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

Test your passive voice ...

Try these links to gather some information about the passive voice. Then test your knowledge.

Explanations and exercises:

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

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/passive.htm

Exercises:

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-voice_quiz.htm - Active or Passive?

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/active-passive.html - Active or passive?

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_passive1.htm - Active to passive transformations

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_passive2.htm - Passive to active transformations

Addicted to technology - Watch the video and do the quiz

for websites and blogs that support iframes:

We live in a technological world (reading)

I was surfing the web, when I found this article about technology. I liked it so much, I decided to share it with you.
Don't forget that reading is a good way to aquire vocabulary.

You can read the all article at: http://itsallwrong.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/gen-y-living-in-a-technology-driven-world/

"I believe this technology-centered universe is a good thing. A great thing even. Look what we’ve accomplished because of it. Job interviews and work meetings can now be held via Skype, saving hundreds of dollars on plane tickets; 20-somethings can become published authors with the push of a button on WordPress; huge brands can connect directly with their consumers through Twitter and Facebook; and heck, men and women can even find their perfect “match” on various sites.

Technology has changed the way the world works. And in my opinion, it has given Gen-Y an edge. We’re used to embracing new trends. But more than that, we know what we want, what appeals to us, and are therefore positioned as leaders. Think about it. Mark Zuckerberg was only 20 years old when he launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm.

Gen-Y is privileged. As technology evolves, efficiencies continue to increase. When we’re in doubt, we can Google it.

On the other hand, we’re impatient. Insatiable. We see our lives flash before our eyes when computers malfunction. We spend too much time glued to video games instead of outside enjoying the Sun. Sometimes, we even take the personal touch for granted. And we shouldn’t.

Face-to-face conversations are still better than online chats. A hug is more comforting than XOXO. And handwritten cards are the best. The “basic” things in life can never be replaced. They are essential."

Written by : Lauren Novo, a senior at Florida State University double majoring in media/communication studies and creative writing. Her career in public relations begins full time in May. To learn more about Lauren, connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn, and read her award-winning blog: Gen-Y PRogress.

Good Text! Don't you think ?

The evolution of technology and the human race: a video

An interesting video I found in Youtube about the evolution of technology.



There are so many videos about this topic you can watch.

A technological World

We have started a new topic: Man and technology.

I 've taken to class pictures of many important inventions and asked students to talk about them and their importance to the world. Then they had to match these inventions to the correct century they were invented. I was surprised because many of them thought that TV and radio were invented in the 19th century, which is not true. Besides, they couldn't believe the submarine and the printing press were so old. We also spoke about some important inventors.
When I asked them what they considered to be the most important invention of all, many of them mentioned the internet. Medical advances and communications are among the greatest human accomplishments.
Finally, I asked them if these chances were for the better or for the worse, and they all agreed that life has become better, longer, more comfortable and interesting because of technology.