 2016 CPF National Concours d’art oratoire on May 28th, 2016 in Ottawa, competing for scholarships to various Canadian universities valued at over $150,000.

Kieran Kreidié-Akazaki from University of Toronto Schools, Toronto

Mubeena Mistry from Leaside High School, Toronto District School Board

Amna Majeed from Richview Collegiate Institute, Toronto District School Board

Luka Subotincic from Bishop Allen Academy, Toronto Catholic District School Board

For a complete list of winners from the event held on May 14th, 2016 visit on.cpf.ca.

This year marked the 32nd anniversary of CPF Ontario’s Concours d’art oratoire, the largest annual French public-speaking event for students in Grades 4 to 12 who are enrolled in French Second Language (FSL) programs in Ontario schools.

A total of 275 students from across Ontario qualified for this year’s event. An estimated 20,000 students participated at the classroom, school, and school board level over the past four months. Of the 275 provincial finalists, those in Grades 4-8 presented their winning speeches at the public-speaking festival, and the secondary school finalists competed for cash prizes. The first-place winners of the Grades 11-12 level also won a $1,000 entrance scholarship to York University. These four finalists (one per FSL Category) will move on to represent Ontario at the 2016 CPF National Concours d’art oratoire on May 28th, 2016 in Ottawa.

At the 2016 CPF National Concours d’art oratoire, finalists from across Canada compete for scholarships to the University of Ottawa (valued up to $32,000), the University of Moncton (valued up to $20,000), the Université de Saint-Boniface (valued up to $20,000), the Université Sainte-Anne (valued up to $2,000), and the University of Prince Edward Island (valued up to $3,000). Second- and third- place winners receive scholarships to the University of Ottawa (valued up to $28,000 and $24,000 respectively), the Université de Saint-Boniface (valued up to $12,000 and $8,000 respectively), or the University of Prince Edward Island ($2,000 and $1,000 respectively). In addition, other national finalists who compete will be awarded a $1,000 entrance scholarship to the University of Ottawa.

There are close to 985,000 students enrolled in French Immersion, Extended French or Core French in Ontario’s English school system. French Immersion enrolment has increased 5.6 percent annually over the last nine-year period with more than 187,741 students currently enrolled. (Latest statistics from the Ontario Ministry of Education.)

OVER 270 STUDENTS AND 50 JUDGES DEMONSTRATED THEIR LOVE FOR FRENCH IN CPF’S ONTARIO’S 32ND ANNUAL FRENCH PUBLIC-SPEAKING EVENT HELD IN TORONTO

Students from grades 4 to 12 participated at the 32nd annual provincial French public-speaking event, Concours et festival d’art oratoire, organized by Canadian Parents for French (Ontario).


19

A REWARDING EXPERIENCE: CONCOURS D’ART ORATOIRE

The Concours d’art oratoire is a joint endeavour by the OMLTA and Canadian Parents for French. Each year schools throughout Ontario are invited by CPF to compete in this enriching event held at York University’s Glendon Hall campus. The calibre of speeches presented by participants and the generosity of OMLTA members who volunteer their time in a variety of capacities has always impressed me. On Saturday May 14, I again had the privilege of participating in judging the speeches. I can assure you that choosing winners from such an impressive pool of talent has always been a daunting (albeit rewarding) task and this year was no different. Not only were judges and audience entertained by the young French speakers, they were intellectually stimulated and morally challenged by the plethora of speech topics. The day is typically punctuated by judges adjourning to make their selection of the top three presenters. What ensues is a rich exchange of individual perspectives and impressions as judges discuss each of their personal choices. I feel that I speak for my participating colleagues when I say that we all come away with a great sense of admiration for the overall event as well as a deep satisfaction for the role we each played in the experience that these young students have enjoyed. I wholeheartedly recommend to my OMLTA colleagues who have not availed themselves of this inspiring opportunity to give serious consideration to volunteering for next year’s Concours d’art oratoire.

If I may indulge in a final personal note, I would like to commend all of the participants from across Ontario, but in particular the HCDSB participants in this year’s Concours : Emma Danaher, Ciara Cullen, Madeleine Cordeiro, Veronica Kindaro, Ryle Cheyene Macaraig, Nicholas Cheng. Félicitations!

Laura Butera is a French and Italian teacher at Christ the King Catholic Secondary School in Georgetown, and has been officiating with the Concours d’art oratoire, both at the school board and at the provincial level, for many years. Her dedication and commitment to French language teaching will empower all second language students and these experiences will also continue to allow Laura to excel as an educator. Merci, Laura!


