Communication - omlta / aoplv

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Volume 1, Issue 1
OMLTA/AOPLV
Go Green!/
Vivre au Vert!
OMLTA to Celebrate
125 Years in 2011!
Inside this issue:
Language Contests:
French, Spanish,
German
Branchez-Vous!
It’s Funny & We
Didn’t Mean It to Be!
Membership Benefits
Welcome to Our New
Board Members
Spring Conference
Winners & Pictures
& Much More...
Special points of interest:
 Do you walk barefoot? It’s
tempting in warm weather.
Walking is good exercise for
the feet and legs, but wear
shoes when you do it. Shoes
are made for walking and protecting your feet from all sorts
of mishaps, indoors & outdoors.
 Summer Goal– Keep an eye
on portions. When Saturday,
Sunday & holidays roll around,
people typically eat more.
The First “Green” Issue- Summer 2009
La primère édition “verte”-été 2009
Live Well, Laugh Often & Relax– It’s Summer!
Bonjour! Guten Tag! ¡Buenos
dias!
It is my profound honour to
be the OMLTA’s President
for the coming year. I have
served this organization for
many years, and it is a commitment that I make out of
my love for teaching and a
true passion for languages.
Je tiens à remercier tous
ceux qui ont participé au
congrès 2009. J’espère que
vous avez profité d’assister
aux ateliers et au salon des
exposants pendant votre
séjour. J’aimerais ajouter ma
voix à féliciter Susan Forrester et son comité pour le succès fou de ce congrès. Ça
prend un effort d’équipe pour
réaliser un événement de
cette envergure, et elles ont
très bien réussi! Bravo!
The following year will be
an important one for the
OMLTA. We have already
been involved in helping the
Ministry of Education with
the Consultation and Technical Analysis of the Core, Immersion and Extended
French Curricula. The OMLTA will be represented on
the Writing Teams this summer for the Core French Curriculum Review. We look
forward to continued involvement as the curricula for
Extended and Immersion
French, as well as Classical
and International Languages, is reviewed and
updated. This fall, we anticipate the release of the
revised curriculum for Core
French. This will likely be
a priority issue at our
Spring Conference in 2010.
In addition, we have been
promised the opportunity to
participate in the EduGains
literacy project in future
years.
Our Fall Conference, on
October 23 and 24, will take
place at the Blue Mountain
Resort and Inn near
Collingwood. Although we
usually hold the Fall Conference at a school, we were
able to negotiate such a
wonderful package with the
resort that we decided to try
something different. The
room rates are very reasonable, there is a variety of
choice of rooms/suites and
parking is free. Many other
activities are available on
site. This venue will allow
delegates to attend the conference without having to
travel between their hotel
and the conference site.
While we enjoy a professional conference location
(at a reasonable rate), we
will also support an industry that is hurting at this
time. We hope that you will
take advantage of this op-
portunity to
combine professional development
with a weekend getaway.
The OMLTA/AOPLV has
been in existence since 1886.
We have begun planning
special activities for the OMLTA’s 125th anniversary in
2011. We hope that our celebration will honour the work
of past members and colleagues while setting an inclusive and positive direction
for the future of Languages
teachers in Ontario.
When I say “we”, I mean the
Board of Directors of the
OMLTA. Your new Executive
and Board of Directors, with
the aid of our Administrative
Assistant, Heidi Locher, will
work together to keep the
OMLTA healthy and viable
for the future. All members
of the Board are dedicated
educators who volunteer
their time and expertise on
behalf of FSL and International Languages teachers in
Ontario through this not-forprofit organization
for the future. All members
of the Board are dedicated
educators who volunteer
their time and expertise on
behalf of FSL and International Languages teachers in
Ontario through this not-for-
Page 2
Communication
Safe @ Home: 4 Quick Ideas to Keep You Safe
walking up or down. Use a ladder, not furniture, to reach
high areas. Ensure throw
mats or rug edges are securely
fastened. Install a gate at the
top and bottom of stairs if you
have a wandering toddler (do
not use pressure style gates.)
Is your home as safe as it
could be? According to
Health Canada, the home is
the most common place
where Canadians at nearly
every age suffer unintentional
injuries. Plus, on holidays, we
sometimes let our guard down.
