SESSION 27: A SONG
ALL 4 ONE - I SWEAR
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - PLAYSCRIPT - MAY 2010 - ACT 11
12 years ago
Sunday, April 29, 2012
SESSION 27: A VIDEO (1)
SESSION 27: A VIDEO (1)
NIKE SWEATSHOPS: ARE NIKE´S WORKERS PAID A LIVING WAGE?
SESSION 27: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 27: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION
2.1 DISCUSSION: HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS WHICH YOU CAN THINK ABOUT AND TRY ASKING YOURSELF BEFORE YOU COME TO OUR DISCUSSION ON WEDNESDAY:
- What do you understand by 'Cheap labour practice'?
- Which part of the world is mostly involved in this type of labour?
- What do you know about the two companies APPLE and NIKE? Do they have a good reputation? Are they considered important companies? Would you associate Cheap Labour practice with these companies? Are they multinational companies? Are these companies American? Do you know where their factories are?
- Had you heard of FOXCONN before reading this text?
- Do you remember anything of what happened to NIKE in the 1990s and what was called 'Nike Moment'?
- Do you agree with Ines Kaempfer of the USA FLA who says that Apple is not necessarilly the worst and that it´s just the publicity that is starting to build up?
- Do you think it´s important that significant companies like Foxconn (Apple) should be intensely scrutinized in terms of workers´ conditions?
- Do you think that 'continuing reports of deaths and distress' are significant enough to state that there is a big problem in relation to the manufacturing of the company?
- What do you consider is 'fair and safe work environment'? Do you think it can be compatible with the type of military discipline existing in Far East companies like Foxconn?
- Working for six or seven days a week and for up to 14 hours a day is a threat to workers?
- Do you think that with the worldwide crisis we are having, our work conditions in Europe and America with get worse in the near future?
- What do you know about 'sweatshop' conditions?
- Why do you think workers in Foxconn factories are unsure the pay rises and overtime limits will cause much real change?
- What working conditions would European or American workers consider completely unacceptable?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 27, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions. Choose one of these two options:
- 'As Nations develop, wages rise and life theoretically gets better for everyone.' Express your opinion.
- How will the crisis affect our working conditions and labour rights?
SESSION 27: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 2nd MAY
SESSION 27: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 2nd MAY
APPLE FACES ITS 'NIKE MOMENT'
One of Apple’s main contractors has raised the wages of its factory workers in China after a spate of suicides in 2011 and reports of intolerable working conditions. The negative publicity is reminiscent of the revelation in the ‘90s that Nike used cheap labour in the Far East.
Text taken from:
Just click on: http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/news-lessons/monthly-topical-news-lessons/pdf-content/apple-faces-its-nike-moment-advanced/551973.article and you have the text together with some exercises and the key for you to work on.
HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
SESSION 26: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 26: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:
2.1 LEARNING: How best can kids under the age of 12 learn? State the pros and cons of the following:
- homework
- The Internet
- parents
- other kids
- school lessons
- playing
2.2 SUBJECTS: Which did you best like at school and why? Was it because of the teacher you had? Was it because of the way the subject was taught? Rank these from best to worst:
- English
- Maths
- Literature
- History and Geography
- Physical education
- Science
- Other...
2.3 DISCUSSION: HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS WHICH YOU CAN THINK ABOUT AND TRY ASKING YOURSELF BEFORE YOU COME TO OUR DISCUSSION ON WEDNESDAY:
a) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘homework’?
b) How useful do you think homework is?
c) What did you think of doing homework when you were younger?
d) What kind of English homework do you do now and how effective is it?
e) Do you agree with the research that says homework for elementary school students has little benefit?
f) Why do you think homework would have so little effect on grades and level?
g) Do you think homework can help kids become self-directed?
h) Was there any homework you liked doing?
i) Could children learn the same without doing home?
j) What three adjectives would you use to describe homework?
k) Do you think French parents are right to boycott homework?
l) Do you think children would be better off reading a book than doing homework?
m) Do you think it’s true that if children do not succeed in doing an exercise at school, that they’re unlikely to do so at home?
n) What do you think children would feel about a homework ban?
o) How better could children spend their time if they didn’t have homework?
p) Do you think parents doing homework with their children causes friction in the family?
q) Would you choose to have or not have homework? (Why?)
r) What questions would you like to ask professor Richard Walker?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 26, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions. Choose one of these two options:
- Homework for children under the age of 12 is not beneficial. Express your opinion.
