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23 Dec 2012

19 Dec 2012

Cut the world (music, art)

This video has hit the Internet recently.
You can use it as a nice creative lesson, but mostly for adult students.

Music: Antony and the Johnson, Cut the World
Art: Marina Abramovic - 'grandmother' of performance art
Discussion: Present your Students with some Internet comments and ask for their own opinion. Also, you may introduce the topic of transgender and discuss it.
Activity: Ask Sts to write their own Internet comments on their understanding of the video 

Directed by photographer and video artist Nabil Elderkin, Cut the World is an extremely simple yet beautiful video open to interpretation.

Lyrics:

For so long I've obeyed that feminine decree
I've always contained your desire to hurt me
But when will i turn and cut the world?

My eyes are coral - absorbing your dreams
My skin is a surface to push to extremes
My heart is a record of dangerous scenes
but when will I turn and cut the world
When will I turn and cut the world?

Art: Marina Abramovic appears in the last scene of this video to make a clear link between the content of the video and the body art she performs. She is a very interesting artist and her piece "rhythm 0, 1974" (HERE) is very important in performance history.

Internet comments:
1) "The end of the patriarchal systems of governance encapsulated in one music video... WOW."
2)  "This video is horrible and sends a false message. We are shown the 'feminine' is overtaking the 'masculine' when the truth is that we need a balance of both"
3) "Oh God, women no longer need men! But this video is absolutely right, because we men are primarily responsible for the biggest crap of humanity" [pay attention that crap is vulgar]
4) "The lyrics explain that this person is a man who urges to become a woman, therefore he has to kill his male self, which is frightening. It has nothing to do with female rebellion or inciting violence against men".

16 Dec 2012

"The 3rd Letter" by Grzegorz Jonkajtys

During its 15 min runtime, The 3rd Letter presents the Orwellian vision of the future "where humans utterly depend on bio-mechanical alteration to withstand the deteriorating climate".

It is an amazing sci-fi film, open to interpretation and full of a rare, bleak beauty.


You can link the movie with the book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. You can present some memorable quotes from the book, such as:
  1. "If you want a picture of a future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face"
  2. “War is peace.
    Freedom is slavery.
    Ignorance is strength.” 
  3. “Big Brother is Watching You.”
  4. “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” 
  5. And highlight one of the best opening line ever: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
Choose some more quotes HERE

Show them also the book covers of Nineteen Eighty-Four HERE

As a follow-up activity ask your students to prepare a film poster for The 3rd letter

9 Dec 2012

"A girl" by Ezra Pound (literature and art)

Try poetry :-) It is an invaluable source of inspiration.
Give your students a chance to let their imagination fly.

The poem "A girl" by Ezra Pound is based on the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne. The first stanza is told by Daphne who is going the transformation and the second is told by Apollo who is seeing the process (Daphne is turning into a laurel tree to escape from Apollo).
The poem is short and it is full of images (Ezra Pound started the poetic movement called imagism).
You can encourage your students to draw it afterwards.

1. Start with a story of Apollo and Daphne. You can prepare a gap-filling text (appropriate for your students level)

2. Highlight that Ovid is, after Homer, the single most important source for classical mythology.

3. Point out that artists throughout the centuries have depicted scenes from Ovid’s work in their own paintings. You can even show some of them: a) a sculpture by Bernini HERE or b) a painting by J.W. Waterhouse HERE

3. Say that the major theme of the Metamorphoses, as the title suggests, is metamorphosis, or change. Gods are continually transforming their own selves and shapes, as well as the shapes and beings of humans.
You can give random examples from mythology:
  • Narcissus changed into a flower
  • Zeus into a swan (to get near Leda)
  • Arachne was transformed by Athena into a spider
  • Medusa was changed into a hideous gorgon by Athena
  • Daedalion was a man transformed by Apollo into a hawk
  • Arethusa was transformed into a fountain

4.  The poem has 10 verses. Cut it into 10 pieces. 1 piece = 1 verse.
You can have either a pair work or group work. Ask students to compose the poem out of these 10 lines. They can arrange it whatever they like (make sure they understand the meaning of each line).
Give them a glue and a sheet of paper to sick their version of the poem on. Don't give them a title. Let them come up with a title themselves.

