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.

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.

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.

Bob Dylan

US singer Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. No songwriter has won the prestigious award before.
A famous song by Bob Dylan is “Blowin’ in the Wind”. In this song about peace, war and freedom, Dylan questions why people don’t realize how pointless war is. The words of the song are not really difficult. But together they form sentences with complex meanings. The song was released in 1963.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• pointless - having no meaning, purpose, or effect
• chorus - a part of a song that is repeated between verses; also called refrain
• metaphor - a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to suggest that they are similar
• cannon - a heavy metal or stone ball that is shot from a cannon
• ban - to forbid people from using something
• pretend - to act as if something is true when it is not true

First read the assignment. Next listen to Dylan singing “Blowin’ in the Wind” in the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. How many questions does Dylan ask?


2. What is the effect of all these similar questions one after the other?


3. “How many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?”
   What does the dove in this metaphor symbolize?


4. The chorus tells us where to find the answer to all the questions:
   “The answer is blowing in the wind.”
   Discuss what this could mean.


5. Think of 2 or more questions that could fit in the song.
   Write them in the same way:
   “How many ....... must ........................ before ..................................?”

Extra speaking assignment
1 Listen here to Tom Conti, Miranda Hart, Samuel West and Nigel Havers reading Dylan’s lyrics.
2 They read lines from different songs. Find out from which songs.

Extra discussion assignment
1 Some people think lyrics cannot be seen as poetry. Do you agree with that?
2 Explain your point of view in writing or in a class discussion.

Microcephaly

The Zika virus is dominating the news right now. In Brazil, the possibility of a link to microcephaly has been raised. Microcephaly causes a baby to be born with a small head and can lead to the brain not developing properly. It is a rare condition, but one that has been around for longer. In the video, you can learn what it is like to live with microcephaly.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• condition: a sickness or disease that a person has for a long time
• paediatrician: a doctor who treats babies and children
• unconditional love: complete and absolute love that is not limited in any way
• gene: a part of a cell that controls or influences the appearance, growth, etc., of a living thing
• faulty gene: an imperfect gene; a gene that has mistakes
• contagious: having a sickness that easily can be passed to someone else, for example by touching
• nasty: very unpleasant and unkind
• put down: to kill (an animal) in a way that causes it little pain usually because it is injured or sick

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

1. What expectations did doctors have for Shiven when he was just born?
   Name at least 2 examples.


2. Shiven is at the more severe end of the microcephaly spectrum.
   Explain the underlined phrase.


3. What is the most positive thing about 19-year-old Shiven according to his mum?


4. Microcephaly has a number of causes.
   Name the two causes mentioned in the video.


5. What is the difference between Shiven’s and Robin’s condition?


6. How does Robin describe his condition?


7. What do children born with microcephaly need most according to Shiven’s mum?

Extra speaking assignment
“Shiven is proof that with the right support people with the condition can have a good quality of life.”

1. Work in smaller groups or as a class.
2. Watch the video once more, this time with the above statement in mind.
3. Discuss the statement with your classmates.
4. State whether you agree or disagree with the statement. Explain your opinion.

Christmas Break

How are you going to spend your Christmas break? Sleep in for forever? Check out this post from last year for some other ideas.

Mrs Dalloway

On her YouTube channel, Lesley posts her book reviews. In the video, she talks about her view on Mrs Dalloway.
14 May 2015 marked the anniversary of the 1925 publication of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. The stream-of-consciousness novel has long been considered a modernist classic. Mrs Dalloway, Woolf’s fourth novel, is one of her greatest achievements.

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



Answer the questions either in writing or in a group discussion.

1. How does Lesley explain the “certain love-hate type thing” many readers have with Mrs Dalloway?


2. What is the main story line of Mrs Dalloway?


3. How does Lesley describe Clarissa Dalloway’s character? Note the many adjectives she uses. Look up the ones you don’t know.


4. What do you learn about the most interesting character in the book for Lesley?


5. How did the book live up to Lesley’s expectations? 

Extra background/reading assignments

1. Find out more about stream-of-consciousness: what it means; when the term was coined; major works in which it is used; any other interesting aspects.


2. Mrs Dalloway continues to inspire new generations of writers and readers. Woolf's working title for the book was The Hours. A present-day American novelist has written a modern adaptation of Mrs Dalloway which was published under that working title. His novel was also turned into a movie. Find out:
   a) who wrote the The Hours and
   b) who starred as Virginia Woolf in the film adaptation of The Hours.


3. Still more time left? Read Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf; read the novel The Hours; check out the movie The Hours.

Extra speaking assignment

1. Watch the video once more.
2. Take note of the way Lesley sets up her filmed report.
3. Pick a book you know well.
4. Write out the main points for your spoken report. Organize them for a coherent report. Use Lesley’s video as an example.
5. Film your own book report. (4 minutes max)

A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film

It has just been made known that BBC's hit TV series Sherlock is returning for a fourth season. According to American filmmaker Tony Zhou, the series is exemplary for some new developments in film.  In the video, he explains why he thinks so.

First read the following sentences.
1. Explain what they mean.
2. Focus on the underlined words and expressions. Explain  their meaning. You may use a dictionary.

• “It’s an interesting conundrum.”
• “This is a great example of how film form is always evolving.”
• “This is where Sherlock is definitive.”
• “The audience has to infer based on the message.”
• “For once, this is a level playing field.”
• “If you really want to explore the cutting edge, there is only one place to go.”

First read the assignment. Next watch the video.
You can choose to watch just the first 3 minutes or the complete video.
Take notes to help you do the assignment.

 

Answer the questions in writing or in a group discussion. Do this in English.

Questions about the first three minutes of the video:

1. What is the opening question of this video?


2. What is the “interesting conundrum” Tony mentions?
   How did filmmakers solve this conundrum in the past?


3. What does the “new formal convention” look like?


4. Name the three reasons why filmmakers are adopting this new formal convention.


5. Why is Sherlock “definitive” when it comes to depicting text messages in film?
   Name at least 2 reasons.


6. “While Sherlock seems to have solved how to view text messages we have another issue.”
   What is this other issue?

Questions about the final two minutes of the video:

1. “If you really want to explore the cutting edge, there is only one place to go.”
   Name the place.
   Explain why this is the place to explore “the cutting edge”.


2. “For something like this, lack of money is an advantage.”
   What does this mean?
   Why is this so?
   

What to do over your Christmas Break ...

Are you looking forward to winter break, spending time with your family, friends and your favourite technology devices? Indoors?
James Hamblin visits San Francisco to learn more about spending time indoors. Or not.

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



Answer the following questions in English, either in writing or in a group discussion.

1. What is "Nature Deficit Disorder"? Explain in your own words.


2. What does "bogus" mean? Explain it first. Then use it in a sentence.


3. Focus on the usage of "resiliency". Who says it? Explain what it means. Next use it in a sentence.


4. What are the main points of ecotherapy?

Extra speaking assiment

1. You are going to have a short debate about ecotheraphy in class.


2. Appoint a debating leader.


3. With the rest of the students, form two groups. One side will argue that ecotherapy works, the other will argue against it.


4. First discuss with your group which arguments you can use to make your point. Make notes to help you in the debate.


5. Next one spokesperson for each side makes an opening statement.


6. Have the debate. The debating leader has to make sure both sides get equal time to make their point.