In October 2012, Amanda Todd, aged 15, committed suicide after being cyberbullied. One month before she died, she had posted a video on YouTube where she used a series of flashcards to tell about her dramatic experience. Her video wentviral after her death.
Amanda Todd's story got immediate international media attention and was a
very late call to action against all types of bullying.
Words can hurt but they can also heal, inspire and motivate. I
asked my 15-year-old students at IES La Moreria (Mislata, València,
Spain) to film a video or create a comic strip - inspired by Amanda
Todd's - using the power of words to recognize friends, acquaintances or complete strangers who gave them a helping hand when they needed it. Below you can find some of these videos.
The Amanda Todd project is not only a powerful statement against bullying but also a reminder that we sometimes forget to say "Thank you" or "You made my day" to the people that do good things for us.
In memory of Amanda Todd.
Ester Martínez thanks Rebeca
María Clara Garcés thanks Sara and Valentina
Rafa Canales thanks Mariam
Pedro Gómez thanks Sara
Lucía de Haro thanks María
Mariam Lakhal thanks María
Do not let these words be only an English project. Make sure people who are important to you hear them every day.
Thanks to all of my students at IES La Moreria who took part in the Amanda Todd project. You are awesome!
What if I told you that you could win a free train ticket on your 18th birthday to travel all over Europe with your friends? Wouldn't it be exciting?
In 2016, a proposal was made at the European Parliament to give away free Interrail tickets to all Europeans on their 18th birthday. The project was rejected in its initial form because it was too expensive but a new, lighter version was passed and the first 15.000 teens travelled all over the Old Continent by train for free thanks to the scheme in 2018.
But why should Europe pay for a bunch of teenagers' holidays? Can't you think of any good reasons? You can read more about it here.
Watch the following video and answer the questions on the worksheet:
Imagine you have a personal vlog - also known as videoblog - with a friend. Create a short video about the #DiscoverEU programme. Use the questions below to help you. Make sure you have read and understood all the information and the participation requirements on the #Discover EU website.
Present the #DiscoverEU proposal. What is it about?
In your opinion, is it a good idea? How do you think free Interrail tickets can help teenagers make their European identity stronger? Think of at least 3 or 4 different reasons.
Would you like to participate in the programme when you turn 18 years old? Why (not)?
Would you like to travel alone? If not, who would you travel with? Explain. Remember you can travel solo or in groups of up to 5 people.
What European country or countries would you like to visit? Remember you can choose up to 4 cross-border countries - in the same area - for your route.
What European Cultural Heritage site would you include on your route? Why? You can find the complete list here.
How would you tell other people about your trip? Think of at least three different things you could do to report on your travel experience.
Your video must include photographs and music at some points. Remember to include your names at the end and also use the hashtag #DiscoverEU to promote the idea!
When you finish, you can submit your videos on Flipgrid, as explained in class.
Imagine one of your old friends has been planning to move to the UK to study. You haven't heard of him for the last couple of months. Suddenly, one day you get this e-mail:
Hi!
How are you? I've finally managed to get settled in. Manchester is a great city but I really miss you and all our friends back home. What have you been up to lately? Write back soon. Let's not lose touch just because I'm living in another city now.
Take care,
Reply to your friend's e-mail giving him/her your latest news. Use appropriate opening and closing set phrases and discuss at least three of the following points:
What you're presently doing which takes up most of your time.
Developments that have occurred in your life since you last spoke.
What you do during your spare time.
Anything that could be of interest to the person you're writing to of a personal or general nature (e.g. a wedding, a reunion of friends, etc.)
Write your response as a comment below this post. Select the option "Name/URL" and write your full name. Your comment will be moderated so it will not appear immediately.
Volunteering abroad is a popular activity for teenagers like you living in developed English-speaking countries such as the USA, the UK or Australia.
Many of them travel to foreign countries during their summer holidays to help preservewildlife, teach languages or get involved in local communities in different ways. Some students even take a year off their studies, that is, a gap year, to do volunteer work.
These experiences are highly valued when participants are back in their countries - some of the most prestigious universities and companies offering jobs prefer candidates who have volunteered in the past because they believe volunteering teaches people skills that are important for life.
Although volunteering opportunities are often expensive (because of flight tickets, meals, insurances, etc.) and not all households can afford them, there are some companies and websites that help teenagers and their families to find the right project. One of them is https://www.goeco.org.
Your task
Browse GoEco's website and pick a project that you would like to participate in if you had the opportunity. Take short notes and write a short text (100-120 words) about it. You must:
Present your favourite project briefly.
Explain why you would like to participate and why you think the project is good for you.
Explain the things you would like to do and learn during your volunteering experience.
Discuss any worries, concerns or doubts you have about the project.
Take a look at the section Travel Highlights, which includes interesting things to do in your free time during your stay abroad. Explain which of them you find most exciting and why.
Remember
Before you start writing, plan your text:
Decide what information in your notes you are going to use and how you are going to organise the information into paragraphs (introduction, body and conclusion).
Use conditionals to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations.
Use appropriate vocabulary related to volunteer work and some phrasal verbs. Please recycle vocabulary from units 1 and 4 in your student's book.
Hand in your first draft to me. After you have improved the text following my feedback and using the correction code, post your edited version here as a comment. Please include your name and first surname.
In October 2012, Amanda Todd, aged 15, committed suicide after being cyberbullied. One month before she died, she had posted a video on YouTube where she used a series of flashcards to tell about her dramatic experience. Her video wentviral after her death.
Amanda Todd's story got immediate international media attention and was a very late call to action against all types of bullying.