5. At the end introduce them to the final version by Ezra Pound.  Interpret the poem together with your students. Make is easier by asking questions:
  • Who is speaking in the first part? And who in the second?
  • What transformations do you see?
  • What does the last verse mean? What is folly to the world? Why is that folly?


As in the poem a girl is one with nature. You can also show your students this poster HERE as a basis for discussion. You can also encourage them to make something similar themselves as a follow-up activity.

PhraseMix teaches natural language

Very interesting short pictorial lessons with common English phrases, e.g.:

You're at a restaurant. The waitress asks what you want to drink. You'd like a beer, so you ask this.
What do you have on tap?


http://www.phrasemix.com           

Short story: "Fat and Thin" by Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov's short story "Fat and Thin" (1883) is a good source for the lesson on friendship.
Your students would probably get little chance to read 19th-century Russian literature, so keep it more like fun reading stuff rather than a serious academic lecture.

You can have it with students who are at a strong intermediate level or above.
The short story you can find on the web, e.g. HERE
 
Plot: It is about two former school friends (one is fat, the other is thin) who meet by chance after many years at a railway station. One of them tries to show off to the other about his successful job and life. He gets surprised when his friend (the fat one) reveals his high social status. Then comes the sudden change in the first man's (the thin man) attitude towards his friend and he becomes servile. The friendly meeting turns into a shameful ritual of self-abnegation.

Exercises:
1. You can prepare a handout similar to this one: HERE 
2. You can ask questions:
  • Why did the author entitled the story Fat and Thin?
  • What are the similarities or differences of the two main characters?
  • How can you relate the story in real life?
  • What did you learn from the story?
  • Where do you find some humour and satire in the story?
 3. Use vocabulary section "Friends" from Advanced Vocabulary and Idioms by B. J. Thomas

Twitter for language learning

If you are a language teacher and haven't been using Twitter yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. My friend Tom introduced me to the concept and I am totally fascinated with the opportunities it creates.
If you have no idea how to start that will be helpful: free online video tutorial HERE.

Be connected and get inspired :-)

8 Dec 2012

Yellow Boat Project (video)

The Yellow Boat Project is a national movement that provides yellow boats to kids in the Philippines who have to swim to get to school. 

Use this as an inspirational video to raise awareness of different communities experiencing different school problems. It has subtitles, so it will be easy for students to follow.



You can start by asking your students a question: How do you get to school? 
You will get different answers (e.g. by bus, by car, on foot, etc.).
Ask them: Can we swim to school? They would probably start laughing and say "No". 
Use the video as a chance to open their minds and hearts.

7 Dec 2012

Everyday objects can fire our imagination

When you introduce your students to language of everyday objects, such as: newspapers, coat hangers, wire hangers, matchsticks, bricks etc., you can show them pictures of contemporary art which makes use of those day-to-day objects
  • You can have quite stimulating discussions on finding new meaning in everyday stuff. 
  • You can put students into groups, give each of the group one common daily thing (e.g. a pencil, a plastic cup, a toothbrush etc.) and ask them to create something out of it.
  • Or you can simply show your students pictures and stimulate their mind.
You can make a whole lesson out of it or just briefly expose your students to a richly-coloured world of everyday objects. Even a 2-minute slideshow would give your lesson a fresh touch.

And here is the artistic context for you:
David Mach is a Scottish artist who uses everyday objects and materials to construct extraordinary pieces.
He said of himself: “I’m a materials junkie, I just can’t get my hands on enough stuff to make things with.”

He uses:
1. newspapers (old magazines; look HERE)





 









2.  matchsticks (look HERE)
Gandhi 2008 by David Mach

3. christmas cards and playing cards (look HERE
Love 2012 by David Mach, made from xmas cards

4. coat hangers (look HERE)
cool sculptures made of wire coat hangers, David Mach, Scottish artist

5. bricks (look HERE)

6.car tyres (look HERE)


____________
*If you are interested in it here is more on the subject of "recycled art" - HERE

Rembrant lesson (#music art)

Great blend of language music and art.

