House on Fire

Last week, world leaders and business chiefs met in Davos to talk about global issues and solutions. 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden was there too. She presented her point of view on climate action.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• lack of effective change - not enough action to make real changes
• price tag - the amount of money that something costs
• to acknowledge - to admit; to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of something
• broad public awareness - the situation that many people know that something exists or is happening
• homo sapiens - the human race; all human beings
• to gain notoriety - to become well-known for things you do or say
• mature - having the mental and emotional qualities of an adult and acting like that
• to uphold an agreement - to give support to an agreement and stick to it
• to adhere to environmental regulations - to act in the way that is required by the rules for making and keeping the world healthy
• unspoken sufferings - physical or mental pain which is understood without being directly said aloud

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What does Greta mean when she suggests that ‘the house is on fire’?


2. What does Greta want of the world leaders?


3. Greta says: ‘Their financial success has come with an unthinkable price tag.’ What is this ‘price tag’ she is talking about?


4. According to Greta, is it too late to do anything? Explain your answer.


5. Does Greta think it will be an easy task to solve the climate crisis? Explain your answer.

- Watch Greta’s full speech here.
- Also listen to Greta’s message to Davos before leaving by train from Stockholm to Switzerland.
- Children all over the world are concerned about climate change. Check out this earlier video with students in Australia.

Extra speaking assignment
Greta Thunberg started the climate strike movement, young people skipping school to draw attention to the issue of climate change.
1. How do you feel about going on a school strike because of climate change?
2. Split the class in two.
3. One side thinks of arguments for striking, the other against striking.
4. Have a class discussion.

What a Waste!

The holidays are coming up: getting together with family and eating. Lots of eating.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• to get wasted - to get thrown away even when something is still okay to use or consume
• yams - sweet potatoes
• turkey - a large bird grown for its meat on farms
• to discard - to throw away
• to overdo it - to do too much of something or to do it in an extreme way
• leftovers - food that has not been finished at a meal and that is often served at another meal
• inevitably - sure to happen
• landfill - an area where waste is buried under the ground
• shelter - a place that provides food and protection for people that need help, for example homeless people

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What happens with lots of the food that make up our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners?


2. What happens when people don’t plan their meals properly?


3. What makes up the largest component in landfills?


4. What can you do with leftovers instead of throwing them in the garbage?


5. What can you do to prevent having (lots of) leftovers?

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish!

The organisation Ocean Cleanup has launched its first giant tube to collect rubbish in the Pacific Ocean.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• water current - a continuous movement of water or air in the same direction
• in a V-shape - in the shape of the letter V
• to capture - to catch
• to funnel - to put something through a narrow opening
• discard - to throw away
• to tweak - to change something a little bit in order to make it better
• to let loose - to allow (someone or something) to move or go freely

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. When did Boyan Slat get his idea for finding ways to help reduce the (plastic) rubbish in the ocean?


2. Name one big difference between paper or cardboard and plastic.


3. How many pieces of plastic are floating around in the ocean according to scientists?


4. Describe how Boyan’s invention works.


5. How many “giant snakes” is Boyan’s organisation Ocean Cleanup planning to use to collect rubbish by 2020?

A Sinking Feeling

A sinkhole has been spotted on the White House lawn. But what causes sinkholes?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• to be beyond help - to be at a point where nothing can be done to make things better
• bedrock - the solid rock that lies under the surface of the ground
• worn away by erosion - gradually destroyed by natural forces
• limestone - a whitish-coloured rock
• susceptible - easily affected, influenced or harmed by something
• cracks and crevices - a narrow openings in a hard surface, especially in rock
• pumice - a gray stone that comes from volcanoes and is full of small holes
• to erode - to be gradually destroyed by natural forces such as water, wind or ice
• sewer pipes - pipes that are usually underground and that are used to carry off water and such
• in the blink of an eye - very quickly
• to detect - to discover or notice

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. How do sinkholes form? Explain in your own words.


