Happy Holidays everyone!

Enjoy this free time to have some rest and have some quality time with your loved ones. Organize yourselves to do the work that you have to do in order to stay in touch with your student's duties so that when you come back to school, it will be easy to keep up!

Take good care of yourselves and your family!

Best,

Mrs. Wagnac

 (At the following of what we did last time.)

King Charles has always been concerned about environmental issues, indeed, when he first started to show interest about it in the 1970s, he was an avant-gardist, a visionary man, a pioneer. Nowadays, ecological issues have been the major problems that we have to face in our modern world. Thus/ as a result, we can say that the monarchy is completely modern as it take into account the current social issues.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Oral Production: Art Exploration, New Faces of Royalty. 

All the details are on Pronote.

Be ready!

Enjoy this holiday season! 😊

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King Charles has always been a passionate about protecting the environment. When he started to show interest in ecological issues in the 1970s people would mock him. However, he was an avant-gardist, a visionary man, a pioneer, modern before the time. As the years went by, people started to take the ecological problems seriously, and King Charles never gave up his ideas and values in his will to protect the environment. Hence, his passion for the environment make the monarchy modern.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Oral Production: Art Exploration, New Faces of Royalty. 

All the details are on Pronote.

Be ready!

Enjoy this holiday season! 😊

 (At the follwing of what we did last time)

During slavery in America in the 19^th century, African slaves became friends/got along well with the Native American because they had the same “enemy”. Indeed, both communities had been oppressed by the European colonists.  Furthermore, some rich Native Americans also had African slaves traded with European colonists at the time. This was the beginning of the creation of the Black Indian community.

To conclude, This community chose to be called “Black Indians” in order to  pay tribute/ pay homage/commemorate to their Native American heritage.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Enjoy this holiday season.😊

Black Indians

The document under study is an article from powwows.com, published in 2022. It deals with Black Native Americans and their history as Afro-Indigenous People. We have learned that Black Indians are different from African Americans and Native Americans because genetically, they have Native American and African genes. Indeed, their ancestors got together and had children.

The reason why we do not know a lot about them is because historians never took the time to research and explore the history of Black Native Americans because it was not important nor interesting for them. Nevertheless, Black Indians are definitely an important part of American history and culture. Indeed, this community still exists today.

(We will continue the study of the text next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

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As a consequence, when they became adults and left the school, they developed addictions such as alcoholism, smoking and drugs. On top of that, they did not have the social skills to fit into the society that was the reason why they became violent people.

Indeed, the children were traumatized and broken for the rest of their lives.

Eventually, the Canadian government acknowledged its misdeeds through Justice Murray Sinclair who denounced Canada about these atrocities. In fact, He said that Canada committed a cultural genocide. As a result, the Prime Minister at the time, Justin Trudeau, gave an apology to the Aboriginals. Afterwards, the Aboriginals were deeply happy and moved that someone finally addressed the issue and made amends officially to the survivors.

To finish with, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created to recognize the wrongdoings of the Canadian government and encourage unity and fair treatment towards the Aboriginals.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Task for Monday, January 5th.

Promote your Province.

All the instructions are on Pronote.

 Truth and Reconciliation is Canada

The document under study is a testimony of Chief Robert Joseph, a member of the First Nations telling about his experience as a student in the former Residential school system in Canada. It was published in 2017 on CBC YouTube Channel.

The Residential schools were for children from the First Nations created by the Canadian government to force Aboriginal children to assimilate into the Canadian culture and to make them forget about their traditional cultures. There were 150,000 children who had to go through it for 100 years. The last school closed in 1996.

Chief Robert Joseph was 6 years old when he started to attend a Residential School. He had to suffer segregation, indeed, boys and girls were separated. He was not even allowed to exchange with his sister otherwise he could be punished. He had to be washed with a white liquid in order to change his skin color. He had to have his hair cut. On top of that, they had to forget about their traditional belief to convert to Christianity. As a result these children suffered from physical and psychological violence.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Truth and Reconciliation is Canada

The document under study is a video published by CBC in 2017. It is about young Indigenous who were forced to go to Residential Schools. These schools were created by the Canadian government to force Indigenous communities to assimilate to the Canadian culture and forget about their traditional cultures. This school system lasted 100 years and 150,000 Indigenous children had to go through it. The last Residential school closed in 1996.