Children & seniors are the top
victims, but everyone can use a
refresher to prevent common
unintentional injuries at home.
1)
2)
Don’t Take A Fall
Install grab bars in the tub
or shower. Keep stairs welllit and use handrails when
Prevent Poisonings
Children are most at risk. Lock
up cleaners, medications and
other dangerous items.
Leave household products
and drugs in original containers. Use child resistant lids
where possible. Keep the
Poison Control Centre number handy.
3)
Don’t Get Burned
Two easy ways to stop in-home fires:
Don’t leave cooking unattended, and
maintain smoke alarms on all floors.
Keep fire extinguishers handy. Barbequing– clean all lines to ensure insects
haven’t nested during the winter
months. Snuff out candles before you
sleep or leave the room.
4)
Don’t Leave Children Unattended
Around Water
Empty buckets and wading pools after
use and store upside down. Children
should always swim with an adult; no
one should swim alone. Adapted from: Body
Bulletin Canada, June 2009, Bringham, Al.—DDSB.
From the Editor
Welcome! Bienvenue! ¡Bienvendios!
Benvenutos! The OMLTA is proud to
present the first edition of our newsletter on-line. This move helps the
environment, as well as allowing us to
direct our resources to our membership services and advocacy for language teaching in our great province.
First, I would like to thank Faten
Hanna for her dedication to the newsletter over the past three years.
Secondly, I would also like to take
this opportunity to thank our members, who continue to support OMLTA, as well as a big welcome to our
new members. Belonging to the OMLTA provides many benefits to language teachers in Ontario.
Last, please let us know the wonderful things that are going on in your
boards, and classrooms. This newsletter is the voice of teaching languages
in the province, and we would love to
hear from you and highlight the hard
work that is being done.
Enjoy this edition & your well
deserved summer break! See
you in the fall!
-Karla
TA
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Letter from the President (con’t)
profit organization. Only our Administrative Assistant is a paid employee
of the organization, and a very valued part of the OMLTA! Our Board
committees will continue the work
they do to promote Languages, promote membership and involvement
in the OMLTA, and lobby the Ministry with regards to the interests of
Languages teachers and students in
Ontario.
I extend a warm invitation to each
and every one of our members to consider becoming involved in the association, beyond your attendance at
our Fall and Spring conferences. Because YOU ARE THE OMLTA! Please
stay involved as members, encourage
your colleagues to become members,
read the updates and messages that we
readily share through email, and remember to check this site for info about
conferences and to access our newsletter.
congrès et en assistant à notre réunion
annuelle!
I look forward to working with our
Board and our members for the betterment of FSL and International Languages programs in Ontario.
Finalement, un gros merci à tous
ceux et celles qui contribuent de leur
façon à l’ AOPLV en partageant des
articles pour Communication, en travaillant comme bénévole pendant nos
Linda Hendry
President
Sincerely,
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 3
Un partenariat solide continue- Le concours d’art oratoire 2009 Collège Glendon,
-par Colette Fraser
C’est un autre succès; l’Association Ontarienne des professeurs de langues vivantes (AOPLV-OMLTA) et Canadian
Parents for French (CPF) ont réussi à célébrer l’expression du français langue seconde dans la province de l’Ontario
avec la 25e édition du Concours d’art oratoire qui a eu lieu au Collège Glendon le 9 mai dernier. (Photo 1 -Colette
Fraser, représentante d’OMLTA et Barbara Mison, représentante de CPF, qui examinent les dossiers des juges bénévoles pour la compétition).
Depuis ses débuts, le concours d’art oratoire a grandi en envergure et a évolué dans son format. Il y a maintenant un ‘festival d’art oratoire’ le matin qui permet aux élèves de l’élémentaire de participer dans la célébration du
FSL dans la province. Et l’après-midi donne lieu à une compétition plus rigoureuse pour les élèves du secondaire.
L’honneur de la 1e, 2e et 3e place dans chaque catégorie ainsi que des prix monétaires d’une valeur de 250$-1000$
sont en jeu. La croissance dans l’événement est évidente puisque cette année au delà de 300 étudiants de plus de 31
conseils scolaires de la province ont participé au festival/concours d’art oratoire CPF – OMLTA. Les gagnants de la
premire place pour le niveau 11-12 se voit également participer au championnat national qui a lieu à Ottawa. Une
bourse d’étude de 20 000$ offerte par l’université d’Ottawa est attribué au gagnant.