2. Why do sinkholes often form in places that are built mostly on limestone?


3. Do sinkholes always form as a result of natural causes? Explain your answer.


4. In which country can the most famous sinkhole be found?


5. What can people do to avoid sinkholes?


6. What crazy natural disaster are you afraid of?

Daffodils

Spring is in the air, daffodils are bursting open. “Daffodils” is also one of the most famous poems in the English language. It was written by William Wordsworth, an important English Romantic poet. The official title of the poem is: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• daffodil - a yellow flower that blooms in the spring and that has a center that is shaped like a long tube (also see picture below)
• to wander - to walk around in a relaxed way
• margin - the edge of something
• at a glance - with a quick look
• to outdo - to do better than someone or something else
• glee - joy
• jocund - happy, cheerful
• pensive - thoughtful and serious
• bliss - complete happiness

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.



You can read the poem here.

1. Can the tone of the poem be best described as: angry, comic, joyful, or sad?


2. What is the narrator’s mood in the first lines and how does it change when he/she sees the daffodils?


3. What is the connection between the daffodils and the twinkling stars?


4. In the last lines (1:20 in the video), how does the memory of the daffodils change the narrator’s mood?


5. Does the poem suggest that loneliness is a good thing or a bad thing?
   Explain your answer.

Extra words assignment

1. The cloud “floats on high o'er vales and hills”.
   Explain what the underlined expression means.


2. Wordsworth uses all sorts of “happy” words.
   Write down all the happy words you recognize.

School Walkout

On 14 March, thousands of students across America walked out on classes.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• massacre - the violent killing of many people
• fallen friends - friends that have been killed
• change is achievable - it is possible to make things change
• to deliver change - to make change happen
• to face massive obstacles - to meet big problems and such that make it difficult to do something
• gun lobby - a group of people who argue for the right of all people to own a gun
• potent message - very powerful message
• electoral power - power to make your voice heard by voting
• defiance - brave resistance against an authority
• decision-makers - people who influence and make decisions
• clamour for change - loud or strong demand for change

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Why did students walk out of schools across the country?


2. What happened in Colombine, Colorado?


3. The students sat in silence for 17 minutes. Why 17 minutes?


4. Which obstacles do the students face?


5. Complete the students’ message: Enough ...

Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea are about to begin. Nigeria will be represented with a bobsleigh team. Find out more about their preparations in the video (Listening B2).

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• fearless - not afraid, very brave
• to live life on the edge - to deal with many dangerous situations and take many risks in life
• lapse - a short moment when you forget to focus and make a mistake
• distraction - something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention
• empowering - making you more confident, making you feel that you are in control of your life
• non-existent - not present, not existing
• to sacrifice - to give things up in order to get something else

First read the assignment. Next watch the video (Listening B2). Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Name the 3 things you need to be a successful bobsleigh driver.


2. Seun Adigun, the captain of Team Nigeria, says: “I’m a natural competitor.”
   Explain what this means.


3. What is the social life of the bobsleigh team members like?


4. How much money did the team need to get to their goal?


5. What did the girls do to save extra money?

Extra background (video - Listening B1)
Meet the team members here.

Norman Conquest

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered (geborduurd) cloth that tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It is in the news because maybe, just maybe, this famous work will leave France for the first time ever for a visit to England.
But what’s that Norman conquest all about?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• raider - person who suddenly and unexpectedly attacks a place
• to fancy the throne - to want to sit on the throne and be king or queen
• to give someone a good thrashing - to hit and beat them
• mounted knight - man trained to fight as a soldier on a horse
• to subjugate - to conquer and gain the obedience of a country

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Where did the Normans originally come from?


2. Why was William II mad at Harold Godwinson?


3. Who won the Battle of Hastings?


4. Why did the ruling classes in England have to speak French after 1066?

Extra reading and writing assignment
Watch this amazing animation of second half of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Write a short overview of the historical events depicted here.

2017 Word of the Year (One of Them)

Collins Dictionary have announced their 2017 Word of the Year.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• to reverse - to change the direction of something things so that they go the other way around
• fact check - a check that the facts of a story are correct
• to claim - to say that something is true even when you cannot prove it
• bat - a small animal like a mouse, but with wings; it flies at night
• truthful - telling or expressing the truth
• to go on strike - to stop work because you want things at work to change
• afraid of heights - afraid when you are in high places like a tower or mountains
• news anchor - someone who reads the news on a television broadcast

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. The news anchors start by practicing reading several headlines.
   Copy 3 of these headlines.


