Roald Dahl's 100th Birthday

The 13th of September 2016 would have been Roald Dahl's 100th birthday.
Dahl’s books are full of songs and poetry. He even wrote three books of only poems. The poem in the video is from the collection Dirty Beasts.

Before you watch the video

1. Make a list of the books by Roald Dahl you know. The titles can be in English or Dutch.
2. If you only know the Dutch title, find out what the original English title is as well. Write it down next to the Dutch title.
3. Compare your list with those of your classmates.

Tip: Even if you’ve never read one of Roald Dahl’s books, you’ll probably have seen one or more movies based on his books.

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

1. Piggy was a "wonderfully clever pig".
   Name three or more clever things Piggy the Pig could do.


2. "One question drove him round the bend..."
   This means there was one question Piggy just couldn’t find an answer to.
   Which question was that?


3. Eventually Piggy does figure out the answer. What was the answer?


4. What does Piggy the Pig do in the end?

Can’t get enough of Roald Dahl?
Extra reading assignment
1. Read the complete poem here.
2. Discuss the meaning of words and lines you don’t understand with a classmate or with the entire class.

Extra speaking assignment
1. Form a groups of five or six students.
2. Divide The Pig poem in five or six chunks (depending on the number of people in your group).
3. Each student is assigned one chunk.
4. Learn your lines by heart.
5. Recite the complete Pig poem with your group.

Extra listening assignment
1. Check out this earlier Dahl listening assignment.

The Queen

On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday. The video zooms in on the special relationship between the Queen and the many American presidents she has met.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• first ever - very first
• capital - the most important city or town of a country
• to be the host - to be the person, organization, country, etc. which receives guests
• bicentennial - a 200th anniversary or its celebration
• knighthood - the rank or title of a knight
• honorary knighthood - a special kind of knighthood appointed to citizens of nations where Queen Elizabeth II is not Head of State
• occupant - a person who is using or living in a particular building, apartment, room, etc.
• monarch - a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a kingdom or empire

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



The video starts with Elizabeth’s visit to the US in 1951. In that year, Harry Truman was president of the United States. Here’s a list of the 11 presidents following Truman:

• Dwight Eisenhower
• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon Johnson
• Richard Nixon
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter
• Ronald Reagan
• George H.W. Bush
• Bill Clinton
• George W. Bush
• Barack Obama

1. Create a presidential timeline for the rest of the video.


2. Copy the presidents’ names on a blank sheet of paper. Leave plenty of white space in between for your notes. 


3. For each president, write down 2 or 3 bits of information. For example, in which year Queen Elizabeth met them, any special detail surrounding the visit, et cetera. 


4. Watch the video once more to check your notes and if necessary add some details.

Mowgli and Baloo

The Jungle Book is a famous Disney movie, made in 1967. This week saw the release of a new version with all kinds of special effects.
The movie tells the story of Mowgli, a young orphan boy, who is left behind in a basket in the deep jungles of India.
In the movie clip below you see what happens when Mowgli and Baloo the bear start talking.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• get worked up - get very angry or upset about something
• get on with it - finally get started with something
• payback - revenge; doing something to someone because that person did something that hurt you

First read the assignment. Next watch the movie clip.

1. Explain why Baloo says: “No need to get worked up.”


2. Where are Baloo and Mowgli?


3. What did Baloo do for Mowgli?


4. Explain what it means when Baloo says: “Let’s quit wasting time.”

Extra reading and writing assignment

The Jungle Book is originally a collection of stories by English author Rudyard Kipling.

1. Find out more about Rudyard Kipling and copy the main points of his life. Things like: when and where he was born, where he lived, when he wrote The Jungle Book, what else he wrote, etc.

Daylight Saving Time

In many European countries, Easter Sunday marks the start of Daylight Saving Time.
Jesse asks if it's pointless or not.

pointless = having no meaning, purpose or effect

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

1. According to Jesse, who invented the custom of Daylight Saving Time?


2. Why did the inventor of Daylight Saving Time want an extra hour in the summer?


3. Who were against Daylight Saving Time for a long time?


4. Does Daylight Saving Time save energy?


5. Is Daylight Saving Time pointless? What does Jesse think? What do you think?

Here's another video assignment about Daylight Saving Time.