The Song by King Crimson titled The Night Watch (click and listen HERE)
It is inspired by Rembrandt's painting of the same title (click and see HERE)

The lyrics of the songs narrates the painting (click and read HERE)

The song may seem a bit difficult for interpretation. It is challenging but with advanced students you can create very inspirational lesson. The song is almost like a poem, you can analyse it verse by verse.

Remember also to set the background: this song talks of a painting of 17th century Dutch society. It shows us the prosperity they now enjoy after their struggle for independence from Spain has ended. This period is called the Dutch Golden Age.

You should also point out that the actual painting which is now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is massive. Its colossal size is 363 x 437 cm (11 ft 10in x 14 ft 4in). You can ask your students to what extent does the music express its greatness.

There is also a great BBC documentary series by Simon Schama about the power of Rembrandt's art.
You can watch it HERE.
More about Simon Schama's Power Of Art HERE.

Salvador Dali Dictation (Describe and Draw - part2)

This activity is called "Dali Dictation".
Teacher dictates the description of the picture Swans reflecting elephants one line at the time and students draw what they hear.
If you are interested in it, look here: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities/clil-art-dali.

Remember that you can simplify the picture and its description, depending on the level of your students.

Describe and Draw (language and art)

Describing the picture is a common language teaching activity. To make it more challenging and fun I provide my students with abstract and surreal pictures. So it is not enough for them to say: "I can see a man in the picture", if the image is deformed, twisted and resembles many different things.

One student describes the picture and the other draws it.
As the pictures are far from being realistic, students have a great fun with it. It rises their level of curiosity. What is important, it can be adapted for the language as well as artistic skills.

You can use e.g. Salvador Dali's pictures. I use the pictures which I found in the collection of poems by Aleksandra Wojtkiewicz titled Landrynki (Sweets).







Uncle Google and the end of learning opportunities? (speaking)

Give this short post to your students and trigger a discussion: http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/2287

To what extent does Uncle Google kill curiosity and opportunities for learning?
To what extent does it kill creativity?
Is the formula of quick and ready answers the sign of our times?

Answer it yourself first.

6 Dec 2012

A picture speaks a thousand of words

I want to introduce you to American filmmaker on the web - Ted Chung. His short films are perfect for English teaching. You can use them in many different ways, depending which skills you want your students to improve or develop. Ted Chung's films concentrate mainly on pictures so you can use them with students from elementary to advanced level. More importantly, these films are beautifully made, they have the element of mystery in it and are filled with - what I call - the soul. Ted Chung's films are about feelings and emotions. He makes us think.

Here are my ideas for lessons. If you have your own it would be great if you share them.


1. A Thousand words by Ted Chung


Students may narrate the story or speak the male character's thoughts (that is my friend Tom's idea).
Students may predict what happens next. A group task: write the ending of the story.
Low level students may name all the things they see in the video, e.g. a camera, a shopping bag, to be on the bus etc. Or they can practise Present Continuous tense.


2. One time by Ted Chung


You can revise Future tense here.
You can start the discussion: Would you like to see what happens in 30 seconds ahead of you? You can divide students into groups: those who would like to see the future and those who wouldn't.


3. Mike's by Ted Chung

You can find it here on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/2880633

This is a great opportunity to practise the use of possessive. Ask your students: what is Mike's?
You can ask your students to compare: what is Mike's and what is Tony's? Stop the video at 00:48 and elicit the correct vocabulary. You can also stop at 1:48 and ask your students to predict the story. Ask the question: What do think Mike is going to find out?
Students can also narrate what is happening.
Ted Chung's film are essentially visual stories open for discussion.
With more advanced and mature students you can start discussion on relationships between people and communication problems.


*I found the video Thousand of words on the website: film-english.com. Feel free to explore this website, as it is very creative and offers a lot interesting videos and materials, which you can use your own way