Week 33 Monday May 31st - June 5th 2010

This week having gone over the last test of the year we finished off the work on Billy Elliot and by talking about what he had achieved in his life, how his family had changed and saying what his friends had become!

Quite a good way to finish off the year.

Next week we'll be completing the YEAR BOOK, I hope!

Week 32 Monday May 25th - 29th, 2010

This week was very short for all concerned. We had only two lessons together , because of the Monday Bank holiday. During our time together you had a test on More like your Sister and in the group session we pulled together the work you had done on Billy Elliot. We also started to work around different structures such as the present perfect!

We'll continue on this next week.

Week 31 Monday 17- 22 May, 2010

We had very little time together this week, on Wednesday , when you finished off the work on the four parts of Billy Elliot which I had asked you to study. Some of you have done some pretty decent work whilst others thought they were on holiday and got a bit of a surprise ! A few of you are like the invisible man whom I haven't seen for quite a while. If your absences are not correctly justified you'l have a very negative mark for this work!


Don't forgzet that on Tuesday thee is the Test on More like your sister, and you have to hand in your homework, which incidently I gave you a good two weeks ago!

Have a nice sunny long weekend!

Week 30 May 10th - 15th 2010

This week, having done our initial recap, we checked over the exercises and finished off the text 'More like your sister'. Having done this we checked over the listening work on Jordan Romero and his Mount Everest ascent.

In our group session you worked in the multimedia lab on the trailer of Billy Elliot. There are four videos in all and you should do at least three of them before next Wednesday when we will see each other again in the mm lab. Don't forget that even if I am present in school next Monday and Tuesday I will not be taking you in class because of the STG oral A levels.

Enjoy the extracts.

Billy Elliot Have you ever.....

Part of our last sequence this year is based around the film Billy Elliot . Find out a little about the story by watching the trailer and answering the following questions:

Questions:

1.Who is the main character?

2. What do you learn about his family?

3. When and where do you think it took place? Justify.

4. What extracurricular activity does Billy's father want him to do?

5. Does Billy want to do the same activity? Justify.

6.What happens between the father and the son because of this?

7. How does Mr Elliot consider "his sport" compared to Billy's activity?

8. Who helped Billy in his choice and what exactly did this person do for him?

9. How do you think his story ended?

10. Do you think parents should decide for their children? Why or why not?

BILLY ELLIOT PART 1

Watch the following video then answer the general questions:

1. Tell us about the social class of the main character.

2. What about his family situation?

3. What can you deduce about the general social situation?

4. What can you say about Billy's friend(s)?

5. What is their opinion about boxing?

THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL

1. Say where Billy came from exactly .

2. Tell us about his attitude.

3. What about his father?

4.What did Billy do? How did he react?

5. What was the attitude of the judges?

6.How did Billy react after the audition? Consider the expressions " How did it go?".............. "Shit" said by Mr Elliot.

7. How was Billy's violence considered ? What could it tell us about him?

PART 10 The Letter

1. Where were the family , at what time?

2. Where was Billy and how did other community memebers react towards him?

3. What was waiting for him on the table?

4.Where did he go to read it?

5. What were the rest of his family doing at this time ?

6. Did he get the place or not ? Justify from his attitude.

7. What was his father's attitude? What did he do? Where did he go? How did he feel? What calmed his enthusiasm?

8. Tell us about Billy and his father's relationship.

9.What about his dance teacher?

10. What do you think happened to Billy?

Week 29, Monday May 3rd - 8th 2010

This week we started working on a sequence concerning personal fulfilment and the generation gap. To do this we took into consideration both a photograph and an extract of a text entitled, 'More like your sister' . We worked on this for two sessions and you have to learn the lesson and do the accompanying exercises for next week.

In the group lesson you worked on both a listening and written document about Jason Romero, a thirteen year old American who is attempting to climb Mount Everest at this very moment.
Some of your work was rather well done even if the presentation was not always up to scratch!

We'll continue next week.

Have you ever climbed Mount Everest?

Can you imagine, only thirteen and ready to set out on a climb that has killed more than one determined soul?

If you want to know more about the teenager's willpower and well thoughtout plans login to the addresses below:

http://lewebpedagogique.com/inthehudson7/2010/04/28/13-and-mount-everest-ahead-of-him/
Why not answer the questions? They might be fun.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Dreams/13-year-jordan-romero-tackles-mount-everest-feeling/story?id=10434336

Enjoy!!!!

Week 28, Monday April 12 - 17th 2010

This week you had your test on Crime on Monday then we spent the other two days working on the Year Book.
It seems to be coming on quite well. Continue copying out your work and send it off to the director during the holidays. I'd like to have it finished by mid-May so we can try and send it toour partner school in Delaware before they break up for the summer at the beginning of June.

Have a nice holiday!

Week 27 Monday, April 5th- 10th 2010

We only had class twice this week due to the bank holiday Monday. During our time together we corrected your homework on Death Car then you prepared a group review on Sherlock Holmes' latest film .

Don't forget you have your test on CRIME next Monday morning.

Week 26 March 29th - April 3rd 2010

This week you spent a good few hours in the multimedia lab inorder to do some research on Sherlock Holmes then to work on the trailer of the latest Sherlock film.

I was quite pleased with some of your findings. We will be using this information next week in order to create reviews about the film for our Year Book.

Have a nice long weekend.

Week 25 Monday, March 22nd- 27th 2010

We only had a lesson once this week because of the student blockade on Tuesday.
In Friday's lesson you had a test on the Monarchy in the UK in the 17th cantury. You had, infact,to describe a painting and say how it demonstrated the royal capacity.