Il faut mentionner que le succès du tout a été assuré par la participation bénévole de plus de 55 enseignants et
enseignantes de la province, qui donnent leur samedi afin d’encourager les jeunes apprenants du FSL à poursuivre
l’excellence en expression orale. De nouveau, les juges furent très enjoués et impressionnés par l’expérience. Diane
Whitehouse déclare… ‘ça me donne la chance d'entendre des discours intéressants et de rencontrer des enseignants.’
‘Comme prof de francais j'aime bien promouvoir ainsi que participer comme juge au concours, c'est un événement
important’ confirme Olivia Bennett-Bourgeois
La liste des gagnants est affichée sur le site de CPF et paraîtra prochainement sur notre site.
Les enseignants bénévoles reçoivent un repas et une formation avant de commencer l’animation,
l’évaluation ou le questionnement des discours.
f‐
agnants est a
La liste des g
t site de CPF e
le
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s
e
é
h
c
fi
sur chainement paraîtra pro
notre site. Spring Conference 2009
Page 4
Communication
Meet Your Board of Directors 2009-2010
Executive Committee:
Past President:
Treasurer:
President:
Pete Cecile
Helen Griffin
Linda Hendry
Greater Essex County
Thames Valley
Waterloo Region
Secretary:
1st Vice-President:
Susan Forrester
2nd Vice-President:
Wanda West-Gerber
Faten Hanna
Waterloo Region
Dufferin-Peel Catholic
Trillium Lakelands
Directors
Colette Fraser
Sudbury Catholic
Jennifer Rochon
Webmaster
Toronto District
Karla Torrente-Lepage
Pina Viscomi
Pickering CollegeIndependent
EditorCommunication
Durham District
M. Carmen Romero
Sharon McNamaraTrevisan
Toronto District
Algonquin & Lakeshore
Catholic
Pete Cecile
Louisa Bianchin
Lorraine Richard
Janet Smith
Anne Popovich
Awarda Committee
Lambton Kent
Heidi Locher
Administrative
Assistant
Hamilton Wentworth
Heather Henke
Avon-Maitland District
Kim Lindquist
Simcoe County
These are your Board of Directors.
They are volunteer teachers, consultants, and administrators, who are
passionate about language learning in
Ontario. These members advocate on
your behalf and for the students in
our schools in Ontario.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 5
Exchanges Still the Way to Go!
As a language teacher I have always
told my students that in order to
achieve any real fluency they needed to
immerse themselves in the target language. However, during a recent visit
of 16 French students from Bordeaux, I
was reminded of how much all participants learn besides the language.
For the French students, their education in Canadian culture started
with their arrival at the Toronto airport. As usual, passengers from numerous flights came through the same
gate. These included a flight from Orlando, Florida, one from Pakistan and
another from the Ukraine. After leaving their relatively homogeneous
neighbourhoods in France, our friends
from Bordeaux suddenly found themselves surrounded by people with turbans, yamikas, dreadlocks, frockcoats,
saris and Mickey Mouse ears. Talk
about culture shock!
The next surprise was our huge mod- March, 2010, when the Waterdown stuern school. It in no way resembles the
dents will visit their new friends in Boreighteenth century redeaux. The partners are regularly
furbished castle which
exchanging e-mails and photos.
serves as their school.
The French students have alThe freedom of our
ready decided to come back in the
students to leave the
fall of 2010 to further their cultural
school during their offstudies.
time was also astoundThis was my tenth school-toing to our visitors as was
school exchange and I plan to conthe existence of school
tinue this tradition as long as my
dances, vending maenergy holds out. Though taxing,
chines and a “no smokthe experience we provide our stuing on school property” policy.
dents and our school through these acAt the same time our students were tivities is invaluable. It gives our stuastounded by the similarities between
dents a glimpse into the global village
themselves and their French partners.
which they will soon be joining and reinThey dressed the same, listened to the
forces the value of tolerance, acceptance
same music and were painfully shy
as well as language knowledge.
speaking a foreign language. After two
Don’t know how to get started, feel
weeks it was hard to tell the French stufree to get in touch:
dents from the Canadians.