- Writer a letter to Professor Richard Walker telling him what you think about homework.
SESSION 26: KEY TO EXERCISES
SESSION 26: KEY TO EXERCISES
1.1 TRUE/FALSE:
a.F / b.F / c.T / d.T / e.T / f.F / g.T / h.F
1.2 SYNONYM MATCH:
1.d / 2.h / 3.f / 4.b / 5.c / 6.j / 7.e / 8.a / 9.g / 10.i
1.3 PHRASE MATCH:
1.h / 2.e / 3.a / 4.j / 5.c / 6.d / 7.b / 8.i / 9.f /10.g
1.4 GAP FILL:
1.NOTION - 2. REALLY - 3. BENEFIT - 4. MINIMAL - 5. LITTLE - 6. EXCEPT - 7. BIT - 8. SELF
9. CALLS - 10. BOYCOTT - 11. SUCCEED - 12. PUSHING - 13. FRICTION - 14. AGREED - 15. OFFSPRING - 16. BAN
SESSION 26: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
SESSION 26: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:
THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):
a. New research suggests that no one benefits from doing homework.
b. A professor said homework raises test scores at elementary schools.
c. The professor said only Sr. high school students should do homework.d. He said homework that leads to independent learning is good for all.
e. Parents in France want to boycott homework.
f. A parent said kids can learn things at home they didn’t at school.
g. The parent said homework leads to problems in the family.
h. Homework was banned for primary school kids in France last year.
1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. notion ..................... a. triumph
2. suggests ................... b. impact
3. minimal ................... c. besides
4. effect ..................... d. idea
5. except .................... e. avoid
6. calls ....................... f. negligible
7. boycott ................... g. children
8. succeed ................... h. indicates
9. offspring .................. i. in spite of
10. despite .................. j. requests
1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. The notion of younger ............... a. effect
2. under ................................... b. how they're going to
3. it has minimal, if any, ................ c. directed learners
4. A little .................................. d. read a book instead
5. help kids become self- ............... e. attack
6. boycott homework and .............. f. their offspring
7. I don't see .............................. g. decade-long ban
8. do the work that should .............. h. children doing homework
9. the necessary knowledge to help .... i. be done in lessons
10. despite a five- ........................ j. bit
1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
MINIMAL - EXCEPT - REALLY - SELF - NOTION - LITTLE - BENEFIT - BIT
The (1) ____________ of younger children doing homework is under attack. New research suggests that homework for younger children does not (2) ____________ provide any (3) ____________ and teachers only give it because parents want it. Professor Richard Walker of Sydney University said that elementary (primary) school children do hours of homework every week but it has (4) ____________, if any, effect on their test grades or level. He said the situation was (5) ____________ better for junior high school kids. He suggested: “I don't think anyone (6) ____________ senior high school students should be doing a couple of hours of homework.” Dr Walker said: “A little (7) ____________ of homework is probably OK at all ages, if part of the reason is to help kids become (8) ____________ -directed learners.”
FRICTION - BAN - BOYCOTT - PUSHING - CALLS - OFFSPRING - AGREED - SUCCEED
The study from Sydney University comes days after (9) ____________ by parents in France to (10) ____________ homework and read a book instead. Jean-Jacques Hazan of the French Parents Association said: “If the child hasn't succeeded in doing the exercise at school, I don't see how they're going to (11) ____________ at home.” He added that schools were (12) ____________ the responsibility of teaching onto parents, which causes family (13) ____________. “We're asking parents to do the work that should be done in lessons,” he said. A teaching spokeswoman (14) ____________, saying: “Not all families have the time or the necessary knowledge to help their (15) ____________.” French primary schools still give homework despite a five-decade-long (16) ____________ on it.