We can hear the voice of Chief Robert Joseph, a former Residential School victim. He was 6 years old when he started he attended a Residential School. There, he was forced to have his hair cut. His hair was thrown away in the fire. He had to be washed with a whit liquid that would change the color of his skin. On top of that, he had to change his clothes. Besides, the children had to be converted to Christianity. Furthermore, boys and girls were separated. Indeed, they were not even allowed to exchange with one another otherwise they could have been punished. All these children suffered from physical and psychological violence that resulted to serious consequences.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 King Charles III, an environmentalist

The document under study is a news report from ABC News published in May 2023, few days before King Charles III’ coronation. The video deals with a town that had been built by King Charles with the help of a European architecture. It is a sustainable city. It is mix with the countryside and the city. The city is called Poundbury. People like to live there because they say it is a peaceful place, with 250 businesses. It is a flourishing city.

The participation of King Charles in the project is a form of modernization of the priorities of the monarchy. Indeed, Queen Elisabeth never tackled environmental issues.

Eventually, Prince William will have to follow the footsteps of his father in this project as he is owner of the land.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

King Charles, an environmentalist.

The document under study is an extract from a news report from ABC News, published 4 days before King Charles III’s coronation in May 2023. It deals with his commitment in architecture, sustainability and his will to create a better way of life for the British people. Indeed, he started to develop a project in a city called Poundbury in 1987, a city that has 5000 inhabitants and 250 businesses. His goal was to create a better living environment for people living there.

Charles is an environmentalist like his father was, Prince William is called to walk in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather. Unlike Queen Elisabeth who never tackled  environmental issues.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales

The document under study is an extract from an article from the newspaper Tatler, published in January 2025. It is about Prince William (heir to the throne) and his wife, Princess Catherine and their social media usage. Indeed, they share their daily lives and their work on different social media platforms. Moreover, they also share sad news for instance, they shared about Kate’s serious disease. Contrary to the Queen, they prefer to share more about their daily lives to be closer to the people.

The Royal couple is definitely modern/trendy because they use social media and share videos and pictures. They want to look like ordinary people. For Kate and William it may be easier to use social media as they grew up with it as opposed to the late Queen or King Charles who are older and may not really understand the impact of the use of social media on the nation.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales

The document under study is an extract from an article from Tatler newspaper, published in January 2025. It is about how Prince William (heir to the throne) and his wife, Princess Catherine share with the nation their life through social media. For example, they share about their parenting, bits of their family life with their children and also sad news such as Kate’s serious disease.

The Royal couple is definitely trendy/modern because they use social media platforms to share their daily lives and work. Through their posts, people can see that they are like a normal family and can have the same problems as ordinary people.

Homework: Learn teh lesson.

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 In 1613 Pocahontas was kidnapped by the British settlers. There, she met John Rolfe, a tobacco planter. They got along well and decided to get married in April 1614. Their goal was to create a peaceful union and cohesion between the two peoples. As a result, Pocahontas decided to become a Christian and changed her name from Pocahontas to Rebecca, a biblical name which means “Mother of two peoples”. They had a son in 1615 named Thomas, born in Virginia.

How Relevant/trendy are the Royals Today?

The document under study is an extract from an article from the New York Times, published in May 2023. It is about what people think about the British monarchy nowadays.

The British people see the Royal family in their daily lives as they see them on TV. Moreover, they see them everywhere as the Royals are present on coins, stamps, the street names… Hence, the Royal family is a tradition, it is part of the British culture.

However, for some people, mainly under 50 years old, they think that the British monarchy is not really relevant to them. Besides, some other people think the monarchy should not exist anymore. On top of that, some people prefer to have a republican system. Besides, the Royal family is to blame for its colonial past.

On another hand, some British are proud to have a Royal family that has been existing and prevailing throughout the years with an unbroken chain.

According to Tracy Borman, an ideal monarchy should keep its tradition and at the same time, it should be able to adapt with the times.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The Aboriginal Peoples’ situation in Canada

The document under study is an extract from a British newspaper, The Guardian, published in 2019. It deals with the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government. We have learned that their relationship is complicated because there are treaties between Indigenous communities and the Canadian state. Through the treaties, the Canadian government declared some authority on the Indigenous’ lands.