[email protected]
We’re all looking forward now to
¡Enhorabuena! Ontario S.S. Spanish Contest celebrates another successful event
Many students at the University of Toronto campus were especially emocionados on
Thursday, May 7, when the second annual Ontario Secondary Schools Spanish Contest was held to great acclaim!
It was a busy day of activities at University College, where the participants took part in
listening, speaking, reading and writing tests at Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Native Speaker levels. We welcomed 164 students from 44 schools across eight English and
French-language school boards, in addition to several independent schools. Students and
participating teachers enjoyed a delicious Mexican-themed lunch, Spanish language games
and live mariachi music throughout the day.
Mid-afternoon, the contest winners were announced. All students received great gift bags
of goodies from our sponsors. The top ten in each category were recognized for their achievement, and the top three winners
per group received a cash prize, a keepsake plaque, a trophy for their school and additional prizes from many Toronto-area
businesses. Media from many newspapers and local television and radio stations from the Spanish-speaking community
were present: we were even featured on the front pages of both Correo canadiense and El Popular! In addition, several important representatives of various consulates, including Argentina, Chile and Spain, along with our friends from York University’s Spanish Resource Center, were present to take part in the festivities.
Feedback from participating teachers, students and guests showed that it was a day enjoyed by all. Since our successful
inaugural contest last year, it was clear that the event continues to evolve and thrive, while also providing a great opportunity to network and meet new colleagues. The Organizing Committee plans on making the 2010 edition of the Ontario Secondary Schools Spanish Contest an even bigger and better event for all involved!
Interested in taking part? Applications for the 2010 contest will be available on our web site,
http://www.spanishcontest.ca, in December. Interested in being a member of the Organizing Committee? Come and join us!
There are many volunteer opportunities available for teachers from across the province. ¡Vengan y participen!
Thanks to the OMLTA for their continued support of initiatives that benefit our students of International Languages.
-Jimmy Steele, Toronto District School Board
Page 6
Communication
2009 OMLTA Spring Conference Publisher/Exhibitor Prizes
Un gros merci to the publishers and exhibitors who graciously donated the following prizes to the winning
participants at the OMLTA Spring Conference this year.
ACPI – 2 Gift bags including pencils, stainless coffee mug, free one year school membership
AIM Language Learning – Matt CD Set
ASC Direct Inc. – Eurotalk Disc
Aquila Communications Inc. – Books
Bacon and Hughes Limited – Books
Cahiers d’activités – 3 documents
CPF Ontario – Jacket
CASLT – Celebrating Language Week Poster (4) and Teacher guide
CEEF – Travel Fanny Pack
Centre Franco Ontarien de Ressources Pédagogiques – Variety of Novels and Books
Chenèliere Education – La Grammaire de la phrase en 3D and 40 mini-lecons pour l’écriture
DeuxProfs Inc – Cool Cahier Deux Package
Duocom Canada Inc. – Discount on Training Certificate
Editions a Reproduire – Books and Card Game
Educorock Productions Inc. – Fiches de conjugaison
Ellison Travel and Tours - $50 Gift Card
EMC/Paradigm Publishing – German Program Gift Bag
FrenchTeacher.com – IEP/ELL Rescue Kit
French Made Fun – La lecture en FLS (Reproducible Activities)
French For The Future – Magnets/Pens/Pads Package
Global Journeys – Backpack with Travel Supplies
Harper Collins – Language Logic Book
ISE Ontario – Back Pack
Les Editions CEC – Book Nouvelle Grammaire de français
Le français…..oui, oui, oui! – Game
Les editions RDL – Book Package
Librarie Champlain – Dictionnaire
McGraw Hill-Ryerson - $250 Gift Certificate for McGraw Hill-Ryerson
Musique Jacquot – Jen Bingo
Nelson Education – Professional Book and Reading Kit
Ontario Agri Food Education Inc. – Dry Mounted Poster
Oxford University Press – Oxford Hachette French Dictionary
Pearson Education – Professional Training Book
Pearson ERPI – Book – Reflexions sur la littéracie
Perspectives Eduscho Ltd. – 3 Tote Bags, Numerous Waterbottles
Poster Pals - $20 Gift Certificate
Prologue to the Performing Arts – 5 Compact Discs
Rigodon and Mariposa in the Schools – Compact Discs