Google Science Fair

The 2016 Google Science Fair is now open for entries. Google Science Fair is a global online competition. The competition is open to 13- to 18-year-old students around the globe, who formulate a hypothesis, perform an experiment, and present their results. You can submit projects as an invidual or as a team.
Last year’s Grand Prize winner was Olivia Hallisey. In the video, she introduces her project.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• encourage - to stimulate someone to do something, make it more likely that he/she will do something
• outbreak - a sudden start or increase of a disease
• silk - a smooth, soft, and shiny fiber that is produced by silkworms (zijderupsen)
• reagent - a substance that is used to test for the presence of another substance by causing a chemical reaction with it
• cocoon - a covering usually made of silk which some insects make around themselves to protect them while they grow
• assay - to test something to find out what it contains
• refrigeration - the process of keeping something in cold place to make sure it will not become bad
• imagination - the ability to think of new things
• optimism - a feeling or belief that good things can happen in the future
• innovation - the process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods

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

1. How did Olivia become intrigued by the Ebola crisis?


2. Which goal did Olivia set herself and why?


3. Why did Olivia experiment with silk?


4. What is the Ebola Assay Card?


5. Name the two main USPs of the Ebola Assay Card.


6. According to Olvia, which specific qualities do teenagers have that can help in this kind of research?


7. Which project would you like to submit to the Science Fair?

Extra speaking assignment

You will give a short speech to introduce your own project.

1. First, listen to Olivia once more to hear how to build up your speech. Olivia begins by telling some personal things about herself, next she explains how her research project started and how she proceeded and finally she lets us know her plans for the future.
2. Determine the subject of your speech: Think of something special you can do, have discovered or are working at.
3. Use Olivia’s structure for your own speech.
4. Write down the main points.
5. Include some key words to help you talk freely.
6. Practice your speech.
7. Now for the real thing, hold your speech for your classmates and/or record it.

Extra extra assignment
Would you like to find out more about the Science Fair?
You can:
- Check out the hashtag #howcanwe.
- Visit the Google Science Fair website here.
- Watch more finalists’ videos, for example some of last year’s competition here.

Going to School in Nepal

Watch the video for some news about schoolchildren in Nepal.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• rapidly flowing - moving very quickly
• sports enthusiasts - people who love sports
• hand-operated - used and controlled by hand
• cable crossing - a place where you can cross a stream or valley by using a thick, strong rope made of wires that are twisted together
• permanent - not expected to change or be removed for a very long time
• accident - a sudden event that is not planned or intended and that causes damage or injury
• increased demand - more and more urgent questions that something will be done or available
• suffer an injury - become physically hurt or harmed
• suspension bridge - a bridge that is hung from two or more cables that are held up by towers
• remote area - far away (distant) part of a region

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

1. Every day the people living in the Benighat district take their lives in their hands.
   Explain the underlined expression.


2. These people use the cable crossings to do what?
   Name at least 3 activities.


3. Why are they forced to use these dangerous crossings?


4. What happened in January 2016?


5. What could happen once all the planned suspension bridges have been built?


6. How do you get to school?

Zika

For the past few weeks, the world has worried about the threat of the Zika virus. The World Health Organisation has declared it a global health emergency.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• itch = an uncomfortable or unpleasant feeling on your skin or anywhere on your body that makes you want to scratch
• hence = therefore, for this reason
• rash = a group of red spots on the skin that is caused by an illness or a reaction to something
• sore = painful
• joint = point where two bones meet in the body
• pop up = to appear suddenly or unexpectedly

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

1. When was the Zika virus first discovered?


2. Where was the Zika virus first discovered?


3. Which symptoms do people have when they are infected with the Zika virus?
   Name at least 3 examples.


4. Why has the virus suddenly become a big deal?

Exit Polls

Exit polls are used all over the world. Are their any downsides? Watch the video to find out.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• democratic process = a practice that allows democracy to exist; the right to vote is one of these practices
• poll = an activity in which several or many people are asked one or more similar questions in order to learn about how people think about something
• voting booth = a small, enclosed area in which a person stands while casting a vote
• pollster = someone who asks questions in a poll
• ethnicity = ethnic character or background (ethnic = relating to races or large groups of people who have the same customs, religion, origin, etc.)
• marital status = the state of being married or not married
• rely heavily on = to depend a lot on something
• deter = to cause people to decide not to do something
• turn out = to happen, end, or develop in a particular way

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

1. What happens at exit polls? Name the three steps.


2. Which additional information can be asked at an exit poll? Name at least three examples.


3. What does “jumping the gun” mean?


4. How do exit polls in US elections jump the gun?

Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films 2016

It's that time of year again: The Oscars are coming up.
Jackson Murphy takes a look at this year’s Oscar nominated animated short films.

