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
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
PROJECT RESEARCH - A protest song
CHOOSE, by doing some research on the Internet, a protest song of American popular music to analyze. Through Internet research you will discover the meaning behind this song and determine the connections between the music and the historical period. You’ll also research the artist who wrote the song.
Eventually, you will create connections between the song you have chosen and your world today. Society has changed a lot since this song was made, have we learned anything from the music or not?
I suggest authors like Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, James Brown, Marvin Gaye.
However, if you find a song by another author it’s all right anyway, as long as it’s a protest song.
The questions to be answered are here
1)What does the song you’ve chosen mean?
2)During which years was it written?
3) Is there a connection between the meaning of the song and the social and political problems of the time when it was written?
4) What specific issues does it deal with?
5) What part does the music itself (apart from the lyrics) play?
6)What instruments are used and why, in your opinion?
7) Who was the artist who wrote the song or the one who sang the song making it popular?
8)Was this an American artist or a European one? Write at least 5 lines about that artist
9) What type of impact do you think this song had on society? Has society changed after the song was written?
10)What do you like or dislike about the song?
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Sunday, December 10, 2023
JANE EYRE- a romantic and realist novel
" Women are supposed to be very calm generally:but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do"
Charlotte Brontë (JANE EYRE)
Jane Eyre has several Romantic features but also it shows new Realistic elements, in tune with realism (first half of Victorian fiction)
Saturday, December 9, 2023
The Woman's condition in The Victorian AGE-mind map
ESSAY GENDER EQUALITY
Answer the questions related to The British Government
1.Who’s the head of State in the UK?
2. How many MPs sit at the House of Commons?
3. Who’s the head of the government?
4. The Queen reigns, but she doesn't rule. What does it mean?
5. The British political system is said to be a two chamber system. What does it mean?
6. How often a week do the queen and
the Prime Minister meet?
7. What does the Cabinet consist of?
8. Where does the Prime Minister live?
9. Which are the three parts of Parliament?
10. How many members sit at the House of
Lords?
11. Who becomes the Prime Minister?
12. Which fields do the members of the House
of Lords belong to?
13. Who makes the laws in the UK?
14. Who appoints the Life Lords?
15 How many lords sit at the House of Lords? Does their number ever change ?
HENRY VIII-video+activity
1)What did Henry 8th reform?2) Was his first marriage arrange?
3) Give a definition of an arranged
marriage.
4) How long did his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon last?
5) Did he have a male heir from her?
6) Sounds like quite a pickle. What
does this expression mean?
7) What was the immediate effect of his
break up with the Church of Rome?
8) Did the Crown get richer?
9) Who was Thomas More?
10) What does the expression “the
process was a sham” mean?
11) Who gave him a male heir?
12) Apart Anne Boleyn, who was his other
wife he had executed?
13) Did Henry 8th support the
arts?
14) Give a synonym in English of the
word beggar
15) On the verge of the modern era. Write the same idea in another
way.
and find the information to answer the questions
and find the information to answer the questions
THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH-video+activity
Watch the video and sum it up in about 30 lines.
Go on the website https://www.etymonline.com/ and find the origin of the following words:
skate, brother, brigade, , dream,fear, judge, guest,knife,bright, loose,odd, trust,window,egg, court, gossip,cucumber,justice, sauce,beggar,meat
Ex. arm= upper limb of the human body (OLD ENGLISH)
Upload the list in your copybook
LET's TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY-UNIT 2
LET's TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY UNIT 2
THE BEST and WORST aspects of technology in education
How long has the speaker been teaching in a middle school?
The speaker says that technology in education is debatable. Give a definition of this word
Why can technology be dangerous, according to the speaker?
Why is technology valuable, according to the speaker?
Technology is speeding up. What does it mean in other words?
What’s an expiration date?
What does Generation Z consist of?
Who’s a lifelong independent learner?
What are digital literacy skills?
Technology may be infinitely valuable and infinitely dangerous.
What do you think about it? Write at least 10 lines.
HUMAN RIGHTS-lesson, video+questions
What does the video tell us about the Second World War?
Which organization adopted the Universal Declaration of human rights and when?
The video says “Everyone benefits them from ……………..”
The video says “ They are …………….which are necessary to live well”
What human rights are quoted in the video?