RK Publishing Inc. – Tresor Readers
Scholar’s Choice Moyer - $25 Gift Card
Scholastic Education – Grade 2 Guided Reading Book
SEVEC – Portfolio Binder
The Children’s Bookstore – Trousse de jeux thématiques
The Resource Centre – Dictionnaire illustré
Tralco- Lingo Fun – DVD Package and Buttons, 3 Gift Baskets
Usborne Books at Home – Spanish Books
Vista Higher Learning – Spanish DVD with Lessons
Wintergreen Learning Materials – “Rat de bibliothèque” Kit
Xocai – The Healthy Chocolate Revolution – Hot Chocolate Package, Hot Beverage Machine
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 7
2009 Spring Conference Prize Winners
Alison Bogle
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
Bozica Sajatovic
Dufferin-Peel District School Board
Bryan Smith
Thames Valley District School Board
Carol Pinnock
Waterloo Region District School Board
Cheryl Marek
Durham District School Board
Daniel Dionne
Ottawa Catholic District School Board
Deb Verhardt
Lambton Kent District School Board
Denise Tremblay
Peel District School Board
Diana Petica
Durham District School Board
Dianne Melanson-Howe
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
Elena Bakoucheva
Toronto District School Board
France Dupuis
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
Hilde Acx
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Janet Smith
Lambton Kent District School Board
Joanne Pratt
Limestone District School Board
Keith Plumb
Moose Factory Island District School Board
Kim Schroeder
Trillium Lakelands District School Board
Laura Dursley
Trillium Lakelands District School Board
Linda Woodhead
Peel District School Board
Lise Bilec
Greater Essex County District School Board
Margaret Coughlin
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
Mary McCullum Baldasaro
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Maureen Smith
University of Western Ontario
Melanie Jaskula
Nearnorth District School Board
Mike Sourial
Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board
Nancy Vickers
Hastings and Prince Edward District School
Pina Viscomi
Pickering College
Rheal Allain
University of Ottawa
Robert Abrey
OMLTA Life Member
Ronald Rhodes
Waterloo Region District School Board
Rosa Cipparone
Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board
Sandra Dennis
Toronto District School Board
Shaki Ravindran
Toronto District School Board
Sharon McNamara Trevisan
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
Teresa Georgiou
Toronto Catholic District School Board
Page 8
Communication
39 Years of Success…and Counting!
Ontario High School German Contest celebrates student success auf Deutsch
On Saturday, April 4,
North Toronto C.I. hosted
the 39th edition of the Ontario High School German
Contest. 60 students from
eleven schools from across
the province participated
in this exciting event. We
were delighted to welcome
students from as far away
as Brockville to the Toronto for the day’s festivities!
various cities across Ontario. We will continue to
examine our
A full day of listening,
reading, writing and oral
examinations took place,
along with a festive lunch
and celebratory banquet.
In attendance were many
supporters of the German
language, including Consul
Volunteer teachers make
General
Holger Raasch of
all the difference.
the Federal Republic of
Germany. Our friends from the UniThis year’s format allowed for diversity of Toronto’s Department of
rect entry into the provincial finals,
Germanic Languages and Literature
removing the preliminary contests
and the Goethe-Institut were some of
that have been traditionally held in
our esteemed prize donors this year.
2010 marks the special 40th anniversary edition of the Ontario High
School German Contest and all students and teachers of German from
across the province are encouraged to
attend! Full details will available this
autumn.
Our sincerest thanks to the OMLTA and the Ontario Association of
Teachers of German for their ongoing
financial, logistical and staff support
for this amazing event. Beste Grüsse
an alle Teilnehmer!
—Jimmy Steele, Toronto District
School Board
Voice Care
As language teachers, we are constantly using our voices. We use storytelling, drama and music to help our
students learn new concepts. We are
animated and theatrical to try to convey
meaning. However, we can also be abusive to our voices without even realizing
what we’re doing… until it’s gone! Below are some tips for using your voice,
caring for your voice and exercising your
voice so that you can continue to live
well, laugh often and teach brilliantly.
