HOW TO BE ITALIAN - A SIMPLE GUIDE FROM BABBEL

The following article was originally posted at Babbel Blog

1. Think outside the box

When a new and unexpected problem arises, don’t wait for some expert to fix it for you – get creative and fix it yourself. Don’t know how? Improvise! Are you already aware of a standard solution? Come up with ten alternatives! Even if you lack the right tools and expertise, devising your own wonky and eccentric DIY solutions is much more satisfying than going by the book. Perform such experiments with a confident, winning smile and no one will even realize that you’re making it up as you go along.

LOVE DESPITE WAR - TESTAMENT OF YOUTH AND SUITE FRANCAISE

1. Testament of Youth  

Testament of Youth is a British drama film,  released in the UK in January 2015, which is based on the First World War memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain.

At the beginning of the book, Vera Brittain describes how she originally intended to write of her experiences as a novel but was unable to achieve the necessary objective distance from her subject. She then tried to publish her original diary from the war years but with all names fictionalised. This too proved unworkable. Finally she decided to write her own personal story, putting her own experiences in the wider historic and social context: an autobiographical memoir with documents (letters and poems written by the protagonists) and intellectual digressions.

Several critics have noted the cathartic process by which she deals with her grief at the loss of young men close to her - her brother Edward Brittain, her fiancé Roland Leighton, her friends Victor Richardson and Geoffrey Thurlow - in the writing.

The narrative begins with Vera's plans to enter the University of Oxford and her romance with Roland Leighton, a friend of her brother Edward. Both were commissioned as officers early in World War I, and both were subsequently killed, as were several other members of their social circle.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES 3 - A PRIZE FOR YOUNG HEROES

THE GLORIA BARRON PRIZE

Changemakers come in all shapes and sizes. Often we forget what young people are capable of achieving amazing things. But it’s young people who have the creativity and the energy to solve many of our society’s most difficult problems and in fact they are already starting. That’s why the Barron Prize was founded. To remind young people that they too have the power to be powerful shapers of society. 

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes was founded by author T. A. Barron in honour of his mother, the prize celebrates outstanding young leaders. Each year the Barron Prize honours 25 inspiring young people who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet.

Now read T.A. Barron's essay about the prize (HERE)  and do the excercises in the worksheet (HERE)

SUMMER ACTIVITIES 2 - DO YOU REMEMBER BILLY ELLIOT?

Most people have seen the 2000 movie Billy Elliot, the moving story of a boy from a working-class family who becomes a ballet dancer. It starred a young British actor called Jamie Bell. Jamie is still a successful actor today. The only difference is that he is now a man.

Here's Jamie Bell  as Billy Elliot in the 2000 movie

Here is Jamie Bell as Abraham Woodhull in his latest TV series,  "TURN, Washington's Spies"

TASK 1 - Listen to an article about Jamie Bell and complete the first task in this worksheet TASK 2 - Reading comprehension (Task 1 & 2 Worksheet) CLIPS FROM THE MOVIE - Clip 1  Clip 2  Clip 3 Clip 4  Clip 5  Clip 6 Clip 7 Clip 8 
Clip 9  Clip 10  Clip 11 Clip 12   Finale 
Billy Elliot is now a global stage sensation, a musical with Elton John's music 

SUMMER ACTIVITIES 1 - HAS TECHNOLOGY RUINED OUR LIVES?

Reading, listening, writing

Watch the video, read and complete the text 

Read this article: Take the test - Do you have social media addiction?
 then answer the following questions:
1. How much of your life have you wasted on facebook? (take the test) 2. What is the best test to check if you are a social media addict? 3. What advice does the blogger suggest to stop beind addicted?  4. Now write down a list of advantages and disadvantages related to the use of social media. Which of your two lists is the longer one? 

WATCH THE SUNRISE, DREAM YOUR LIFE, DANCE SHAMELESSLY

In the last couple of days, these summer tasks went viral. They were posted by an Italian teacher, Cesare Catà, on his facebook page  and from there they made it to the national press and were spread all over the Net. What's special in them? See it for yourself.  I've translated them for you. Useless to add, I'd sign them myself.