In this article, we have learned about a project led by the Canadian state who would like to build gas pipelines that would cross Aboriginal’s lands against their will. As a result, Aboriginals started to protest against the Canadian government to protect their rights and their lands.

In the future, the Canadian government and the Aboriginal peoples might find common ground solutions in order to live peacefully as a united nation.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

A Very Attractive Country

The document under study is a video from Citizenship immigration organization’s YouTube channel. It introduces the process to become a Canadian citizen. The country is depicted as welcoming and open-minded. Becoming a Canadian requires efforts and determination.

The reasons people decide to move to Canada are sometimes they want to escape dangerous situations (wars or political tensions in their home country) to look for safety in Canada. Some others move to Canada to study or to find a job as there are plenty of job opportunities. At the beginning of the 20^th century, many immigrants came from Europe to Canada for economic reasons. At the end of the century, more and more people from the Middle East Asia and Africa immigrated to Canada.

To move to Canada can be seen as easy on one hand, because it has had a tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees over the last 100 years. On another hand, it takes  3 years to become a Canadian citizen: one has to learn about the geography and the history of the country, become proficient in at least one of the two official language. Moreover, they also have to learn about the Canadian rights and responsibility as a citizen. Lastly, people will have to go through a security and health checks to complete the process.

Homework: Learn the elsson.

 An Attractive Country

The document under study is a video of presentation about the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. It is from Immigration and citizenship Canada organization’s YouTube channel, published in 2015. This video gives a welcoming image of Canada. It also shows that becoming a Canadian citizen is actually a long process that requires efforts and determination.

People decide to move to Canada because they want to start a new life. Some immigrants are looking for safety because in their home countries there can be wars, and other political tensions. In the 19^th century, immigrants mainly came from Europe. Then, in the 20^th century, more and more came from Asia, Middle East and Africa. These people were led to go to Canada because this country has a tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees.

In order to settle in Canada, one has to learn about Canada’s history, geography, at least one of the two languages and learn about the responsibility of being a citizen to prepare for a citizenship test. The process can last up to three years to be completed.

Homework: Learn the elsson.

 An Iconic Figure

The document under study is the back cover of a book entitled “The Queen”, a biography of Queen Elisabeth II written by the American author Andres Morton, published in 2022 after the death of the Queen.

We have learned that as a young queen, she was modest, honest and shy. Moreover, she liked riding horses, she loved dogs. She wanted to have a quite life in the countryside. On top of that, she was strong and courageous as she had to face a lot of challenges. She was also resolute, self-disciplined and dedicated to her people.

The very first challenge she had to face/confront as a young queen was that she had to assume the role of queen in spite of her shyness. Besides, she had to deal with family matters: her husband’s rumors of infidelity, the divorce of her sister, Diana’s tragic death and Prince Harry’s departure. Above all, her duty was to keep the monarchy alive.

Titles for each paragraph:

-Introducing the book/the author and his book

-Her beginnings as a Queen/A princess not raised to be queen

-The challenges she had to face.

-Her legacy / a mother and grandmother figure.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

An Iconic Figure

The document under study is the back cover of the biography of Queen Elisabeth II, written by an American author, Andrew Morton, entitled “The Queen”, published in 2022, after her death.

In the text, the Queen was a shy young woman at the beginning of her reign. She is described as an ambitious person with a strong work ethic. She loved dogs, horses and the countryside. On top of that, she was strong enough to face challenges, self-disciplined and dedicated to her people.

Throughout her reign, she had to face many challenges: she had to assume the role of queen in spite of her shyness and her desire to have a quite life. Her duty was to keep the monarchy alive. She tackled various problems, family issues and disagreement: Diana’s tragic death, rumors about Prince Philip’s infidelity, oppositions with the British government, her sister’s divorce and Prince Harry’s departure.

Titles for each paragraph:

-Introducing the book

-The start of her story / a princess not raised to be queen.

-A life of courage and struggles

-A mother and grandmother figure to the world

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Real Story of Pocahontas

The document under study is an article from the Jamestown Rediscover Website, published in 2011. It deals with the real story of the life of Pocahontas. She was a Native American woman who was born around 1595 in the region of Virginia. Her father was Chief Powhatan, supreme chief of most of the tribes of the area.

In 1607, it was her meeting with Captain John Smith. She saved him from a traditional ritual where he would have been killed by Chief Powhatan. Pocahontas was only 12 years old.