To help you with the video, here are the titles of the five featured shorts:

• Bear Story
• Prologue
• Sanjay's Super Team
• We Can't Live Without Cosmos
• World of Tomorrow

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

1. What is Jackson’s overall opinion about this year’s nominated shorts?


2. Copy the titles of the shorts on five different pieces of paper. For each video write down:
   a) some general notes regarding their main story,
   b) what Jackson has to say about it, whether he liked it or not and why.


3. Form groups of 3 or 4 students or work as a class. Tell each other which one of the five nominated videos you would like to watch. Explain your choice.

Water Ping-Pong

A couple of weeks ago, British astronaut Tim Peake explained how to go to the loo in space. Now he’s back with another video about how things work in space.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• float - move or drift slowly and lightly in the air or water
• resist - to remain strong against the force or effect of something
• sticky - easily becoming attached to something else
• fizzy tablet - little pills that create lots of bubbles when you put them in water
• to be released - to become free

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

1. Tim says: “These bats are hydrophobic.” What is the meaning of the underlined word? Listen carefully to Tim, he explains it clearly.


2. Tim is playing space Ping-Pong. What other word does he use that means the same as Ping-Pong?


3. When in space, what happens when you put a fizzy tablet in water?

You can find the previous space video with assignments here.

The Space Bathroom

Tim Peake is the first British astronaut in space for more than 20 years. He is currently part of the team at the International Space Station.
This week, a video was released in which Tim Peake answers one of the most frequently asked question about space exploration.

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

1. Tim speaks about “going to the loo”.
   Do you know any other words or expressions that mean the same thing?
   Tip: If you listen carefully, you can hear several in the video.


2. Tim says: “It really is quite simple.”
   Listen carefully to the two instructions he gives next.
   Write them down.
   Optionally, make a sign for proper use to hang up at the ISS loo.


3. How does the machine make sure that going to the loo in space doesn’t create a big mess?

Extra listening assignment

1. Find the video in which Tim Peake shows how to brew a cup of coffee in space.
2. Watch the video.
3. Explain the coffee brewing procedure in your own words.

Bowie

It was all over the news: on 10 January 2016 David Bowie died, aged 69. David Bowie, born and raised in Brixton, in south London, in 1947, was a rock legend with fans of all ages and backgrounds.
This video is just one of many paying tribute to his life.

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

1. What is “the simple truth” about Bowie?


2. What did Bowie really enjoy doing?


3. Name 3 or more albums Bowie produced, including their years of appearance.


4. What’s the story behind Bowie’s two different eyes?


5. What was Bowie’s main strength according to Tony Visconti?

Additional listening exercises

1. Watch Bowie performing Starman. Or you can watch the same song sung in tribute to Bowie in Brixton.
2. Listen carefully to the lyrics.
3. Write out the words of the chorus.
4. Look up the words you do not know.
5. If you prefer to listen to classical music, you can listen to this introduction to Peter and the Wolf.
6. Write down all the characters of the story and the names of the instruments that present them.

Again Those New Year’s Resolutions

It’s 2016, the new year has just begun. Many people have made New Year’s resolutions. In the video, Becky speaks about her resolutions.
Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• New Year’s resolutions - promises to yourself at the start of a new year to change things in your life for the better
• disappointing - making you unhappy because it is not what you hoped for or expected
• applaud - to clap your hands over and over to show approval or praise
• dedicate something to someone - to say that something was made especially for a special person or group of people

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

1. Becky says: “I know what you’ve done”. What have you done according to her?


2. Why does Becky clap her hands?


3. To whom does Becky dedicate her video?


4. Write down Becky’s five New Year’s resolutions.

Extra writing assignment
At the end of her video, Becky asks her viewers to write a comment about their resolutions.
Your assignment: Write a comment for Becky. 30 ~ 50 words.


Check out last year's video for some more New Year's questions here here.

A Very Special Trip

To brush up your vocabulary, read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• witness - to see something happen with your own eyes
• frostbite - a condition in which part of your body (such as your fingers or toes) freezes or almost freezes
• cater to someone - to provide what is wanted by someone or several people
• gamble - risk

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

1. What is the main goal of this tour?


2. Who is the target group for these tours?


3. How cold is it according to the group’s guide?


4. What warning does the guide always give his clients? And why should they stick to his advice?


5. The guide describes two sorts of tour nights: “the tough nights” and “the nights that make up for them”. Explain the difference between the two in your own words.


6. What is “the different kind of magic” that filled the air around 2 AM?


7. What do you think: was this one of “the tough nights” or one of “the nights that make up for them”? Explain your answer.

