No Tobacco Day 2014

Tomorrow is May 31st, No Tobacco Day; the theme of this year´s celebration is "Raise taxes on tobacco". Do you think it is likely to work? Why (not)?

"Hurricane" Carter

Rubin Carter, known as Hurricane Carter, died yesterday at the age of 76. He was an American middleweight boxer who spent almost 20 years in prison after being convicted of a murder he had not committed. HIs life was depicted in both a film and a song.

Bob Dylan believed that Carter was innocent and wrote the song "Hurricane". Listen to it and read the lyrics as you watch the video. Afterwards, write Carter´s biography, from your point of view, according to your interpretation of the song. Remember to include the answers to the 5 wh- questions: who? when? where? what? why?

The film "The Hurricane" focuses on Carter´s unfair incarceration and on the people who helped to set him free. Denzel Washington got an Oscar nomination for this film - and should have got it, in my view...

A Monologue About Yourself

Here´s one of the options for your oral exam for the third term: record a monologue about you; the video below, A Conversation With My 12-Year-Old Self,  may be useful to get some ideas.

You need to reflect on your life: your past, your present and your future:

• Past: memories (focus on the positive ones) and moments that were a turning point - or just special for you-  in your biography

• Present: your school life, your friends, hobbies, extracurricular activities

• Future: expectations: what do you think your life will be like in 10 years´time? what are your plans for your future?

Requirements: 

• the video must be 4-7 minutes long

• you must write the text (I will help you with grammar, vocabulary and expression) and make sure both pronunciation and intonation are OK. Thus, you may need/want  to use either a pronunciation tool or a text-to-speech tool (Voz Me is one of them but there are many others you may choose from the list in My Delicious Bookmarks) 

• when you record the video, you may read the text but you will need to rehearse quite a few times before the recording, reading it in front of a mirror so that it will sound and look natural

• send me the video when it is ready: dateline June 10th

Song of the Week: Wake Me Up

Practise your English to the lyrics and rhythm of Wake Me Up, by Tim Berling - better known by his stage name  Avicii. Tim is a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer.

The first video includes the lyrics:

 

The second video is the official one: 

Optional homework: Write about the story told in the video: what do you make of it? (remember the five "w-" questions: when? where? who? what? why?)

What Is Your Favourite Memory? (Homework Assignment 9))

What is your favorite memory?

The following video is a piece of a larger picture called Fifty People, One Question, by Benjamin Reece and Nathan Heleine. Fifty People, One Question is  a social experiment and film series exploring human connections through people and places. The project began in New Orleans in 2008; along the way it has managed to depict a slice of humanity: dreams, losses, reflections stories and secrets.

What is YOUR favorite memory?

Think about it and share it with us; consider the five questions to let us have a full picture of the situation: who? when? where? what? why?

If you could, would you photoshop any of your memories?

WCD (=World Cancer Day) 2014.

Today, February 4th, is WCD (= World Cancer Day).Let´s prepare a speaking activity about it: Homework Assignment 9

Here are two very different stories related to cancer that will make you think. Watch the videos, choose one and tell me about it in class. Remember to watch for the answer to the five questions: who?, when?, where?, what?, why?. I would also like to hear what you think about the project you choose







The first one is called "The Tutu Project"

The second one is called "If Only For a Second"; the audio is in French but the subtitles are in English- I am sure you will have no problem in getting the message

Homework Assignment 8

Choose one of these photos and comment it: you can either explain the photo (who? where? when? what? why?) or explain your feelings about it. 

Whatever photo you choose, consider this: since all the images are photomontages, what was the purpose of the person who published the image? what did he/she want you to think about? 

Photo number 1:

Photo number 2:

Photo number 3:

Photo number 4:

A Christmas Commercial

This could be your Homework Assignment 7: How would you explain the title of this commercial: "Apple-Holiday-TV Ad- Misunderstood"? Make sure you write a clear explanation where you include the four different parts of the title

Thanksgiving 2013: Homework Assignment 5

Happy Thanksgiving! 

This year we will focus on one part of the Thanksgiving celebration, food, from two different points of view. On the one hand, a guide to "the year´s most important meal" in the US: recipes, techniques and tricks:Click here 

On the other hand, the voice of so many people who are against eating turkey on this day; the strongest voice is PETA´s. PETA is an organization that fights for animal rights; its initials stand for: People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. This is the video they have made for Thanksgiving 2013; it is  called "Thanks!. An Animated Trip to Holiday Slaughter".

Read about the history of Thanksgving from the point of view of turkeys:

And here´s some homework for you: Explain the messages in these two photos (remember the 5 "wh-" questions: who, when, where, what, why?)

I got this email card from National Geographic and I thought I should share it with you.

