These are some authors from the 20th century that write in simple, everyday language:
American:
Robert Frost
Sylvia Plath
Langston Hughes.
Irish:
Seamus Heaney.
Scottish:
Edwin Morgan.
I'll keep adding names to this list.
martes, 18 de enero de 2011
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, and Sonnets.
Some students in 1st year Bachillerato want to learn an extract from Romeo and Juliet. Here you have the full text of the play, online.
These are some very popular passages:
Act 1, prologue: Introduction.
Act 1, scene 4: "Queen Mab". Mercutio describes The Queen of Dreams to Romeo (this can be divided in two sections, the long one about Queen Mab and the short one where Mercutio rejects that dreams can have a meaning).
Act 1, scene 5: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" Romeo discovers Juliet.
Act 1, scene 5: from "If I profane with my unworthiest hand" until "You kiss by the book": Romeo and Juliet's first dialogue.
Act 2, scene 2: The "Balcony scene". Initial monologue of Romeo; Juliet's monologue about names.
Act 3 scene 3: "'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here". Romeo laments leaving Verona.
Act 4, scene 1: "Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this": Juliet threatens to kill herself. "O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris": Juliet asks Friar Laurence to help her. "Hold, then; go home, be merry, give consent" : Friar larence offers a solution.
Act 4, scene 3: "Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again." Juliet drinks poison (it cat be cut shorter).
Shakespeare also wrote a collection of 154 sonnets. This is the full list. Sonnets 18, 29, 64, 109, 116, 126, 130, 138, 142, 147, to say just ten, are some of the most popular ones.
These are some very popular passages:
Act 1, prologue: Introduction.
Act 1, scene 4: "Queen Mab". Mercutio describes The Queen of Dreams to Romeo (this can be divided in two sections, the long one about Queen Mab and the short one where Mercutio rejects that dreams can have a meaning).
Act 1, scene 5: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" Romeo discovers Juliet.
Act 1, scene 5: from "If I profane with my unworthiest hand" until "You kiss by the book": Romeo and Juliet's first dialogue.
Act 2, scene 2: The "Balcony scene". Initial monologue of Romeo; Juliet's monologue about names.
Act 3 scene 3: "'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here". Romeo laments leaving Verona.
Act 4, scene 1: "Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this": Juliet threatens to kill herself. "O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris": Juliet asks Friar Laurence to help her. "Hold, then; go home, be merry, give consent" : Friar larence offers a solution.
Act 4, scene 3: "Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again." Juliet drinks poison (it cat be cut shorter).
Shakespeare also wrote a collection of 154 sonnets. This is the full list. Sonnets 18, 29, 64, 109, 116, 126, 130, 138, 142, 147, to say just ten, are some of the most popular ones.
domingo, 16 de enero de 2011
Actividades para el Lunes 17
No os preocupéis; volveré pronto, no me echaréis mucho de menos. Éstas son las actividades para el Lunes 17:
1 C y 1 F: Éste es el índice de las fotocopias de gramática, ¿verdad?
1. Present simple vs. Present continuous.
2. Present perfect simple vs. past simple.
3. “Will” future vs. “going to”.
4. Future continuous vs. future perfect.
5. Past simple vs. past continuous.
6. Past perfect.
Pues bien, completad lo que esté sin hacer EXCEPTO los temas del futuro.
2 A:
Continuad con las tropecientas transformaciones a pasiva de la fotocopia que os di el viernes.
3B:
Tenéis un día más para completar el crucigrama de verbos irregulares.
Corrección:
1º de Bachillerato: Traed los cuadernillos de fotocopias todos los días hasta que vuelva, porque lo primero que haré será corregirlo todo. Es decir: doy por hecho que cuando vuelva (martes, miércoles, espero que no más tarde), vais a tener los cuadernillos hechos completos, menos el tema del futuro.