When using your voice…
1.
Relax!
Relax your jaw and tongue and unclench
your teeth
2.
Use your breath flow to support
your voice.
Breathe properly, with the assistance of
the entire trunk of your body. Beware of
your posture: don't
slouch when sitting/standing so that
your air passages are
not compressed and
allow for free passage
of breath. Keep your
upper chest, shoulders, neck and throat
relaxed when breathing
in or when exhaling
and letting sound out.
Speak slowly; pause at
natural phrase boundaries to breathe.
may cause the vocal cords in your
voice box to rub together, thereby proDon’t take your
moting injury. Speak smoothly and
voice for granted! avoid hard attacks on vowels.
3.
Project your voice properly.
Projecting is not the same as shouting/yelling. Shouting/yelling/straining
to speak loudly will put unnecessary
pressure on the voice box and should be
avoided. Breathe properly. Keep your
throat and neck relaxed. Instead of focusing on your throat, imagine that the
sound originates from your abdomen/lower back and let your breath
carry the sound out of your body in one
continuous stream.
4.
Be aware of how you speak.
Stay within your comfortable vocal
range. Don't force yourself to speak with
too high or too low a voice for a prolonged period. Vary the tone/pitch of
your voice. If you continually speak in a
monotone, you may strain the part of the
vocal apparatus that you keep using to
maintain that monotone. Varying your
tone/pitch will also help you sound more
interesting to your listener. Use your
breath to power your speech, not to create
a breathy, seductive tone. A breathy tone
When caring for your voice…
1.
Avoid smoking
2.
Drink LOTS of water
3. Eliminate excessive throat clearing
(Yes—clearing your throat is
BAD! Try drinking water or
swallowing instead)
4.
Minimize alcohol intake
5. Avoid vocally abusive behaviours.
Decrease overall volume No shouting/yelling. Don’t whisper! It may
actually make your voice worse! Don’t
try to talk or sing when you have a bad
cold or laryngitis.
6. Avoid chronic use of mouthwash,
cough syrup, etc.
7. Try to sit and stand with good posture
8. Exercise regularly to keep your
body, mind, and spirit healthy
9.
Get sufficient sleep daily
10. Always warm up your voice before
or cool down after prolonged
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 9
Voice Care (con’t)
speaking.
on a sustained "ah" slide up
and down in pitch a few notes
like a siren sound. Do not do
this in a very loud voice. At
first your tongue may tighten
on the way up. Try to practice
until you can see and feel it
relaxing.
When exercising your voice…
1.
Try to speak in your "optimal
pitch" several times a day, first
when alone, and then when
speaking to others. This speaking pitch usually differs from
your usual or habitual pitch
and is found this way:
Agree to something sincerely with an
"um-hmm!" with your mouth
closed. Now say something in a
pitch close to this, again looking
for that sensation in the nose
and mouth area. You'll know
it's correct if your throat feels
free and relaxed in this pitch
and your voice sounds more
resonant.
Say this: "um-hummm, Right!" "umhmmm-- of course!" "umhmmm-one" "um-hummm-two"
and so on.
2.
Place your hand on your chin
and say "Yah, Yah, Yah", gently
guiding your chin down with
each syllable. Your tongue will
relax and pull forward a bit.
Practice saying "Yah-Yah" like
this in different, yet comfortable speaking pitches, noticing
how relaxed your jaw feels.
3.
In front of a mirror relax and
let your tongue stick out. Now
4.
In front of a mirror say "ee-ah"
several times with an open and
relaxed jaw. Do this so that you
only see your tongue move up
and down inside of your mouth
while the jaw does nothing.
Speak this exercise in low, medium and high pitch levels.
5.
Practice swallowing and yawning to feel the difference. The
swallowing muscles are the
ones that close the throat. Good
vocalizing occurs by using the
released and relaxed yawning
position with a relaxed tongue.
6.
Try holding your nose and
breathing in through your
mouth. You should feel cool air
slide over the back of your
tongue if your throat is open. If
your breath feels shallow it
means that the root of your
tongue is most likely blocking
the air. Relax and try again.
strengthen and maintain normal vocal
production. If you have symptoms of
severe vocal trauma (e.g.: regular loss of
voice, constant whisper, pain when
speaking), see you doctor and get a referral to a voice specialist. Personal
voice amplifiers are available at a reasonable cost for those who qualify.
