Q&A

This month, gymnasts and gym clubs around the U.S. celebrated National Gymnastics Day. One of the most famous young American gymnasts is Simone Biles. Did you watch the Olympics last summer? She did some amazing stuff on the balance beam.
You can get to know her better in this video.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• Q&A - Questions and Answers
• furry - covered with something that looks or feels like the hairy coat of an animal, especially when it is soft and thick
• Game! - a word you say out loud, meaning: "I'm ready to play along" or "I'm willing or ready to do this"
• do an impression of somebody - do an imitation of somebody else for fun

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

1. Why does Simone laugh so much?


2. Why does Simone’s mother Nellie like wearing furry slippers?


3. Why did Simone’s parents come over and talk to her at the 2015 World Championships?


4. “Guess my favorite movie” and “Something I wish you would stop doing” are just two of the texts Simone and her mother read from the cards. Write down 2 or more of these questions.

Extra speaking assignment

Have your own Q&A.

1. Partner up with a classmate.
2. Take the texts you wrote down in the 4th part of the main assignment above.
   Copy them on separate cards of pieces of paper.
3. Together think of a couple of similar texts.
   Copy them on separate cards of pieces of paper as well.
   Tip: Just think of things you’d like to know about your classmate.
4. Put all cards in some kind of container.
5. Take turns pulling out a text and reading it out to your classmate.
6. Answer the texts your classmate reads to you.

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)

Binnenkort in de bioscoop!

21 november is het zover: dan komt de derde film van The Hunger Games uit. Ook als je niet de grootste Hunger Games fan bent, ben je door alle verhalen misschien wel benieuwd waar iedereen het over heeft.

Katniss Everdeen, de hoofdpersoon in de films, wordt gespeeld door de actrice Jennifer Lawrence. In het filmpje staat Lawrence de pers te woord over deze rol.

Lees eerst de opdrachten. Bekijk dan de eerste drie minuten van het filmpje.

1. Things are getting darker.
   Deze uitspraak doet Jennifer over de film. Wat bedoelt ze daarmee? En op welke twee manier gebeurt dat volgens haar?


2. We almost shot in sequence.
   Wat betekent dat? En is dat volgens Jennifer fijn of vervelend?


3. Wat vertelt Jennifer over het verschil tussen haarzelf en Katniss?

Extra luisteropdracht

Voor fans die niet kunnen wachten tot de film uitkomt zijn al enkele teaser trailers uitgebracht. Hieronder staat er eentje, daarin ontmoet Katniss Cressida en haar team.

Lees eerst de vragen. Bekijk dan de teaser trailer.



Cressida zegt over een van haar teamleden: Don't expect much chit-chat from him.
1.  Wat betekent chit-chat?
2.  Waarom kan Katniss van dat teamlid geen chit-chat verwachten?

Steen van Rosetta

Afgelopen augustus bereikte de in 2004 gelanceerde ruimtesonde Rosetta een verre komeet. En begin november is een verkenner vanaf Rosetta op de komeet geland om boringen te verrichten en foto's terug te sturen naar de aarde. De naam van de sonde is afkomstig van de Steen van Rosetta. Deze steen heeft enorm bijgedragen aan de ontcijfering van hiërogliefen. De ruimtesonde heeft dezelfde naam omdat die moet bijdragen aan de ontcijfering van het ontstaan van het zonnestelsel.

Wat is eigenlijk het verhaal van de Steen van Rosetta?

Lees eerst de opdrachten. Bekijk dan het filmpje.

1. Waar bevindt de Steen van Rosetta zich nu?


2. Omstreeks welke tijd is het gelukt hiërogliefen te ontcijferen?


3. Hoe hebben wetenschappers achterhaald wat de hiërogliefen op de Steen van Rosetta betekenen?


4. Wie heeft de Steen van Rosetta gevonden?


5. Hoe is de Steen van Rosetta terechtgekomen op de plek waar hij nu is?

Extra luistervraag

In het filmpje wordt over hiërogliefen gezegd: The language itself is pictorial.

1. Wat betekent pictorial?

2. Waarom was dit gegeven de oorzaak van veel verwarring?