joi, 15 ianuarie 2015

I Heart English - THE DREAM



Following your Dreams
Video & discussion activity

Dream Idioms
Vocabulary activity

The Legend Of the Dream Catcher
Discussion & Gap-Filling activity

Daydreaming
Discussion & Vocabulary activity

Dreams: When I Grow Up
Video & discussion activity

Video & discussion activity


What did you want to be when you grew up?
What were your dreams when you were a child?



Billy Elliot
A)Watch the trailer clip and answer the questions.





BILLY ELLIOT - International Trailer from PPC Film on Vimeo.

1.How different from other boys does Billy seems to be?
2.How does he seem to feel about boxing?
3.What’s his trainer’s attitude?
4.Why aren’t any other boys in the ballet class?
5.What is his family’s opinion about Billy taking ballet?
6.What´s the ballet teacher’s attitude?
7. Who says...?  “You’re a disgrace to the glove”  and  “Why dont you join in?”

B)Complete the  Film Synopsis with the words given

ballet class   -  sport   - passion  - dance    -  ballet dancer  -  boxing gym

The film centers around the life of Billy, his love of ........................  and his hopes of becoming a professional ...............................     Billy's father and brother Tony are miners.  One day his father takes him to a ..............................., but Billy finds out that he doesn't really like the .........................   Part of the gym is used by a ............................... Billy is drawn by it and secretly starts taking ballet lessons.  Billy's father finds out what he is doing and forbids him to dance, but Billy continues to do so secretly. Finally, once he has seen Billy dance, his father understands that ballet is Billy's ........................ and he takes him to an audition for the Royal Ballet. Billy is accepted by the Royal Ballet, and moves out to London at age 11 to attend the school.



The Blind Side – A True Story


The Blind Side trailer from Cooke Pictures on Vimeo.

  1. What kind of family are “the Tuohys”? What are they like? How do they live?
  2. What is Big Mike’s situation and background?
  3. How do people see him?
  4. What does this family do for him?
  5. What does Mike get to do as a result of this family’s influence?

Discuss
How are both movies related? How are they different?
Compare and contrast.






Posted: 14 Jan 2015 09:09 AM PST


Vocabulary activity

English has several idiomatic expressions related to dreams and dreaming. These are a few popular ones.


A dream come true: a wish or hope that was realised.


American dream: the idealistic notion that Americans are preoccupied with obtaining certain materialistic goals.

Bad dream or nightmare: a terrible situation to go through.

Broken dreams: wishes or desires that cannot be fulfilled.

Chase a dream: to actively pursue something that you want to happen.

Daydream: to have daytime fantasies about someone or something.

Dream on!: something that you say to someone who has just told you about something they are hoping for, in order to show that you do not believe it will happen.

In your dreams!: something that you say to someone who has just told you about something they are hoping for, in order to show that you do not believe it will happen.

Live/be in a 'dream world': to constantly be thinking about what you would like to happen rather than what is happening.

Pipe dream: a wish that is impossible or very unlikely to come true.

Sweet dreams: an expression to say good night.

Wouldn’t dream of doing: would not even consider doing something.




Complete the following sentences with words related to the idioms above:
  

1.Her new job is........................................: the people are great, the work is interesting and the salary is amazing.
2.
A:Can I borrow some money to buy new clothes?
B:What?? ........................................!
3.My ...................................... is to become a rock star.
4.So sad, she’s not very realistic so her life is full of .....................................
5.She’s a very popular painter and her pictures have brought her riches beyond her ................................
6.John is living the ................................: a great wife, the two kids and a beautiful house in the suburbs
7.I have to stop living .................................! If I want to graduate I’ll have to study harder.
8. I hope you ................................ of travelling without  medical insurance, it’s too risky.

9.She told me she wants to marry a movie star, so i said “.........................................!”
10.My favorite place to ................................. is during the bus ride to work.
11.It was a .................................... to finish the project on time. We ended up with a headache!
12.She’s .......................... big dreams but very determined and I have no doubt that she will succeed.




Posted: 14 Jan 2015 09:07 AM PST


Discussion & Gap-Filling activity



·        Do you know what a dream catcher is?
·        If not, what it could be used for?
·        Considering its name and shape how do you think it works?


Complete the text about the legend of the dream catcher, with the ten words given.


caught   -     vary    -   travel    -   carried   -    adopted  - hung    captured  -    destroyed  -   pass  -   credited


 
The Chippewa believe that night is full of both good and bad dreams. When a dream catcher is 1.........................above the place where you sleep it moves freely in the night air and catches the dreams as they drift by. The good dreams, knowing their way, 2.......................through the opening in the center of the webbing while the bad dreams, not knowing the way, are 3.........................in the webbing and 4.............................at the first light of the morning sun.

There are many variants to the dream catcher legend, some which say both the good and bad dreams are 5........................ and some which say the good dreams 6.......................... down the feather to those sleeping below. Although the Ojibwa are 7............................... as the first people to use Dream Catchers many other Tribes and Native peoples have 8.................. Dream Catchers into their culture. Even though the designs and legends of Dream Catchers 9............................  slightly, the underlying meaning and symbolism is universal and is 10............................. across cultures and language barriers.



·        Were your predictions right?


Posted: 14 Jan 2015 09:05 AM PST


Discussion & Vocabulary activity



What do you dream of when you are awake? 
Is your daydreaming realistic or fantastic?
When do you daydream most?




