A blog to help secondary school students improve English. You can find mind maps, worksheets, videos and songs as well as some of the project works and activities done by the students.
Hello! My name's Liliana. I'm a teacher of English (Language and Literature) to Italian teenage stu
Some of the best Christmas videos which I've been using with the students in my school to learn both about Christmas vocabulary and Christmas festivity
1.How many hours do women work more than
men these days?
2.Who finds it more difficult to stay
positive?
3.How many women fully-worked before
the pandemic?
4.What’s a survey? Translate
into Italian
5.What does the word earnings mean?
Give a synonym in English
6.What improves productivity,
according to Jayne-Anne Gadhya?
7.What does flourish mean? Give
a synonym in English
8.According to what the journalist
says who is more susceptible to Covid 19-men or women?
9.According to the kind of research
reported by Julia Gillard do men and women share the same amount of household
chores these days?
10.What do job losses mean? Give
an explanation in English
11.What’s the percentage of women
working in health and caring professions?
12.What does flexible working mean?
Translate into Italian
13.What does employment mean?
Give a synonym in English
14.Women are conditioned to stepping in
doing more home taking the burden on because it’s just a kind of legacy.
Explain this long sentence in another way in English.
15.Give a synonym of the word burden
16.What does Julia Gillard finally
advocate for men and women. What’s the best thing for companies and their
progress?
Watch the video and create an interview. Ask one of your mates 10 questions about music, fashion, games, devices related daily life in the 1980's. Record your interview.
A real interview to someone who was young in the 80's
QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
1) How did you use to spend your free time in the eighties?
2) Today we live connected to the Internet, we know everything in real time from the news to the weather forecast to various information, in the eighties how did people get news and information?
3) What did you use to keep in touch with your relatives or friends?
4)How did you use to listen to music?
5) The eighties were also a decade of things, design objects and technology. What do you remember about it?
6) The first videogames were invented in the eighties, do you have any memories?
7) Speaking of fashion, what can you tell me about the main fashion trends in the 80's?
8)Which movies from the eighties would you recommend?
9) What do you miss the most about the eighties?
10)Why are the 1980's in our country often idealized as almost an idyllic time, in which everything went well, despite the bad things happening all round the world?
ANSWERS
1. In the early eighties there was no
internet, there was no google, there were no mobile phones and then we spent
time with nothing, a ball or a doll depending on the sex, but also with a piece
of plaster for drawing a bell, or a skip rope.
2. To find out the news you had to
wait for the only news broadcast in the evening and in order to carry out
research it was advisable to go to the library.
3. Not everyone had the opportunity
to afford the telephone at home, so they used a very strange machine that
converted coins into tokens and then found a free booth from which to make the
call.
4. Music was played through
cassettes or discs.
5. I remember the invention of the
first personal computers, the first mobile phone in history: the motorola, Rubik's cube was a mania for us kids of the
eighties, a fever from which one could not recover, the walkman through which
you could listen to music even outside the home, the swatch mania was also widespread
6. One of the videogames that came
out in the eighties and I have an unforgettable memory about it. It was pac-man,
others there was frogger, pimbo a sort of pinball machine.
7. Fashion in the 80s was exaggerated,
colorful, rock, punk. We followed the memory fashions such as that of the
"paninari" with their flu sweatshirts and boots, other fashion trends
such as darks, metalheads with their
jackets, a fashion icon of those times was the singer Madonna who apparently started
a shabby style for: ripped tights, extra large t-shirts, very short leather
jackets, maxi jewels and exaggerated make-up.
8. There are dozens of them that
deserve: Spielberg's Et, along with Indiana jones, the Empire strikes back, The
return of the jedi, The back to the future trilogy, The fleeing moment, Ghostbusters
1 and 2 etc. Etc.
9. In the eighties we had more fun,
there was much more socialization, we played a lot outdoors in short, we tried
to change all that today has been buried by social media and the fashion label.
10. They were years in which we
looked to the future with optimism, we thought that the future would be better
than the present we lived, from all points of view: economic, social,
political, cultural and ideological
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Find the indefinite pronouns used in the songs of this video.