In the mornings, sometimes, go and walk along the seashore in complete solitude: look how the sunlight reflects on it and, thinking about what you most love in life, feel happy.

Try to use all the new words we learnt this year: more things you can say, more things you can think;  and more things you can think, more free you are.

Read as much as you can. But not because you must. Read because the summer inspires adventures and dreams and  reading you feel like flying sparrows. Read because it is the best form of rebellion you have (for good reading advice, ask me)

Avoid all things, situations and people that make you negative or empty: look for stimulating situatuations and the company of friends who can enrich you, understand you and appreciate you for what you are.

LEARNING ENGLISH IN BRISTOL

At the EC Language School - Bristol 

We realize that every experience in life teaches us something once we evaluate its pros and cons. I asked my 4scA students to reflect on our week in Bristol (14th/20th April 2015) and point out its advantages and disadvantages.
While we were there, they went to EC Language School and had native-speakers teaching them for 4 hours and 30 minutes every day, they lived with English host families, they visited Bristol in the afternoons, went to Bath  and London at the weekend. They had plenty to tell once we were back.

In my questionnaire I also asked my students about the best and the worst moments,  or what they liked and disliked (click here to see my questions). Here are some of their answers. On the whole all of them thought it was a great experience. 

CLIL LESSONS - ELECTROMAGNETISM & MAXWELL'S EQUATIONS 2

CLIL - LESSON 2

N.B. Download the audio files for this lesson from the flash widget_box on the right sidebar: 

 ( Folder Audio Files ) Electromagnetism: Audio Files & Texts 

CLIL LESSONS - ELECTROMAGNETISM & MAXWELL'S EQUATIONS 1

CLIL - LESSON 1

Watch the video and answer the questions in  worksheet 1

CHANGE OF A DRESS - REVIEW OF THE FUTURE FORMS

WORKSHEET

(Questions - Grammar notes)

HAMLET & MELANCHOLY

Worksheet  -  Transcript

THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN THE VICTORIAN AGE - JANE EYRE - PUNISHMENT

Kindness

Jane Eyre - Power Point Presentation

The Exploitation of Children in the Victorian Age

The Woman Question

Ask Jane Eyre

Further videos:  Arrival at Thornfield Hall - Horse scene - Teaching Adele - Do you ever laugh, Miss Eyre? -  I would do anything for you - Return to Thornfield Hall - Proposal

  Interrupted Marriage   

THE HOUSEKEEPING ROTA

WORKSHEET

PRESENT SIMPLE - TEST

SIMPLE PAST - TEST

THE MOST COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS

OLD FRIENDS - INTRODUCING THE PAST SIMPLE

WORKSHEET

A NEW NEIGHBOUR TO THE RESCUE - SIMPLE PRESENT, QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

WORKSHEET

LORD RANDAL & THE MEDIEVAL BALLAD

LORD BYRON - CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE : ONCE AGAIN UPON THE WATERS

TEXT ANALYSIS : ONCE MORE UPON THE WATERS

Fragments from CHILDE HAROLD’S PILGRIMAGE , Canto III , lines 5-18; 109-117; 127 -144 

 The lines below from Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage provide an insight into the wild beauty of Nature and  the Romantic themes of solitude, melancholy and the transcience of life.

LINES 5 -  18

Awaking with a start,

The waters heave around me; and on high

The winds lift up their voices: I depart,

Whither I know not; but the hour’s gone by,

When Albion’s lessening shores could grieve or glad mine eye.

Once more upon the waters! Yet once more!

And the waves bound beneath me as a steed

That knows his rider. Welcome to their roar!

Swift be their guidance, wheresoe’er it lead!

