Showing posts with label Intercultural Awareness. Show all posts

Mary Beard. Meet the Romans

Are your students begging to watch a film at the end of the school year? Why not a bit of culture about the Roman Empire?

Level: High

Length: about 60 min per Episode. 3 episodes in total

Meet the Romans Professor Mary Beard looks beyond the stories of emperors, armies, guts, and gore to meet the everyday people at the heart of Ancient Rome's vast empire We still live in the shadow of ancient Rome - a city at the heart of a vast empire that stretched from Scotland to Afghanistan, dominating the West for over 700 years. Professor Mary Beard puts aside the stories of emperors and armies, guts and gore, to meet the real Romans living at the heart of it all.

1/3 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rggk_H3jEgw

1/2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFw8M4PBUI

1/3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UvG0LDeYBA

If the online links do not work, you can download the videos by clicking HERE

Dr. Florianne Koechlin: Do tomatoes speak?

Level:upper

Procedure: Students reflect on questions. The video (14 min) contains the insights of Dr. Koechlin in relation to plant dignity.

Vocabulary:

You are going to hear the following words. You may want to know what they mean.
Names of insects: Carterpillar, parasitic wasp, spider mites, winter moth.
Flowers/plants: marigolds , birch tree.
Tits = Small bird (tit bird)
Scent = smell (pay attention to pronunciation)
Mycorrhiza =A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a green plant and a fungus

Before watching
Reflect on these questions
Can plants communicate?
Can a scent/odor smell nasty to a plant?
Can plants network?
Do you know what the 5 human senses? Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste
Do plants know about their past?
Watch the video to compare your answers and Dr. Koechlin’s
Questions:

What does Dr. Florianne Koechlin call a feat of communication?
What are some of the actions that plants can carry out?
Why is mycorrhiza important?
What is the proof that a tomato plant can learn from experience?
What is a plant, according to the speaker Dr. Koechlin?
What are the consequences of seeing the plant as a SHE?
Why does the comparison between animal and plant make sense?
What did the committee that discussed plant dignity agree on?
What prize did the committee receive for their research?
9.What examples are given on plant mistreatment?

To finish:
Has this talk changed the way you see plants? Justify your answer

To see the KEY or download the video, click HERE

Amazing Street Art : 15 artists

Level: Advanced. Particularly geared towards Art Students
Video length: 21 minutes
Timing for full task: 1 hour 45 minutes.
As the task has 15 sections you can adapt the length of the task to your needs
Procedure:

1. You are going to watch a video that features 15 famous street artists' work.You will hear these words in the video. Make sure you know what they mean.

Suffer a bad rap, Push the boundaries of, To be forged by, To be coy about, A myriad of emotions, Overlapping, Layers, Snarling wolf (dog), Bystander, Mundane, Whimsical,
Electric meeters, Devious, Sewer drains, To crack a smile, Hold on to your hat ( An expression warning someone of a big surprise), Rubble, To be awash with (full), A quote ( pay attention to the meaning of this word in this video: David Bowie part), Cut-outs, Lurking, Blazing, To see a surge

Remember that using sophisticated vocabulary in your composition is a must. You may introduce some of these words in your future essays.

2. Read the questions before you listen to the different sections.

Concrete Canvas: Gregor Wosik.

Use your own words to explain what “Optical Illusion” and “Concrete Canvas” are
Who inspired Grogo Wosik?

Sean Yoro: Tidal murals

What are tidal murals?
What is Sean Yoro aim?

Stathis Tsavalias. Insane 51 Hidden Art

How does this artist create an optical 3D illusionary effect?
.What is this method called?
What does the bystander see?

Tom Bob’s Reinventions

For Tom Bob nothing is useless. What type of elements does this artist choose to work with?
According to the voice-over, What is the most common reaction to Tomb Bob artwork?

Ray Media Jaens. Dia de los muertos

10. What is the main material used to create this Dia de lo Muertos sculpture?

M- Cities Kharkiv Mural

11.What are the objectives of Kharkiv murals?

12.What events are shaping Ukraine’s modern society?

Bowie Portrait

13.What was the objective of these subway art pieces?

14. What did the exhibition include, apart from realistic pictures?

Roa’s trapped creatures

15. What are the adjectives uses to describe Roa’s art?

Cosimo Cheone Lurking Giants

16.What does Cheone’s work suggest?

WD street art activism

17. What is the objective of this art?

The living wall by Nikita Nomerz

18. What does Nikita Nomertz use to create his art?

JCro’sMurals

19.What famous brand has JCro’s worked for?

20.What is the range of JCro’s work?

21.What is the only shape JCro’s uses in his work?

Leo Keer’s Augmented reality

22.What feature distinguishes Leo Keer’s mural from other artists works? T

Adam Fu’s Glow style

23. What type of paint does Adam Fu use?

24. What is the metaphor behind Adam Fu’s work? What does he use his work for?

Johan Karlgren’s Suprise art

25. How do Kagreen’s colors interact with the palette of the Swedish cities?

26. What is your favorite? Justify your reason

Use the key to correct your answers: HERE

If the link/embedded video is broken, please download the video file HERE

Introduction:

Everywhere you look, there’s a work of art to catch your eye. Whether we’re basking in the glory of Mother Nature, or standing awestruck at the metropolitan monoliths of modernity with some of the craziest installations in human history--the artist’s canvas has certainly shifted through the ages. Historically, street art has suffered a bad rap, particularly in the early days of Hip Hop and Graffiti, but now--both spray paint and latex are pushing the boundaries of the creative medium. From Optical Illusions to Moving Mannequins, here’s 15 Amazing Street Art That Is At Another Level

What can we do for climate change. The role of individual and collective actions.