SESSION 26: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 18th APRIL
SESSION 26: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 18th APRIL
HOMEWORK HAS FEW BENEFITS, SAYS STUDY
TEXT TAKEN AND/OR ADAPTED FROM:
THE TEXT:
The notion of younger children doing homework is under attack. New research suggests that homework for younger children does not really provide any benefit and teachers only give it because parents want it. Professor Richard Walker of Sydney University said that elementary (primary) school children do hours of homework every week but it has minimal, if any, effect on their test grades or level. He said the situation was little better for junior high school kids. He suggested: “I don't think anyone except senior high school students should be doing a couple of hours of homework.” Dr Walker said: “A little bit of homework is probably OK at all ages, if part of the reason is to help kids become self-directed learners.”
The study from Sydney University comes days after calls by parents in France to boycott homework and read a book instead. Jean-Jacques Hazan of the French Parents Association said: “If the child hasn't succeeded in doing the exercise at school, I don't see how they're going to succeed at home.” He added that schools were pushing the responsibility of teaching onto parents, which causes family friction. “We're asking parents to do the work that should be done in lessons,” he said. A teaching spokeswoman agreed, saying: “Not all families have the time or the necessary knowledge to help their offspring.” French primary schools still give homework despite a five-decade-long ban on it.
'Homework Has Few Benefits, Says Study? - 29th March, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
SESSION 25: A VIDEO (1)
SESSION 25: A VIDEO (1)
A FILM: 1001 INVENTIONS AND THE LIBRARY OF SECRETS
http://youtu.be/JZDe9DCx7Wk
Starring Sir Ben Kingsley as Al-Jazari
SESSION 25: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
SESSION 25: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:
2.1 ANCESTORS: How different would their life be from today? Was it better or worse than today?
- family life
- stress
- transportation
- food
- entertainment
- safety
2.2 DISCOVERIES: What are the most important ones ever made? Rank them and explain why they are the most important to you?
- fire
- how to use metal
- the computer
- penicillin
- the printing press
- television
- the wheel
- others
2.3 DISCUSSION: HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS WHICH YOU CAN THINK ABOUT AND TRY ASKING YOURSELF BEFORE YOU COME TO OUR DISCUSSION ON WEDNESDAY:
a) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘ancestors’?
b) What do you think about what you read?c) How interesting is this news to you?
d) How important a discovery is this?
e) How do you think our ancestors started a fire?
f) Do you have any experiences with starting fires?
g) What do you think life was like a million years ago for our ancestors?
i) What do you think early humans would make of our modern world?
j) Do you think early humans were happier than we are?
k) Did you like reading this article? Did it made you think?
l) What would change in our understanding about our ancestors if scientists knew what the early humans used fire for?
m) How do you think the knowledge of how to use fire spread around the prehistoric world?
n) What do you know about early human life in your country?
o) What do you think of meat that is cooked over an open fire?
p) What other things do you think early humans used fire for?
q) Do you think early humans were happier than we are?
r) Apart from fire, what other important discoveries have taken place through History?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ORAL SESSION.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 25, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions. Choose one of these two options:
- Life from our ancestors who lived at the beginning of the 20th Century with life from today is very different. Express your opinion.
- How have certain inventions affected our development in life and changed our lifestyle.
SESSION 25: KEY TO EXERCISES
SESSION 25: KEY TO EXERCISES
1.1 TRUE/FALSE:
a.T / b.F / c.T / d.T / e.F / f.F / g.F / h.T
1.2 SYNONYM MATCH:
1.g / 2.e / 3.i / 4.c / 5.h / 6.j / 7.a / 8.f / 9.b / 10.d
1.3 PHRASE MATCH:
1.f / 2.a / 3.j / 4.i / 5.c / 6.b / 7.h / 8.d / 9.g /10.e
1.4 GAP FILL:
1.AMONG - 2. CASTS - 3. PROVE - 4. MULTIPLE - 5. UNLIKELY - 6. STRIKES - 7. POSSIBILITY - 8. NATURAL
9. NONE - 10. SIGNS - 11. GROUND - 12. TWIGS - 13. RAW - 14. TOSSED - 15. WARMTH - 16. PREVIOUSLY
SESSION 25: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
SESSION 25: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:
THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.