For more information, visit
www.canadianvoicecarefdn.com or
email Michael at
[email protected]
These tips are meant to help
Membership Renewal...
OMLTA MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS
PRIVILEDGES

Advocates on your behalf for FSL
& International Languages

Regular Online Editions of Communication, with teaching ideas,
resources, and information on
teaching foreign languages

Fantastic Professional Develop-
ment opportunities: Fall Conference, Spring Conference, workshops, website (discounted Spring
Conference rate for members)

Scholarship and bursary opportunities.
.....and much more
Join or renew your yearly membership today!
Visit us at www.omlta.org
Page 10
Communication
It’s a Funny…& We Did Not Mean It to Be!
Over the years, I have often found
myself chuckling unexpectedly at
things that my pupils come up with.
Sometimes, students share stories
that leave me bent over, clutching my
sides and wiping away tears. Other
times, they unknowingly and unintentionally produce side-splitting statements and situations. Here are three
of my favourites:
In my Introductory Spanish class
one day, we were reviewing the verb
“estar” with adjectives. Students
were very carefully conjugating the
verb and making the necessary subject/adjective agreements. One of my
bolder students announced that he
was going to stray from our previously
studied adjective list and introduce a
new word. He boldly announced,
“Estoy embarazato” and awaited my
praise. I promptly congratulated him
and asked him when the baby was
due. Vocabulary enrichment accomplished!
I teach in a laptop school where all
students have a computer and daily
work is posted online. Theoretically,
students should always have access to
class notes and should know what
they missed during an absence. However, it has been my experience that
many students prefer to ask me what
they missed, as opposed to checking
our school website. Inevitably, I have
at least one student asking me what
he/she missed at the start of any given
class. Students are accustomed to
hearing me preface my answer to the
inevitable question with, “Please remember that I post all work on line so
that you are able to access the information at any given time and from
any given place.” By Christmas, I
rarely have to give my customary reply because I simply look at my students, raise an eyebrow, and they reiterate it for me. A student who got
tired of my usual reply suggested that
I change my response. He felt that I
would be better off saying, “Nothing.
We all sat still, looking at each other.
Now that you are back, we can go on
learning.”
without fear of reprimand. She proceeded to tell us that she decided to
play a joke on her three-year-old
brother. She emptied an egg by poking two tiny holes at either end, and
blowing out the center. She then
showed the egg to her brother and
explained that she possessed the
power to make the yoke and egg white
disappear and crush the egg against
her head. She proceeded to do so.
Her brother was amazed. She then
revealed to her brother that he too
had the ability to make the contents
of an egg disappear and crush the
shell against his head. Camcorder in
hand, she gave him an egg. She told
her brother that he had to envision
the yoke and white disappearing and
then bang the egg against his head.
He did it and found himself covered in
egg!
I often start my classes with a
quick oral activity we call “La chaise
chaude” whereby a student sits facing
his/her peers and answers questions
posed by classmates. Recently, a
young lady volunteered to sit on the
hot seat and was asked what she did
over the Easter weekend. She started
laughing and asked if she could lie
because the truth was not appropriate. I encouraged her to tell her story
I hope that the above stories
brought a smile to your face! -Pina
More Fun from the Spring Conference
If you have stories you wish to
share, please email them to me
at
[email protected]
and perhaps your story will
appear in our next issue!
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 11
Tout Ensemble!
For the past three years, Tout Ensemble!, a full-day inservice for all French teachers,
elementary and secondary from Avon Maitland District School Board and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board,
has been held at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford. This professional development opportunity was made possible
through the French Renewal Grant funds. The objective of the Enhancing Teacher Capacity Grant is to provide opportunities for learning and sharing of new teaching strategies and resources in a collaborative,
cross-panel setting for all French teachers in the Avon Maitland District School Board and
the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board. Teachers from both Boards who attended
the OMLTA or ACPI Conference shared strategies and ideas from the professional development experience with colleagues.