You sat your Cambridge written, reading and oral comprehension tests last Thursday. I hope everything went well for you!
Your spoken test is on Friday, April 2nd.

Week 25 Monday, March 22nd- 27th 2010

This week we only saw each other two times. Well actually I happened to see one of you twice because of the blockade at the school gate. In the first lesson we finished off the work on Patrick and Brenda then you had a mini vocab test. What a disappointment. Not many of you had been working on this vocabulary and I told you atleast two weeks ago that the 'surprise ' would be coming!

Then on Tuesday the only pupil present started to work on Sherlock Holmes. We will continue with this next week.

I was on a course on Wednesday for the European classes so there was no lesson.

Week 24 Monday March 15th - 20th, 2010

This week may have been a bit difficult for some of you but a lot of you must have understood what was happening!
We were,of course,working around Crimes and trying to solve them. We set about trying to understand certain clues found in pictures, mini stories and finally one or two exercises.

For next Monday you have to finish off the work about Brenda's murder.

Don't forget you also have The Death Car , a written comprehension and expression exercise to complete for Tuesday, March 30th.

Week 23 Monday 8th - Friday 13th March 2010

This week we started by going over your wonderful Pop Art productions and commentaries. I hope to be able to put them up on the wall very soon!

Then we started on our new sequence, Crime working firstly around the vocabulary in connection with the subject. We then listened to our first 'crime', a dramatic adaptation of The Clock Strikes Twelve, by Eileen O'Moore, 1973.

You had to think about the situation and relationships of the characters for next session.

Week 21 Monday February 8th - 13th, 2010

This week we finished working on the four articles and matched them with the paintings which were influenced by them. Then I showed you the fifth painting by Andy Warhol entitled Five Deaths Seventeen Times . You have to write the article which inspired this painting using a similar tone, verb forms, tenses and informative style.

Don't forget you can work in groups of 3 or 4 . If you prefer you can hand in work on the Pop Artist of your choice including your analysis of one of his well-known paintings.

The art exhibition of your master pieces will take place after the winter holidays too so be ready. Make sure you include your 'essay' on your work as stipulated in the evaluation sheet.

On Wednesday you finished off the work in the Multimedia lab about Pop singers ( from the Beatles to David Bowie) and Pop Artists ( namely Sir Peter Blake , Andy Warhol .... ). You had to find the connection between them and how they benefited each other! Financially was the correct word! In the consumer society of the 60s the Pop Artists and singers helped eachother sell their works, become rich and famous!!!!

Your English test will be held on Thursday 18th February from 8.20-10.20. There will be a written comprehension, written expression and linguistic test.

BE READY!

Have a good winter holiday.

Week 20 Monday February 1st - 6th, 2010

This week we finished off the Pop Art exchange activity then started working on four articles which had inspired certain Pop Art master pieces. We have to finish this next Monday.

In our group session we went into the multimedia lab and worked on Pop musicians, David Bowie and The Beatles, and their influence on Pop Artists. We have still to answer the question: 'In which way did they benefit eachother?'

We will continue this work next Wednesday.
You must begin to think about your Pop Art painting ....
See you on Monday.

Week 19 Monday January 25th - 30th 2010

We only had one lesson this week because of the mock oral exams in which we exchanged information about certain Pop Artists. Your information was very interesting and it seems you're enjoying this project. We'll continue with it next week.

Don't forget the homework exercise I gave you on Multicultures!

Week 18 Monday 18th - 23rd January 2010

This week we began a new project on Pop Art. In the first session we defined the term and became aware of the close associations of the society and the art inspired by it.

Having established what Pop Art was we did a webquest to find out a bit more about an artit , from the movement , and one of his works.

Next Monday you will be exchanging this information with your classmates.
Happy hunting!

Week 18 Monday 18th - 23rd January 2010

This week we started on a new project, Advertising. To do this we first studied two ads , one for Coke and the other for Buy Nothing Day! We described the visuals and compared their objectives. By so doing we realised that although the ads were very similar in layout , technique and so on their aims were opposed.

In the second session we viewed two short extracts from Friends, the American series, in which Chandler had to create an ad for a pair of sneakers. He had a serious problem, his age and couldn't at first get into the mindset of younger people, especially his younger colleagues. However after much thought on his part he came up with a catchphrase which was appreciated by his boss. All turned out well for him in the end.

On Friday we worked on catchphrases, looking at them to see how they were made, who they were aimed at and so on.

We will be viewing a few commercials the next time we see eachother, February 2nd to be exact.
As you know next week I am involved in mock exams for our upper sixth pupils so will not see you in class.
Be starting to think about, and work on your final task of this sequence : Create either an ad ( present and explain it to the group) or a commercial (act it out ).

See you soon.

Week 17 January 11th - 16th 2010

This week we spent two lessons viewing your exposés on our multicultural class ! You had all tried very hard and we learnt so much about eachother, me included. Most of you had followed the plan from http://www.britkid.uk.org however, a few were a bit more adventurous and made a general comparison of the different ethnic groups, origins,religions and so on in our class with figures and percentages to back them up ! Well done for this serious work.

On Wednesday in our group sessions , after the initial recap, we introduced the film Bend it like Beckham by reading a little review by an American critic then we viewed a short scene . The scene we viewed was when Joe went to Jessminder's house to persuade her parents to allow her to play football. You picked out the cultural references and understood Jessminder's dilemma.

We will be starting a new project next week so be ready!