Macmillan Dictionary - Word of the Day

Friday, January 27, 2012

Ethics in advertising



How can consumers protect themselves from misleading advertising?
Consumers should:
  • Be attentive to advertising messages;
  • Get informed before they buy;
  •  Distinguish between advertising messages/pictures and reality;
  •  Talk to their children about the tactics used by advertisers;
  •  Complain when they feel misled/ fooled/deceived;
  •   Read labels and “the small letters”;


What should authorities do?
-          Should they allow advertisers to do whatever they want?
-                                               establish laws against misleading advertising?
-                                                 ban commercials that influence people to behave in an unethical manner?
-                                               ban commercials aimed at children? 

Videos 

After watching the second video, answer these questions:

1-     What are the chronic diseases caused by fast food?

2-      Who profits from children´s obesity?

3-      How do advertisers target kids?

4-      What can society do?

A debate on consumerism


On February we are going to have a debate/ role play on consumerism.
Students are going to work in groups of four or five and are expected to perform the role of the following  characters.

Groups of four:
A shopaholic, a psychologist; an advertiser and defender of the consumer society; an activist against consumerism.

Groups of five:
A shopaholic, a psychologist; an advertiser and defender of the consumer society; an activist against consumerism; a friend or a relative of the shopaholic.

  Get prepared!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Consumerism and advertising


We have been talking about the topic, Consumerism, which is divided in 3 different sets.

In the 1st set, we discussed the following topics:
·         the impact of the media in our society;
·         the difference between reality and the pictures conveyed by the media;
·         the making of a celebrity;
·         today’s focus on popularity and success;
·         the perpetuation of the impossible “thin” and eating disorders;
·         Body idioms and expressions;
·         Grammar: Infinitives and gerund;


In the 2nd set, we talked about:
  • the impact of advertising in our society;
  • commercial and non-commercial advertising;
  • goals of advertising (AIDMA)
  • what makes a good print ad;
  •  xamples of advertising in our daily life;
  • the differences between slogans and advertising messages;
  • grammar: modals
  • grammar: IF clauses type 3
We used videos such as, Emmy 2011 best commercial nominees ; Movie segments to assess grammar goals;


In the third set, we have been talking about:
  • ·         the ethics in advertising;
  • ·         examples of unethical/misleading advertising;
  • ·         protection against misleading advertising;
  • ·         aggressive advertising techniques;
  • ·         effects of junk food advertising on childhood obesity.
We have been using videos such as, " Food ad tricks;  "Effects of junk food advertising on childhood obesity ;

Monday, December 26, 2011

Europe's biggest Live Nativity Scene


      In Priscos, a small village about 6 kilometres away from Braga, you can find “Europe’s Greatest Live Nativity Scene”. The parish community of Priscos and its inhabitants are responsible for this magnificent event, whose preparation takes nine months.
      This event takes place during the festive season of Christmas and it intends to strengthen the feeling of congregation among its participants, making the people of Priscos a true community. This project is open to all faiths, because every human being seeks for happiness and for the true meaning of life.

      “ We live in a time when opinions abound but when there are no ideas, a time when one often speaks of crisis, so it is urgent to restore the autonomy of thought, the sense of critical thinking about the meaning of life, history, eternity, and our relation to others.” See more.

      The Live Nativity of Priscos is an opportunity to make a trip to the time of Jesus. A trip with voices, music, smells, tastes, sounds, homes, shops and markets, and which is made possible with the help of  600 participants who give life to a story both ancient and new.

      The largest nativity scene in Europe encompasses almost 30,000 square kilometres with 60 scenarios representing Egyptian, Jewish and Roman cultures.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Camilo English Corner: a school project



Have a look at Camilo English Corner. We have been posting many messages recently. Have a look at these:

- Virtual friends! Good or bad?
- Looking for alternative lifestyles
- Speaking time
- Tips for learning vocabulary and grammar

Camilo English Corner makes part of Camilo Multilingue, a school project which involves some of the languages taught in our school.

Visit our different blogs. There you´ll find news written in different languages.
Portuguese 
English
Spanish
French

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Fado has become part of the "Intangible Heritage of Humanity"



Fado (in English destiny) is a Portuguese music genre which celebrates the Portuguese soul.

"Fado is often called "Portuguese Blues", somewhere in the emotional landscape between African drums, Spanish and Arabian ballads, and Delta confessionals". MORRICONE

The silence and mystery of the night is the best moment to listen to this melody. Fado is about suffering, about missing someone (Portuguese:saudade), about love, tragedy, fate, jealousy, the sea, anything that stirs our emotions

Amália Rodrigues was the most famous singer of the 20th century. She continues to be an inspiration for a new generation of singers who are giving a new burst to fado.


Mariza


Mariza (with English subtitles)

Ana Moura

Amália Hoje

Camané

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Cloning

What exactly is cloning?


Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between the two.    Read more
Interactive explore: Try to create a clone

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Our surrounding world

Next week my students are having their first written test this year.

Contents for the test

1. Reading comprehension and text production about the topics:
Block 1: Our World
Set 1:  A endangered planet
Set 2: Saving our Earth

Learn about the environmental situation by reading the site ThinkQuest.
Practice vocabulary at Learn English Today

2. Grammar:
  Connectors, past  tenses, prepositional verbs and comparatives.

Don't forget to study.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

11th Form: our surrounding world

Hello! I have prepared a video about our environmental situation. It was my first video, I hope you like it!

Monday, October 3, 2011

A happy new school year!

My school

Hello!

School has started! I haven't posted anything recently because I have been very busy with the beginning of the school year. 

This year I have 81 students in the 11th grade and 45 students in the 10th grade (of a professional course).

I have been preparing new materials I may share with you later on.

Right now I am using these materials with my students. 

Best wishes,
Conceição