Go to College

What are you going to do after high school? Michelle Obama and Jay Pharoah will tell you what.
Read the following words and expressions and their definitions.

• If the world is your oyster, your life is good and you have the ability to do whatever you want to do.
• drop the ball: to make a mistake especially by not doing something important
• toy with (something): to think about (something) briefly and not very seriously
• watch paint dry: do something really boring
• put in the time: to spend enough time to do and achieve something

1. What’s the guy at the beginning of the video going to do after high school?


2. Explain what Jay Pharoah means with the following lines:
   your future’s nothin to toy with
   telescope and stay focused


3. Name at least five reasons why you should go to college.
   Pick your favourite reason. Explain your choice.


4. “Archaeology, astronomy, but not astrology...”
   Why is astrology different from the rest?


5. What do you have to do to make sure that dreams don’t just stay dreams?

On the Roads of California

TJ Bristol is a gospel singer in California. The other day, something happened to him. He filmed it.

Read the following words and expressions and their definitions.

• to pull someone over: to make someone in a car move to the side of the road and stop
• seat belt: a special belt in a car that holds a person in the seat if there is an accident
• from now on: from this moment until forever
• ticket: (in this context:) a piece of paper that states that you have driven or parked your car improperly and that you will have to pay a fine
• to buckle up: to fasten your seat belt in a car or other vehicle

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

1. Why did the police pull TJ Bristol over?


2. What does TJ Bristol promise the police officers?


3. Explain what the following sentence means: “I got to sing my way out of this ticket.”


4. What is the first line of the song TJ Bristol sings?


5. What advice does TJ Bristol give at the end?

Climate Change

You can’t have missed it: the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
So what’s climate change really about? We know it is happening. But what does that mean to the average joe?
The video touches on some of the day to day problems climate change will likely cause.

Read the following words and expressions and their definitions.

• a cause: something that produces an effect, result, or condition; something that makes something happen or exist
• hard to grasp: difficult to understand
• to put something in perspective: to look at something in relation to similar things in order to get a clearer, more accurate idea
• syrup: a sweet, thick liquid made from the juice of a fruit or plant
• pancake: a thin, flat, round cake that is made by cooking batter on both sides in a frying pan or on a hot surface
• to sour: to lose freshness and get an unpleasant taste or smell
• runway: a long strip of ground where airplanes take off and land

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

1. How does Trace say: “Laten we er geen ruzie om gaan maken”?


2. What is Greenland losing every year?


3. Name two or more day-to-day changes that you might experience as the climate shifts.
   Pick the one change you dislike most. Explain your pick.


4. What connects our luxury problems with the big chunk of ice in Antarctica Trace is talking about?

Extra writing assignment

1. At the end of the video, Trace says: “Can you think of some other things that might be affected by the warming of our planet?”
2. Write a comment in response to Trace. 50~100 words

Almost Christmas

Christmas is coming up. Check out this post for a Christmassy video and assignment.

Mockingjay Part 2

Are you a Hunger Games fan? And have you seen the grand finale of the series yet?

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

1. Jen says: “Literally, he’s not wearing shoes.” Explain the meaning of the underlined word.


2. The interviewer states that the three actors probably know each other really well and know a lot about each other. She asks several questions to tests how well they know each other.
   Write down the questions she asks to test this.


3. ”What’s he raving about right now.” Explain what the underlined expression means.
   What other words does the interviewer say that mean the same thing?

Extra speaking assignment

1. Work in pairs.
2. Use the questions you have noted above (under 2).
3. Take turns asking and answering these questions.

Climate Change Conference

Why does the Paris climate change conference matter?
Watch the video to find out.

Read the following words and expressions and their definitions.

• representative: someone who acts or speaks for or in support of another person or group
• negotiation: a formal discussion between people who are trying to reach an agreement
• to secure: to make sure or guarantee that something is achieved
• to farm: to use land for growing food or raising animals
• long-term goal: a goal for the future, for a lasting change
• significant: very important

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

1. Why is the conference called COP21?


2. When is the conference taking place?


3. How many countries are represented at the conference?


4. One hoped for goal of the conference is “a new deal on climate change that will limit emissions of carbon dioxide that scientists say are really driving temperature rises around the planet.”
   Explain what the underlined phrase means.


5. Listen carefully and fill in the missing words:
   “The other thing it aims to do is to change the nature of how we do business on this planet, which is how we ........., how we farm, how we ......... ........... and how we consume.”
   
   Explain what this means in your own words.