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Monday 21 September 2015

Listening & Vocabulary- The Brain Game



                                   



The brain is a complex and amazing organ. So, it is only natural that the word "brain" is used in many expressions in English. Listen and learn some new words with "brain"!!
  
Click HERE to listen Let's Play the Brain Game. You can click on any word you need to get the meaning. 

Now: let's work with the new vocabulary:
Get the meaning of the following words or expressions from the text. Provide one example of each one in a complete sentence.

  • brainy:
  • to be the brains:
  • to be the brains behind something:
  • brain trust:
  • brainteaser:
  • brain drain:
  • brainchild:
  • brainstorm:
  • brainstormed:
  • to rack your brains: 
  • to pick someone's brain:
  • to be brainwashed:
  • to brainwashe:
  • to have something on the brain:

Now, let's get some fun! Click HERE and play with some of the brain games provided on the page, or if you prefer, all of them! Why not!

When you finish: explain what your opinion about the game/games you have chosen to play.

That's all for now!
         



iDIOTS

                                               


                                                              Geoma Regular

This lesson has been designed around a short film called iDiots by special effects company BLR_VFX and the theme of technology, mass consumption and instant gratification. 

Let's get ready to work with it!



Geoma Regular
  1. Do you have a mobile phone? Why? Is it one of the latest smart phones? 
  2. What do you use your mobile phone for?
  3. What is our school policy concerning mobile phones? 
  4. How many students in our class have mobile phones and bring them to school?
  5. Has the idea of having a mobile phone changed lately? Account on your answer.

Geoma Regular






Geoma Regular

  1. Why do robots queue to reach to the shop?
  2. Do robots hold a conversation between them? What do they do instead?
  3. What uses do they find for their mobile phones?
  4. What happens when the grey robot comes out?
  5. What do the red robots do when the mobile shop opens? Why?
  6. Express your final opinion about the short film. Write two lines at least.

Geoma Regular
  1. What would iDiots do to keep pleasing its consumers?
  2. Can you say there is something vaguely familiar about the video? Why?
  3. Is the brand of mobile important to people? Account on your answer.
  4. Do you think people can be addicted to new technology and gadgets? What about you?
  5. Do you know anyone who is addicted to technology? Why do you think that?
  6. Do you think we rely too much on technology in our everyday lives now? Why?
  7. Is the video a representation of today culture? Account on your answer.
  8. In your opinion, which is the topic -or topics- of this short film? Why?



BlackFat     BlackFat


Saturday 19 September 2015

The Californian's Tale by Mark Twain

           

        Slim Jim Regular

The Calidornian's Tale is a beautiful short story by Mark Twain. In the story a travelling propector is wandering around California, when something happened to him.

Click HERE to read and listen the story. Enjoy it!


Slim Jim Regular

If you need to get the meaning of any word you don't understand click on the work and it'll display a window with the definition of it.



Slim Jim Regular

  1. Was the storyteller rich? Account on you answer.
  2. What was The Stanislau like? Describe.
  3. What had other men done in The Stanislau before his arrival?
  4. What happened with gold a few years later?
  5. Was the storyteller alone in The Stanislau? Account on your answer.
  6. Was the man inhospitable to the storyteller? Account on your answer.
  7. What was the man's name?
  8. What did the storyteller see when he entered the house?
  9. What did the man want him to discover?
  10. Where was the woman at that moment?
  11. Why did the man change his mood with the storyteller?
  12. Who was Tom? Describe him.
  13. What happened to Tom everytime the man read one of his woman's letters? Why?
  14. What happened the following day?
  15. Did the woman come back on Saturday? Why?
  16. What happened to her after they had got married?
  17. Why was that Saturday special for the man?
  18. How long had the men been doing the same thing on that day?

Slim Jim Regular
  1. What is the story about?
  2. Try to assign the story a time when it probably took place. 
  3. What are the main events in the story?
  4. How are they related to each other?
  5. Are the events of the story arranged chronologically? Explain.
  6. Who tells us the story? 
  7. How is the story narrated? Are there any flashbacks, summaries of events or other stories within the story used?
  8. Which is the conflic of the plot?
  9. Which is the climax of the story?
  10. Does the story end happy, unhappy or undeterminate? Account on your answer.
  11. Offer your final opinion about the story. Write two lines at least.
  12. Write a very brief biography about the author.

Slim Jim Regular

On the right of the page you'll find an interactive quiz about the story. Take it and see how well you've understood this classic American story. Write your final result here. 


Slim Jim Regular

Hand in your work a plastic fine. Include a cover page to your work.




Wednesday 16 September 2015

NATIONAL CULTURE

                       


                                   BlackFat

Gaban Regular


Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habilts, music and arts. 

Substantial differencias among societies arise from cultural differences.

Culture changes over the time influenced by economic advancement, technological change, globalization, among others. 

Differences in National Culture influence the people's behaviours.


Gaban Regular

Nation is a useful way to define the boundaries of a society. Scientifically, technologically, medically, etc. the world is moving at amazing speeds.

In terms of culture, countries are far less isolated from each other than they were in the past, so it is not like one country can thrive without influecing other countries.

Some may regard the worldwide popularity of Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond as a sort of British cultures. These are identified with the British people. 





Gaban Regular

Watch the following Power Point Presentation and work with it. Solve the activities and hand in your final work in a plastic file. 







Tuesday 15 September 2015

WIDE AWAKE

                                           

                                                 Redhair Regular
   
Do you like listening to music? I'm sure you do! So...

Abril Fatface Regular


Abril Fatface Regular Watch the video






Abril Fatface Regular  Click HERE and let's work with the song!


                                  Manic Monday Regular



ARGENTINIAN DANCE MOVES


                     


Brazilians have samba. Americans do the disco. We dance folklore and tango. How do the Canadians move? Well, Liam Kearney and Sina Diรถs show us what they do! This happy couple has invented a dozen of Canadian moves. Borrowing the music from Juliav Bentley and Andrew Gunadie's YouTube video "Canadian Please," this pair has created a video called Canadian Dance Moves.

Let's watch it!





A charming homage to Canada's wholesome personality Canadian Dance Moves features unusual and inventive moves called The Lumberjack, The Friendly Backpacker, Carry the Two-Four, among others.
Why have they called these moves like that? For a simple reason: 

In The Lumberjack the couple moves like lumberjacks! They move their arms like cutting timber from a tree. They fell the tree and log the timber to carry it to the mill.


In The Friendly Backpacker you see them swinging their backpack in their shoulders, waving their hands to the passersby ready for their foot travel. 



The one called Carry the Two-Four has a special meaning: in Ontario the majority of people buy their beer in cases of 24 bottles (not cans) rather than 6 or 12 packs as they do in the west. So the video shows the proud boy after he has bought the Canadian two-four beer packs and carrying them home!




Let's discover the Argentinians moves! 
You must:

  • Work in pairs.
  • Record yourselves making the Argentinian moves: there must be four different moves. An assistant is needed to record you two dancing the moves.
  • Assign an ingenious name to your moves: you must include the name of each move in the video. Then you have to explain each move briefly (take the explanation in the blog as a guide.) You must hand in this activity in a plastic file with a cover. 
  • Choose two Canadian moves from the video and describe how you think they are called like that. Write a brief explanation. Include this activity in the plastic file to hand in. 
  • Include music to your video.
  • Creativity (dressing, moves, names assigned, etc.) will be evaluated. 


That's all for now!