Week 8: October 30th, 2019- Halloween class!!

The Occult Museum

- We exchanged some information about Halloween food, monsters, films and traditions.
- We completed a definition reading to revise some of the vocabulary for it.
- We played a taboo game with more Halloween vocabulary (we're now experts!)
- We saw two short films to describe to our classmates. They were Nike, Why Sport? You'll live longer and Come to Bed.
- We saw an IT Crowd episode with a Halloween character, Richmond Avenal: The Red Door.

Homework:
- I can't seem to make the links to your Halloween recordings work, could you may be send them again to me or copy them to the body of the blog entry, not in a commentary? I don't know what happens!
- As homework I wanted you to listen to your classmates' recordings to decide on a winner, your favourite, so that we can vote next day.
- I would also like you to record a summary of the IT Crowd episode we saw (if you couldn't come, the link to the whole episode is above) and send it to me to get feedback.

Have a nice long weekend!

Week 7: October 23rd, 2019- Giving and receiving compliments. Intonation that conveys meaning

- We shared with the rest the questions you had written (or thought out) to check the comprehension of the video on Bhutan.
- We saw the excerpt of the video and answered our classmates' questions. (minutes 3'50 to 7'45)
- I gave you a photocopy with some verb tense revision for practice.
- We listened to four conversations in which we saw how to compliment and respond to compliments. We practised those structures with a gapped text and with our classmates.
- We saw the different intonations to convey some meanings: interest, amazement, boredom, anger... and we practised them.
- We got into a Halloween mood with the video The Replacement ;-))

Halloween homework:
- Have a look at the verb tense revision handout.
- I gave you a paper card with something to read about, take notes and be prepared to speak at the beginning of next day's class. If you didn't attend, pick one of these: Halloween food, Halloween monsters, Halloween decorations or Halloween movies.
- I've also posted some haunting photos on this virtual wall.  Next day I'll give a prize to the best recorded production: choose one of the photos and record a story about it. You can post it next to the photo together with your name. You can record it with Vocaroo or any other webpage. Here you have some instructions to do it, it's very easy, you just have to go and record! Then you copy the link and paste it on the virtual wall. Happy weekend!

Week 6: October 16th, 2019- Alternative social views: New Zealand and Bhutan

newshub.co.nz

- We exchanged the information we had researched on the pieces of paper I had given you. They belonged to information on alternative ways to measure social realities in New Zealand and Bhutan.
- We completed a gapped text on a video on New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Davos last January. She talked about the well-being budget her government is implementing.

- Every pair of people then got a set of ten words or numbers extracted from a text on Bhutan and tried to guess what the text was about. You then compared your ideas with the actual text.

- We saw an inspiring video on the hope for a change;-))

- An we finished by quickly having a look at the work and life of some women writers: Mary Shelley, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf.

HOMEWORK:

- I forgot to set you some homework on Wednesday but I've found a nice thing for you to do.

1. Have a look at an excerpt from a docummentary on Bhutan, from minute 3,50 to minute 7.45

2. In those three minutes, devise four or five questions for your partner. Imagine you were the teacher and that you wanted to check your classmate's understanding of the video. Choose to make questions that are separated from each other, so that your classmate has some time to know where he/she is. Remember you can view the subtitles to the docummentary by clicking on the button next to the wheel.

3. Write those questions on a piece of paper that can be photocopied (and that is readable please!)

4. The docummentary in in this LINK.

Week 5: October 9th, 2019- Linking words in English

timeanddate.com

- We revised some of last week's video vocabulary.
- We also talked about how to tackle the recording of the text on learning and some of the most common problems.
- We decided where to link in a short text and dictated it to a classmate.
- We revised the verb system and practised question formation with a Find a person who... activity.

Homework:
- I gave you a piece of paper with something written on it for you to investigate, read a little bit and write notes to be ready to tell your classmates about it. If you were not here in class, choose between: Jacinda Ardern, Bhutan, well-being budget or Jigme Single Wangchuck.

Week 4: October 2nd, 2019- A historical speech: Greta Thunberg in the UN

- We revised some vocabulary from last week's Summer Wine song.
- We exchanged information about the UN, the IPCC group, climate change and Greta Thunberg.
- We watched Greta's UN speech from last week's General Assembly.
- We identified main ideas and some interesting vocabulary from her speech.
- We revised some English sounds with diphthongs in two puzzles by joining the dots.

Homework: 

- I've given you a text on learning and I'd like you to record you reading it aloud, as well as you can. In another recording please tell me the difficulties you find in the pronunciation of some sounds and tricky passages or words you have found to be more challenging. I'll upload the text on Friday for those of you who could not come to class and don't have the photocopy. 

          Sorry guys!! I completely forgot to upload the text I had not with me the other day, here it is: TEXT TO READ ALOUD.