Wonder, the movie

This film, based on the bestselling novel by R. J. Palacio, tells the story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences caused by Treacher Collins syndrome who enters fifth grade and confronts the challenges of attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time. 

(SOURCE: wonderthebook.com)

Do you want to see how Jacob Tremblay changed into Auggie Pullman? Read this article.

Go to the nearest cinema to watch it or read the book. What are you waiting for? 

Little Red Riding Hood by Roald Dahl

Watch the video below and listen to the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf told by Roald Dahl.

Have you read this tale before? In what ways is this one different from the original story?

Now listen again and do the EXERCISES. Then, read the whole poem HERE.

The story behind the "Fearless Girl"

The Fearless Girl

A new statue facing the famous bull of Wall Street appeared on March 8th in New York. What does it symbolize? Click on the picture to learn more.

You can also watch this interesting video:

A Spaniard guy walking around the world

Nacho Dean is thought to be the only Spaniard to have walked around the world. Click on his picture below and learn more things about his amazing achievement.

Nacho Dean

• What did he learn from people during his trip?
• What obstacles did he overcome?
• What environmental problems did he observe?

You can hear an interview with him HERE.

TASK: Find information about other people who travelled around the world and prepare a presentation about them.

10 inventions that will make your life easier

Watch this video and do the quiz.
Are there any other amazing inventions you would like to share with us?

The Future.

These are some predictions for the future. What do you think? How many will come true?

Look at these presentations and practise FUTURE PERFECT and FUTURE CONTINUOUS.

Finally you can revise both tenses and do some exercises in these links:

• Future continuous
• Future perfect

We can use different expressions to talk about how sure we are that something will happen in the future:

- 100%  will definitely/to be sure to/to be bound to/to be certain to
- 75%  will probably/to be likely to/there's a good chance that
- 50%  will possibly/may/might/could
- 25%  probably won't/to be unlikely to
- 0%   definitely won't/there's no chance that

EXERCISE: Re-write these sentences using the word in brackets (highlight to see the answers):

1. A lot of companies are likely to go out of business. (probably)

A lot of companies will probably go out of business.

2. Windows is unlikely to remain the dominant force in software. (probably)

Windows probably won't remain the dominant force in software.

3. People could stop using cash by around 2015. (may)

People may stop using cash by around 2015.

4. The mouse will definitely disappear in the next few years. (bound)

The mouse is bound to disappear in the next few years.

5. There's a very good chance that mobile phones will be replaced with something different. (probably)

Mobile phones will probably be replaced with something different.

6. There is no chance that the rate of change will slow down. (definitely)

The rate of change definitely won't slow down.

15 Interesting Facts About Halloween

1 Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween: orange, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and reminds us that Halloween was once a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.

2 More candy is sold on October 28th than any other day of the year.

3 In Arkansas it's illegal to dress up as a priest.

4 The Village Halloween parade in New York City is the largest Halloween parade in the United States. It includes 50.000 participants and draws over 2.000.000 spectators.

5 According to legend, if you see a spider on Halloween it's actually the spirit of a loved one watching over you.

http://thechive.com/2013/09/19/30-interesting-facts-about-halloween-30-photos/

6 October 30th is National Candy Corn day.

7 It's actually very rare for a full moon to occur on Halloween.

8 Pumpkins are typically orange, but they can also be green, white, red and grey.

9 Ireland is believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.

10 The word "witch" comes from the Old English "wicce", meaning "wise woman". In fact, witches were highly respected people at one time.

11 Magician Harry Houdini died on Halloween.

12 In the UK white cats are thought to bring bad luck.

13 Hard candy lasts for a year, while chocolate can last up to two.

14 Thousands of people suffer from Samhainophobia, which is an irrational fear of Halloween.

15 Many shelters don't allow black cats to be adopted around Halloween, for fear that they may be tortured or sacrificed.

(source: thechive.com)

• Read the information above about Halloween and find the FALSE fact.
• Then click on the picture and check if you were right.
• Explain in your own words: the origin of the word "Halloween" / fancy dress / trick-or-treating / pumpkin carving / jack-o'lantern / ducking for apples.
• You can also see this VIDEO on Halloween and answer the questions.

She's Not Just a Pretty Face - Shania Twain

• Watch the video and listen to the lyrics. What is the song about?
• Read about 20 interesting facts about Shania HERE.

Pumpkin Carving

1. What materials do you need to carve a pumpkin?
2. Which are the first steps before carving?
3.What can you do with the seeds?
4. Which other creative ideas with pumpkins does the video show?

Making Deductions: Sherlock Holmes, a Web Task

Sherlock Holmes was famous for his DEDUCTIONS and must have been the greatest fictional detective of his day. He certainly solved a lot of cases so he can't have been very bad at it...

1) Watch this presentation and make deductions in the past and in the present about the pictures:

• What is deduction?
• What are modal verbs?
• When do we use must? And can't, may or might?
• How do we make deductions about the past?

2) You are going to watch the first part of The Hound of the Baskervilles, a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which Sherlock Holmes has to investigate a mysterious dog.

- Watch CLIP 1 and answer the following questions:

•  Did Sir Charles of Baskerville die of natural causes?
• According to the legend of the Baskerville hound, what happens to all the members of the Baskerville family?
• Does Sherlock Holmes believe in supernatural legends?

- Read about the legend and the characters HERE. Find out the meaning of the words in bold.

3) Try to solve the mystery as Sherlock Holmes would do. Prepare an oral presentation making deductions about what could have happened.

4) Read the complete summary HERE. 