Rights are interrelated. What does it mean? What example is given?
Here the verb trigger is used! Try to understand its meaning from the context. What’s its translation in Italian?
Is the Declaration a legislative text?
What’s everyone’role according to the video as far human rights?
According to the video are we allowed to protest against injustices?
Saturday, November 18, 2023
ROMEO AND JULIET
STUDENTS CREATE A STORY using the following words, before getting to know the real story of the play ROMEO and JULIET by SHAKESPEARE
😠FEUD
😊MAKE PEACE
😡ENEMY
💓FALL IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
😉SUGGEST
😢ASK FOR SOMEONE HELP
💗TO BE INVOLVED
💕EXCHANGE LOVE VOWS
😐OVERHEAR
💖MARRY SECRETLY
🍷DRINK
👫MEET
👀LEAP OVER
😧KILL
😧STAB
😟COMMIT SUICIDE
😫FAIL TO REACH
😩DEAD
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Monday, October 30, 2023
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Let's recap sonnet 18 and 130
Let’s RECAP -SONNET 18
and SONNET 130
My mistress’ eyes
This sonnet
MAKES FUN of the conventions of love poetry common to Shakespeare’s day.
Most
sonnets were modelled after Petrarch’s ones.
In his
sonnets Petrarch praises Laura’s beauty, her WORTH, her PERFECTION using a lot
of metaphors based largely on natural beauties.
The result
was that poems by Petrarch make highly idealizing comparisons between nature
and the poet’s lover, which, if taken literally, are completely ridiculous.
MY MISTRESS’S
EYES ARE LIKE THE SUN
HER LIPS
ARE RED AS CORAL
HER CHEEKS
ARE LIKE ROSES
HER BREASTS
ARE WHITE AS SNOW
HER VOICE
IS LIKE MUSIC……SHE’S A GODDESS
This sonnet
MOCKS the typical Petrarchan metaphors. In a sense, he decides to tell the truth…..
So my
Mistress’ eyes aren’t at all like the sun…..
In other
words, he insists that love doesn’t need these conceits in order to be real-
and women don’t need to look like flowers or the sun in order to be beautiful.
Though the
sonnet may appear to be negative, it has positive words towards the end. Although
reality can be quite different from our dreams, the poet knows that his love
for his mistress is great. He describes it as unique and makes it clear
that he doesn’t need to make false comparisons about her to know that in his
heart he feels love for her. Some men may say false words, but he doesn’t need
to because he accepts her as she is and is truly in love with her.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day
It’s
divided into two parts:
LINES 1-8
Nature and its laws
LINES 9-14
Art and its effects As long as there are people reading the poem, it’ll live and
it’ll give life to the young man’s memory
The two
terms of comparison are SUMMER and the YOUNG MAN
The young
boy proves to be the better because he’s more lovely and milder and his beauty
won’t decay
The poet
will make the young man eternal by praising his virtues and his beauty in his
poem
WHY DOES
he USE THE WORDS ETERNAL SUMMER?
The young
man will be made eternal through the poem. He’ll never lose his youthful
beauty.
WHAT ABOUT BEAUTY
in real life?
It’ll be
destroyed by TIME.POETRY is ART. IT’s IMMORTAL
CONCLUSION
ART
preserves youth and beauty forever
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
VERBS TO TALK ABOUT FRIENDSHIP
VERBS TO TALK ABOUT FRIENDSHIP
GET ON WELL WITH
LET DOWN
BREAK UP
FALL OUT
HAVE AN ARGUMENT
HAVE A QUARREL
MAKE UP= MAKE PEACE
DESCRIBE YOUR BEST FRIEND
To Describe
Your Friends' Qualities, Use These Adjectives:
§ affectionate
§ best/close
§ considerate
§ easy-going
§ faithful
§ funny
§ generous
§ genuine
§ hilarious
§ honest
§ irreplaceable
§ kind
§ kindhearted
§ marvelous
§ one-of-a-kind
§ patient
§ precious
§ priceless
§ reliable
§ sincere
§ supportive
§ sweet
§ sweet-hearted
§ thoughtful
§ true
§ trustworthy
§ truthful
§ uncommon
§ understanding
§ unique
§ unselfish
§ uplifting
§ warmhearted
§ wonderful