Free Quebec History Mystery 7 - Did the Iroquoians Have a Structured Government?

It's another History Mystery! 

Want to see the previous units? See this page!

If you've been following my history mysteries then you'll be happy to hear that number seven is here! 

In this unit, kids will learn about the organization of the Iroquoian nations and how they elected a government. They will also learn about Donnacona, an Iroquoian chief who was taken back to France by Jacques Cartier.

As always, these units come with easy-to-use research links for kids and parents to read. There are 3 QR codes included, or written links. All 3 pages lead to the very safe Learn QC website - a great resource for Quebec history that is absolutely free!

Learners will read a few short paragraphs about how the iroquoian nations organized themselves and their government, how longhouses were organized, and how chiefs and leaders were elected. This covers quite a few progressions in the progressions of learning under the Quebec Education Program.

Next, students will 'solve the mystery' by answering questions on the given worksheets. The questions are simple enough for them to fill out with short answers but show enough learning to be a great portfolio resource.

They often also include diagrams and maps so kids can show off their comprehension and reading skills too!

Once they fill out all the worksheets, they can choose to earn a badge! My own kids like to display these on our dining room wall - yours might like to glue them into a notebook, paste them in their room, or just keep them inside their units.

Inside this unit, you'll find a small bonus project! Kids can write a short one-page biography on Donnacona. The questions are simple (who, what, where, when) but this would be a great way to learn about writing a biography (and what it means), and a great sheet for their portfolios.

I have provided two links you can use to read more about Donnacona's story than is given on the Learn QC site. (CBC Education and WIkipedia). You can choose to use other resources too, but sadly not much is known about Donnacona and his life before and in France, so there is really not a lot more information out there.

Just like the other units this one has a few pages of maps and diagrams that can be used to hang on your wall to remember what you've learned or to be used as reference. I always try to give a color and black and white version of each.

I do hope you and your learners enjoy this new unit! Download it below by clicking the link under the image - all I ask is that when sharing this resource, please share the link to this blog or page, NOT the google drive link! Thank you!

Download History Mystery 7 Here
 

Free Quebec History Mystery 6 Animism, Shamans and Oral Tradition

 Free Quebec History Mystery 6

Animism, Shamans and Oral Tradition

Another FREE history unit is here!

Want to see the others? Click here and check back often!

One of the most fascinating things I love to read many about is how so many indigenous tribes managed to keep their traditions, beliefs and stories alive - and there are so many! - with oral tradition. Storytelling. I LOVE to read to my kids, but I also love to tell them stories aloud sometimes - stories about my own childhood or myths I've heard. They love this too, so I can only imagine how exciting these stories must have been for children hundreds of years ago when books, tv, and technology weren't around!

This unit will dive into the spiritual beliefs and customs and storytelling practices of the Iroquoian tribes around 1500.

I LOVE teaching history and my kids love learning about it, but sometimes history texts can be so long-winded! At this age (grade 3/4 ages) it can be so difficult for kids to understand some of the history workbooks we try to give them. That's why I always try to use simple paragraphs of texts online in these units (most from the wonderful site LEARN QC).

Most links lead to pages with just a few lines of text that you can read, discuss, and use to answer the questions given. Plus I make it super easy to access these sites with either QR codes or links to the texts you'll need. My kids love using my phone to scan QR codes and like to take turns reading what they find. 

The worksheets in this unit can be used in many ways to suit your learners too. Some may like to write their own answers to the questions, while others might choose to dictate the answers to you and you can write them down. You could use a PDF form filler for them to type their answers (I WILL be making digital formats this summer - heads up! - so that kids can use typing to fill out units I make :)) or you could even have them type their answers, then print, cut, and paste them into the worksheets.

My youngest kiddo loves to draw, so sometimes I even tell her to draw her answer with a picture, labels, and speech bubbles!

And, of course, like all of the previous units, this one comes with fun badges for kids to put on display on the wall or in a special notebook to show all that they have learned - using these units over 2 years they will earn quite a few!

I do have different plans for another reward system for the older kids in future history units for grades 5-6.😉

Take a peek at the pages after the badge too - I've included a new map and another fun project idea!

