Holy Week & Easter 2013

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Easter is here. Most of us are happy because we have a few days off work or school, but Easter is much more than that. It is a blend of Christian and pagan traditions, but above all, it is the peak of the year for Christians, not only Catholic, but also Orthodox. It is also connected to an important Jewish celebration, Passover, which commemorates the time when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery, with Moses conducting them out of Egypt.

Here's a video on the story of Easter: 

(source: history.com)

But if the video is too difficult for you (there are no subtitles, sorry!), you can always read about the origin and meaning of Easter. Click HERE for an answer to all the questions below:

• What is Easter?
• What is the Easter story?
• Where does Easter come from?
• When is Easter?
• Why does the date of Easter move?
• When is the Easter season?
• What took place on Easter Sunday, about 2000 years ago?
• What happens on Easter Sunday today?
• What are the connections with Passover and Easter?
• What other names are there for Easter?
• Why do we have eggs at Easter?
• What foods are traditionally eaten at Easter?

As for the HOLY WEEK, which is the week leading to Easter Sunday, the most important days are:

• Palm Sunday: It's the day when Holy Week begins. It commemorates the day when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. Christians usually go to a religious service on this day, and carry palm branches.
• Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday: According to Christian faith, that was the day, or rather, the night, when the Last Supper was held and Jesus was betrayed by Judas.
• Good Friday: This was the day when, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified. So at this point, the natural question is: how come we call this day "Good Friday"? Excellent question indeed! It is said that the name comes from "God's Friday", and that it is "good" because it was the day when the barrier of sin was broken. (source: woodlands junior website)
• Easter Sunday: it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. It is the most important day of the Holy Week for Christians.

(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/easter.shtml)

 

Other traditions connected to Easter in English-speaking countries are Easter Eggs and the Easter Egg hunt. And don't forget the Easter bunny, the one who brings children a basket full of coloured eggs as well as sweets and even toys!!

Watch the video below on how to make Easter Eggs:

And here's another video for the Easter Egg hunt:

HAVE A VERY HAPPY EASTER!!!

Class Diary Week 22 (18-21 March 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- St. Patrick's Day
- Vocabulary: likes & dislikes
- Grammar: pronombres posesivos (mine, yours...etc)

Students' book:

- p. 48, ex. 1a, b, c; ex. 2 a + p. 134-135; ex. 3
- p. 49, ex. 5 (reading)

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Find someone who
- Possessive pronouns

Videos/games:

None

2º NA

Contents:

- St. Patrick's Day - History & traditions

- Writing: a review

- Pronunciation: silent syllables

Student's book:

- p. 42, ex. 5 a, b, c & d

- p. 43, ex. 6 c

Homework:

- pp. 48-49: A review (analysing a model text)
- Writing - A review

Videos & interactive games:
- Bet you didn't know: St. Patrick's Day
- Song: Wild Rover

Photocopies:

- Translating a fragment of The Da Vincy Code

Class Diary Week 21 (11-14 March 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- Grammar: revision personal pronouns

- Grammar: likes & dislikes (+ing)

- Talking about your favourite times

Students' book:

- p. 46, ex. 1d, 2a & b (reading)

- p. 47, reading (cont.), ex. 3 a, b. Ex. 4 a + pp. 134-135.

 

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Personal pronouns: subject & object

Videos/games:

None

2º NA

Contents:

- Talking about books

- Grammar: Inversion

- Pronunciation: Words with silent syllables

- Vocabulary: adjective to describe books

Student's book:

- p. 40, ex. 1a & b

- p. 41, ex. 2a, c & d, ex. 3a + p. 143

- p. 42, ex. 4 

Homework:

- Reading pp. 42-43

Videos & interactive games:

None

Photocopies:
- Man or woman? Book extracts

- Grammar: Inversión

Class Diary Week 20 (4-7 March 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- Present simple vs present continuous

- Practical English: in a clothes shop

- Grammar: revision of personal pronouns (subject & object)

- Speaking about favourite times

Students' book:

- p. 132 - exercises

- p. 42-43, ex. 1a, 2 a & b, 3 a (p. 43) b & c, ex. 4 a & c

- File 6 - p. 133-134 - exercises on personal pronouns

- p. 46, ex. 1 d, ex. 2 a, b & c, ex. 3 a & b

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Personal pronouns (subject & object)

Videos/games:

- Practical English: in a clothes shop.