2. Explain what this sentence means:
   “The nation relies on me to read truthful facts.”


3. What is Collins Dictionary’s official 2017 word of the year?

Extra speaking (and writing) assignment
1. Work in groups.
2. Think of 3 other headlines for the video. Let your imagination run wild!
3. Write them down.

Extra extra speaking (and writing) assignment
1. Produce your own news show to announce Collins Dictionary’s word of the year.
2. Work in groups.
3. Write the script. Follow the format of the above video.
4. Practice your show.
5. Record your show.

Living in Paradise

Millions of leaked documents called the Paradise Papers were recently released. The Netherlands play an important role in them. Do we live in paradise?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• fancy features - special and often expensive parts
• to cover the costs - to make enough money to pay for the costs
• profit - money that is made in a business, like a shop
• tax - money that people and businesses have to pay to the government and that is used to pay for the things done by the government
• roughly 30 cents - not exactly, but more or less 30 cents
• purchase price - amount of money someone pays for something
• to leak - to give secret information to someone so that it becomes known to the public

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. How much money does Nike make from selling the pair of shoes in the video?
2. Why does most of the money Nike makes go straight to their company in the Netherlands?
3. Is it legal what Nike is doing?
4. What do other people think about the way Nike does business?
5. For which people are the Netherlands paradise?

Extra words assignment
Explain what the underlined words and expressions mean.
1. The girl buying the shoes says: “Hold on, is that how much they cost?”
2. Nike is far from the only company contained in them.

World View

Find out why everybody is talking about US rapper B.o.B.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• once and for all - finally; definitely
• to conspire - to make secret plans to do something bad or illegal
• curve - smooth, rounded line or shape
• proof - something which shows that something else is true or correct
• a flurry of tweets - a lot of tweets shortly after one another
• evidence - something which shows that something else exists or is true
• conspiracy theory - theory that explains an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by a group of people
• to expose - to make something known, like a secret, because you believe it is wrong or illegal
• inconsistencies - statements that are not in agreement with each other

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What does B.o.B. want to prove once and for all?


2. Why did B.o.B. start a crowdfunding campaign? And how much money does he want to raise?


3. What does B.o.B. think about the first moon landing?


4. Write down the names of the B.o.B. track dissing Neil DeGrasse Tyson and of the response rap Neil released.


5. Complete B.o.B.’s final words about the subject: “Once you go .....”.
   Explain what he means.

Extra writing assignment
1. Listen to what Adam Bozarth asks at 1:06 till 1:12.
2. Write a comment to answer his questions.
30-50 words.

Extra listening assignment
1. Listen to the raps by B.o.B. and Neil DeGrasse Tyson. You can find them on YouTube.
2. For both tracks, write a short summary of what they are about.

Extra fun assignment
Watch this video.

Flying High

President Trump took his first foreign trip this month. At the NATO summit in Brussels, he was joined by this unlikely fellow: What’s his backstory?

still from bbc video

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• unique approach - unusual way of dealing with something, unlike anybody else
• prey - an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food
• intercept - catch, grab
• midair - somewhere above the ground; in the middle of the air
• potential danger - possible danger
• dignitaries - people who have a high rank or an important position
• talons - the sharp claws on the feet of some birds
• are committed to the plan - have decide to go ahead with the plan

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. For what purpose are the Dutch police training eagles?


2. Name three situations in which these special eagles might be used.


3. In what way is using eagles a different approach from the old approach?

Derek Walcott

The poet Derek Walcott, born in 1930, died this month at the age of 87. He is regarded as one of the greatest poets in the English language. He was from St. Lucia in the West Indies.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• with elation - with happy thoughts in your head
• mirror - a piece of glass that reflects images
• ignore - take no notice of someone or something, pay no attention to someone or something
• know by heart - know it so well that you can repeat it from memory
• desperate - very sad and upset, with little or no hope
• peel - remove
• feast on - celebrate, enjoy

Read the first four questions. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Who is the poet speaking to?