Words can hurt but they can also heal, inspire and motivate. I asked my 15-year-old students at IES La Moreria (Mislata, València, Spain) to film a video or create a comic strip - inspired by Amanda Todd's - using the power of words to recognize friends, acquaintances or complete strangers who gave them a helping hand when they needed it. Below you can find some of these videos.
The Amanda Todd project is not only a powerful statement against bullying but also a reminder that we sometimes forget to say "Thank you" or "You made my day" to the people that do good things for us.
In memory of Amanda Todd.
Noelia Hermua thanks Nerea
Lucía Jordà thanks her former teacher, Dolores
Daniel Martí thanks Alejandro
Diego Cuartero thanks Álex
Lori Gómez thanks Noelia and all of her new friends
Javi Carballo thanks Mario
Raúl Lledó thanks Lori
Mar Barrenchea thanks Lidia and Miranda
Rubén González thanks Araceli
Noelia Beneyto thanks Lori
Do not let these words be only an English project. Make sure people who are important to you hear them every day.
Thanks to all of my students at IES La Moreria who took part in the Amanda Todd project. You are awesome!
This term we are going to learn about different world sports and create a YouTube tutorial on how to play them. We are going to do this project in collaboration with your PE teachers, Miguel Ángel Lorenzo and Toni Ginard, and your ethics teachers, Marga Calbet and Adriana Morell.
The sports we are going to learn about include some sports and games you have discussed in your ethics class: sling throwing, kickball, dodgeball and capture the flag.
Watch these videos and check the websites to complete the information about the sport you must work on.
1. KICKBALL
Check this website for more technical information about kickball.
2. SLING THROWING
Check this website for more technical information about sling throwing.
3. DODGEBALL
Check this website for more information about dodgeball.
4. CAPTURE THE FLAG
Check this website for more information about capture the flag.
Britain's Got Talent is one of the most successful talent shows ever broadcast. Anyone of any age with any sort of talent can audition for the show. Acts compete against each other in order to gain audience support. The winner receives a cash prize of £500.000 (approximately €750.000) and is given the opportunity to perform in the Royal Variety Performance in front of members of the British Royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II. The final usually gets more than 50% of audience share, which makes this competition more popular than other well-known talent shows such as The X Factor or The Voice.
Watch below a selection of some of the most popular acts that have taken part in Britain's Got Talent.
Imagine you have to describe the acts to someone who hasn't watched them. Write 60-80 words for each act, using in each description at least 5 of the useful phrases studied in class (page 49 in your Student's Book). Try to think about which phrases suit each act best. We will discuss your texts in class.
When you finish, leave a comment on the blog explaining what act you have enjoyed the most and why. Enjoy the show!
We've just read about how a family's experience of playing Grand Theft Auto clashed with widespread beliefs and prejudices against violent video games. What are your opinions on this matter? Discuss the questions below in small groups.
- Do you usually play video games? How often?
- Have video games changed the way teenagers spend their free time? How?
- In your opinion, what positive and negative impact can video games have on people's lives?
- Human personality is shaped and defined during adolescence. In your opinion, can video games play a role in the development of teenagers' personalities?
- Do you think violent video games can influence people's behaviour? Why (not)?
Well, let's take a look at what different experts have to say on this issue. Watch this video and take notes to try to answer the questions below.
Comprehension questions:
- What did the study carried out by the Ohio State University consist of?
- What were its conclusions?
- What are some differing viewpoints that the video presents about playing video games?
- What do the students interviewed say about video games?
- What measure has the video game industry taken to help protect society from exposure to violence?
Do you have ancestors from other
Spanish regions or foreign countries? Why did they migrate to
Majorca?
How do immigrants adapt to Spanish
culture?
Imagine you must settle in a foreign
country. What aspects would you find key to successful integration?
Sophia, last year's assistant teacher, participated in a workshop in which high
school students like you interviewed immigrants in their schools or
neighbourhoods and wrote articles about their life experiences.
2. Read one of these extracts and discuss the questions in your group:
3. When you finish, join students who read a different story and compare the three life experiences.
In what ways are the three stories similar? In what ways are they different?
Which story did you find the most striking? Why?
Can you think of similar situations migrants are facing in Spain? Discuss them.
Homework
4. Read the complete story you have been assigned comprehensively and watch the accompanying video when you finish. You can find the stories here. The following online dictionaries can help you with your reading at home.
5. When you finish reading, complete the reading filebelow thoroughly. You will need this file next day in class to take part in a class discussion.
6. On June 16th 2015, a well-known American businessman called Donald Trump announced that he would be running for US President in 2016. His Presidential Campaign Announcement speech was very controversial because of what he said about immigration. Watch the video and discuss the questions below:
Does his view on immigration match the real-life experiences you've read about? Why (not)?
What different reactions do you think his words may have caused? Think about different types of audiences such as Mexican immigrants, American citizens, the international community, etc.
Is this a conservative or a liberal view on immigration? Why?
Do you think he will become the next US President? Why (not)?
After learning some interesting things about Japan and listening to Malcolm's experience living in the country, I want you to take a look at this website which offers survival tips for people who would like to move to Japan.
Imagine you're planning to move to Tokyo for work-related reasons. Browse the guide summary (click here to open the website) and read the sections which are relevant to the questions you've been assigned. Take notes to discuss them in class later on.
Group 1
What important things should you do before leaving Spain?
What tips or recommendations do you consider to be the most useful?
Group 2
What type of jobs should a person who doesn't speak Japanese fluently try to find?
What important considerations related to job interviews, contracts and work should you take into account?
Group 3
What advice on free time does the guide give?
Which tips or recommendations do you consider to be the most useful?
