International Working Women's Day

Did you know why International Working Women's day is celebrated on the 8th of March?
Watch this video for a short summary of the history of the movement for women's rights..

One of the main reasons why it is celebrated in March is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in March 1911. The tragedy sparked outrage through worker activists and gave emphasis to the celebration. Unfortunately, many of the problems women faced in the early 20th century are still present today. Watch the video and learn about what they are:



You can find more information about the fire here.
Through the years, International Women's Day has become a more broad celebration that also speaks about gender equality in our private lives as well.

For example, Beyonce's celebrated music video If I were a boy is from 2008. What issues does she discuss in the video?

 

Finally, in 2018 Taylor Swift released her own take on women's rights. Do you believe attitudes have changed? Why?

 

Celebrating the Chinese New Year

2022 will be the year of the Tiger. What are the personalities of people born on this year according to the Chinese horoscope?



Here's another version of the Chinese legend. Is it similar or different from the previous video?



Did you know some people believe there are some foods you should not eat at Chinese New Year? Did anything surprise you?




Finally, here are some people in London talking about how Chinese New Year is celebrated in London. What do people like about Chinese culture? What year was the video recorded?


What is your Chinese Horoscope? This is the full chart.

(if you were born in January or February, you might have to check here https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/)

The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was one of the most important events in US History. During the 1950s and 60s, African-Americans fought for equal rights to voting rights, education, healthcare, justice and more.
Before we watch the video, can you think of people and events that happened during this period?



Look at the infographic. Which events on the video are mentioned in the image?

On the third Monday of January every year, the US celebrates the birth of one of the main leaders of the movement, Martin Luther King, who was born on the 15th of January.

What do you know about MLK? Watch the video and check if the facts match what you believe. Who else is in the video? Why do you think that is?




Martin Luther King was a great speech writer. His best known speech is probably the "I have a dream" speech, which he gave during the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963. It is believed that 250.000 attended this protest.



The speech is so famous that it has been put into song by rapper Common for the soundtrack of the film Freedom Writers.

 

Another famous film about the Civil Rights Movement is the film Selma, which received an Oscar  nomination for Best Film in 2015. The main soundtrack song, Glory, received the award for Best Song on the same year.


. .

Selma deals with the difficulties the black population in the American South faced in order to register to vote and participate in elections. Here's a fragment of the film. What do you think about how the two people in the clip behave? What conclusions do you draw about the situation in the 1960s in the US?




Finally, February is Black History Month. Do you think it's still relevant to celebrate this month? Why?

World Heritage Sites

We've been reading about World Heritage Sites in class. Here is an interactive map of all the heritage sites in the world https://whc.unesco.org/en/interactive-map/

 The Great Barrier Reef in the Pacific Ocean, and the dugong. 

The Great Pyramid's and the history of Egypt's pyramids.

   

 The historical center of the city of Córdoba in Spain.

 

Finally, did you know some World Heritage Sites are at risk? Why do you think that is?

American vs. British English.

Just a fun TikTok video about some of the differences between British and American English. We can see cleary whose side the author is on. 😉

Credit: https://www.tiktok.com/@justsammorris

Social Media

 

Follow this link to watch the video and answer the questions: https://ed.ted.com/on/hkfS4S3k

What were the most popular social media sites in 2015? Click here and find out. https://www.businessinsider.com/what-teens-are-like-in-2016-2016-1?IR=T#this-pretty-much-lines-up-with-what-teens-across-the-board-are-saying-13

Finally, are you curious about what social media looked like 15 years ago? Have a look at this.

Summer practice for intermediate students (repost and update)

These are some of the resources for that you can use if you are at an intermediate level (I will update this  if I find more)

Onestopenglish.com Monthly topical news lessons from The Guardian.  These are reading exercises based on news adapted from the UK newspaper The Guardian. They have three different levels: elementary (B1), intermediat e (B2), and upper intermediate (C1). There are teacher's notes and answers. Monthly lessons are free with registration and you can access weekly lessons with a subscription fee (they've made them free until the end of July 2020, so take advantage of that while it lasts). There is also an elementary version http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/news-lessons/elementary-topical-news-lessons/ for A2 students.

Inside Out e-lessons used to offer reading e-lessons  which were often based on current news as well. The level was different every week. You can still find them in the archive, with teacher notes, answers and a glossary. These days they are publishing video lessons on everyday topics, which are also great.

Despite the old-fashioned design, http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ has very complete lessons based on current events, complete with an MP3 file that you can use for listening practice.


BBC Learning English is also nice for current topics, particularly the section called 6 minute English. In this section you can find downloadable podcasts with transcripts and solutions on many different issues. They also have grammar sections that cover from A2 to C2 levels. Their app is also highly recommended. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.learningenglish&hl=en_US


There are three apps you can use if you want to listen to international radio online. The first one is Podcast Addict , which allows you to subscribe and listen to many different podcasts in many languages. You have the option of downloading them so you can listen to them offline. On the other hand, Radio.es  gives you a wide variety of online radio stations from many different countries to listen to. Be careful because there is no offline option, so make sure you have a Wi-Fi connection if you want to save data. Tune in radio is another good option.