2º NA

Contents:

- Talking about history and historical films

- Vocabulary: discourse markers

Student's book:

- p. 66 - Interview with Brian Hodges; In the street

- p. 40, ex 1a & b

- p. 41, ex. 2a, c & d

Videos & interactive games:

- p. 66 - Interview with Brian Hodges

- p. 66 - In the street

Photocopies:
- Discourse markers

- Historical film quiz

- Talking about history. If you could have lived in another historical period, which one would it be? Is there a historical character you particularly admire? Why?

Class Diary Weeks 18 & 19 (18-28 Feb 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class in the last two weeks:

2º NB

Contents:

- Grammar: there was/were

- Grammar: present continuous
- Grammar: present simple vs. present continuous
- Vocabulary: weather & dates

Students' book:

- p. 65, ex. 4 a & b
- p. 138 & 139 - Grammar
- Speaking, pp. 104 & 109
- p. 38, ex. 1 a, b & c
- p. 38 (p. 132 - Present continuous)
- p. 39, ex. 2 f; ex. 4 a, b, c.
- p. 102 / 107 - spot the difference
- p. 40 ex. 1 a, c, ex. 2 a, b (reading)
- p. 159 - Weather & dates
- p. 41, ex. 3a + pag. 132

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Present continuous
- Present continuous / present simple

Videos/games:
Card game: what am I doing?

2º NA

Contents:

- Talking about historical films & history: your favourite historical film & your favourite scene.
- Vocabulary: history and warfare
- Vocabulary & pronunciation: stress in word families
- Oscars 2013 - Voting for the winner of the Best Feature Film of the year
- Grammar: discourse markers

Student's book:

- p.52, ex. 1a, b
- p. 163 - Vocabulary of history & warfare
- p. 53, ex. 3
- p. 54, reading, ex- 4 a & b
- p. 55, ex. 4 c + lexis in context. Ex. 5 a, b & c

Videos & interactive games:

- Thunderball in a nutshell: Michael Carranza explains his favourite scene of the film

Photocopies:
None

NA 2 - File 4A: History goes to the movies

Dear students & readers of this blog,
                                           
These days, at our Advanced level class, we are talking about history and movies. First of all, it might be interesting to distinguish between two concepts that are confusing for a Spanish speaker: 'historical' and 'historic'

HISTORIC: Something that is important in history, or likely to be considered important at some time in the future. E.g. ...the historic changes in Eastern Europe.

HISTORICAL: People, situations or things that existed in the past, or that are considered a part of history. E.g. ...an important historical figure.    (source: Collins cobuild dictionary)

What is it, then, that makes a film historical? According to some, a film can be considered as historical when it is based on a real event, or is set in a historical period. But the real issue here is accuracy. How accurate should film screenwiters and directors be? How faithful should films be to historical events? According to this, what historical films you know?

In class, we saw three clips corresponding to three wll-known historical films:

"They may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FREEDOM!!!! - "Braveheart", Mel Gibson, 1995. Based on the Battle of Stirling (13th century) - The English rule Scotland. William Wallace, Scottish hero and leader of a rebellion against the English, speaks to the discouraged armies before the battle.

 "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again" - "Gone with the wind", Victor Fleming, 1939. Based on the American Civil War (1861-1865) . Scarlett O'Hara, starving and desperate, after almost being sick for eating a turnip she pulls from the ground, rises from the ground, and vows she'll do whatever it takes not to be hungry again.

 "I'm Spartacus!!!!" - "Spartacus", Stanley Kubrick, 1960. Based on the Rebellion of the slaves led by the gladiator Spartacus in the 1st century BC. - After the rebellion of the slaves is crashed, general Marcus Licinius Crassus promises the captives that they will not be punished if they will identify Spartacus. But the reaction of the slaves is somewhat unexpected: one by one, each or them stand out and shout "I'm Spartacus"

Here is a clip of one of my favourite historical film, not historically accurate at all, but fun just the same.

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius". The gladiator, and former general Maximus, whose family has been killed by emperor Commodus, finds himself at last in front of his enemy, whom he wants to take revenge on, and swears he will avenged his family. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, leader of the Phoenix legions, loyal servant to the true emperor Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or in the next" - "Gladiator", Ridley Scott, 2000.

Which is your favourite sequence of a historical film? Please click on COMMENTS to tell us about it, indicating the name of the film, the director and the year it was released, and briefly describing what happens in the scene and what historical event it is based on.