2. Listen closely to the first line. Now answer the question: When are the things in the poem happening?


3. Does the poem contain positive or negative thoughts? Explain your answer with specific words or lines from the poem.


4. Choose the two statements that are in line with the poem:
   - Love is the most important thing.
   - Don’t be too hard on yourself.
   - Learning to love others begins with learning to love ourselves.
   - Always put others first.
   

Extra reading and writing assignment

1. Find out more about Derek Walcott: about his life, his work, any prizes, etc.
2. Write a short report on the poet's life. Or create a timeline of his life.

Extra (close) reading assignment

1. Listen to the poem again. Read the poem (below) while listening.
2. Make two lists, one with positive words, one with negative words.
   Or print the poem and mark the positive words with one colour and the negative ones with another.
3. Pick a favourite line or expression. Explain your pick.

Love After Love

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott

The Doomsday Clock

The Doomsday Clock has been ticking for many years now. It’s in the news because the scientists behind it recently have changed its time once again. Find out more in the video.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• doomsday - the day the world ends or is destroyed
• cavalier - careless; showing no concern for something that is important or serious
• reckless - not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions
• disregard - ignoring something or treating something as unimportant
• initially - originally; in the beginning; at the start
• arbitrary - not planned or chosen for a particular reason
• impending - happening or likely to happen soon
• deep concern - a deep feeling of worry
• off the table - If sth is "off the table", it is not a serious option or not up for discussion
• grim -gloomy or depressing

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Why was the Doomsday Clock made in the first place?


2. How accurate is the Doomsday Clock?


3. For each of the following years, write down to what the time the Doomsday Clock was set and for what reason:
   - 1947
   - 1949
   - 1953
   - 1968
   - 1972
   - 1984
   - 1991
   - 2017

The Bigger Picture

This month, a picture taken in New York went viral on Twitter. Nada Tawfik asked New Yorkers about it.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• be fazed by something - let something make you feel afraid or uncertain
• people from all walks of life - all sorts of people with different backgrounds, jobs, positions in society, etc.
• accustomed to - familiar with, used to
• equality - the state of being equal, especially with regards to status, rights, and opportunities
• where they want the country to head - the direction they want the country to take, how they want the country to develop
• have empathy - understand and share the experiences and emotions of other people
• weird - unusual, strange

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What is the main question Nada Tawfik asks?


2. What is the general response of the people in the street?


3. With whom should we have empathy?


4. Pick one response you feel most strongly about.
   Explain why you really agree or disagree with this point of view.

Extra speaking assignments
I
1. Watch the video once more.
2. Focus on the questions Nada Tawfik ask. Write them down.
3. Work in groups of 3 or more.
4. One student asks the other students the same questions as Nada Tawfik in the video.
5. The other students respond.
6. Take turns being the interviewer.

II
1. Split the class in two groups.
2. One group represents people who are okay with the picture.
3. The other group represents people who think the situation in the picture is wrong or weird.
4. Let the discussion begin! Take turns stating your opinion and responding to the other side.
Tip: Use phrases like the following:
- In my opinion ...
- I strongly/firmly believe that ...
- I’m convinced that ...
- I personally think/believe ...
- I honestly/personally feel that ...
- etc.

Hopelessly Devoted to You

Watch and find out what happened to 18-year-old Daisy Clark from Newquay in the UK.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• devoted - having strong love or loyalty for someone
• umpteen - very many
• umpteen millions - millions and millions
• barriers - things that prevent or block you from doing something
• prove it - show that something is really true or that you can really do something
• drag you down - make you unhappy
• doubts - uncertain or unsure feelings

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What happened to Daisy Clark?


2. The reporter calls Daisy’s story a “modern-day fairy tale”. What does she mean with that?


3. What is the connection between Daisy and Justin Bieber, James Bay and The Weeknd?


4. What’s the good thing about skipping record companies and going directly online with your work?


5. Why did Daisy hesitate to put her stuff online?

Extra reading and researching assignment
1. Daisy sings a cover song: Hopelessly Devoted to You.
2. Find out who first sang this song.

