Aye, I'm tellin' ya

Monday, February 24, 2014

Oscars 2014 - Which of these films do you think will be the Best Feature Film of the year?

Dear students & readers of this blog,

The Oscars will finally be celebrated next Sunday, March 2 in Hollywood, as usual. The American movie industry and everyone who is related to it will try to look their best to enjoy their evening.

If you like films, and you're into making your picks and choosing your favourites to win the precious golden statuette on Sunday, here you have a chance todo it. Now, it is the time for the BEST FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR.

By the way, if you are curious to learn about the origin of the oscar statuette, click here.

This week, the students will stop being students for a while, and forget they are in Spain, and will become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood. Their task, and their resposibility, will be considerable: they will have to vote for the film which will receive the oscar for best feature film of the year. For that, you will have to focus on:

Plot: what is the film about? Is the story appealing to the public? Is it interesting?
The cast: who are the actors and actresses who play the main characters? Have they received any other awards? Are the well-known? How good is their performance, in your opinion?
The director: is he a veteran or not? Have you seen any other films directed by him/her? Has he received any awards before?
Which are the reasons why your favourite film should win?
Any other aspects you might consider important to comment on.

And the nominees for BEST PICTURE are:

AMERICAN HUSTLE, directed by David O. Russell

For more info on the plot, characters, cast (actors & actresses), click on:

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, directed by Paul Greengrass.

For more info on the plot, characters, cast (actors & actresses), click on:

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, directed by Jean-Marc Valée

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

GRAVITY, directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

HER, directed by Spike Jonze

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

NEBRASKA, by Alexander Payne

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

PHILOMENA, directed by Stephen Frears

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

12 YEARS A SLAVE, directed by Steve McQueen

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET , directed by Martin Scorsese.

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

If you are really into the Oscars, and you want to try to make your picks in all categories, here you have a printable ballot from the Oscars Official Site.

In order to speak properly about films and film making, we need a basic glossary of film terms, with words like 'script', 'cast' or 'location'. Click here if you want to learn more.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...

Sunday, December 15, 2013

We'll miss you, Madiba!

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Last week was a sad week for South Africa and for the entire world, as they lost one of their most significant figures. A man who changed the course of history in his country and who opened the way to the abolition of race-based discrimination in other parts of the world. Here's our humble homage to Madiba, as he was called back home.

Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon, diead on Thursday December 5, following the latest in a series of lung infections. He was 95 years old.

Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) party in the 1940s and would go on to lead protests against the ruling Apartheid regime, which restricted the basic rights of South Africa's nonwhite propulation and barred their participation in government. His resistance to such oppressive policies earned him nearly three decades in prision, during which he became an international symbol of the anti-Apartheid movement. Upon his release in 1990, Mandela helped negotiate an end to the Apartheid system, and four years later he won the election as the first black president of South Africa. He retired from politics in 1999, but remained a global advocate for peace and social justice.

(source: history channel)

Obituary: Nelson Mandela

Who could explain who Nelson Mandela was better than Mandela himself? The lights and shadows of a symbol. Take a few minutes to watch the video below:

Here are 6 things maybe you didn't know about Nelson Mandela:

1- He was a boxing fan.
2- His original name was not Nelson, but Rolihlahla. (from Xhosa, one of the 11 official languages of the country)
3- He was on a US terror watch list until 2008
4- He forgot his glasses when he was released from prision (he had to borrow his wife Winnie's)
5- He dressed up as a chauffeur to evade police
6- He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree

For further information, click here.

Mandela's memory is inevitably linked to one word: APARTHEID.

Apartheid was a system of legal racial separation which dominated the Republic of South Africa from 1948 to 1993. However, the mechanisms of apartheid were set in place long before 1948, and South Africa continues to deal with the repercussions. Under apartheid, various races were separated into different regions, and discrimination against people of colour was not only acceptable, but legally entrenched, with whites having priority housing, jobs, education, and political power. Although South Africa was heavily criticized for the system, it wa not until 1991 that the legal system of apartheid began to be broken down, and in 1993 was thrown out altogether with the election of Nelson Mandela, the first black democratically elected President of South Africa. The term is also used more generally around the world to refer to systematic racism which is tolerated, rather than confronted.