As a result, they became friends and he taught her English. Nevertheless, the relationship between the Native Americans and the British worsened because of trading discussions. On top of that, Smith was seriously injured and had to go back home in England. The settlers who stayed told Pocahontas that he died.

(We will continue the study of the text next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The Real Story of Pocahontas.

The document under study is an article extracted from Jamestown Rediscover Website published in 2011. It deals with the real story of Pocahontas.

Pocahontas was A Native American woman, born in 1595 in the region of Virginia. Her father was Chief Powhatan, supreme chief of most of the tribes of the area.

In 1607, Pocahontas was around 12 years old, she met John Smith during a traditional ritual where John Smith was about to be killed by her father. Fortunately, SHE came with bravery to save him. As a result, Smith and Pocahontas became friends. He taught her English, and Chief Powhatan considered him as his son. Nevertheless, in 1609, tensions rose between the Native American and the settlers because of trading. On top of that, Smith got injured and had to go back to his native country, England, to be healed. The British settlers who left told Pocahontas that Smith died.

(We will continue the study of the text next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

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Throughout her reign, Queen Elisabeth witnessed several social, technological and political changes at the same time going through tensions inside her family.

First of all, her coronation was the very first to be broadcast on TV in 1953. Besides, in the 2020s, she made a sketch comedy with her grandson that was broadcast on the Internet.

On a political part, she saw the United Kingdom join the European Union in the 1970s, and saw it leave it with the Brexit in the 2020s. In the UK, there were tensions with Scotland and Northern Ireland who wanted their independence to stay in the EU.

Moreover, within her own family, she had to handle with Charles and Diana’s divorce. Later on, Harry and Meghan’s couple had some tensions with the rest of the family. On top of that, her son Andrew had judiciary issues that made him lose his royal titles.  

Homework: Learn the lesson.

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During her reign, she witnessed several social and technological changes: her coronation was the very first to be broadcast on TV. Besides, even Diana and Charles’ wedding was broadcast on TV. During her reign, the United Kingdom joined the European Union in the 1970s, then it left it with the Brexit in the 2020s. There were also other political tensions with Scotland and Northern Ireland’s will to be independent. Moreover, she also had to face tensions within her family with the divorce of Prince Charles and Diana in the 1990s, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship with the rest of the royal family, and recently her son, Andrew, who had problems with the justice.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Text B

The document under study is an official document extracted from the Defense Appropriation act of 2010. In this document, the American government officially recognizes/acknowledges their wrong doings/misdeeds done to the Native American community back then. The purpose/goal of this document is to move forward and unite the American people together. In fact, Native Americans were victims of violence, maltreatment and neglect at the time. The document is from 2010 when Barack Obama was President. We could believe that  this decision was made by Obama because he felt empathy for their cause as he himself belonged to a minority as an African–American man. The American government owes something to the Native Americans, hence/therefore a presidential apology is a good way to be forgiven and give them back what belonged to them in a way.

Text C

This document is an extract from a speech made by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper in December 2014. He apologized for the Sand Creek massacre in 1864. In fact, at the time, during this tragic event, many Natives were slaughtered and their lands were stolen by the American government.

The speech was pronounced in 2014, meaning 150 years after the massacre to commemorate the dead in front of their descendants.

To conclude, with all that said, we can understand why the Native Americans observe a day of mourning on Thanksgiving day as their  ancestors went through a lot of mistreatments.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Queen’s Legacy

The document under is a video from Bloomberg Television, released on September 8th, 2022 the day of the death of Queen Elisabeth II. This video was made to pay tribute to her life and legacy.

We have learned that Elisabeth was born on April 21st 1926 in London. She married in 1947 with Prince Philip. She became the youngest queen at the age of 25 years old when her father died in 1952. As she was the eldest child and direct heiress to the throne. She reigned over 70 years and worked with 15 Prime Ministers. She had the longest reign in British history.  

(We will continue the study of the video next time. be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 An Open-Minded Country…

The document under study is an article written by John Ibbitson, published in 2014. It deals with Canada’s culture of accommodation. Canada is a very welcoming country as every year 1% of its population are immigrants who settle in the country which referred to 258,000 new immigrants in 2012. Hence, in the last 20 years more than 5 million new immigrants have settled in the country. Moreover, the three main political parties  are all pro-immigration. Unlike European countries, Canada does not have a lot of refugees on its territories as the only physical border they have is with the USA. They have three natural borders with the oceans that in a way protects them and control immigration. In addition, Canadians are very open-minded regarding people’s religion, origin and sexual orientation.