Congratulations to CPF’s Ontario winners! (From left to right):

Category:Core French1st Place: Kieran Kredié-Akazaki – University of Toronto Schools

Category: Early French ImmersionMubeena Mistry – Leaside High School

Category:Core French Extended1st Place: Amna Majeed – Richview Collegiate Institute


20

Place Grade Category First Name Last Name Speech School Board

1st 11

Core

Kieran Kreidié-AkazakiL’islamophobie au Canada - Une men-ace pour notre société et nos valeurs

Independent Schools

2nd 12 Gabriel Blanco-Gomez La musique pour les sourds Toronto Catholic DSB

3rd 12 Landon BrysonCe fameux mot de cinq lettres, les

moutons et le théâtreTDSB

1st 12

Extended

Amna Majeed Le féminisme TDSB

2nd 11 Sahar Abdalla Fangirl TDSB

3rd 11 Taylor Shirtliff-Hinds Accepter ses peurs Independent Schools

1st 12

Immersion

Mubeena Mistry L'islamophobie TDSB

2nd 11 Rosa Aliee La représentation dans les médias York Region DSB

3rd 11 Abdulrahman Al Bochi L'espoir pour la paix Halton DSB

1st 12

Francophone

Luka Subotincic La liberté d'expression en France Toronto Catholic DSB

2nd 12 Charlyse KatakoLa situation en République Démocra-

tique du CongoOttawa Catholic DSB

3rd 11 Alpha Oumarou La Révolution Independent Schools

1st 10

Core

Fayha Najeeb Les Deux Côtés de la Médaille Peel DSB

2nd 10 Gehna Karani Je suis une immigrante Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB

3rd 10 Sophie Wang Le chômage chez les jeunes TDSB

1st 10

Extended

Shuli Jones L'immigration au Canada Independent Schools

2nd 10 Ayesha MirLe racisme, la discrimination et le

préjugéTDSB

3rd 10 Roman Kus Le cannabis pour le Canada? Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB

1st 10

Immersion

Qui blâmer au campus universitaire Ottawa Catholic DSB

2nd 10 Danyaal Irfan Les Superhéros Halton DSB

3rd 9 Jake Sprenger Mes parents essaient de me tuer TDSB

1st 10

Francophone

Abe Arafat La persuasion Independent Schools

2nd 10 Rostam Djeddi Les enfants de la guerre York Region DSB

3rd 9 Claudia Sassa L'histoire du mobile Toronto Catholic DSB


Which Speech TopicsMost ImpactedConcours Judges?


21

Language Contests: HighlightsONTARIO’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS SHINE AUF DEUTSCH AND EN ESPAÑOL!

This spring, two provincial language contests took place that welcomed nearly 200 excited students to Toronto. All of these events were supported by the OMLTA through the donation of cash prizes and plaques for the winners.

These contests are run by dedicated teams of volunteer teachers and community members. The faces behind each of these events are encouraged by the interest and enthusiasm of students, community organizations and teachers, and all three of these events will undoubtedly continue to grow and thrive in the coming years!

To get involved, you’ll find the contact information for each committee at the end of the article. Machen Sie mit! ¡Participen!

ONTARIO HIGH SCHOOL GERMAN CONTEST

The 2016 Ontario High School German Contest was held on Saturday, April 9 at Harbord Collegiate Institute. Nearly 50 students from eight schools in five school boards across Ontario took part in this year’s amazing event.

An all-expenses paid trip to Germany and enrolment in a four-week language and culture course this summer was provided by the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany (Toronto)! What an outstanding experience for our contest winner. Gifts and donations from the OMLTA, Munich Reinsurance Canada, the Goethe-Institut Toronto, and many other kind organizations helped bring the total of gifts and prizes awarded this year to nearly $5,000, including over $2,000 in cash. The committee extends its thanks to all of its wonderful supporters!

It was an honour to welcome Thomas Nickel from the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany and OMLTA President, Michael Green, to the event.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch to the winners:

Students participate in listening, reading, writing and grammar components, 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. Beginner students again competed this year, and the future of German in Ontario is indeed bright!

The committee looks forward to the 46th edition of the Ontario High School German Contest, to be held in April 2017! Do not hesitate to take part next year: e-mail the Committee at [email protected] with any questions and check out the Ontario Association of Teachers of German Web site at http://www.oatg.org for full details. Machen Sie mit!