2º Bachillerato: digo lo mismo del tema de la pasiva: traed el cuadernillo a clase, espero venir el jueves, corregiremos primero el diálogo de Rosencrantz & Guildernstern y luego la pasiva.
3 B y 1 F: no voy a corregir los crucigramas, pero comprobaré que lo tenéis hecho y pondré ceros a quien no lo tenga.
1 C y 1 F: Éste es el índice de las fotocopias de gramática, ¿verdad?
1. Present simple vs. Present continuous.
2. Present perfect simple vs. past simple.
3. “Will” future vs. “going to”.
4. Future continuous vs. future perfect.
5. Past simple vs. past continuous.
6. Past perfect.
Pues bien, completad lo que esté sin hacer EXCEPTO los temas del futuro.
2 A:
Continuad con las tropecientas transformaciones a pasiva de la fotocopia que os di el viernes.
3B:
Tenéis un día más para completar el crucigrama de verbos irregulares.
Corrección:
1º de Bachillerato: Traed los cuadernillos de fotocopias todos los días hasta que vuelva, porque lo primero que haré será corregirlo todo. Es decir: doy por hecho que cuando vuelva (martes, miércoles, espero que no más tarde), vais a tener los cuadernillos hechos completos, menos el tema del futuro.
2º Bachillerato: digo lo mismo del tema de la pasiva: traed el cuadernillo a clase, espero venir el jueves, corregiremos primero el diálogo de Rosencrantz & Guildernstern y luego la pasiva.
3 B y 1 F: no voy a corregir los crucigramas, pero comprobaré que lo tenéis hecho y pondré ceros a quien no lo tenga.
jueves, 13 de enero de 2011
The Calendar
There is a new characteristic in the blog: If you click on the left-hand red sign, you will see a calendar will all the assignments of all my groups. If you don't remember the date of an exam or the contents of a particular assignment, there it is.
You can also access the calendar with this short address: http://bit.ly/english_calendar Easy, isn't it?
You can also access the calendar with this short address: http://bit.ly/english_calendar Easy, isn't it?
miércoles, 22 de diciembre de 2010
Commentary guide for films - part 2
This is the same guide, adapted for films with a supernatural element.
Film 1 is Bram Stoker's Dracula. Film 2 can be Twilight or a film of your choice. This film MUST include a supernatural villain. The element of horror MUST be supernatural. So, no serial killers.
Watch each film and try to answer all the questions in this list, separately. You can do this while you watch, or immediately afterwards.
Compare the answers you have given in one film and in the other.
Try to make conclusions in your comparison. Don't be afraid to give personal opinions.
Your essay should answer most questions in this outline.
1 Genre.
What are the genres of the two films? (comedy, horror, drama, etc).
2 The Plot.
Make a brief plot summary of both films. It must be personal and very short.
3 The characters.
The hero (Male or female). This is an ACTIVE character: the person that fights against evil.
What are the hero's objectives?
What physical characteristics are very important for the story?
Personality traits, positive and negative. What makes him/her strong. What makes him/her weak.
Does the character “feel real”? Why or why not?
The heroine(s). This is a PASSIVE character: she (very rarely a man) needs to be rescued from evil.
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Have the heroines got any characteristics that make them interesting, apart from “needing to be rescued”?
Only if you are considering Twilight, you can go back to the information from the 1st term:
How is the relationship between hero and heroine? Can you imagine them together?
Are the couple more interesting when they are apart, or when they are together?
The villain. In the films we are analising, the villain is supernatural.
Who is the villain? Why?
What are the villain's objectives?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
What are the villains superpowers and strenghts?
What are the villain's weak points?
Only if you are commenting Twilight:
Why haven't vampires conquered all the world? After all, they are invincible, aren't they?
Hero's allies vs. villain allies.
How many are there?
How much power do they have?
How do they help the hero and the villain?
Is the fight between good and evil a metaphor of something that happens in the real world?
3 Time.
How fast does time pass?
How long does the events in the film take?
