Film watching: Simone

At home I have been correcting students ‘tests.  At school, we have been watching the film, Simone. This film is a funny and interesting way of establishing the link between the last block we studied and the one we are about to start and which deals with the Mass media and global communication.

In this film we see a digitized actress becoming an overnight success. She is so virtually perfect that people all over the world fall in love with her, never imagining she is not real.  We can see the power the several media, namely cinema, TV and the print media, have on people and how well they manipulate the public opinion and  preferences.

 After watching the film, the students are requested to write a film review.

See the trailer

Valentine's Day is coming ...

"What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of Valentine’s Day? The word is Love. Something that we all crave and need, and at times wish for. So if you have fallen in love, go all out to express your hearts desire to your valentine. Pen down all your thoughts in a valentine card and gift it to her. A love letter with romantic love quotes is even better."                                         Source: My dear Valentine

See More:
Valentine's cards
Valentine's poems for him
Valentine's poems for her
Valentine's Day history

Students' written tests

I have been very busy, preparing students' next tests.

Contents

Block 2: A technological world

• set 1: great inventions/ technological advances
• set 2: social effects of technology   (see worksheet)
• set 3: space exploration

- Text production: An argumentative text (on the referred topics)

- Grammar topics: Passives (+ idiomatic), different ways of expressing future and connectors.

Space exploration

Before finishing the topic, a technological world, we had time to talk a little about space exploration.

First we did  a brainstorming exercise in order to activate students' vocabulary on the topic. Then we read a text about the first female space tourist and did some exercises about it.

The students were asked to research about the space race and present some conclusions in class, which they did. We also saw the trailer of the film, Apollo 13 and commented on it.

Finally, students presented the advantages and disadvantages of space exploration.

If want to know more about the space race, check this site:
http://www.seasky.org/spacexp/sky5d6.html

If you want to know more about the pros and cons of space exploration, check this site:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Space-Exploration-2540/2008/4/Advantages-Space-Exploration.htm

Ways of expressing future ...

Now that we have been talking about technology, it’s the perfect time to revise the different ways of expressing the idea of future in English.


In class we have seen many examples of sentences with “going to” and with “will”. However, we have also talked about situations where the present continuous and the present simple can be used to express a future action.

Try these links to find some information about this grammar topic. Then do the quizzes to test your knowledge.

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/goingtoorwill/menu.php

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/339.html

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/willgo.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_going_to_future.htm