BEGINNER

1. Prerana Keerthi - The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)2. Gautam Manohar - University of Toronto Schools3. Alanna Sinclair - Craig Kielburger S.S. (Halton DSB)4. Rhianne Whittaker - University of Toronto Schools5. Alice Vlasov - University of Toronto Schools6. Ritika Nair - The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)7. Zainab Khan - Craig Kielburger S.S. (Halton DSB)8. Natalie Ermashova - The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)

SENIOR

1. Michelle Zheng - The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)2. Taylor Shirtliff-Hinds - University of Toronto Schools3. Emma Charters - Bluevale C.I. (Waterloo Region DSB)4. Matthew Rose - Bluevale C.I. (Waterloo Region DSB)5. James Hogan - University of Toronto Schools6. Komal Patel - The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)7. Anny Xiong - Hamilton-Wentworth DSB Continuing Education8. Eileen Sun - The Woodlands School (Peel DSB)9. Terri Bugler - Halton DSB Continuing Education10. Connor Glossop - University of Toronto Schools11. Aakash Budhera - University of Toronto Schools12. Ethan Grasley - Waterdown District H.S. (Hamilton-Wentworth DSB)

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE1. Stephen Chankov - University of Toronto Schools2. Ali Neufeld - Laura Secord S.S. (DSB of Niagara)


22

Language Contests: HighlightsONTARIO HIGH SCHOOL GERMAN CONTEST PHOTOS

ONTARIO HIGH SCHOOL GERMAN CONTEST PHOTOS


23

ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOLS SPANISH CONTEST

Under this year’s motto of El español es un libro abierto a la imaginación, over 130 students from 31 schools across the province assembled at Glendon College on Thursday, May 12 for a full-day of exciting activities. This was the seventh edition of this dynamic event.

Over $2,000 in cash and prizes was awarded to 15 sensational students, the top in each of the five different categories: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Spanish Plus, and Native Speaker. In addition, 10 students received Honourable Mentions for their outstanding achievements. Major sponsors for the event included Glendon College’s Hispanic Studies Department, the OMLTA, Ryerson University’s Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the University of Toronto Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and Guerrero Law, among others.

After a full day of testing in listening, reading and grammar quizzes, plus an oral interview, the participants enjoyed a fantastic DJ, took part in interactive games, and much more. Special guests for the final prize giving ceremony included VIPs from the Consulate of Argentina in Toronto.

Felicidades to the contest’s winners:

Language Contests: Highlights

To participate, email the Committee at [email protected] and check out the website at http://ww.ontariospanishcontest.com. The next event will be held in May 2017. Students of all levels enrolled in Spanish classes are welcome!

BEGINNER

1. Zoe Kutulakos - Lycée français de Toronto2. Matthew Karmitz - Upper Canada College3. Owen Meunier - Upper Canada CollegeHM. Adam Sellan - Upper Canada CollegeHM. Ann Pill - Malvern C.I. (Toronto DSB)

INTERMEDIATE

1. Katherine Hart - Clarkson S.S. (Peel DSB)2. Caroline Cayouette - Toronto French School3. Taiya Talbert-McSherry - R.H. King Academy (Toronto DSB)HM. Stella Casagrande - Toronto French SchoolHM. Clara Ziezod - Clarkson S.S. (Peel DSB)

ADVANCED

1. Maharan Murshed - St. Michael’s College2. Philippe Melnik - University of Toronto Schools3. Alyssa Kastner - Toronto French SchoolHM. Roi Levy - William Lyon Mackenzie King C.I.(Toronto DSB)HM. Alana Ceci - St. Clement’s School

SPANISH PLUS

1. Anika Bhatt - Langstaff C.I. (York Region DSB)2. Alex Dondish - Langstaff C.I. (York Region DSB)3. Andrea Rodríguez-Marín - Lycée français de TorontoHM. Keegan Humphrey - Parkdale C.I. (Toronto DSB)HM. Rhys Ireland - Parkdale C.I. (Toronto DSB)

HISPANOHABLANTE - SPONSORED BY GUERRERO LAWhttp://guerrerolaw.ca

1. Carlos Baque Olaya - St. Basil-The-Great S.S. (Toronto Catholic DSB)2. Liza Domenech-Llano - Martingrove C.I. (Toronto DSB)3. Lara del Castillo - Clarkson S.S. (Peel DSB)HM. Zuleymi Ramírez Pérez - Martingrove C.I.(Toronto DSB)HM. Salomé Ospina Ortega - Lycée français de Toronto


24

CONCORSO OATI - ITALIAN CONTEST

On May 2, 2016, the Ontario Association of Teachers of Italian held the Annual Italian language and Culture contest at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus.