Is the film's rhythm “fast” or “slow”? Does it affect our enjoyment?
Does the film have a constant “pace”? Are some sections faster or slower than others? Which ones?
If a section is much slower than the rest of the film, that scene is probably very important.
Comment on the structure:
Are there three acts? What happens at the divisions?
Main event of each act.
4 Space.
Where does the action take place?
How does the location affect the events or the characters?
Consider: city vs. country, houses vs. the open air. Big cities, small towns. Places that make the villain comfortable vs. places that don't.
Consider symbolism: places where “good” things happen. Places where “bad” things happen.
5 The visual aspect.
Describe the use of the light and the décor in the film.
How does it affect the way we see the film?
6 Language.
How do the characters speak? (formally, informally, a lot, too little.....)
Mention some specific examples of language in the film that you find interesting and expressive (words or complete lines of dialogue). Justify your answer.
Film 1 is Bram Stoker's Dracula. Film 2 can be Twilight or a film of your choice. This film MUST include a supernatural villain. The element of horror MUST be supernatural. So, no serial killers.
Watch each film and try to answer all the questions in this list, separately. You can do this while you watch, or immediately afterwards.
Compare the answers you have given in one film and in the other.
Try to make conclusions in your comparison. Don't be afraid to give personal opinions.
Your essay should answer most questions in this outline.
1 Genre.
What are the genres of the two films? (comedy, horror, drama, etc).
2 The Plot.
Make a brief plot summary of both films. It must be personal and very short.
3 The characters.
The hero (Male or female). This is an ACTIVE character: the person that fights against evil.
What are the hero's objectives?
What physical characteristics are very important for the story?
Personality traits, positive and negative. What makes him/her strong. What makes him/her weak.
Does the character “feel real”? Why or why not?
The heroine(s). This is a PASSIVE character: she (very rarely a man) needs to be rescued from evil.
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Have the heroines got any characteristics that make them interesting, apart from “needing to be rescued”?
Only if you are considering Twilight, you can go back to the information from the 1st term:
How is the relationship between hero and heroine? Can you imagine them together?
Are the couple more interesting when they are apart, or when they are together?
The villain. In the films we are analising, the villain is supernatural.
Who is the villain? Why?
What are the villain's objectives?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
What are the villains superpowers and strenghts?
What are the villain's weak points?
Only if you are commenting Twilight:
Why haven't vampires conquered all the world? After all, they are invincible, aren't they?
Hero's allies vs. villain allies.
How many are there?
How much power do they have?
How do they help the hero and the villain?
Is the fight between good and evil a metaphor of something that happens in the real world?
3 Time.
How fast does time pass?
How long does the events in the film take?
Is the film's rhythm “fast” or “slow”? Does it affect our enjoyment?
Does the film have a constant “pace”? Are some sections faster or slower than others? Which ones?
If a section is much slower than the rest of the film, that scene is probably very important.
Comment on the structure:
Are there three acts? What happens at the divisions?
Main event of each act.
4 Space.
Where does the action take place?
How does the location affect the events or the characters?
Consider: city vs. country, houses vs. the open air. Big cities, small towns. Places that make the villain comfortable vs. places that don't.
Consider symbolism: places where “good” things happen. Places where “bad” things happen.
5 The visual aspect.
Describe the use of the light and the décor in the film.
How does it affect the way we see the film?
6 Language.
How do the characters speak? (formally, informally, a lot, too little.....)
Mention some specific examples of language in the film that you find interesting and expressive (words or complete lines of dialogue). Justify your answer.
Commentary guide for films - part 1
This is a very general and wide template, created with romantic comedies in mind.
1 The characters.
The hero (Male or female). Who is s/he? What are his/her objectives?
Physical characteristics: What physical characteristics are very important for the story?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Does this character “feel real”? Why or why not?
The heroine. Does she have any desires and interests? Which ones?