Though the strain’d mast should quiver as a reed,

And the rent canvas fluttering strew the gale,

Still must I on; for I am as a weed,

Flung from the rock, on Ocean’s foam, to sail

Where’er the surge may sweep, or tempest’s breath prevail (... )

HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY

  Speak English Fluently - Rule n. 3

Worksheet   &   Transcript

SHALL I COMPARE THEE ...? SHAKESPEARE IN MUSIC

Watch the video and listen to the song. It's one of Shakespeare's sonnets sung by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd): Sonnet 18 - Shall I compare thee

Worsheet   (poem and text analysis questions) .

ENGLISH COURSE FOR TEACHERS - LESSON 1 INTRODUCE YOURSELF

Video 1 . Introducing yourself

 
Worksheet 1. Self  Introduction  (Click HERE )

THE A TEAM & THE BIG ISSUE

Ed Sheeran, the worldwide popular British singer and songwriter, wrote this beautiful ballad in 2011 after  following a last-minute performance at an event for the homeless. It tells of a crack-addicted girl (crack is known as a "class A drug"). It was written after Sheeran visited a homeless shelter and heard some of the stories of the lives people had been living. Making the song upbeat was Sheeran's way of masking the heavy subject matter. Also using the term "Class A Team" was another way of masking it a little more. Watch the video, listen to the song and complete the tasks 1 and 2 in the worksheet (HERE)

SUMMER ACTIVITIES 1 - YOUTUBE CELEBRITIES: CHARLIE MCDONNELL

Hello and happy summer time! As promised, here are some activities to revise, consolidate, improve your English. Do you like YouTube? What are your favourite channels? And what are your best favourite videos? Have you got a favourite Youtuber? Charlie McDonnell is one of them and he is a real celebrity in the UK and USA. Discover more about him. I have prepared listening comprehension and reading comprehension activities in  a worksheet  (you find it HERE),  as well as some Grammar and Translation exercises. I can already imagine your complains: BUT ...  Charlie speaks very fast! Yes, maybe,  but he is  great fun to watch! 

Video for Task 1 . Listening Comprehension

After completing all your tasks you can send your work via e-mail to learnonline.mgs@gmail.com for correction. I hope to hear from you soon!

(Download the worksheet, add your answers directly on it below the questions or below the sentences you have to translate using a different colour or different font, then send it as a separate word / txt file attached to your e-mail)

Next Summer Activities post will be up on 7th July. Till then, enjoy your holidays!

HAPPY SUMMER READINGS!

WORKSHEET 

FROM THE SATIRICAL NOVEL TO SATIRICAL PAINTING - WILLIAM HOGARTH, MARRIAGE A LA MODE

Hogarth was the inventor of the narrative sequence of paintings. Each sequence followed a theme such as the failure of combined marriages or the corruption of political elections, for examples. Hogarth's oil paintings were then engraved and sold as sets of prints, which made them much cheaper and very popular. Hogarth is at once a realistic and comic artist, a satirist.

Let's give a close look at his Marriage à la Mode (fashionable marriage in French) sequence (1743 - 45) .

1. The Marriage Settlement

This is the first scene in this series of paintings on the misfortunes of a marriage between people of fashion. The marriage is being arranged in the Earl of Squander's house. The Earl suffers from gout and rests his bandaged foot on a stool. He is receiving the dowry for his son's marriage to a rich merchant's daughter: her money for his old ancestry - he points to the genealogical tree, on the right. The Earl is in debt because of the expenses for the still unfinished Palladian villa seen through the window. The groom, on the left, is dressed as a perfecto fop and has a black patch on his neck (the sign of a venereal disease) . The bride sits with her back to him and looks sad; she's listening to the lawyer Silvertongue, her secret lover.

DIVERGENT FROM THE BOOK TO THE MOVIE - READING & WATCHING

Let's improve our English with a book and a movie: Divergent by Veronica Roth and its adaptation for the big screen starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James.

Task 1. Reading comprehension: Read an excerpt from Chapter 1 and answer the questions

Excerpt + questions

Task 2. Listening comprehension: Watch the trailer and fill in the gaps

Transcript - Fill in the gaps exercise