Mr Bean's Christmas: Web Task

Mr Bean celebrates the traditional British Christmas. Find out how. Click on the Web Task and do all the activities.

Web Task: Friends in TV shows

Friends and The Secret Circle are two American TV series about a group of friends. Can you see any difference between them? What are the two shows about?

A Watch CLIP 1 and answer the following questions:

1 Where do the girls come from?

2 What is UNAGI?

3 Does UNAGI prove to be effective in the end?

B Watch CLIP 2 and answer the questions too:

1 What does the protagonist have to fix in her car?

2 In the video we see that Cassie has to start over. How?

3 In what way is her new circle of friends "different"?

4 What does the "secret circle" refer to?

5 What is special about Cassie?

C Imagine you are the owner of a successful TV channel. Which one would you choose?

Read how to express opinions in English and prepare a discussion.

Superheroes!!

Watch the clip and answer the questions.

1) Which superheroes appear in the clip?
2) What's the problem with the girl's costume?
3) What's the solution to the problem? Is the girl happy with it?
4) Which costume is the man in red wearing? What's his special superpower?
5) Where are they going?

CLIP I

Publish your answers as a comment with your name. There will be POSITIVES for the ones with the best answers.

Have you ever seen an episode of this TV-series? What's its name?

The Missing Coins Summary

Summary

The Missing Coins

is a mystery story. Pete and Carla are

students, visiting the city of Bath in England. While they

are walking around looking at the shops and buildings

they hear music in a quiet street. A man is playing a flute.

He is standing next to the window of a shop which sells

coins and stamps. They go into the shop and have a look.

Pete wants some stamps, but they are expensive and the

girl shop assistant is unfriendly. Pete and Carla then go to

a café for a drink.

To their surprise, the shopkeeper comes to find them

there. He says that some of his coins are missing. He

thinks Pete and Carla have stolen them. He looks in

Carla’s bag and their pockets in front of a policeman, but

it turns out that they have not taken them.

Later, Carla hears the music again. She realises how the

coins were stolen: The girl in the shop has made a plan

with the flute player. She drops the coins into the flute

player’s hat through the open window. Carla explains this

to the policeman. The policeman finds the missing coins

in the flute player’s hat.

The shopkeeper is so pleased with Carla and Pete that he,

in return, gives Pete the stamps that he wants.

ACTIVITIES (RECOMMENDED):

1) Translate the summary in your language and find out the meaning of the words in purple.

2) Watch this video about Bath and do the exercises.

3) Prepare an oral presentation to do in class.

Mr Bean Goes to the Dentist

Today Mr Bean goes to the dentist... watch the video and find out all the strange things that will happen to him!!

Have fun... and do the exercises too.

VIDEO & EXERCISES

*Easter Homework: Download the worksheet HERE and give it to your teacher after holidays.

Directions

This is a funny video about how to ask for and give directions in English.

Watch it and answer the following questions in your notebook:

1- Where is the protagonist of the video from?

2- Where is he?

3- Write two ways to ask for directions in the video.

4- Can you explain what the problem is?

Now you are ready to do some online exercises:
- Could you tell me the way to...?
- Directions Multiple choice

If you need some more practice click HERE.


 

A November Celebration

A Answer these questions in your notebook:

1 What do Americans celebrate every year on the 4th Thursday of November?
2 What is the typical food for this celebration?

B Watch the video and answer these questions in your notebook:

1 What has Snoopy prepared for dinner?
2 Do the kids like it?
3 What kind of food does the girl want?

Happy Halloween!!

The pagans who lived in Britain 200 years ago celebrated New Year on 1st November. Then the Christians came and celebrated “Hallowmas”, a festival between 31^st October and 2^nd November.

31^st October slowly changed the name to HALLOWEEN.

In the past, people believed that bad spirits came in winter. They wanted bad spirits to go away, so they made fires outside and used pumpkins to make jack o’ lanterns.

To make a jack o’ lantern, people cut a hole in a large fruit. Then they put a candle in the hole, and cut a face in the side.

Another thing people do is to dress like witches and ghosts to make the bad spirits go away. People often put up decorations for Halloween parties, play games such as "bobbing apples", attend costume parties and bonfires, tell scary stories and watch horror films.

Children go “trick or treating”. They dress like witches and ghosts, and go to the houses in small groups.When someone answers the door, the children say: TRICK OR TREAT? and the person in the house must decide. They may give the children a treat ( chocolate, fruit, sweets…) or the children will play a trick on them . The children sometimes throw eggs at the house.

__________________________________________________________

Read the text and do these exercises in your notebook:

1 Answer these questions:

•  When do we celebrate Halloween?
•  What countries typically celebrate Halloween?
•  What is a jack-o-lantern?
•  Can you mention three activities people often do in Halloween?

2 Find the meaning of the underlined words (you can use a dictionary)

3 Find out the meaning of the word "halloween".

__________________________________________________________________________

4 Now, watch this cartoon related to Halloween and answer these questions in your notebook:

a What are the children doing?
b Mention four things children have got in their bags.
c What does the last child get?

Halloween is fun, isn't it? Enjoy a lot and don't forget to bring your HOMEWORK to class!!



Hey Soul Sister

Hey Soul Sister is a catchy song by Train, a band from USA. Listen  and enjoy!!

You can find interesting facts of Train HERE.

And here you have the lyrics:

Patch Adams

Patch Adams (1998)
A medical student in the 70's that treated patients, illegally, using humor. Based on a true story.

Director: Tom Shadyac.

Stars: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

(Source: imdb.com)

You can download the Project HERE.

Did you enjoy the film? Why/Why not? Leave a comment with your name!!