Physical characteristics. What physical characteristics are very important for the story?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Does the character “feel real”? Why or why not?
For love stories:
Can you imagine the hero and the love interest together?
Do they have a positive relationship? yes, no, why?
Are the couple more interesting when they are apart, or when they are together?
The villain. Who is the villain? Why?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Does the character “feel real”?
The antagonist. Is there one? What does s/he want?
Characteristics.
Is any character an antihero? Yes? No? Who? Why?
Hero's allies vs. villain allies.
How many are there? How much power do they have? How do they help the hero and the villain?
2 The Plot.
Make a brief plot summary.
3 Time.
How fast does time pass? How long does the events in the film take?
Is the film's rhythm “fast” or “slow”? Does it affect our enjoyment?
Does the film have a constant “pace”? Are some sections faster or slower than others? Which ones?
Comment the general structure of the film: which are the climactic acts and when do they take place?
4 Space.
Where does the action take place?
How does the location affect the events or the characters? (city vs. country, houses vs. the open air, etc)
5 The visual aspect.
Describe the use of the light and the décor in the film.
How does it affect the way we see the film?
6 Language.
How do the characters speak? (formally, informally, a lot, too little.....)
Mention some specific examples of language in the film that you find interesting and expressive (words or complete lines of dialogue). Justify your answer.
1 The characters.
The hero (Male or female). Who is s/he? What are his/her objectives?
Physical characteristics: What physical characteristics are very important for the story?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Does this character “feel real”? Why or why not?
The heroine. Does she have any desires and interests? Which ones?
Physical characteristics. What physical characteristics are very important for the story?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Does the character “feel real”? Why or why not?
For love stories:
Can you imagine the hero and the love interest together?
Do they have a positive relationship? yes, no, why?
Are the couple more interesting when they are apart, or when they are together?
The villain. Who is the villain? Why?
Personality traits, positive and negative.
Does the character “feel real”?
The antagonist. Is there one? What does s/he want?
Characteristics.
Is any character an antihero? Yes? No? Who? Why?
Hero's allies vs. villain allies.
How many are there? How much power do they have? How do they help the hero and the villain?
2 The Plot.
Make a brief plot summary.
3 Time.
How fast does time pass? How long does the events in the film take?
Is the film's rhythm “fast” or “slow”? Does it affect our enjoyment?
Does the film have a constant “pace”? Are some sections faster or slower than others? Which ones?
Comment the general structure of the film: which are the climactic acts and when do they take place?
4 Space.
Where does the action take place?
How does the location affect the events or the characters? (city vs. country, houses vs. the open air, etc)
5 The visual aspect.
Describe the use of the light and the décor in the film.
How does it affect the way we see the film?
6 Language.
How do the characters speak? (formally, informally, a lot, too little.....)
Mention some specific examples of language in the film that you find interesting and expressive (words or complete lines of dialogue). Justify your answer.
miércoles, 8 de diciembre de 2010
Real Love
John Lennon was murdered 30 years ago today. This song in the video here was released many years after his death and it's one of my favourite love songs ever. It is also a good way to revise the past continuous for those of you who mix it up with other tenses.
All my little plans and schemes,
lost like some forgotten dreams.
Seems that all I really was doing
was waitin' for you.
Just like little girls and boys,
playing with their little toys.
Seems like all we really were doing
was waitin' for love.
Don't need to be alone,
No need to be alone.
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real.
From this moment on I know,
exactly where my life will go.
Seems that all I really was doing
was waitin' for love.
Don't need to be afraid,
No need to be afraid.
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real.
Thought I'd been in love before,
but in my heart I wanted more.
Seems like all I really was doing
was waitin' for you.
Don't to be alone,
No need to be alone.
It's real love, yeah it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes, it's real love, it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love....
All my little plans and schemes,
lost like some forgotten dreams.
Seems that all I really was doing
was waitin' for you.
Just like little girls and boys,
playing with their little toys.