This time the project would make a great time in the kitchen cooking, or a nice tea time. It involves reading some Iroquoian myths!

You can download this unit for free by clicking the link under the image below! All I ask is that when sharing this resource to please share the link to this blog, not google drive. 

Thank you and enjoy your learning!

Download History Mystery 6 Unit Here

Free Writing a Fictional Narrative for Grades 5-6 (Cycle 3 elementary)

 

Another freebie writing unit is here! 

Want MORE free writing units, or units for other grades? Check my ELA page often!

What could be more fun than writing a fictional story! Kids get to use their imaginations and come up with anything they'd like! Even if you have a reluctant writer, this unit will help them out with some great prompts.

I made this open-and-go unit to be simple for kids to use. You begin by reading about what a fictional narrative is. This is the same explanation given in the unit for cycle 2, but the rest of the unit goes into a lot more detail.

Kids will then either choose a prompt (these are new prompts for grades 5-6) or make up their own prompt to use. Next, they'll learn all about a simple plot line and what it involves - the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This will guide them in planning their own storyline.

They will also write or map out their setting(s) and make profiles of their characters.

After they have their first draft of their story down they will begin to revise. The first two steps are the same as was given in the cycle 2 unit - adding a great lead and adding dialogue. In this unit, older kids will dive into adding more detail to two parts of their story using vivid descriptions.

Finally, they will edit their drafts by correcting spelling and punctuation, and by separating their paragraphs with the given guidelines.

Then they are all ready to write a final draft and publish!

You can download this freebie by clicking on the link under the image below.

**WHen sharing this resource, please share this page or blog, NOT the google link. Thank you**

Download the FREE Fictional Narrative Unit Here

NEW Free Quebec History Unit 5 How Did the Iroquoians Travel in 1500?

 NEW Free Quebec History Unit 5 How Did the Iroquoians Travel in 1500?

Another FREE Quebec History unit for elementary grades 3-4 (cycle 2) is here!

Want to see all the other units available? Click here!

It's time for another history mystery!

In this unit your little historians will discover how the Iroquoians (Haudenosaunee) travelled around the year 1500. This covers several progressions of learning with the content and questions used.

B. Iroquoian Society around 1500

2.3 Economic situation - 

a - names economic activities: agriculture, hunting, fishing, gathering, barter

b - Names means of transportation: canoe; snowshoe

c - Indicates transportation routes: waterways, forest trails

You and your learners will use the QR codes (or links) to read 3 very short paragraphs of information on the website Learn QC.  They can read the information first, then use it to answer the 3 pages of questions. The answers are short and simple and don't require sorting through tons of information.

But they do teach what kids need to know! 

These worksheets are perfect to include in portfolios for end-of-year learning whether you choose a teacher or government portfolio review. Even if you do not complete ALL the units, they are a great way to show the units your child did use and learn about. (remember that the learning units in this series for cycle 2 will cover TWO YEARS of learning)

You'll also find a really fun origami project in this unit! Kids can use the provided templates or their own paper to make an origami canoe! I have provided a wordless youtube video that they can follow along with, or you could choose another one on Youtube (there are plenty!)

After making their boat they can even add in some clay or peg doll figures, and make a map to put beneath it if they'd really like to make a whole project. If they made a longhouse in unit 4, they can add that to their space too - or build one now.

As always they will finish their unit by earning a badge that shows what they learned!

You can download the free unit by clicking on the link under the image below. Please share the link to this blog and NOT the google drive link when sharing, and please do not leave the link open on your computer - this slows down or stops downloads for others. Thank you!

Download the Free History Unit Here

Free French Letter Writing Unit

 Free French Letter Writing Unit

Want more French freebies? See my French resources page HERE.

Welcome to another great French freebie! This unit is a very simple one, but a very important one too - and I think your learners will love it! 

Inside the unit, you will find some simple letter writing (or e-mail writing) templates, prompts, and instructions that your kids can use to write friendly letters in French. They can use these to write to friends, and family or they can even write notes to each other to practice their French writing.

This is also an important progression to cover when learning French as a second language!

One of our favourite ways to practice letter writing is to make our own mailboxes out of shoe boxes we have on hand. We then write little notes to each other and stick them in when nobody is looking! My kids LOVE to do this and it is such a fun way to get some extra French writing in.