1984

Breaking bookish news this week was that Amazon has sold out on 1984. A good reason as ever to read (or re-read) George Orwell’s famous novel. The main character is Winston Smith. For starters, the video by Shaun from Australia will give you a good idea what the story is all about.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• mundane - dull and ordinary
• impure thoughts - intimate thoughts that are considered wrong; not allowed by, in this case, Big Brother
• crippling - very unplesasant, making it impossible to move freely
• evaporate - go away suddenly, disappear, vanish
• eventually - at some later time
• rodent - a small animal (such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, or beaver) that has sharp front teeth
• bleak - not hopeful or encouraging

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What is Winston’s job?


2. Who or what is Big Brother?


3. What effect does Julia’s note have on Winston?


4. What is special about Room 101?


5. What does Shaun take away from this book?

Extra discussion questions

Work in groups of 4 or 5 or have a class discussion.
Pick a question and start discussing.

1. Think about Winston’s job. Do you think it’s okay what he does? Explain your point of view.
2. Find out why 1984 suddenly is so popular. Now that you know more about the story: Do you see it as a topical (actueel) novel as well? Explain your point of view.

Extra reading assignment
Read 1984 yourself and form your own opinion.

Marching to Their Own Beat

What's going on in Tupelo?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• practice - event at which a person or group practices an activity (such as singing, dancing, playing music, etc.) in order to prepare for a public performance
• capital - city in which the main offices of a government can be found
• inauguration - the formal beginning of someone’s new job or position
• ache - hurt
• overwhelming - very great in number
• basically - essentially, in fact
• heyday - time when someone or something is most successful
• manufacturing - industry of making products, especially with machines in factories
• boost - help to grow

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What are the Tupelo High School Band players practicing for?


2. What reason(s) do the students give for wanting to go to Washington?


3. How many students would have voted for Donald Trump?


4. What is the connection between Elvis Presley and Tupelo?


5. Where exactly will the students perform?

Extra words questions
Watch the video again. Focus on the following moments:

1. At 1:58 the commentator says:
   “But we’re not here to talk about the King. We want to talk about the new president.”
   Who is “the King” he is referring to?


2. At 2:31 the commentator says:
   “They believe the new president will cut red tape.”
   Explain the underlined expression.

Leading the Change

December is the month for looking back on the past year. Good things happened, but also a lot of sad things. Take gun violence. In 2016, gun violence in the U.S. has killed over 6,000 people and injured thousands of others. 16-year-old Chris Suggs decided it was time to fight back.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• heart wrenching - very sad, twisting at your heart
• have/take a toll - have a serious, bad effect on someone
• your peers - people belonging to the same age group or social group as you do
• fed up - very tired of something or angry about something that has gone on for a long time
• affiliated with - closely connected to
• root cause - the very first cause or source of something
• instill - gradually cause someone to have an attitude or feeling,
• found - begin or create something that is meant to last for a long time

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What were Chris Suggs’ personal reasons for founding Kinston Teens?


2. What does Kinston Teens do?


3. What do the police think of Kinston Teens?
   Explain your answer.


4. Why should “young people need to lead the change”, as Chris puts it?

Fake News

Some say, fake news reports had a big influence on the presidential elections in the US. True or not, these days fake news is all over the news. Though actually, it has been around forever.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• snippet - a small piece of information or news
• dodgy - false or dishonest
• suss - suspicious; causing a feeling that something is wrong

Before you watch the video

1. Discuss or write down what fake news is according to you.

Read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Name 2 or more reasons why people create fake news stories.


2. In the video you can hear a lot of fake headlines. Name 3 of them.


3. What actions are Facebook and Google planning against fake news postings?


4. Repeat the three things you can do to spot fake news.

Extra writing excercise
1. Write three catchy fake news headlines.

Extra extra writing excercise
1. Pick a fake news headline from the video or one of your own.
2. Write a fake news report to the headline.