It is interesting to note that multiculturalism is the basis of the country as it was created through the union of the French and the British who drafted the first Constitution in 1867.

Canada is seen as the most tolerant country because its government accepts people as they are regardless their ethnic backgrounds or sexual identity.

The author seems to be proud of Canada’s open-mindedness. At the same time, he states that Canada’s history and geography may actually contribute more to its open-minded attitude than Canadians themselves (irony).

Homework: Learn the lesson.

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Canada is part of the Commonwealth, therefore, the country has a connection with the British Royal family, that is the reason why we could see in the video the Royal guards and a visit of Queen Elisabeth II at the time.

On top of that, Canada is a country where people from different cultural backgrounds live together. The video combines the modernity of scientific and technological developments such as solar panels, in parallel with the traditions from the people of the First Nations.

Moreover, lots of families from different countries immigrate to Canada to have a better life. Everyone seems friendly, helpful and supportive to one another, everyone is accepted as they are.

This video is shown during the citizenship ceremony where naturalized Canadians are invited to take part to celebrate their new identity. The goal of this video is to show that Canada is an open-minded country and remind the newly Canadians what kind of community they are about to join.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

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Indeed, this video gives an image of a welcoming country with a large set of values, like unity, helpfulness and empathy. Everything seems to be possible in this country, the same as in the USA, you can be whatever you want. In addition, the video also highlights how much Canada is attractive especially thanks to the various landscapes and the cultural elements such as the different sports. On top of that, the document portrays a vibrant and multicultural atmosphere with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Moreover, Canada is also a modern country using technological advances. The video emphasizes the soft power of the country by attracting international scientists to always improve the living conditions of Canadians.

This video is made to welcome new citizens to Canada. It is shown during the citizenship ceremony in order to remind naturalized Canadians what kind of community they are about to join.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The British Crown Mind Map

-It is a noun. It refers to where you live if you are a king, a queen, a prince or a princess. è a palace, a castle

-It’s a noun. It refers when the crown is passed down from parents to offspring’s. è Hereditary Monarchy

-It’s a noun. I’m not the king but I’m his right hand. è the Prime Minster.

-It’s a noun. Someone that is on the road of the crown. è a prince or a princess. A successor to the crown

-It’s a noun. It refers to the people who live in a monarchy and over who the royals reign. è the subjects

-It’s a verb. You use it when you choose mercy over hatred so you don’t kill someone you were supposed to. è To spare

-It’s a noun. It serves as a substitute when the first plan is not working any more. è a spare

-It’s a noun. It is an area that is governed by a king. è a kingdom.

-It’s a noun. It is the title of king and queen’s children. è Duke and duchess

-It’s a noun. It is an object that is on the head of a monarch. è A crown

It’s a verb. It means to put an end to something. è to abolish

Homework: Learn the new vocabulary

 Vocabulary Mind map

-It’s a noun. It refers to where you live if you  are a king, a queen, a prince or a princess. è A palace or a castle

-It’s a noun. It’s the ceremony when a king or a queen receives the crown. è The coronation

-It’s a noun. It is when someone is used against their will. è Exploitation

-It’s a verb. It means to definitely stop something. è To abolish

-It’s a noun. It is something we put on the head of a king or a queen. è a crown

-It’s a verb. A synonym of the word to reign. It is when someone can give orders to other people and is above them. è to rule, to govern

-It’s a noun, when territories become independent. è Decolonization

Homework: Learn the new vocabulary.

Making Amends

The document under study is an extract of speech pronounced by Kevin Gover, a Native American man from the Pawnee Nation. He is also a representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It is a department created by the American government in the 19^th century to take care of Native American issues.

During the ceremony of the 175^th anniversary of the founding of the agency, he gave this speech to apologize for all the misdeeds/wrong doings this agency did to the Native Americans back then.

He does not mention any concrete crimes, nevertheless, he grieves the tragic consequences on the Native Americans. This speech was pronounced in 2000, a new millennium that might have made Americans become aware of their wrong doings so that they were then ready to apologize to the Native Americans.

Homework: Learn the lesson.