Finally, you can listen to the BBC via BBC Media Player . There is no offline option but the programmes there are really useful. You can also download podcasts to listen to offline at BBC podcasts.

As for video practice, some good sources are https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/  and https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDEducation for  very short documentaries,  The School of Life  for philosophy and psychology, and if you are interested in art, both the Tate Museum and the British Museum are great resources.

You may also keep an eye on this blog and on its Twitter account, as I will be posting anything I find interesting through the summer.

That's all for now! Have a good holiday!

Fake news, BBC Learning English.

Just a quick tip that BBC Learning English has launched  new series about fake news. I know you are quite busy with the end of the term right now, but it looks quite interesting  and maybe something you could look into to practice your English in the summertime. 

Link here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/fakenews/unit-1/session-1

5-minute meditation: Redon's 'Ophelia among the Flowers' | National Gallery

Here's a lovely meditation exercise from the London National Gallery. You can take advantage of it to relax, learn some English and also some art.

I hope you like it!

Yosemite Nature Notes -- Horsetail Fall

We have read in class about Horsetail Fall. Here's a video from 2011 about what the experience of taking pictures there is like.






Follow this link to answer some questions and find extra information about Yosemite National Park.

https://ed.ted.com/on/zMJJcRHE

You can also relax by watching this wonderful 8K video of the park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg0QwoHh9w4

Hyunho and Carson

Hyunho is a Korean boy, and Carson is an American girl. Hyunho doesn't speak a lot of English, and Carson doesn't speak any Korean. However, they find ways to communicate. In the first video, we can see how they met each other (activate English subtitles if you want to understand Hyunho!). What information do they learn about each other? How do they communicate?







 In the next video, you can see Hyunho and Carson talking about what they have in their backpacks. You'll see they have a translator, who uses reported speech. Which child carries more stuff? Does anything surprise you?

USA presentations

Naomi has prepared some presentations for Bachillerato, following our trip around the USA.
First, it's Louisiana.



And here's the West:

The Christmas Truce

The Christmas Truce is a very famous event in WWI. A truce is when enemies at war stop fighting for a short period before it starts again.

Watch this TV commercial and explain what happened.



Here is a longer video explaining the real story behind the commercial:
The Chistmas Truce, by Extra Credits.

What other Christmas commercials do you remember? Do you think they really embrace the Christmas spirit? Why? Why not?

The Devil's Dictionary

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) was a famous journalist from the 19th and 20th centuries. He is better known for his work, The Devil's Dictionary, where he compiled funny definitions of thousands of terms.

Here are a few of the most celebrated. Which one is your favourite?

You can try to come up with your own Devil´s Dictionary. If you are out of ideas, you can try an online list like https://www.randomlists.com/things and see how many things can you define... badly (it also works with people and places!).

Also, Bierce's original dictionary is available, like many other classics, from http://www.gutenberg.org

The Road

This year we are going to participate in an Erasmus + exchange programme with a few schools from different countries. As a part of the experience, you need to think about these questions. Choose which one applies to your experience and write a short text about it.

A) I HAVE STUDIED IN ANOTHER EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

· How did you feel when you started studying in Spain?

· What were your expectations about the country and the school when you came to Spain?

· Did you find that people were very different to the people of your country?

· What were your relationships with the people in your new schools like?

B) I HAVEN’T STUDIED IN ANOTHER EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, BUT MY PARENTS COME FROM A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.

· Do you find that life in school and in Spain is different if your parents are of a different country? Why? Why not?

· Do you think that people treat you differently because your parents come from a different country? Why? Why not?

C) I HAVEN’T STUDIED IN ANOTHER EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND MY PARENTS ARE ORIGINALLY FROM SPAIN.

· How do you think people feel when they go to a different country to study or work?

· What do you think are the biggest challenges?

You can watch this video about the experience of one man who came to the US when he was 14 to get some ideas.


 

Short films in English

Here's a way to practice your English that is less stressful than watching a long film.

In this twenty-minute story, two young astronauts fall in love. Stop at minute 8. What do you think will happen in the end?



In T.I.M., a social service robot is assigned to a problematic young man. Do you think they'll get along? How do you think the robot will help him become a better person?

 

A Brief History of the Oscars

It's Oscar time again!

Watch the video and answer this question:

Who created the Oscars? Why?









Test your memory. Do you remember:



1) When were the Oscars created? Why is that date important?

    1919 ♦ 1925 ♦  1929

2) How many guests attended the first ceremony?

    517 ♦ 217 ♦ 270

3) How many awards were given on the first ceremony?

    15 ♦ 19 ♦ 5

4) What is represented on the pedestal of the Oscar statuette?

    The 5 branches of filmaking ♦ The 5 Masters of Film ♦ The 5 continents

5) Who has the record for most Oscar wins?

         

6) When was the first TV ceremony aired?

    1963 ♦ 1953 ♦ 1948

7) How many times has Bob Hope host the Oscars?