Seems like all we really were doing
was waitin' for love.
Don't need to be alone,
No need to be alone.
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real.
From this moment on I know,
exactly where my life will go.
Seems that all I really was doing
was waitin' for love.
Don't need to be afraid,
No need to be afraid.
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real.
Thought I'd been in love before,
but in my heart I wanted more.
Seems like all I really was doing
was waitin' for you.
Don't to be alone,
No need to be alone.
It's real love, yeah it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes, it's real love, it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love, it's real,
It's real love, it's real,
Yes it's real love....
lunes, 12 de julio de 2010
The Kiva microloan is done!
Sorry it took me so long!
The students in 4º A gave me a total of 27 euros (I think). That's 33 $ USA. I couldn't just double it as I wanted because the website only admitted round numbers. So, I lent $50 and $7 for the website. That was 46 euros, 27 from you and 19 from me.
The money went to a project in Peru. As you wanted, it's a woman's project in South America. I also looked for a mother who is similar to other women in the projects you chose.
This is my page as a Kiva lender.
I will probably use this website in the future with other students. In Kiva, there are "comunities" of lenders with similar interests and I will join or make a community of educators.
When we have news of Piedad Justa, I will tell you.
The students in 4º A gave me a total of 27 euros (I think). That's 33 $ USA. I couldn't just double it as I wanted because the website only admitted round numbers. So, I lent $50 and $7 for the website. That was 46 euros, 27 from you and 19 from me.
The money went to a project in Peru. As you wanted, it's a woman's project in South America. I also looked for a mother who is similar to other women in the projects you chose.
This is my page as a Kiva lender.
I will probably use this website in the future with other students. In Kiva, there are "comunities" of lenders with similar interests and I will join or make a community of educators.
When we have news of Piedad Justa, I will tell you.
lunes, 29 de marzo de 2010
Mis nativos digitales
Para entender esta pequeña anécdota, hay que entender cómo son las aulas de los centros TIC andaluces. Cada aula tiene un ordenador de sobremesa para cada dos alumnos, y al fondo de la clase hay algunos controles para la corriente eléctrica, porque es muy fácil para los críos encender los ordenadores y estar leyendo el MARCA o su email mientras se da clase. Por ese motivo, los profesores controlamos si los ordenadores tienen luz eléctrica o no. Hay más enchufes, que no se controlan desde la pared, por si nos llevamos a las clases un DVD, un cañón proyector, un CD portátil, etc. El control de la pared es como el diferencial que hay en tu casa: un panel con una docena de palanquitas. Ah, los ordenadores usan Guadalinex, Firefox y Open Office. A mí nunca se me ha bloqueado uno, aunque Firefox sí se puede bloquear.
El otro día, una clase de 4º de la ESO (15-16 años: nacieron en 1994 aproximadamente) iba a trabajar con internet bajo mi supervisión. Dos alumnos compartían un ordenador del que habíamos comprobado anteriormente que no le funcionaba la toma de electricidad, el enchufe que hay en el suelo. Varias parejas ya habían encendido sus ordenadores y estaban empezando a trabajar. Y uno de los dos chicos con el ordenador que no tenía acceso a un enchufe que funcione se fue al diferencial y bajó todas las palancas. Todas. Así se apagaron todos los ordenadores. Le llamé la atención mientras él volvía a subirlas todas.
- ¿Qué estás haciendo?
- Estamos mirando a ver si así funciona.
- Anda, cámbiate de ordenador.
Es decir: esta pareja pensaba que si un enchufe de la pared no funciona, a lo mejor si lo cierras y lo vuelves a abrir entonces sí va. La corriente eléctrica funciona, en su concepción, igual que Windows. . Tres años de clase de Tecnología, un año de clase de Informática, y cuatro años trabajando con Guadalinex no han borrado la concepción básica de los "nativos digitales" con los que trabajo a diario, que es la siguiente:
Todas las cosas eléctricas, electrónicas, o tecnológicas sirven fundamentalmente para el ocio y funcionan igual que Windows, que es la medida de todas ellas.