DEBATE  :  Dreaming with other cultures and exotic places to  live

If you had to chose an exotic destination to live for a couple of years, how would you make your decision?

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of living in different countries.

A) What do you understand by these terms? 
B) Rank them in order of importance. 

-standard of living                         -mentality                             -cuisine
-political situation                         -environment                      -climate
-culture

Procedure:  You will have to choose a different country to go to live in from the following list :


CHILE                       IRELAND                 JAPAN
MAURITUS              AUSTRALIA            SOUTHAFRICA    
PORTUGAL             JAMAICA                  SWEEDEN


Before talking to the group you will have to make an individual decision.

1. Small debate : Debate the choice of country with a partner. Why have your classmates chosen that? Does it agree with your choice and your ranking?

2. Group discussion : Discuss the situation as a group. What is the best or most voted country to live in?


Posted: 14 Jan 2015 09:03 AM PST


Video & discussion activity


“When I Grow Up” Animated Short by Colin Hesterly
 

Read the comment from the director and author, then watch the short and compare and contrast his ideas to yours when you were groping up.


“As a kid my imagination was my closest friend, and I spent a lot of time dreaming about my future. I wanted to explore the jungles like Indiana Jones, or search the oceans alongside Captain Nemo. Over time I caught on that these people were just fictional characters but that spirit of imagination and adventure never left. I eventually had to “grow up” and become an adult. So I pursued a career that was founded on the ideas of exploration and imagination. I chose to become a filmmaker. “ 




When I Grow Up from The Academy on Vimeo.



Posted: 14 Jan 2015 09:00 AM PST


Following your Dreams
Billy Elliot

Who says...?  “You’re a disgrace to the glove”    “Why dont you join in?”

The film centers around the life of Billy, his love of dance and his hopes of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
Billy's father and brother Tony are miners.  One day his father takes him to a boxing gym, but Billy finds out that he doesn't really like the sport.
Part of the boxing gym is used by a ballet class. Billy is drawn by it and secretly starts taking ballet lessons.
Billy's father finds out he is taking ballet lessons and forbids him to dance, but Billy continues to do so secretly.
Finally, once he has seen Billy dance, his father understands that ballet is Billy's passion and he takes him to an audition for the Royal Ballet. Billy is accepted by the Royal Ballet, and moves out to London at age 11 to attend the school.

The Blind Side
A well-to-do white family take in a homeless black teenager and help him realize his potential on and off the football field.

Dream Idioms

1. a dream come true    2. Dream on/ In your dreams  3. pipe dream   4. broken dreams  5. wildest dreams  6. American dream  7. in a dream world  8. wouldn’t dream  9. In your dreams/dream on   10.daydream  11.nightmare/ bad dream 12.chasing

The Legend Of the Dream Catcher
1. hung   2. pass    3. caught   4. destroyed    5.captured    6. travel    7. credited   8. adopted    9. vary  10. carried

miercuri, 14 ianuarie 2015

Weather Instruments



Gap filling  - Word families* - Vocabulary

*Word families are groups of words with the same form and related in meaning, for example : family - familiar - unfamiliar - familiarity - to familiarize


1-Read the text below. Use the words on the right to form a noun, adjective, adverb or verb in the same family, to fill the gap as in the example. Then check the correct answers.


Why is it that a promised day of sunshine may often bring rain or 1..cloudy... skies?

Weather forecasters are 2. ................ criticized for their frequent false predictions and most people 3. ................ weather reports with caution.

Truth is that the weather is 4. ................. Even in this day and age of 5. ................ advances, it is not easy to predict the weather next week, and even less next month, or next year. There are just too many factors.

Meteorologists use many instruments to study the atmosphere. Normally, these instruments work together to give the most 6. ................ possible vision of weather conditions.

We are all 7................. with “thermometers”, to measure temperature, and “weather satellites” that orbit the Earth to track the atmosphere. Also “wind vanes” are not strange on house roofs, a device that 8................. to show the direction the wind is blowing.

However, to give the world the 9................. forecast, a warning of tsunami or determine the chance of a thunderstorm,  weather 10................. also rely on other devices. These are  an “anemometer”, to measure wind speed, a “barometer” for atmospheric pressure,  a “rain gauge” to measure millimeters of liquid precipitation, and a “sling psychrometer” for humidity.

Nature is 11................. and the weather has its whims, which sadly makes it almost impossible for us to get a 12................ weather forecast.


1.CLOUD

2.USUAL

3.TREATMENT

4.CHAOS

5.TECHNOLOGY

6.UNCOMPLETE

7.FAMILY

8.ROTATION

9.DAY

10.PROFESSION

11.POWER
12.PRECISION
 (author: Verónica de la Vega 
some contents and definitions adapted from National Geographic Education)


2-Read the text again and find the terms for the following definitions:


a) water that falls to the ground as rain, snow, etc. = ____________

b) a prediction  = ____________

c) an instrument, object, machine, or piece of equipment made for some special purpose  = ____________

d) a sudden wish, desire, decision, etc.  = ____________

e) to trust or believe (someone or something)  = ____________

f) an action that tells someone about possible danger or trouble  = ____________definitions from Merriam-Webster’s Learners Dictionary
at learnersdictionary.com
3-Just For Fun  

 Can you identify the weather instruments in the image below? Match the seven pictures and names.