Can you remember any special Christmas ad? What is the message they generally send?
In groups, watch one of the ads and explain it to the rest of the class. Try to do it with as many details as possible. Which story do you think is more interesting?
Now, watch them all. Who described them best? Does the best description match the best ad according to you?
[Activity designed by Anna Asián]
I. What makes a horror story a horror story?
II. Watch the short tutorial on how to make your writing suspenseful and then answer the questions.
III. Now it’s time to write your story.
a) First of all let’s check the guidelines to write a horror story.
b) Now have a look at this specific vocabulary. What words are you going to use in your story?
Now you’ve already got the basics to write your story. Hands on!
IV. Once you’ve written your story, go through this rubric to check out whether your writing follows all the steps to be a perfect scary story.
V. Design a booklet for your story.
– Design a cover and choose a title for your story.
– On the second page write a bio about the author (that’s you!)
– Then write the story
– Design the back cover. Write a summary or blurb and a design to illustrate it.
Have you ever heard of Patricia Highsmith? Do you know any of her works?
I. Watch the video and fill in the gaps with the missing information about Patricia Highsmith’s biography.
Nick Hornby is a British writer, novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. He is also a music and literary critic as well as songwriter. As a philanthropist he set up a kids literacy project called “Ministry of Stories” aimed at helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to help teachers inspire their students to write.
PRE-WATCHING – Check the meaning of these words.
| tentpole / treatment / ministry / debt / charity / background / to grant / literacy / dystopian |
I. You’re going to listen to Nick Hornby talk about different topics. In this first clip he talks about tips to come up with ideas for writing. Listen and answer the questions.
A research study has looked into what happens inside your brain while you read and listen to music.
You know that thrill you get when listening to your favourite music? That exciting feeling down your spine when you hear your favourite melody or rhythm? According to a recent study, it seems the same thing can happen while you are reading, but not with every kind of text. This opens up fascinating questions around how music, reading and emotions are connected in the brain.
I. Read the following text and answer the questions below.
[Source: Learnenglishteens]
II. Read the following texts and decide if they belong to a song or to a poem. Why do you think that? What characteristics do they share? What makes them different?
III. Let’s check your answers!
This is how I discovered this beautiful spoken song. It was published by @culturainquieta on Instagram and I couldn’t tear my eyes away…
IV. Write a short text answering the following questions: How do you think poetry and music are related? What do you prefer? Can you think of any songs or poems that stirred up your emotions? Which ones and why? (Remember to organise your ideas and use paragraphs and connectors. Write 80-100 words)
What aspects of gender equality should be legislated? What laws do you know in your country that help achieve gender equality? Do you think it is the same in other countries around the world?
Check the following interactive by The Guardian which analyses different aspects related to gender equality legislation.
| harassment | 1. when requested, asked for | |
| non-discrimination clause | 2. to give official permission for something to happen | |
| provision | 3. the status of being in a parent and child relationship | |
| ownership rights | 4. the legal right to be a citizen of a particular country | |
| inheritance rights | 5. Behaviour that annoys or upsets someone. | |
| on request | 6. To give an official title, honour, or advantage to someone | |
| maternity & paternity leave | 7. Rights determine who has the legal right to claim your property after you die | |
| to mandate | 8. the act of giving someone something he or she needs | |
| family status | 9. to employ someone or pay them to do a particular job | |
| ban | 10. the fact of owning something | |
| hire | 11. a part of a legal document that establishes people mustn’t be discriminated | |
| dismissal | 12. a mother who is breast-feeding her baby. | |
| nursing mother | 13. to officially stop a person or many people from doing something | |
| confer | 14. the situation in which an employer officially makes someone leave their job | |
| citizenship | 15. a period in which a woman/man is legally allowed to be absent from work in the weeks before and after she/her wife gives birth |
II. Go to the infographic and choose an area of the world. What are the OECD countries? Discuss with your group what countries protect women’s rights and what rights are still not guaranteed. Note down three facts you find the most striking.
The Guardian 2013
| REGIONS: |
1- East Europe & Central Asia (23 countries)
2- East Asia & Pacific (13 countries) 3- Latin America & Carib (19 countries) 4- Middle East & North Africa (14 countries) 5- OECD (30 countries) 6- South Asia (5 countries) 7- Sub-Saharan Africa (36 countries) |
III. Write an opinion essay on the topic: Women’s rights struggle is going for a long time. How have governments contributed to equality worldwide and what does it still need to get done?
Take a piece of paper and draw a graph with 16 boxes (4×4).
Write 16 out of these 21 words in the boxes: love, you, weak, home, I, very, want, only, smart, sorry, need, never, one, give, more, day, always, fly, wait, life, hello
We’re going to listen to the audio of the following video. Every time you hear one of the words on your sheet, you should put an “X” in that box.
The first five people to have four X’s in a row will be the “winners”
Are you ready?
[Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo]
I. Who is Amanda Gorman, and what has she been asked to do?
II. Watch the video about Amanda Gorman and answer the following questions with one word.
2. What did she want to achieve through her novels?
3. What was her father’s job? Were they rich?
4. Did she get married?
5. How many novels did she write? Which ones do you know?
6. Why are Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice good for one another?
7. What are the lenses Jane Austen tries to exchange in Mansfield Park?
8. Does Jane Austen talk about money in her novels? What are the two important aspects of money she deals with?
9. What is Emma’s flaw in Jane Austen’s novel?
10. What is the characteristic in Jane Austen’s novels that makes it unique and has disappeared from current literature?