El otro día, una clase de 4º de la ESO (15-16 años: nacieron en 1994 aproximadamente) iba a trabajar con internet bajo mi supervisión. Dos alumnos compartían un ordenador del que habíamos comprobado anteriormente que no le funcionaba la toma de electricidad, el enchufe que hay en el suelo. Varias parejas ya habían encendido sus ordenadores y estaban empezando a trabajar. Y uno de los dos chicos con el ordenador que no tenía acceso a un enchufe que funcione se fue al diferencial y bajó todas las palancas. Todas. Así se apagaron todos los ordenadores. Le llamé la atención mientras él volvía a subirlas todas.
- ¿Qué estás haciendo?
- Estamos mirando a ver si así funciona.
- Anda, cámbiate de ordenador.
Es decir: esta pareja pensaba que si un enchufe de la pared no funciona, a lo mejor si lo cierras y lo vuelves a abrir entonces sí va. La corriente eléctrica funciona, en su concepción, igual que Windows. . Tres años de clase de Tecnología, un año de clase de Informática, y cuatro años trabajando con Guadalinex no han borrado la concepción básica de los "nativos digitales" con los que trabajo a diario, que es la siguiente:
Todas las cosas eléctricas, electrónicas, o tecnológicas sirven fundamentalmente para el ocio y funcionan igual que Windows, que es la medida de todas ellas.
martes, 2 de marzo de 2010
Short and easy reading material
Reading in a foreign language is difficult. One of the problems is finding texts that are short, easy, and interesting. This is a collection of texts written in English in the original. All the links take you to archives of stories or comics. You need to find the "<<" "previous" or "back" button to read the archives.
Don't try to understand all the words. If the text is a webcomic, find the joke. If you find the joke, good job!
Webcomics:
* Calvin and Hobbes is a classic. The protagonists are a little boy, his pet tiger, and his parents.
* "Peanuts" is another classic. I hate it, but it has lots of fans...
* xkcd is "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math and language". The protagonists are a couple of scientists, boyfriend and girlfriend. I recommend it if your English is good, and you like maths, science or computers.
* Count your sheep looks like a children's story, but it's not. The protagonist are a girl, her imaginary friend and her mom. The girl's dad died when her mother was pregnant. I recommend you click "First" and read in chronological order.
* Indexed, like xkcd, is also about maths. Absolutely recommended if you like maths; impossible to understand if you don't like diagrams.
Gossip:
* Postsecret is a very famous American website. People write their secrets in cards and send them to a man in the United States. Then, he puts the secrets on the website. He changes them every week: there is no archive.
Poetry:
* Haiku is a Japanese poetic form. Haikus are very short and descriptive. They show an image of nature, and it expresses a feeling.
Don't try to understand all the words. If the text is a webcomic, find the joke. If you find the joke, good job!
Webcomics:
* Calvin and Hobbes is a classic. The protagonists are a little boy, his pet tiger, and his parents.
* "Peanuts" is another classic. I hate it, but it has lots of fans...
* xkcd is "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math and language". The protagonists are a couple of scientists, boyfriend and girlfriend. I recommend it if your English is good, and you like maths, science or computers.
* Count your sheep looks like a children's story, but it's not. The protagonist are a girl, her imaginary friend and her mom. The girl's dad died when her mother was pregnant. I recommend you click "First" and read in chronological order.
* Indexed, like xkcd, is also about maths. Absolutely recommended if you like maths; impossible to understand if you don't like diagrams.
Gossip:
* Postsecret is a very famous American website. People write their secrets in cards and send them to a man in the United States. Then, he puts the secrets on the website. He changes them every week: there is no archive.
Poetry:
* Haiku is a Japanese poetic form. Haikus are very short and descriptive. They show an image of nature, and it expresses a feeling.
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