American Film Workshop (31/8)

Hello all,

Today in film class we watched "Singing in the Rain" (1952) which tells the story of Hollywood's transition from silent films to talkies ( filmes falantes) in the late 1920s. The film stars Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood and Jean Hagen as Lina Larmont. The film explore the tensions in Hollywood at the time of this monumental transition from silent to talking films, exploring the ideas of art, authenticity, and the superficiality of Hollywood. Because "Singing in the Rain" is about a the making of a film, we are also offered an interesting literary device called a "story within a story," in which one at times cannot distinguish whether one is watching the film, or the film within the film. Finally, the film gives us a good look at Hollywood in the 1920s. 

Discussion question:

What is Don Lockwood like when we first meet him?  What goals does he have?  How do he and his goals change in the course of the film?  Why do they change?

Conversation Hour 30/8

Soularium

Today in class we used a collection of 50 images (called a soularium - created by "Cru") to have a discussion about life and spirituality. I presented the idea to the students and asked them if it interested them. I explained that it would definitely lead to deeper conversations than the ones we normally have, so we didn't have use the original questions if they didn't want to. However, they all wanted to do it, so we did!

Discussion Questions

An image to describe her life right now.

Describing what she wishes were part of her life right now.

"I have been sleeping in the light, but I want to wake up in the light!" -Jannyffer

Images they chose to describe God.

Describing what his spiritual experience has been like.

New Vocabulary

Sharing this class with you was a wonderful blessing! Your honesty and willingness to try something new impressed me a great deal. I learned from you all today and left inspired, too. :) Thank you for sharing your hearts with me and with your peers today while practicing English! :). 

Basic English (For Language Arts students) 29/8

The Present Continuous

We began class today with a presentation of how to form and when to use the present continuous. We looked at the difference in word order between statements and questions in the present continuous. Students came up with questions that we could ask for the first statement to be the answer. I was waiting for them to ask,  "Are the students sitting in their seats?" I asked them how to respond negatively to this question. 

How to form the Present Continuous

When to use the Present Continuous

Students then came up with examples of the Present Continuous by saying what their classmates were doing.

Practice

Students then worked in pairs or groups of three. They looked at a picture and wrote down 5 questions that they could ask their partners about the picture. I told them to come up with some questions that you have yes for an answer, and some that would have no for an answer. The following are some examples of questions and answers that came out of this activity.

Basic English (For Science and Tourism Students) 27/8

Simple Present (Continued)

Tuesday students reviewed went to use the Simple Present. They also reviewed how to form questions using do and does and using the verb to be. 

Next, they provided examples of sentences in the simple present.

First they gave examples of repeated actions and routine.

Second they gave examples of facts.

We also reviewed how to conjugate the verb to be. 

Vocabulary from class

Student Activity

Students filled in this worksheet with 3 facts about themselves and their daily routine.

They also came up with some questions that they could ask a partner in our next class.

Homework

Share your 3 facts and your daily routine in the comments section of the blog. Thank you! See you Tuesday! 

Bible Study 26/8

Be Born In Me (Mary) By Francesca Battistelli

Today class was about Mary, the mother of Jesus. The song we listened to 
(Be Born in Me) was by Francesca Battistelli from the album Music Inspired by the Story.

Check out the song and video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7ClXvC1HVM

First we learned the new vocabulary. I wrote the words in English, explained them (trying to use only English) and had the students guess what they meant. They did a great job!

Students then took turns reading a part of the scripture passage.

Scripture passage: Luke 1:26-56 (New International Version)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

After reading and translating the Bible passage, we listened to the song a few times and students filled in the blanks.

Be Born In Me (Mary) Lyrics

Artist: Francesca Battistelli

Everything inside me ________ for order
Everything inside me ________ to hide
Is this shadow an angel or a warrior?
If God is pleased with me, why I am I so terrified?
Someone tell me I am only dreaming
Somehow help me _______ with Heaven’s eyes
And before my head agrees, my heart is on its knees
Holy is He. Blessed am I.