Secondary schools from Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, York Catholic District School and Independent Schools participated. This year, about 90 students participated in the contest and had the choice between competing in the Written/Oral Category as well as the Open Artistic & Poetry & Prose Categories. For the second, students had to not only submit their artistic masterpieces, but also a descriptor explaining their choice. Students who wrote poetry and prose outdid themselves with some very creative and thought provoking pieces. Congratulations to all those students who, once again, displayed their passion for the Italian language and culture.

Auguri to the following winners and we’ll see you al prossimo anno:


L’Italia, paese ricco di cultura...la pizza italiana, ricca di sapori!

In ogni parte dell’ItaliaE ‘ il cibo più amato,

Ogni regione dell’Italiaha la sua preferita.

La pizza italiana, ricca di sapori!

Dalla Margherita alla CapricciosaOgnuna, come la sua città, è unica.

Fatta al forno, fina fina,condivisa in compagnia.


L’acqualina in bocca fa venireCon ingredienti freschi da saporire

ogni gusto è accontentato finoall’ultima briciola dalla mano.


La sua crosta ama il forno alla legna ,mentre Il formaggio si sparge sul mare rosso,

con funghi, carciofi, o solo mozzarellaaccontenta anche il più goloso.La pizza italiana, ricca di sapori!

L’ Italia è ricca attraverso le sue regioniquanto la pizza è ricca con i suoi ingredienti.

Puoi assaggiare la pizza Quattro Stagionio semplicemente quella con la “pomaro’ en copa”.


Alcuni se ne vantanoche è la loro creazione,ma l’Italia sa benissimo

che lei è la madre di quel boccone.La pizza italiana, ricca di sapori!

Noi parliamo della pizza, ma ben sappiamo,che la pizza è solo un simbolo e l’accogliamocome esempio di un altro ramo dove l’Italia

dice ancora ‘guarda cosa facciamo.L’Italia, paese ricco di cultura!

Diverse dimensioni, con variazioneIspirata da gusti e sapori locali.

Parliamo di pizza o altro?Fatene l’esperienza!

L’Italia, paese ricco di cultura, vi aspetta!


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CONCORSO OATI - ITALIAN CONTESTAuguri to the following winners and we’ll see you al prossimo anno:


Grade 10 Written & Oral

Category A Category B Category C

1st Places Natalie Hawrylak (Philip Pocock CSS)Mattia Bacchelli (St. Michael College)Elisabetta Canaletti (Fr. Bressani CHS)

Michael Olivieri (Fr. Bressani)

2nd Places Stefania Luis (Philip Pocock CSS) Natasha Latina (St. Elizabeth CHS) Eva Rende (Michael Power/St. Joe’s)

3rd Places Oleksandr Feoktistov (St. Michael’s C) Julia Riondino (Michael Power/St. Joe’s) Jesmar Bisocho (Michael Power/St. J)

Grade 10 Open Artistic1st Place Lara Navarro (Notre Dame)

2nd Place Sara Khan (Notre Dame)

3rd Place Saraptha Salkumar (Notre Dame)


Category A Category B 1st Places Anthony Pehar (Philip Pocock CSS) Cristian Mastrangelo (St. Michael’s College) 2nd Places Melisa Latini (Michael Power/St. Joe’s) Brendan Durante (Michael Power/St. Joe’s)

3rd Places Jacqueline Emick (Philip Pocock CSS) Juliana Ribeiro (Michael Power/St. Joe’s)

Grade 11 Open Artistic1st Place Jessica Fonseca (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

2nd Place Julia Alvi (Notre Dame CSS)

3rd Place Jashan Sidhu & Ayesha Khan (Notre Dame CSS)

Grad 11 Poetry & Prose1st Place Erica D’Onofrio (St. Francis Xavier CSS)


Category A Category B 1st Places Maja Kiroska (Philip Pocock CSS) Julia Volpe (Michael Power/St. Joe’s) 2nd Places Lina Shbaita (Philip Pocock CSS) Luca Domenis (Michael Power/St. Joe’s)

3rd Places Sarah Palermo (Michael Power/St. Joe’s)

Grade 11 Open Artistic

1st Place Lauren Di Nola (Philip Pocock CSS)

2nd Place Sarina D’Angelo (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

3rd Place Jason Taucer (Michael Power/St. Joe’s)

Grade 12 Poetry & Prose

1st Place Nicole Kluszczynski (Philip Pocock CSS)

2nd Place Caterina Petrolo (Fr. Bressani CHS)

3rd Place Monika Balcerzak (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Grad 11 Poetry & Prose

1st Place Massimo Nicaso (Fr. Bressani CHS)


26

International Languages

UPDATES FOR INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES TEACHERS

The OMLTA/AOPLV is proud to represent the interests of International Languages educators at all levels. We look forward to offering these additional opportunities for our members and interested colleagues in 2016-17:

Revised curriculum (anticipated for release in spring/summer 2016)

• In partnership with the Ministry of Education, free professional development workshops to assist with implementation of the revised curriculum will be held in various cities across the province.