The exploitation of children during the Victorian Age
During the Victorian Age the
exploitation of children was one of the most serious social problems. Poverty
was very widespread and that was the reason why poor families sent their
children to work at a young age.
They usually worked in the streets as
shoeshines, newspapers sellers, flower sellers or street sweepers, but one of
the hardest jobs was chimney sweeping. Due to this awful job, children
developed bad health conditions such as cough, sore eyes, lung cancer, deformed
back and ankles.
Others were employed in
factories or mines where they worked almost all day treated like beasts. Of
course the salary wasn’t enough in relation to the amount of work. In addition,
children couldn’t have the possibility of going to school, so the majority of
them weren't able neither to read nor write.
The lucky ones became domestic
servants or apprentices to respectable trades. Sometimes they worked even more
than miners but, at least, their working conditions were better.
Finally the most vulnerable,
like young orphans, were usually enrolled in criminal gangs and involved in
several robberies.
To conclude, we can say that
the situation was very demeaning and looking back at it we should consider
ourselves lucky for the right to live our youth and, especially, to study.
Ask the Question: Start by posing the question: "Do you believe in the afterlife?"
Anonymous Response: Have students respond anonymously. They can write "Yes," "No," or "Unsure/Maybe" on a small piece of paper, or you can use a quick digital poll tool (like Mentimeter or Google Forms) to display the results instantly. This removes pressure and encourages honesty.
Brief Discussion: Briefly discuss why people might hold these beliefs. Focus on the human desire for continuity, fear of the unknown, or comfort.
Step 2: The Transition to the Celts (5 minutes)
Now, pivot directly from their personal beliefs to the historical context of the Celts using your planned introduction.
Bridge the Gap: State something like: "Every culture throughout history has wrestled with this same question. But for the ancient Celts, the answer wasn't just a matter of faith; it was a matter of social behavior and military strategy."
Introduce the Celtic View: Explain the concept of transmigration of souls (reincarnation) as the central Celtic religious belief about the afterlife.
Key Point: According to Roman observers like Julius Caesar, the Celts believed that death was merely "a change of place" or the start of a new life. The soul passed from one body to another, either in this world or the mythical Otherworld.
Step 3: Launch into the Lesson
This hook sets up the core of your planned activities perfectly:
**It justifies the "Death and the Cycles of Life" activity (Section 2) by immediately establishing the afterlife as the central theme.
It provides context for the Druids' authority (Section 1), as they were the keepers of this sacred knowledge about the soul and the divine.
It directly leads to the debate about Roman propaganda: "If you truly believe death is temporary, does that make you a fearless warrior?"
That changes the focus significantly! For high school students interested in culture, religion, and traditions, a lesson should move beyond mere artifacts and focus on the fascinating world of Druids, mythology, and social structures.
Here is a lesson plan titled "Whispers of the Sacred: Celtic Religion and Culture" designed to engage high school students.
🔮 Whispers of the Sacred: Celtic Religion and Culture
This lesson uses mythology and primary source excerpts to explore the roles of Druids, the concept of the afterlife, and key traditions.
1. The Power of the Druids (15 minutes)
Activity: Analyzing the Source
Introduction: Introduce the Druids as the spiritual, legal, and educational leaders of Celtic society. Emphasize that they left no written records themselves; all we know comes from their enemies (Romans) or later Christian monks.
Source Comparison: Give students two contrasting short excerpts:
Excerpt A (Roman perspective, e.g., Caesar): Focuses on Druids performing sacrifices (human or animal) and their supreme authority.
Excerpt B (Irish legend, e.g., brief mention of a fili or prophet): Focuses on Druids/seers using magic, poetry, and prophecy.
Discussion: Ask students:
Why do the Romans emphasize the more violent aspects of the Druids? (To justify conquering them.)
How does the Irish source suggest a cultural power rather than just a political one? (Through knowledge, poetry, and magic.)
Key Takeaway: The Druids were more than just priests; they were the guardians of Celtic tradition and knowledge, often memorizing vast amounts of lore.
2. Death and the Cycles of Life (20 minutes)
Activity: The Afterlife Debate
Introduction: Discuss the Celtic belief in transmigration of souls (a form of reincarnation). Explain that they believed death was merely the midpoint of a long life and that they would eventually be reborn into this world or the Otherworld.