One of the workshops this year given by Suzanne Gervais addressed the cross-curricular
approach of blending visual arts, specifically mask making, and FSL in the classroom. Two
Grade 9 French Immersion students from one of the local high schools assisted the teachers
attending this workshop. (JPG)
This funding initiative is a result of a partnership between the federal and provincial
governments, with the goal of doubling the proportion of secondary school graduates in Canada with a functional knowledge of French by 2013. The purpose of the funding, as outlined by the Ministry, is to give boards the ability to develop and implement long-term initiatives which will aim to:

engage boards, parents, students, postsecondary institutions and communities in the renewal of elementary / secondary FSL programs

increase student retention and participation in elementary / secondary FSL programs: core, extended and immersion

increase the number of courses / programs in French, particularly at the high school level

improve student level of proficiency in French

enhance teacher capacity in FSL

recognize and value the learning of French

contribute to research on proven Ontario-specific innovative models and effective teaching and assessment practices that are replicable in other boards and schools

inform FSL policy and program development
Our boards have been pleased with teacher feedback of these days and our hope is that this funding for the Renewal of French Second Language projects will continue.
Vis, Ris, Enseigne avec Passion!
These are your Board of Directors.
They are volunteer teachers, consultants, and administrators, who are passionate about language learning in Ontario. These members advocate on your behalf and for the students in our schools in Ontario.
PLV
A/AO
T
L
M
O
een!/
Go Gr
rt!
a u Ve
Vivre
Heidi Locher
OMLTA Administrative
Assistant
17A-218 Silvercreek
Parkway N., Suite 123
Guelph, ON N1H 8E8
Tel: 519-763-2099
Fax: 519-763-3987
Don’t Miss
OMLTA’s
Fall Confe
rence
Blue Moun
tain Resor
t
October 2
3-24, 200
9
Works
hop propos
als are no
w being
invited.
eb!
the w
n
o
e
We’r
a.org
.omlt
w
w
w
Visit www.
omlta.
org to dow
nload
the form.
Branchez-Vous! Sites to help you live well, laugh often & rest.
-par Helen Griffin
Stress Busters
http://www.naturalbloom.com/stressbust
ers/
This site offers quick and simple stress
relief tips including wallpaper for your
desktop, music, games and online puzzles. There is also a link to stress management articles.
Free Relaxation Music online
The Great Books Survey
http://www.teachers.tv/greatbooks
The National Union of Teachers has
teamed up with Teachers TV to find the
books that have most inspired teachers
in their professional lives. They created
an online survey and the results are
posted at the above link.
On line newspapers from around
the world
http://www.origenmusic.com/relaxationmusic.html
http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
Funny clean jokes about Languages
http://www.liveradio.net/worldwide.shtml
http://www.basicjokes.com/dtitles.php?ci
d=208
Foreign Movies
www.flixdump.com/
www.watch-movies.net/
www.moviesanddownloads.com/
www.movieflix.com/
www.moviemagellan.com/
www.iwannadownload.com/
Jokes on Translation and Languages
http://www3.sympatico.ca/srajano/jokes.
html
1st International Collection of Tongue
Twisters – check out all the languages
available!
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/
Creativity Portal
http://www.creativityportal.com/howto/artscrafts/crafts.html
Explore and express your creativity.
Links to free crafts and projects for both
adults and children.
Live radio from around the world
Spanish, Latin, Greek, Russian, Japanese, Chinese.
E language School
http://www.elanguageschool.net/
Learn to speak another language on line
for free. You can choose from Chinese,
Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or
Spanish.
Learn French and have Fun!
http://www.french4fun.net/
Learn Spanish
http://www.studyspanish.com/
This site has free tutorials with audio.
Learn German on-line
http://www.learn-germanonline.net/learning-germanresouces/witze-german-jokes.htm
Jokes, Comics and fun staff!
The websites above allow you to
download foreign movies without any
charge or fee.
Virtual Travel
Foreign Languages Lesson Plans &
Resources
From the home page you can select Travel
Guides, Book Travel, Meet Members
(membership is free), Travel Deals, Trip
Planner or Forums. You select the city and
information about travel, hotels, what to
pack, etc. is at your fingertips. Definitely
many options but very interesting.
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/eslsp.ht
ml
Several links to a variety of languages
including: French, German, Italian,
http://www.virtualtourist.com/