(source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-apartheid.htm)

Rest in Peace, Madiba

Friday, December 13, 2013

Beware of Friday 13!!!

Dear students and readers of this blog,

Do you avoid walking under ladders? How do you feel when you see a black cat? What's your reaction when you break a mirror? What do you think about when you see a calendar and you realise...IT'S FRIDAY 13!!

It is a day most feared by many people all around the world. The number 13 has all sorts of negative connotations, and many superstitions in different parts of the world are linked to this day. But why? When did all begin?

Here you will find some interesting information on the meaning of this day:

Here you have some worksheets you can use to learn about superstitions and learn some new English words:

Are you superstitious? What superstitions are there in your country? Please click on COMMENTS and tell us!

HAPPY FRIDAY 13!!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Time to give thanks for what we have - THANKSGIVING 2013

Thanksgving, one of the most important festivities in the US, is almost here. The time is come to learn about how people celebrate it.

Did you know that...

...Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November?
...in Canada, Thanksgiving is in October?
...the turkey, the cornucopia, the corn or the pumpkin are the symbols of this holiday?
...people give thanks for everything good in their lives?
...every year, the President of the United States pardons the life of two turkeys, one of which is named National Thanksgiving Turkey?
...every year, there's a spectacular parade in many American cities like New York or Chicago?

If you want to read about Thanksgiving traditions, click on the image below:

Now some history. What's the origin of this festivity? Where do its main traditions come from? Take some time to watch this video:

Want to know some facts about the ship that took the Pilgrims to America? Watch the video THE MAYFLOWER DECONSTRUCTED (source: History Channel)

Millions of turkeys will be stuffed, roasted, carved, and served this Thanksgiving. But today, one lucky bird will be granted a reprieve in the form of a PRESIDENTIAL PARDON. Watch President Barack Obama granting the official pardon to Cobbler & Gobbler, last year's lucky turkeys.

With subtitles!!

This year, this important event will take place today, November 27, the day before the festivity. Would you like to meet the candidates?

One of these two turkeys will be happy enough to be named National Thanksgiving Turkey 2013 and will be able to live a golden retirement at some privileged place like Mount Vernon, Virginia. If you wish, you can listen to them gobble and even vote for your favourite candidate on Facebook! Click here.

To find out more about the history of this tradition, click here.

YOU ARE THE HISTORIAN. Hey, don't miss this!!! Click again on the picture below if you want to find out more about the festivity. It will be worth your time, believe me!!

And to finish, let's have some fun:

For all of you, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Monday, November 25, 2013

NA 2 - File 1C - Whose English is it?

Dear students and readers of this blog,

In the last few classes we have been talking about why we decided to start studying English, what our motivations are to do so, or about how good we are at learning a foreign language.

Here you have the video we watched in class where people from all over the world say why they are learning English:

Anyway, another thought came along. What is, in their opinion, the "most correct" variety of English? Which English should be taught at schools? Is British English preferable to American English, or vice-versa, or non of the above? Do we have to speak like Queen Elizabeth II? Who does English belong to, to native speakers, or to speakers from all over the world, even if it is not their first language? Shouldn't these speakers have a say on what is correct and what is not about the English language?

To sum it up: WHY IS ENGLISH A GLOBAL LANGUAGE? Watch the answer writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster David Crystal gives to this question.

So what do you think? Please feel free to write a COMMENT with your opinion on the subject. (click on 'comment' below)

25 November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV), can be broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviours by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends or cohabitation. Domestic violence has many forms, including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic deprivation.Alcohol consumption and mental illness can be co-morbid with abuse, and present additional challenges when present alongside patterns of abuse. (source: wikipedia)

Next 25 November we celebrate the International Day for the elimination of gender-based violence. We would like to spend such a day with you and share our common concern for the growing violence against women all around the world. That is why we have prepared some activities to remember those women, and to raise conscience on how important education is to help younger generations eliminate any type of violent conducts.

