The Cannes Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, but there are some very specific rules that you must follow. What are they?

What's its connection to European history?

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?

"Caleb"

I have a new short film for you! This time it is the story of a clever child whose parents are very, very busy. Then he decides to do something about it.

Stop at minute 13:40. What do you think will happen in the end?

 

as...as, too..., enough

Here's a presentation about other ways of comparing things.

You can also look at this story from the BBC. Do you recognize the characters? What are their names in your language?

 

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.


 

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?

The lady that never left.

Eleanor Murray has lived in the same building in New York since she was born.



Watch her video interview at  the New York Times and find the answers to the following questions:

1. When was she born?
2. What are the three things that made her stay?
3. What's her personality like, according to her?

The amazing Malala

Malala Yousafzai's story is anything but conventional. When she was only 11, in 2009, she started writing a blog in her own language, Urdu, explaining to people what life under the Taliban was like. She defended the right of children, especially girls, to receive an education. The blog was translated into English and it became so popular that the Taliban felt threatened by it. Three years later, in 2012, a gunman shot her in the head. Two of her friends were shot, too. She had to go through many operations in her country, Pakistan, and later in the UK. She moved there to continue her recovery and study.


2013 was a very active year for her. She made a speech at headquarters of the United Nations in New York. She spoke vehemently of the power of educating girls and women and against intolerance and extremism. She was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and she published her story in a book.

Finally, in 2014, Yousafazi won  the Nobel Peace Prize. However, all of this activity never stopped her from studying. She has just finished her A Level exams with excellent grades, and now she's planning to go to the university at Oxford or Stanford.   

You can watch her speech at the UN here (Spanish subtitles).



You can also read more about her story and do some exercises at Guardian News Lessons. 

The Tell-Tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart is one of the most famous short stories by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe. In 1953, Columbia Pictures adapted the story into a very scary animated film. There are many versions on Youtube, but I chose this one because it is subtitled in Spanish :-)

I think it is a great way to celebrate Halloween!

So, what is English made of?

The video below is a poem by the young poet Dizraeli. It is a bit difficult to follow if you don't have a good level, so concentrate only on the written words and on the rhythm of the poem.



In the poem, Dizraeli talks about how English is a language that is used by many different people around the world, in different media, spoken by a lot of people from different countries, and which borrows terms from many different sources.

(a special thanks to the Macmillan Youtube channel!) Ps. You can see the full text of the poem on pdf here

A travel composition

Today we have looked at how to write a composition about traveling in Primero de Bachillerato. I have decided to post a powerpoint example about Scotland, I place I lived in in 1999-2000 as an Erasmus student (so long ago!)

Composition Scotland from Elena (IES Altaír)

Riding out the recession

Last Friday, our school received an interesting visitor. His name is Sean, he is 21 years old and comes from Cornwall, England. He wants to ride a bike all the way from Cornwall to Cape Town, in South Africa! He is doing it to help some charities. While he was riding accross Madrid, he got lost and stopped here to ask for directions, and we were talking with him for a while. Later Antonio drove him to Pinto, and there he continued his trip.

If you want to know more about his project, you can click on http://www.ridingouttherecession.co.uk/about_me.html. There you can donate to the charities he is supporting, too.
You can also see what he is doing by following him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SeanMaher88