• Fact sheets with key messages about the revised curriculum will be developed and posted online at http://www.omlta.org.

• Additional support resources will be prepared by ILEA (http://www.ilea.ca) and will also be made available online.

• The OMLTA is also interested in providing support via opportunities facilitated by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (http://www.otffeo.on.ca).

Bursaries

• Watch our website at http://www.omlta.org for details about 2017 teacher study bursaries in Spain and Italy.

Additional Qualifications

• Nipissing University is offering Spanish – Part 1 entirely online this spring (beginning May 25). Get your official qualification as a Spanish teacher. http://www.nipissingu.ca/aq

• OISE/UT is offering Spanish, Italian, and German Honour Specialist entirely online this summer (beginning July 5). http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/aq

• The Ontario Association of Teachers of German will offer a rebate of $150 to any candidate who successfully completes the Honour Specialist in German this summer. http://www.oatg.org

Stay involved with the OMLTA. We are proud to work for you!

2016 UNIVERSITY FOR FOREIGNERS OF SIENA / ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTESCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS OF ITALIAN IN THE OMLTA

Congratulations to Laura Butera, Halton Catholic DSB, who is the 2016 recipient of the above

scholarship. Laura will be travelling to Siena, Italy, in August! Buon viaggio, Laura!


27

5 Questions With/Avec

MICHAEL SALVATORI, CEO & REGISTRAR OF THE OCT

Michael Salvatori served as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, College

client services manager, accreditation program officer, membership

services director, and assistant professor at York University prior to his

appointment as Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the Ontario

College of Teachers. Fluent in English, French, German and Italian,

Michael earned a PhD in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning from the

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. He also

holds MEd and BEd degrees from Western University and a BA from

the University of Toronto. He has authored and co-authored numerous

teacher resources and textbooks and is an advocate of making self-

regulation relevant to members. Michael is also a Lifetime Member of

the OMLTA who loves to support our activities.

1. What made you want to become a modern language teacher and how did this lead you into your current role as CEO and Registrar of the OCT?

I began learning FSL in grade 5. I remember receiving a certificate of merit after my first year and feeling pretty pleased with myself. That first experience inspired me to take part in exchanges through SEVEC and the Explore program in both elementary and high school.

I took every opportunity that I could to learn a language in the small town that I was living in. We had a business studies teacher at the secondary level who happened to speak German and she created a German program, which I took, and loved! The teachers that I had, especially at the secondary level, were the inspiration for me to become a Modern Language Teacher. They were all second language learners themselves so I felt really inspired that you could have a mastery level of the language like they did despite not being native speakers, and despite not being in a community where the languages are spoken. I really loved that. Conversing in French, being fluent in French and being able to work in French did allow me to work in provincial organizations where bilingualism is required. And it brought me to where I am today, and I love it!

2. With your experience at the OCT, can you make some comparisons between Ontario’s FSL/IL teachers and with FSL/IL teachers of other provinces or countries?

I can make comparisons to a certain extent. In our work here at the College I don’t look specifically at FSL or International Language Teacher qualifications but I can say that we work with the other


28

5 Questions With/Avec

Canadian jurisdictions because of our agreement on labour mobility, which allows teachers to move freely across Canada. So I have looked a little bit at what are the requirements and I think Ontario is still fairly unique in that we have a requirement that an FSL teacher, for example, HAVE a qualification to teach FSL. That isn’t the case in every other province or territory. I think it’s important here that we want highly qualified, passionate, committed teachers and so we invest in courses that will help them to become good second language teachers. As well, there is a distinction that not just anyone can teach a language. There is a pedagogy, a knowledge base and certain skills that go with that. It’s great to see across the country the variety of international languages that are being offered, and the growing list that are becoming popular. In some cases, I think it’s because of our plurilingual Canadian society. We are exposed to more languages because we have more new Canadians coming from other countries and so there is an interest in learning these new languages and cultures.

As well, we have visiting delegations almost every week so this week I’ll be receiving a group of Swedish educators here at the College. They are very interested first, in what we do as a regulatory body. It’s kind of unique in the world to have a regulator for the teaching profession so the delegations are interested in that. They are very interested in the system of additional qualifications. They know about the number of AQ courses that we have, and they know that all of those factors contribute to public confidence. There is a lot of ongoing dialogue with our international counterparts.