Please take some time to watch the following videos:

Every woman has a story, every story can create change:

When times get rough, you can fall back on us. Don't give up, please, don't give up (Peter Gabriel)

Let's hope that, one day, we will live in a world where women won't have to suffer violence anymore.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

NA 2 - File 1B: Families in the Prado Museum

Dear students & readers of this blog,

In the last few classes we have been talking about families. And the pretext to deal with this topic has been a world-famous painting that nowadays is in the National Museum of El Prado: The Family of Carlos IV, by Francisco de Goya.

Now we are going to follow an itinerary along the different rooms of El Prado, suggested by the museum itself. To be able to do it, we need to understand what we call 'a family' nowadays, so we have to ask ourselves the following questions:

- What do we consider 'a family'?

- What is our family like?

When answering these questions, probably the concept 'nuclear family', that is, a family formed by the father, the mother and the siblings, came to our minds. But even then, sometimes there are people we have no blood relationship with who are so close to us that we consider them as members of our family too. So then, we should ask ourselves:

- What other people do we consider as part of our family?

This would be the family of the 21st century, but what about families in the 17th or 18th centuries? Were they like ours? Maybe these families were bigger or had more children. Maybe high-class or noble families included other people: ladies-in-waiting, pets...

Back then, there were no photographs to immortalise families, so the way of doing it was through painting. But not many people in those times had the money to commission a professional painter to paint a portrait. Therefore, what type of families can we find at the museum?

Our mission in this itinerary will be to guess what type of family is depicted in each portrait, how it is represented and why it was made in the first place.

As we said before, in class we discussed The Family of Carlos IV, by Francisco de Goya. Click on the picture to listen to an audioguide in English. Who is who? Why have they been depicted?

So now, we are ready to start our itinerary:

FAMILY TYPE 1

In this picture we can see two scenes, one in the foreground and the other in the background. Answer the following questions:

- In the foreground scene, who can we see?
- Are they relatives?
- What relationship is there between them, do you think?
- What type of family is this?
- What is happening at the background? Who are they? Is there any relationship between them? Are they related in any way to the people in the foreground?

Click here for an answer to the questions above.
Click here for a description of the painting from the online catalogue of the Prado Museum.

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FAMILY TYPE 2

In this picture we can see a middle-aged man standing next to two other women - one of them young, the other also middle-aged - and a five-year-old girl.

- Who's the woman in the centre?

- What are they doing?

- Might we be missing some other important member of the family?

Click here for an answer to the questions above.
Click here for a description of the painting from the online catalogue of the Prado Museum.

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FAMILY TYPE 3

We can see nine people in this picture, together with a dog on the foreground. There are two more people, only you have to look closely and carefully to find them. Where are they?

Are all the people on this painting relatives? Why are they then in the painting?

Click here for an answer to the questions above.
Click here for the audioguide of the painting from the online catalogue of the Prado Museum.

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FAMILY TYPE 4

Here we can see a lady sitting next to a man who is standing and holding a girl's hand. There's one more girl, leaning against the woman's legs. Two more children, this time two boys, surround the woman. Clearly, they are a family, being the man and the woman the parents of the four children around them. But there are two other members we have not mentioned and that are hidden from view. Who are they?

- What type of family is this?

- How has the painter depicted them? Are they happy or sad?

Click here for an answer to the questions above.
Click here for the audioguide of the painting from the online catalogue of the Prado Museum.

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As you can see, families have changed a lot throughout the centuries, don't you think?

(Source: Área de Educación del Museo Nacional del Prado. www.museodelprado.es)

Monday, November 4, 2013

Plasencia Language School Logo contest: WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Dear students & readers of this blog,

The students in our school have recently participated in a contest to design the logo that is going to represent our school in its 25th anniversary. The image you can see on the left of this post is the winner. It was designed by Rubén Hernández Castellano, a student of Intermediate Level 1 in our associated centre of Hervás. Congratulations, Rubén!!

But many people participated. We want to thank them for designing such wonderful logos. Please take a few minutes to have a look at the logos of the other contestants. Click here. It will be worth your while!

CHEERS!!