School Year 2013-14: Homework Assignment 5

You remember the difference between adjectives ending in -ing and adjectives ending in -ed, don´t you? Click here for a funny revision

Make Use Of is an online technology magazine with lots of great tips and ideas. Here is one that I have decided to use as homework for you; the idea is so well explained that I will just copy and paste it below (even the photo is theirs!)

This Week’s Question…

We want to know, What’s The Most Embarrassing Email or Text You’ve Ever Sent?  We want to hear all of the juicy details of a miscommunication that led to embarrassment for you.

The more detail you provide the better. We want to know:

• who you were sending the text, email, or update to
• what it was meant to say
• what it actually said 
• what their reaction was
• how you managed to explain away your error and apologize for it. 

For our part we promise not to judge too harshly, though we cannot promise not to laugh a little at your misfortune.

Feel free to send your comment to the magazine, if you want to, but make sure you send me a copy of the link so that you will get extra-credit for the homework. If you do send the comment to them, here is what they offer:

All comments will be digested to form conclusions in a follow-up post next week where we will detail the We Ask You Results. One reader will be chosen for the coveted Comment Of The Week, getting their name up in lights, the respect of other readers, and a T-shirt chosen from those available through MakeUseOf Rewards. What more motivation than that do you need to respond?

Good luck!

School Year 2013-14: Homework Assignment 4

Manuela Moreno won the award for the best screenplay and best director in the XI edition of Notodofilmfest with this short film "Pipas"(=sunflower seeds).

As a teacher, my feelings about this video are bittersweet: it is so funny and yet so true and,therefore, sad...

Here´s your homework: 

• switch off the sound and watch the video; as you read its subtitles in English, try to imagine what the conversation will sound like in Spanish. Pay attention to its slang and colloquial language
• write a new title for the film and explain why you think yours is better
• write a message to your class tutor explaining why you think you should/shouldn´t see and discuss this video in class
• turn the sound on and watch it again. Believe me, it is worth it!

Corto PIPAS from Manuela Moreno on Vimeo.

Start the weekend with a smile!

Note:  I first saw this video in Trafegando Ronseis, a blog that I truly recommend

School Year 2013-14: Homework Assignment 3

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013 was awarded to Alice Munro, "master of the contemporary short story". In the first video below you can hear a telephone interview with her following the announcement on 10 October; the interviewer is Adam Smith, a member of Nobelprize.org.

Your homework this time is a listening comprehension exercise. These are the steps you should follow:

• read the comprehension questions - make sure you understand them
• find the key word in each question: the word that will help you know what sort of information you need to listen for
• you may listen to the video up to three times; after that you may read the transcript included in the youtube page but beware of its mistakes

Comprehension questions:

1. Where is she from? 
2. How many short - story books had she published when this interview came out?
3. What part of Canada is depicted most in her stories?
4. Why did A. Munro decide to write short stories instead of novels?
5. How long did it take her to write a short story?
6. How old was she when she started writing?
7. What does she think about small towns?
8. How does she describe the Canadian society of her childhood?
9. What kind of people are the characters in her stories?
10. How did A. Munro´s relationship with her own mother influence her writing?

Would you like to read any of her short stories? Here are some of them: Amundsen, Train, Boys and Girls

School Year 2013-13: Homework Assignment 2

This video is called"Girl Quits Job by  Making Dance Video At Work"; explicit title, isn´t it?

This is what you have to do:

1. Watch the video and make sure you understand the messages that pop up
2. Answer these questions (do it mentally; you needn´t write them down!) in relation to what you see and read in the video: who, where, when, what, why? If you can´t, watch the video again focusing on the answers you haven´t been able to answer yet
3. Imagine you are the girl in the video and I am a friend of yours: write an email to me. Include the following information:

• tell me what you have just done (include the details mentioned in the video)
• let me know how you felt after you posted the video on the internet
• explain how you feel now that your video has gone viral

Remember: use your own words, don´t copy the messages from the video




This assignment is due October, Friday 11th.

Good luck!

By the way, this is a video from the internet; we are used to watching videos that seem to be true and turn out to be fake...what is the truth about this one? (who knows?)

2nd part of this story: Click here

School Year 2013-14: Homework Assignment 1

Watch the video and answer the questions below.

 

Questions:

1. What is this video about?
2. Do you think such a phone is a good idea? Why? / Why not? (make a list of pros and cons before you write your answer)
3. Design a "phoneblok" for you: what parts would it have? (what do you mainly  use your phone for?)
4. What happens to old phones? What do you usually do them? (what have you done so far?)

We will talk about these issues in class, so be ready to have an answer to these questions.

Click here if you want to learn more about Phonebloks.