THE NEXT GENERATION

                   As many of you  know, some students from our school are taking part in the competition "English Movie" organised by Cambridge University Press. English movie is a competition for short films in English which began as part of the promotional launch fro Next Generation, a Bachillerato course. However, the overwhilming response to this programme, with more than 150 entries and over 800 participants, showed the organisers that this type of initiative is a worthy project in its own right.
Your mates  have made a huge effort to film two short movies about your age and your problems. So, why don´t you help them to win a prize with your votes?
Enter www. thenextgeneration.es.
Search for : The era I have to leave or Elaunita´s News.
Vote for them.
The deadline is May 15th. The more you vote for them, the better chances they will have to win one of the magnificent prizes. Good luck!
Have a look at the masterpieces! Any suggestions?

                                                                                
                                                                     The era I have to live

                                                      

                                               

BOOK DAY, APRIL 2013

On April 23rd and 24th, we celebrated the Book Day at school. There were lots of wonderful activities we all enjoyed , but I have picked up one which is specially close to my heart. My students of 31 Diversificacion recited the poem "The Power of Believing" by Patti King-DeBaum.
You can watch and read the poem at the same time:

Believe that all students can learn something and should be given the right to.
Believe that all students can communicate and should be given the right to.
Believe that all students can choose and should be given the right to do so.
Believe in hope.
Believe that small miracles are the best.
Believe that each individual has something positive and valuable to share with you.
Believe that if there is a will, there is a way.
Believe that you always have something positive to give to individuals, no matter the abilities they have.
Believe in patience.
Believe that if you believe...your students will believe.

I have picked up two quotes about books I would like to share with you:
Let books be your dining table,
And you shall be full of delights
Let them be your mattress
And you shall sleep restful nights.
                                           Unknown author

A piece of advice:
T.V.  Kids, if you are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun you will have with the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Open your imagination. Open a book!
But watch out!. As Helen Exley explained: "Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labelled,"This could change your life".
Here is a list of the books that, at some point in my life, changed it for better.
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
2. Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy.
3. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.
4. The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath
5. The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson.

Can you make this list longer? Has any book changed your life? Let us all know!.

FLYING OVER THE USA

Impressive!
A very interesting way to enjoy the wonders of this country!
How many different famous sites can you spot?
American English is also different from British English. Here you have a list of words which depict the same thing, but are said "the American style".

American                    British                          Spanish

soccer                          football                        fútbol
gasolin/ oil                  petrol                           gasolina
apartment                   flat                               piso
cell phone                   mobile                          móvil
vacation                      holiday                        vacaciones
cookie                         biscuit                         galleta
candy                          sweet                           caramelo
fries                            chips                            patatas fritas
airplane                      areoplane                     avión
sidewalk                     pavement                    acera
elevator                      lift                               ascensor
subway                      underground               metro

 

EASTER TRIVIA

           Just before the Easter holidays, students from ESO 31 D took part in a very funny activity called EASTER TRIVIA. They really got into it and enjoyed it very much . That is the reason why I am going to explain the procedure in case any other teacher wants to do this activity with his/her own students.

          STEP 1. DIVIDE THE STUDENTS INTO GROUPS.

          Each group is linked to a colour . In this case, there were four groups: WHITE, PINK, GREEN and BLUE.
          Depending on the group ratio, you can have four / five pupils in each group. Do not let students  make the groups. They will always tend to stay with their own friends or join the cleverest pupil in the class. (specially when they know there will be a prize for the winners at the end). Try to make balanced groups and do not forget to include your disabled students (if you have them).
          Blue  Group

          STEP 2.  PREPARE THE QUESTIONS.
          You have to prepare about twenty multiple-choice questions on Easter. The questions shouldn´t be easy at all, since students will have to look for the answers later on.
          Here is an example:
          According to the song, how much money is a Hot Cross Bun (typical Easter sweet)?
          A. Two pounds.
          B. One penny.
          C. Two euros.
          D. Nothing, it´s free.

 

                          Then, divide the twenty questions in groups of five and write them in four different papers with the colours of the groups you have made before. All the students have the same questions, but each group will deal with them at a different time. Do not worry they will tell the other groups the answers. They NEVER do, because all of them want to win.

          STEP 3. LOOK FOR VOLUNTEERS.
                        Other teachers who have no class at that time, the caretakers, people in the canteen, anybody will do. Once you explain to them what they have to do, they will do it happily.

                         And what do they have to do?
                         First, check that the answers are the correct ones. (very easy, because they always check the same questions and because you have given them the key previously). Then, put a sticker on the paper to show thay have done one part of the questionnaire and give them some chocolate eggs as a motivating prize. Finally, they have to send the group to another volunteer who will continue with the game by giving the students new questions.

 

We did it  like this:

 

WHITE  GROUP     PERSON IN CHARGE.- LAURA (Photocopy room assistant)   SEND THEM TO: MARIBEL

                                                                                                                                    & TRINI.(caretakers)

PINK GROUP     PERSON IN CHARGE.- MARIBEL AND TRINI           SEND THEM TO: EDU      

                                                                                                                           (canteen owner)

GREEN GROUP    PERSON IN CHARGE.- EDU                            SEND THEM TO : PILAR (Head of studies)

BLUE GROUP           PERSON IN CHARGE.- PILAR    SEND THEM TO: LAURA

 

 

Once they finish  the twenty questions, they always have to go back to you, who will  check they have the four stickers, one on each page (Besides, the stickers are different. In that way, you can know for sure if they have bribed one of the volunteers).

 

    STEP 4.  WORK OUT THE ANSWERS OF THE TRIVIA.

 

They will need the new technologies to find the answers to the questions. The Internet, mobiles, everything will do, and , of course, LOTS of IMAGINATION.