Climate change is a recurrent topic in the examination to access university( Selectivitat)

Level: Upper

Procedure: Listen AND read a lecture on climate change.

The lecture deals with the evil of thinking there is an irreconcilable opposition between individual and collective actions and how this misconception (individual Vs Collective) has been used by corporations to continue making money while polluting the environment.

The task:

Use the comment section of the blog (remember to sign with your name) to:

Write 3 of 4 sentences that are key in the text. Explain why you think they are important. Indicate if you agree, you don’t agree or you think they need to be explained further.
Share new words or expressions that you have learned and that you think might be useful for future essays.

Click HERE to download the video and the script

Desirée's Baby (1892). A Reflection on Slavery

Level: upper

Reading task: Students read the questions about Kate Chopin short story: Désire's Baby.

Some questions are related to slavery and others to narrative techniques.

Questions about Kate Chopin's Désirée's Baby

In the first half of the story, a lazy mood prevails. How is this idea transmitted?
Note the similes as you read. Can you spot some of them?
Do you think the narrative voice is critical or sympathetic towards the characters of the story?
Armand Augbigny is the villain of the story. What are the devices used to present him as the villain?
Can you find images that hint at the impending doom or expressions of negative feelings that anticipate an unhappy end?
How do you feel about the clever twist? Did it reverse your expectations?
Do you think race and origin are still causes of inequality in the areas of the world where you live?

Questions based on American Literature to 1900 by Teresa Gibert. Editorial Ramón Areces, Uned. 2009, pp. 464 -468

To know more about the life and work of Kate Chopin: HERE

Link to Désir´e's Baby Short Story: HERE

KEY/ Answers: HERE

Pleasure is not happiness. Talk by Robert Lustig

Level: Upper intermediate or higher

Procedure: students read the questions and watch the video

Video length: 4 min 28 seconds

Vocabulary:

Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness
Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter. Your body makes it, and your nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells. That's why it's sometimes called a chemical messenger. Dopamine plays a role in how we feel pleasure

If you want to download the video or the KEY to the questions, please click HERE

Questions:

According to Dr. Lustig, pleasure and happiness cannot be equated.

1. What are the 7 differences between pleasure and happiness?

2. Can you summarize the impact of dopamine and serotonin in the human brain?
3. What are the locations Dr. Lustic mentions as places where dopamine is king? Do you know what these places represent?
4. Why did Dr. Lustic write this book?

The video

Why Quality Journalism is Important. Amal Clooney

Level: Intermediate to advanced
Procedure:

Listen to Amal Clooney's speech at the 2018 UNCA Global Citizen of the Year award (there is a link to unload it at the end, if streaming does not work)
Answer the questions.Some answers will require research or previous knowledge

Length of video: 19 minutes.

Answer these questions using your own words

According to Ms. Clooney, why are journalists important ? Do you agree with her?
How much did you know about the situation of Rohingya in Myanmar? What have you learnt after watching the video?
What countries are mentioned as enemies of free journalism? Can you list Amal’s examples of unfair trial cases?
How many years have elapsed since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Why is Ms Clooney particularly proud of Nadia, the Yazidi woman?
A French Multinational (Lafarge) has been found guilty of cooperation with Isis. Has this surprised you? Why?
What George Clooney’s movie is mentioned? Do you know what the McCarthy era is? If not, find out
Towards the of her speech Ms. Clooney talks about Jamal Khashoggi, what do you know about his case? Find out what happened , if you happen no to know

Afterthought

What are your sources of information on national or international news? Do you think they are quality sources? Why?

If you want to download either the video or the questions, click here

Politeness at work? What your colleagues really mean.

What nice office sentences really mean!

Just for fun!

instagram.com/verybritishproblemsofficial

Level: intermediate and upper
Task: students match what colleagues said to the real meaning of their words
Materials: a printout per 3 or 4 students

Source: instagram.com/verybritishproblemsofficial

Procedure.

Sentences are scrambled in the print out below.

Give the handout to the students so that they match the sentence colleagues said with their real meaning

Click HERE to access the task

Thanks to my colleague Iñaki Toufiño for providing me with the idea of this task.

Color blind people feelings

Level: Intermediate and upper
Idea and Materials: Gerard McLoughlin at the 2016 Barcelona British Council Workshop
Procedure:

Ask students to take the test (video in A )
Ask students to write how different color blind people may feel
Show students the Valspar Glasses videos for blind people (video in C )
Ask students to match the sentence and speaker: Keith, Andrew Atlee Chris
Start discussion by using prompt questions in section E

A) Test: Are you color blind? (Length. 1 min.33 ss)

B) Imagine: How may these color blind people feel?
1 a young father and looking at his kid’s paintings

2 a young girl shopping with friends

3 a young man and his own feelings

C) Valspar glasses for blind color people (Length. 3 min.52 ss)

Depending on the level of the students you may read the sentences below (D)before watching the video.

D) Ask students:

WHO SAID THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES?

Keith Andrew Atlee Chris

I stopped painting and drawing

I felt self – conscious about it

I wish I could see how they put the colors together

This is amazing

I’ve never been able to see this one

Is this what you guys see every day

I don’t want to take them off. People take it for granted

E) Food for thought

Have you ever stopped doing things because of what other people may say?
Were you aware of the problems color blind people endure? Can you name some of their problems?
Can you think of other people who may face other or similar problems? Who? How?