3. What were some of the rewards and challenges of teaching a summer program that combined a French language course with travel and exploration?

That has been a really fulfilling part of my career and I started doing it when I was teaching secondary school, almost 20 years ago, and I am still involved in it. I’m not teaching it this summer but I hope to go back to it next summer. It gives me an opportunity to return to the classroom and stay in touch with my roots as a teacher. What I found valuable for the students was that they were living in an environment where they were using the language for real purposes all the time and so the connections between what we were doing in the classroom (learning language, understanding the culture) gave us opportunities then to go out in the community and live that. Instead of just talking about the Louvre and what you might see there, we would actually go there and have a student take on the role of tour guide and show us some of their favourite pieces and what inspired them. Same with just navigating the city. Real life learning opportunities and real use of language just comes alive when you’re in that kind of setting and it’s so great to see students become passionate and realize they’re using their second language to get by in life and that’s so important to them. It also keeps me abreast of changes in teaching and learning and I’ve always had a great group of students with me.

4. What is your role in the “French for the Future” organization and how can this benefit second language departments and/or schools, teachers and students?

I joined the Board of Directors of “French for the Future” about a year ago and I am now the Vice-President on the board and I really joined because I’ve gone to the Provincial Forum that they’ve had here in Toronto several times and been inspired by the students. The goal of “French for the Future” is to encourage students to become ambassadors and advocates for learning French and it’s so exciting to see the students taking on that leadership role and persuading other students of the value of becoming ambassadors and using the language so well. The benefit for French departments and for the teachers are that we are certainly strong advocates and we have a vested interest because that’s what we do, but it’s great when students are saying “let us take on some of this responsibility to talk to students about the value of learning French as an additional language, what it can do for us, for our future, for employment, but more so about how it opens us up to another culture another way of thinking, allows us to read works of great literature, to appreciate music and art”. I think that student voice is so important and that’s why I enjoy taking part in it.

5. Can you predict some educational trends that may be in store for FSL/IL teachers and students over the next 10 years or so?

Plurilingualism and our understanding of that in a Canadian context is having an impact on language programs and it’s looking at the value of learning additional languages, of understanding additional cultures, and so it’s not necessarily one over the other but the value generally of knowing another language which then gives you a key into the culture, the history, and the art of another people, of another language. It’s important to look at the connections among various languages and learning them. The general benefit of that to us, as individuals, is really continuing on the communicative competence notion of language learning. Certainly, grammatical accuracy and pronunciation, all of the aspects are important but we’re really looking at teaching language for the purpose of communication to give students meaningful context in which to communicate and to give them a language that they can use for those purposes. I think that’s going to continue. We’ve moved away a little bit from the traditional “let’s teach them every grammatical point” to just what the students need right now to communicate about their interests or current events so I think that trend will likely continue.


29

Branchez Vous & Resource ReviewsLES MEILLEURES APPLIS POUR APPRENDRE LES LANGUES - PAR LUISA URSO (HCDSB)

Que vous soyez niveau débutant, intermédiaire ou avancé, ces applications peuvent vous permettre de revoir les bases ou de pratiquer régulièrement. Les applications pour Web # Android # iOS # Windows Phone permettront d’aider les apprenants de perfectionner les capacités langagières dans la pratique des langues! Diversifiez votre salle de classe!

1. Duolingo (Web # Android # iOS # Windows Phone) https://schools.duolingo.com/

Duolingo est tout simplement la référence pour l’apprentissage des langues étrangères. Depuis le Français, on peut apprendre l’anglais, l’italien, l’espagnol, l’allemand, le portugais, le Néerlandais, l’irlandais , le danois, le suédois , le russe, l’ukrainien, l’espéranto, le polonais et le turc - Il est rapide, amusant et gratuit !

Duolingo met l’accent sur le côté ludique, les langues sont divisées en petites unités qui ressemblent à des jeux. Les exercices permettent d’apprendre à lire, écrire, écouter et parler. Il n’y a pas de publicités ou de frais et le prof peut assigner des leçons comme devoirs et vérifier le progrès de l’étudiant sur le Dashboard de la classe.

• Editor’s Choice and “Best of the Best” —Google Play

• “The best language-learning app” —The Wall Street Journal

2. Memrise

De memrise, cette application de l’apprentissage des langues a un éventail d’activités qui nécessitent tous sens, étudiant actif de répondre. L’application adapte automatiquement sa difficulté à la performance des élèves et est basé sur la maîtrise.