    9 ♦ 19 ♦ 15

8) How many people watched the ceremony in 1998?

    55 million ♦ 1.6 billion ♦ 105 million


Watch the video again and check if you were right!



Who were the Oscar winners this year? Which was your favourite?

Analyzing Black Panther

Besides being a really exciting film and one of the highest grossing films in US history, MCU film Black Panther is a great film to think about African culture and the effects of the African diaspora.

Its production design is loaded with references to different African cultures. If you want to learn more about them you can read the Twitter thread quoted here:

The world of Black Panther makes reference to many important elements of African cultures. https://t.co/QRog5plint

— Elena Clemente (@Good_At_English) 10 de mayo de 2018

You can also check out production designer Hannah Beachler herself explaining how some of the scenes in the film were designed.
-What is an isicolo? What is an adinkra symbol? Why are they important in the entrance scene?
-What cultures are represented in the waterfall scene? (watch this with subtitles!)



You can also watch director Ryan Coogler's breakdown on how the casino scene in the movie was shot.

-How does feminism influence the way the scene was shot?
-What are the African references in this scene?
-What are the two contrasting concepts in it?



Here actress Laetitia Wright describes some of the science fictional and technological elements that appear in the movie.
-What's the main innovation in the new Black Panther suit?
-What are kimoyo beads? How are they used?



Finally, here's a more in-depth discussion of the symbolism of Black Panther. 
-Why are colonialism, internationalism and isolationism important for the movie? How do they relate to our own world?
-What are the main differences between T'Challa and Eric Killmonger? Why is T'Challa the better leader?
-If you have seen Infinity War, why are these ideas important in the next film? In your opinion, what would have happened on Earth if the ending of Black Panther had been different?




As a bonus, you can reward yourself with Kendrick Lamar's album inspired by the movie here:



This is the music video for the main theme song (includes subtitles):

Watching Coco

Coco is a 2017 fantasy film. It was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Lee Unkrich wrote and directed the film, along with co-director Adrian Molina. It is the story of a 12-year-old boy named Miguel Rivera, who wants to be a musician but whose family hates music. After an accident during Día de los Muertos, he is sent to the land of the dead, where he will need the help of his great-great-grandfather to return to his family among the living.

The film was written by Molina and Matthew Aldrich from a story by Unkrich, Jason Katz, Aldrich and Molina, and the music was composed by Michael Giacchino and also includes some classic Mexican songs, like La Llorona.

Coco was  released in Mexico the weekend before Día de los Muertos, and in the United States on November 22, 2017. The film became immediately popular, and it won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for "Remember Me", as well as the Best Animated Film at the BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Critic's Choice Movie Awards, and Annie Awards.

Watch the next video on the link to know why the film has become so popular and received so many awards:

Los Angeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo declared Tuesday, Feb. 27 as "Coco Day" in LA 🙌

Here’s why the Pixar film is being celebrated: pic.twitter.com/vOfUWP1pEm

— AJ+ (@ajplus) 27 de febrero de 2018

After watching the movie, think about what would have happened if:

1. Miguel’s great grandfather hadn’t abandoned his family?
2. Miguel’s great grandmother hadn’t forbidden music in the house?
3. Miguel hadn’t discovered the secret in the photograph?
4. Miguel’s grandmother hadn’t broken his guitar?
5. Miguel hadn’t stolen Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar?

Think of other moments in the film when the story would have changed completely if Miguel or another character had taken a completely different decision and write 3-5 more sentences in the 3rd conditional.

Finally, you can do this quiz at home.
It only takes a couple of minutes!

Which Coco Character Are You? 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/luisdelvalle/which-coco-character-are-you?utm_term=.ew5ODMzoJ

After you are done, you can reward yourself later singing the bilingual version of "Remember Me":

A brief history of the people on the $20 bill

We have recently learned that after 2020, the new face of the $20 bill will be Harriet Tubman.

As you will see in this video, the $20 bill has changed a lot since 1863, the year it was created. The first image represented in the bill was Lady Liberty, a representation of Freedom in the United States (which would also appear later as the Statue of Liberty in 1875). The second is Alexander Hamilton, who was an important politician at the beginning of the American revolution and the first Secretary of the Treasury. Then there were George Washington and Grover Cleveland, the 1st and 22nd Presidents of the US.

Andrew Jackson, who has been on the bill since 1928, was a controversial figure. As the 7th President of the US, he was responsible for the violent displacement of many Native Americans from their home under the Indian Removal Act  and, as a slave owner himself, was against the abolition of slavery. Many people felt very uncomfortable having him on the bill.

On the other hand, Tubman was born a slave in 1820 and was whipped, battered and mistreated since she was a young child. In 1849, she managed to escape and became part of the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of others to do the same. She also participated in the American Civil War as a cook and a nurse, even as a spy. Later in her life she also became involved in the women's suffrage movement.

As you can see on this longer article on Vox.com, this decision has also been controversial. What do you think? Is this a welcome change? Who would you like to see on your bills?