Another fun idea is to write a letter to a fictional character. Kids can choose a favourite from a book, movie, or video game and write away.

E-mails are so much fun to send using this unit as a template too. Just have your learners type the e-mail in the order the template goes and use the prompts if you'd like too!

I have included a bookmark-sized reminder for kids to refer to whenever they would like to write a letter in French, as well as extra pages of sentence prompts, extra writing pages, and even an envelope template.

I hope that you and your learners enjoy this unit and it makes your learning year a little easier and FUN!

You can download the free unit by clicking on the link under the image below. All I ask is that if you would like to share this unit, to please share the link to this blog, NOT the google drive link. Sharing the google link can slow down downloads for everyone. Thank you!

Download the French Letter Writing Unit Here

Free Animal Nutrition Science Unit Elementary Grades 1-2 (cycle 1)

 Free Animal Nutrition Science Unit for Grades 1-2

What do Animals Eat?

Looking for MORE free science units for all grades? Check my Free Science page often or subscribe to my newsletter to stay updated.

Animals are a subject that all kids love to learn about. Some of us have pets that we see every day, and some of us see animals crawling around our backyards or city streets. Some of you very lucky ones even have a small farm (I am SO jealous :))

Animals are something kids interact with almost every day, so they are a subject that most kids are curious about. In this unit, kids will look into the differences between the diets of wild and domestic animals. They will use their own observation skills to observe pets and local wildlife (whether it's deer, pigeons, or squirrels) to write about the differences they notice.

They will also get to learn about the differences in the diets of wild and domestic rabbits - a subject I thought most kids would love! If you do have a pet rabbit, or like us, a wild rabbit who visits your yard often, then even better! If not, you may want to watch some videos or look at some books about rabbits and turn it all into an entire unit study! Or you may choose to simply go through the journal and learn about what animals eat. 

Either way, you will be filling the progression of learning in the Quebec Education Program for the progression:

Living Things: Energy: 1 - Sources of energy for living things. 

Compares the nutrition of domestic animals with that of wild animals.

But even if you are not following the Quebec Education system, I do hope you and your kids or class enjoy this unit! I will be using it with my own kids in the new year and just know they'll love a unit about rabbits!

I also need to mention that this unit has a fun bonus project. Kids will get to choose whether their family would become a wild or domestic rabbit family for a year, and then give a reason why, and describe a favourite activity they would do together. It's a fun way to tie this unit in with some language arts!

I also included a rabbit life cycle poster for kids to colour, as well as cutouts they can use to make their own life cycle page. 

You can download this unit for free by clicking the link under the image below.

Enjoy! If you have any questions please leave me a comment or email debbiemcmullen@live.ca

**Please do NOT share the direct Google drive link - this causes too much traffic and slows downloads. Please share this blog post instead! Thank you!**

Download the Free Animal Nutrition Science Unit Here

Free French Writing Unit - A la Bibliotheque - At The Library

 Free French Writing Unit - A la bibliotheque

At the Library

Welcome to another great French freebie! Looking for more? Check out my French resource page HERE

Just like the park unit I released a few days ago, this French writing unit is all about getting kids to write in French using vocabulary, sentence stems, and words they may already know.

And it can be turned into a day out at the library too!

Included in this unit are two styles of writing pages for beginner or intermediate writers. On every page there are vocabulary words showing things usually found in a public library - books, shelves, etc. Two pages also contain a prompt. 

The idea is for kids to write about what they see at the library, about a day they went to the library, or about their favourite things at the library. I have included sentence stems and vocabulary for most of these things too.

There are plenty of ways to get your kids writing more in French. Every sentence prompt and stem has a translation to help you or your kids along too. We LOVE going to the library in our homeschool and always have at least 20 books out at any one time - so I know that this unit will be a hit with my own kids too!

I hope it is with yours as well!

You can download this unit by clicking the link under the image below. Just click the download or print icon in the corner of the page when the document pops up. If you have any trouble, please drop e a comment or send me an e-mail at debbiejeansblog@gmail.com

ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD THE FREE FRENCH LIBRARY WRITING UNIT HERE