Âge recommandé : 10-19 ans +

Disponibilité: Apple, Google Play, Amazon app stores (gratuites avec des achats in-app)

Langues supportées: anglais, arabe , chinois , français, allemand , gujarati , hindi , indonésien, italien , japonais, coréen , malais , persan , polonais, portugais , punjabi , russe , espagnol, turc , vietnamien , gallois

3. Rosetta Stone pour iOS /Android

Prix: Gratuit (pour le demo)

Description : Il est presque impossible de parler de l’apprentissage des langues sans mentionner Rosetta Stone. Une des plus anciennes et les plus populaires méthodes d’apprentissage, il est maintenant disponible comme une application mobile. Rosetta Stone se distingue de beaucoup d’autres méthodes de langues en offrant une expérience totalement immersive. Dès le début, il enseigne le français uniquement par le français - il n’y a pas un mot en anglais à l’intérieur du cours.

4. FluentU pour iOS: FluentU on App Store, Android: FluentU on Google Play (Coming Soon!)

FluentU est une plate-forme vraiment unique pour l’apprentissage du français. Contrairement à d’autres applications ici, FluentU utilise une approche différente pour enseigner le français - une méthodologie basée vidéo. Autres applications avec des tarifs d’inscription mensuels

Busuu

Nouveau sur la scène App, mais pas nouveau dans le web est busuu. Pratique parlant avec des locuteurs natifs et appliquer ce que vous avez appris. Utilisez l’écoute, la lecture, l’écriture et la tâche de parler à améliorer vos compétences linguistiques, prendre à des exercices et des jeux-questionnaires interactifs d’apprentissage et de rester motivé avec une rétroaction régulière. La communauté compte plus de 35 millions de locuteurs natifs, donc il y a beaucoup d’aide à la pratique de parler le jargon. Langues : anglais, espagnol, allemand, italien, français, japonais, polonais, russe, turc, chinois, portugais Babbel · très similaire à Duolingo


30

Branchez Vous & Resource ReviewsAutres applications:

Google Translate · https://translate.google.com/

iTranslate voice · http://itranslatevoice.com/

iHandy Translator Free · 52 langues disponibles

Le Figaro conjugueur des verbes · http://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/

Wordreference app · http://www.wordreference.com/

Open Language (formerly French Pod)

Mindsnacks · http://www.mindsnacks.com/

Pas à pas est une application gratuite d’apprentissage du français pour débutants complets qui offre des bases de communication orale dans des situations variées de la vie quotidienne:

Les APPS et sites web pour créer des quiz interactifs.

Kahoot ! · https://kahoot.it

Quizizz · http://quizizz.com/

Socrative · http://www.socrative.com/apps.php

Quizlet · https://quizlet.com/

Quia · https://www.quia.com/

Sites web utilisés

http://www.leplaisirdapprendre.com

http://www.edutopia.org/

http://www.fluentu.com

DEVENIR «VERT» CET ÉTÉPar Annette Gagliano, EAO (Halton Catholic District School Board)À l’approche de la fin de l’année scolaire, les élèves, les lycéens, les enseignants et le personnel scolaire savent que l’été arrivera bientôt.

L’été peut être une saison mouvementée pour les gens qui voudraient partir en vacances. Où irons-nous? Combien ça coûte ? Mais, il y a une autre question importante que tous les voyageurs devraient poser: comment devenir les voyageurs qui sont conscients de leurs impacts sur l’environnement? C’est-à-dire, serait-il possible de devenir les «touristes verts»?

Avant de partir en vacances, voici quelques stratégies que vous devriez considérer en planifiant des vacances en famille, avec les amis ou en solo, pour diminuer votre impact sur l’environnement en toutes saisons:

1. Voyagez léger. Préparez une valise responsable en apportant avec vous seulement les choses ce dont vous avez vraiment besoin.

2. Essayez de choisir les modes de transport qui émettent le moins de gaz contribuant à l’effet de serre. Voici les moyens de transport qui contribuent dans l’ordre du moins sévère au plus sévère à l’effet de serre: la bicyclette, la motocyclette, la voiture, l’autobus, le train ou le métro, le navire et l’avion.

3. Quand un voyage en avion est le moyen le plus viable, voyagez du jour. Les études montrent qu’à cause de l’absence de soleil pendant la nuit, les traînées de condensation (les raies blanches dans le ciel derrière un avion) augmentent leurs contributions au réchauffement de la Terre, et par conséquent, l’effet de serre. De plus, essayez de choisir un vol direct dans un modèle récent d’avion si possible pour un voyage économique.

