School year 2013/14: Being tough

Hi again!

It's hard to start the new year, isn't it? .
We have to be

tough

and

walk on.

The groups of 3º ESO are working on a unit about expressing feelings and face reading these days.

We' ve just read a text about an albino girl and how she has managed to grow stronger and to face cruel comments and rude reactions from others.

 

Yesterday we commented about other examples of people we admire for their strength and RESILIENCE:

My example is Malala.

 

"Resilience" is a technical word which comes from physics and refers to a feature of some materials which can absorb energy and then can also release it, so it's kind of being flexible and strong at the same time.

The term was borrowed by psychologists to refer to a human being's ability to cope with adversity.

 

See the works by French psychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik (Ugly Ducklings), and read his biography to learn more about Resilience.

(Find the keywords in this post, click on the links to find extra information)

Comparatives, superlatives: Big Brother is watching you

 

Big Brother is the worst programme on TV!!!

This morning we were checking our homework when a student said this example of superlative, which led to a discussion dealing with two different TV shows, meaning and literature.

 

When the student was trying to describe what is this reality show -"Big Brother"- about, someone else disagreed and replied that the show is about former waterpolo player , Pedro García Aguado coaching teenagers in serious behavioural trouble.

 

In fact, the English name for Pedro's programme should be "Elder Brother". 

Your elder brother is a brother who is older than you. Your elder brother loves you, so he'll always take care of you and will give you good advice because he's more experienced than you.

Big Brother, on the other hand, is a major character in "1984", a novel by George Orwell.

"1984" is about an totalitarian and oppressive society whose leader is the mysterious Big Brother. Big Brother is watching you. This means that every individual action is under surveillance in search of "crimes": thought crime, sex crime, etc.

Scary!

 

 

Orwell also wrote "Animal Farm". Maybe you've heard about it. The story is about a group of animals on a farm which start a rebellion against humans to fight for their freedom, but they eventually become tyrannical:

 "All animals are equal, but some are more equal tan others".

 

 

 

To sum up:

Big Brother is one of the worst programmes on TV,

but Orwell is one of the best novelists in history.

A new Star is born...at the ISS!

If you look up at the sky at night, you'll probably see a bright "star"which doesn't twinkle.

It's not Antares, obviously.

: )

Maybe you think that it's Venus, but what you can see is probably the International Space Station. The ISS is now the largest artificial body in orbit, it can often be seen at the appropriate time with the naked eye from Earth.

You can learn more about NASA and the ISS at:
 

 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

 



From time to time, the ISS appears on the news. These days Canadian astronaut Cmdr. Chris Hadfield at the ISS has become popular worldwide after shooting his cover on David Bowie's hit "Space Oddity" before returning to Earth.

A colleague recommended it to me and now it's me who wants to share this video with you.

For sure, you'll enjoy it...and also the rest of his videos:
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vio09T-8qA

 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bCoGC532p8

This guy definitely rocks!!

: )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Hwcyovt6c



School subjects

There's a beautiful song by Sam Cooke called "Wonderful World". It's about school love:

Do you like music and films?
I really do  !!

Director Peter Weir included this song in the soundtrack for"Witness" (1985), which is one of my favourite films.
(Although it's just one in quite a long list  !)

Harrison Ford (Han Solo, Indiana Jones) and Kelly Mc Gillis played main roles in this thriller about a little Amish boy who witnesses a murder.

In this the scene they dance to the song:

Don't you think it's cool? (...I guess that your mums will agree with me!!)
:)
Another famous actor in the film was Viggo Mortensen.
(...yes, Aragorn  !!)
:)

The school community: should, shouldn't, must, mustn't, have to, don't have to.

This week we've discussed on rights and responsibilities at school, at home and in life in general.

I'd like to share with you one of my favourite short videos by Pixar.
It's called "For the Birds".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOiyD26cJ2A

 

After watching the video, use these verbs

should

shouldn't

must

mustn't

have to

don't have to

 



to teach the little birds how to be respectful to others, no matter how different they are.

Remember: Nobody's perfect!!

 

School days

If you're interested in the topic of school we've worked on these days, maybe you should have a look at this lipdub against bullying which was made by highschool students.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFMr2Xi3VLk 

It's a good example of collaboration to make improvements in communities:
Everyone did their best and got involved in a cool project.

Would you like to sing along?

Lyrics for Who Do U Think U R? (single) by Kaitlyn K.

Who Do You Think You Are?
© 04.02.12 Knippers / Thomas / Young
Verse 1
When you look in the mirror tell me what do you see?
Are you wearing the words that you throw at me?
When you’re fixing your hair and whitening your teeth
Do you know that it’s ugly what you do to me?
Pre
Guess what you’re lame
You don’t even know my name
I don’t wanna play your games.
I don’t wanna play.
Chorus
So who do you think you are?
Who died and made you king?
Think you know it all
You don’t know anything
Who do you think you are?
Try’na call the shots
Think you’re so cool
But you’re so not
Who do you think you are?
Verse 2
When you’re out in the crowd knockin’ little kids down
Does it make you feel big? Does it make you feel proud?
You’ve got all the right stuff when I comes to your clothes
But your attitude sucks you need a new one of those
Pre
Guess what you’re lame
You don’t even know my name
I don’t wanna play your games.
I don’t wanna play.
Chorus : REPEAT
Bridge
I kinda wanna say thank you for what you’ve done
When you say I can’t, makes me know I can
When you push me down I just get up again
Pre
I not gonna play your game
I not gonna play your game.
Chorus : REPEAT

Present Perfect+ still, yet and already.

I really like music to practise English.
I love rock music.
And U2 is one of my favourite bands.

This is my suggestion to remember the use of still together with the present perfect.

 

And this is a version with a gospel choir in Harlem.

 

(It gives me goose pimples!)