 

 

The first group to finish is ....THE WINNER.

 

 

STEP 5. CELEBRATE !

This year, Andrea and Blanca were the winners!  Here they are with their Easter Bunnies.

CONGRATUATIONS!

THE ARNOLFINI MARRIAGE

         The Arnolfini Portrait is one of the most complex paintings of the Renaissance and contains many elements of the compositions that suggest its meaning.

         The Arnolfini Portrait depicts a man and a woman, generally assumed to be the Arnolfinis, in what appears to be a domestic bedroom. Both are well dressed, as opposed to wearing the garb of servants or peasants, and are holding hands. The painting is of a generally symmetrical composition with the man and woman balancing each other, standing on either side of a small circular mirror.
Directly above it is the signature of Jan van Eyck. The painting itself is quite small (only 82.2 x 60 cm) and is in portrait form. Despite its size it has remarkably fine details in the various objects situated around the room.

WHAT CAN WE SEE IN THE PAINTING?

 

It´s a portrait of a couple.Giovanni and Giovanna Arnolfini look at each other while holding hands. Both of them are Italian, but they live in Bruges,Flanders (Belgium),far away from their home country. It is in Bruges where they commissioned this painting in the XVth century.

 

Let´s look at this painting in detail:

 

THEY HAVE DOT A DOG. The dog is standing between them. It is calm like his owners. It is next to the wife, probably because it was used to spending a lot of time with her.Lap dogs were popular companions with the ladies of the court and as such could have been included as a status symbol. However, while dogs were commonly representative of carnality, as the dog is clearly placed below her feet in this composition, it could be a symbol of marital fidelity and fertility potentially strengthening the idea that the painting is a depiction, if not a document of, a marriage.

 

 

 

 

IS THE WOMAN PREGNANT?

Probably not. The painter represented the woman with a round belly because it was the fashion at that time. Women even put a small cushion underneath their dresses to get the look.

 

THEY ARE WEARING WINTER CLOTHES.

It was cold in Brugues in the winter. The man is wearing a hat, so he has just returned home or is about to leave.The  coats were made of velvet, a material only few people could afford.

 

THERE ARE SHOES ON THE FLOOR.

The clogs that appear on the left side corner belong to Mr. Giovnni. People at this time used to wear clogs on the shoes to prevent them from getting dirty with the mud in the streets. The red shoes at the back are Mrs. Arnolfini´s. They are the equivalent to our slippers. They add a sense of familiarity to the painting.

 

 

 

WHERE ARE THEY?

Although we can see a big, red  bed , this is not their bedroom. This type of furniture was used to decorate rooms, but nobody slept on that bed. This is probably the room where they met visitors.

 

THERE IS SOME FRUIT ON THE WINDOW SILL.

They give a sense of warmth to the darkest area of the painting. Oranges, which came from Spain,were very expensive. They were used not only to be eaten but also to perfume the house. The apple, on the other hand, is a symbol of Paradise. It represents the fruit from the tree of Knowledge.

 

THERE IS A MIRROR ON THE BACK WALL.

It is a convex mirror that reflects the whole room.

It depicts two additional figures’, one of which is believed to be van Eyck himself, surrounded by a frame that contains ten spherical glasses representing the various scenes from the Passion of Christ. Next to the mirror is a string of prayer-beads or rosary.
The mirror and prayer beads play an important part in the composition and are clearly significant given the central location. The meaning behind the symbology of the mirror is as varied as the interpretations of the painting itself. The beads and images of the Passion are clearly symbols of Christianity, with the beads reflecting a sequence of prayers to the Virgin Mary and the mirror depicting images of the passion; the suffering and death of Christ.

 

 

While it is agreed that the mirror and beads are religious icons, the purpose of the depiction is not clear. Some believe the portrait is designed as an aid to business, that the mirror and prayer-beads show general good Christian piety to prove honesty in business, as deceitful business dealings were difficult to fight in court. Thus it was important to show ‘good faith’, a term which has remained in the modern vernacular.

 

 

 

This mirror has been the inspiration of many others in the history of art. Probably the most famous one was in "Las Meninas" by Velazquez. However, it is unlikely that Velazquez had seen this painting.

 

 

The idea of the mirror reflecting figures we don´t actually see has been used once and again throughout the centuries. We can even buy the Arnolfini´s mirror in our days. Here you have one I saw in a shop in Venice. Mind you, it was really expensive!

 

 

WHAT CAN WE SEE ABOVE THE MIRROR?

 

The painter wrote his name in big letters on the rear wall. He wrote in Latin, because it was the language of culture.He said: "Johannes de eyck fuit hic 1434" which means " Jan Van Eyck was here,1434". He was so proud of his work he wanted everyone to know he was the author, but besides, he wanted everybody to know he was physically in the portrait- reflected in the mirror!

 

WHY IS THIS PORTRAIT SO SPECIAL?

It is a unique painting. In the XVth century, most of the paintings were religious. This was the first time two common people were portrayed of entire body. They hired a painter to show the world they were successful and rich. This is not new for us now, but this was the first time something like that happened. Even nowadays, only wealthy people have their portraits made. If we could transfer this couple to our present life, they would appear like this,

 

 

The Arnolfini Marriage has inspired many other painters and artists. You can see its influence on the following works

 

 

 

 

So, if you ever go to London, don´t forget to go to the National Gallery and see this small, beautiful oil on oak  panel. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do! 

 

BUDGET CUT WARS

...or what is becoming of public education.

THE IRREGULAR PROJECT

 

Do you know the irregular verbs? Do you find them difficult to learn?  That is history!  From now on, you will not only know them, but also have a lot of fun while learning them.  Try this new game for your iPad.