1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT
1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):
a. Scientists have debated for a long time about humans’ first use of fire.
b. Remains of ash and bones were found in an old house in South Africa.
c. Scientists have pretty much concluded lightning did not start the fires.
d. It is possible that bat droppings can catch alight spontaneously.
e. Scientists have a much clearer idea about why early humans used fire.
f. Scientists found that early humans started fires by using animal fat.
g. The researchers discovered the cave dwellers only ate raw meat.
h. Humans started using fire 300,000 years earlier than earlier thought.
1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. argument ............... a. unmistakable
2. ancestors ............... b. threw
3. casts .................... c. proof
4. evidence ............... d. earlier
5. rare ..................... e. descendants
6. still ...................... f. pondering
7. clear .................... g. debate
8. wondering ............. h. uncommon
9. tossed .................. i. throws
10. previously ............ j. until now
1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. The argument ............................. a. light on the debate 2. casts new .................................. b. the wiser
3. unlikely the fires were started ......... c. possible natural event
4. spontaneously ............................. d. bones into the fire
5. a very rare but ........................... e. previously thought
6. still none .................................. f. among scientists
7. Scientists are ............................. g. from wild animals
8. tossed the ................................ h. now wondering
9. protection ................................ i. combusting
10. years earlier than ...................... j. naturally
1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
POSSIBILITY - UNLIKELY - PROVE - NATURAL - AMONG - MULTIPLE - CASTS - STRIKES
The argument (1) ____________ scientists about when our human ancestors first used fire is a long-running one. A new study centred on a cave in South Africa (2) ____________ new light on the debate. Prehistoric ash and the remains of burnt bones (3) ____________ early humans used fire a million years ago. Scientists working at South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave have found evidence of (4) ____________ fires deep inside the cave, some over 30 metres from the entrance. This means it is very (5) ____________ the fires were started naturally, by lightning (6) ____________ or from nearby bush fires. Scientists have also discounted the (7) ____________ that the fires were as a result of bat guano spontaneously combusting – a very rare but possible (8) ____________ event.
RAW - PREVIOUSLY - SIGNS - TWIGS - WARMTH - NONE - TOSSED - GROUND
The scientists are still (9) ____________ the wiser what our cave ancestors used fire for. They found no (10) ____________ of a place for fire preparation, like a hearth or a deep hole in the (11) ____________. It is clear, however, that they started the fires by burning leaves, grass and small (12) ____________. Scientists are now wondering about the burnt bones. Some say our ancestors could have cooked the meat, while others say they could have eaten the meat (13) ____________ and (14) ____________ the bones into the fire. Cave researcher Francesco Berna of Boston University said other possible uses could be for (15) ____________, light or protection from wild animals. The discovery means our ancestors used fire 300,000 years earlier than (16) ____________ thought.
SESSION 25: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 11th APRIL
SESSION 25: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 11th APRIL
EARLY HUMANS USED FIRE MILLION YEARS AGO
TEXT TAKEN AND/OR ADAPTED FROM:
THE TEXT:
The argument among scientists about when our human ancestors first used fire is a long-running one. A new study centred on a cave in South Africa casts new light on the debate. Prehistoric ash and the remains of burnt bones prove early humans used fire a million years ago. Scientists working at South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave have found evidence of multiple fires deep inside the cave, some over 30 metres from the entrance. This means it is very unlikely the fires were started naturally, by lightning strikes or from nearby bush fires. Scientists have also discounted the possibility that the fires were as a result of bat guano spontaneously combusting – a very rare but possible natural event.
The scientists are still none the wiser what our cave ancestors used fire for. They found no signs of a place for fire preparation, like a hearth or a deep hole in the ground. It is clear, however, that they started the fires by burning leaves, grass and small twigs. Scientists are now wondering about the burnt bones. Some say our ancestors could have cooked the meat, while others say they could have eaten the meat raw and tossed the bones into the fire. Cave researcher Francesco Berna of Boston University said other possible uses could be for warmth, light or protection from wild animals. The discovery means our ancestors used fire 300,000 years earlier than previously thought.
'Early Humans Used Fire Million Years Ago' - 4th April 2012
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