4. Si vous décidez de loger dans un hôtel, une auberge jeunesse, une chambre d’hôte ou n’importe quel gîte, vérifiez si l’hébergement garantit la démarche de développement durable. N’hésitez pas à poser des questions concernant la responsabilité écologique aux directeurs ou aux hôtes.

5. Achetez les produits locaux et mangez à un restaurant local pour stimuler l’économie de la région. Ces actions protègent notre planète parce que la pollution associée au transport des produits de loin est évitée quand vous achetez local.

6. Pensez à vous faire plaisir d’une façon qui respecte la Terre. Découvrez le milieu environnemental de la région. Mais, faîtes attention de prendre seulement les photos.

Alors, quelle est la pertinence de toute cette information? L’éducation environnementale joue un rôle intégral dans le curriculum et comme les enseignants, nous avons une responsabilité d’être de bons exemples en protégeant la beauté de la Terre avec nos propres actions. Veuillez trouver une webémission et des documents publiés par le Ministère de l’Education de l’Ontario sur l’éducation environnementale ici: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/fre/teachers/enviroed/education.html.

Vous êtes maintenant bien préparés de partir en vacances d’une manière éco-responsable. Bon voyage et de merveilleuses vacances à tous!

Merci, Annette, pour ces suggestions et pour le partage des documents et de la webémission publiés par le Ministère de l’Éducation de l’Ontario! C’est très important de savoir comment être un citoyen responsable tout le temps, surtout pendant les vacances!


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Save the Date

FALL CONFERENCE Begin planning for the fall by making sure you attend our Fall Conference on November 19, 2016 in Peterborough, with a social gathering on November 18th at the Best Western Otonabee Inn.

What is so special about the Fall Conference?

Intimacy – it is a small-scale conference that gives you plenty of time and opportunity to connect and reconnect.

Dedication – because the fall conference changes location every year, some teachers find it easier to get to than the spring conference in Toronto. Nevertheless, some teachers travelled four, five, seven and even nine hours to take part in the fall conference last year! Hats off to all!

Renewal – don’t be fooled into thinking that only the Spring Conference is awesome. It absolutely is, but the fall conference is a perfect kick-start to your first few months of school.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS AND EXHIBITORS

Applications are now being accepted for presenters and exhibitors for our 2016 Fall Conference. For more information, please visit www.omlta.org/

Get involved, you won’t regret it!!!

CONFÉRENCE D’AUTOMNE / FALL CONFERENCE18-19 novembre 2016, Peterborough

FSL TEACHERS - SAVE THE DATE – OMLTA’S SUMMER INSTITUTES

Stay tuned for more information on “Camp OTF”, the Summer Institutes offered through OTF and OMLTA. They will be held in Niagara Falls from July 25 to July 27th. Check www.omlta.org

for more information as soon as it becomes available.

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS!(our phone number remains the same)OMLTA/AOPLV

71 George StreetBox 268Lanark, ONK0G 1K0

Phone: (519) 763-2099Website: www.omlta.orgEmail: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OMLTATwitter: www.twitter.com/OMLTA

We welcome your contributions, comments, feedback, andideas. Be a part of Communication! Email the Editor directly:

[email protected]

1. OMLTA Needs Your Help: Call for Article Submission for Communication Magazine

OMLTA would like to share your expertise and your ideas

with the rest of our membership. It is in this vein that we

request you to write a brief article (it could be anywhere

from one paragraph to one page – whatever you have time

for!) with information on any one of the following topics:

• Lessons which have worked in your classroom

• Successful school-wide events which have fostered a love of

culture and language amongst students, staff, and/or admin

• Class trips which have been successful for you

• Review of resources / websites / books which you have used

• Technological innovations which have been particularly useful to you

• Classroom management successes and/or challenges

• Advice for our members with respect to any current Modern

Language policies and/or curriculum expectations

• Reference to any businesses or suppliers of French or Modern

Language products, books, resources, etc.

• Words of wisdom for Modern Language Educators in the

province of Ontario

• Please email Ida Continenza at [email protected] with

any ideas you may have by October 1st, for a chance to have your

name and ideas in print in the Fall Issue so that everyone can

benefit!! Don’t be shy! We want to hear from YOU!

A LA PROCHAINE !

Documents

SPRING/ SUMMER 2016 - OMLTA · Schulich School of Education 3 5 G R R S MEMBERSHIP ... we start a new teaching and learning journey. My best wishes to you all for a safe and relaxing