Evidence of Belief: Show images of grave goods. Ask why someone would be buried with tools, jewelry, or even their chariot. (If death is not the end, they will need these items later.)
Task: Present the Roman observation (often attributed to Lucan or Caesar) that Celts were fearless in battle because they believed death was just a change of address.
Debate Prompt:"Did the Celtic belief in reincarnation truly make them fearless in war, or was this Roman propaganda?"
Have students argue both sides: Yes, the belief removes the ultimate threat. OR No, all soldiers are trained to fight, and the Romans just exaggerated the religious aspect.
Activity: Mapping the Year
Introduction: Explain that Celtic traditions followed a seasonal cycle based on agriculture and the movement of the herds. They divided the year by major festivals, which mark their calendar more than the solstices.
The Four Major Fire Festivals: Quickly introduce the four main festivals:
Samhain (Nov 1): The end of the summer/harvest; the new year; when the veil to the Otherworld thins. (The origin of Halloween.)
Imbolc (Feb 1): Purification, fire, and fertility (often associated with the goddess Brigid).
Beltane (May 1): The start of summer; lighting fires to protect cattle and people.
Lughnasadh (Aug 1): The harvest festival dedicated to the god Lugh.
Task: Have students draw a simple circle representing the year and place the four festivals on it. Then, ask them to identify which modern Western holidays are celebrated near those dates and discuss the possible parallels (e.g., Samhain/Halloween, Imbolc/Candlemas).
Watch the video and do a short summary (for the third classes studying the topic of social media- good points and bad points)
The Social Dilemma
Summary of the video
You can get easily addicted to your phone, social media tries to predict what you would like to see, making you keep using your phone and because of muscle memory you automatically check your phone and your apps.
The guy in the video who worked in the gmail team, thinks that this is manipulative and wants everyone to understand this with the film “social dilemma” .
The term social dilemma indicates the inevitable use of social media that doesn’t align with the public or social good.
The Social Dilemma
Summary of the video
When we’re using social media, we’re the product. Nothing is for free and when they say that social networks are free services, it’s just an illusion because big companies earn money by selling your data and thanks to advertisements. Social media’s addiction is related to companies’ earnings and that’s why they have to increase the time people spend on social media. To do it they try to influence people’s minds so that people want to spend time on their services. The sad thing is that even if you know all these things you’re not aware of it, you’ll continue to use social networks, maybe thinking that you’re free, you’re not influenced by anything but remember: that’s what they want you to think!
'The Social Dilemma's' Tristan Harris on How to Make Social Media Less Addictive
This video is an episode part of a famous talk-show broadcast in the USA, “
The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, in which the presenter has a conversation with Tristan Harris,
a former Google employee and a member of Gmail crew.
In this conversation Tristan, answering Ellen’s questions, talks about how he went from
being a Silicon Valley insider to become president of the Center for Humane Technology and,
overall, about a phenomenon described in his documentary “The Social Dilemma”,
from which it takes its name.
To get a start, this phenomenon is based on a commercial mechanism in which there are
two members:
The service offerers, namely agencies or companies;
The customers, namely the users of social media.
When an agency or a company posts a content on various platforms of social media,
users interested in it are a source of earning because their likes, sharings and views about
that content put together a social currency and so just think about this: the more is the
amount of social currency, the more is the amount of money the service offerer earns.
To continue, numerous are the factors that work so as to make that phenomenon to be real:
1)Lacking of some knowledge in the individual, in fact these agencies or companies
have more choices and earn more and more because the user is in this situation;
2)Studies on today’s society, in fact they are able to know what people like or dislike
starting from these;
3)Use of social media by children and teenagers, in fact this is a sort of bank because
they are the most devoted users on social media.
According to Tristan Harris, what’s more, social media is addictive, but we can’t do anything
because we are forced to live in it by society. So, as we get to know the problem, the only
way to destroy that commercial mechanism described before is:
tell the truth about manipulation and the manipulative power of social media
KEYWORDS and KEY EXPRESSIONS
1) We're forced to use this system (That's the social dilemma)