Be _______ in me, be _________ in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You ________ me
I’ll hold you in the beginning, You will hold me in the ________
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

All this time we’ve waited for the promise
All this time You’ve __________ for my arms
Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected
So we might know that _______ would go that far?

Be _________ in me, be ________ in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You _________ me
I’ll hold you in the ___________, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

I am not brave
I’ll _______ be
The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy
I’m just _____________
Nothing more
But I am willing, I am _________

Be _________ in me, be ________ in me

I’ll hold you in the ___________, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me


The Blanks:


After they filled in the blanks, we read through the song together to fill in any missing spaces. Finally students sang the song together as we listened one last time.

Homework Assignment: 

Use the new vocabulary to write a short paragraph in the comments section below. The paragraph may be about Mary or anything else! Please write at least 3 sentences. Thank you for a great class!!

American Culture Class (28/8)

Hi folks,

Today we learned about immigration to the United States.

Vocabulary:

Migrant: someone who moves from place to place to find work.

Immigrant: someone who moves to a foreign country to live there permanently.

Refugee: someone who is forced to leave their country because of war, persecution or a natural disaster.

Statue of Liberty: A statue on an island at the entrance of the New York harbor. This statue was given to the United States by France in 1886. It is a symbol of welcome to immigrants.

Ellis Island: An island next to the Statue of Liberty that served as an entry point for immigrants until 1954, and also as a deportation center.

We read a a text about the history of immigration and answered some true or false questions about the text. Next, students worked in partners to review the timeline of immigration history to the United States beginning with colonization. Finally, students were divided into groups of four and each group received a first-person narrative from an immigrant. Each group then presented their immigrant story to the class with a skit. We learned about the experiences of immigrants coming from Russia, Ireland, Mexico and China in different parts of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Key facts:

• Around 40 million legal immigrants now live in the United States, with 1 million more entering every year legally. 
• Approximately 11 million illegal immigrants currently live in the United States 
• 50% of immigrants are Hispanic, and most immigrants live in California. 
• The United States accepts the most refugees out of any country in the world, with almost 300,000 currently living there. 
• Before 1880, the United States did not place any restrictions whatsoever on immigration. 

Discussion question:

Most refugees have to leave their homes very quickly and must leave many things behind. If you had to leave your home very quickly and could only take three things with you what would they be? Why?

A maioria de refugiados tem que sair de suas casas rapidamente que tem que deixar muitas coisas. Se você tivesse que deixar a sua casa muito rapidamente, quais são as três coisas que você levaria com você? Porque?

American Film (24/8)

Hello all,

Today we watched A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), which is based on a play by Tennessee Williams and takes place in New Orleans in the late 1940s. The main charcters are Blanche DuBois, Stella Kowalski, Stanley Kowalski and Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell.

Blanche and Stanley are foils to each other in that they represent opposite extremes: while Blanche representes the old South and delicate femininity, Stanley represents the new South and aggressive masculinity.

Vocabulay:

Elysian fields: campos Elísios (uma referencia ao mundo subterrâneo na mitologia grega)
Polack: expressão pejorativa para se referir a um descendente polonês
Gender roles: os papéis de gênero
Foil: na literatura, um personagem que contrasta com a protagonista, a fim de destacar certas características de cada personagem

Discussion question:
Do you think Blanche is insane and deserves to be sent to the insane asylum (manicomio) in the end of the film or do you think she is a victim of her particular cultural situation? Explain why or why not.

Conversation Hour 23/8

Scrabble!

Today was a great day to play scrabble because we only had a few students. They always end up learning new vocabulary when we play.

Vocabulary from today:

Grid: 

Dove: 

Cone: 

Near: perto

Beg: implorar

To dunk: 

Lit: (past tense of to light) 

Row: ("in a row")

Wash: