My EFL Video Sessions

Why is Plato's Allegory of the Cave still Relevant? (C1-C2)

2023-05-21T21:14:00.018-03:00

A: Discuss before you watch 🗣

Who was Plato and what is he known for in the field of philosophy?
What is an allegory, and how does it differ from a literal story or narrative?
Based on the title "Why is Plato's Allegory of the Cave still Relevant," and the picture above, what do you predict the video might discuss or explore?
How do you think understanding philosophical concepts can enhance our critical thinking and perception of reality?

B. Watch the introduction of the video and define "Allegory" (0:00-1:15’) 🤔

Plato's allegory of the Cave is a selection from a larger work called The Republic written about 375 BC, which uses an allegory to illustrate his ideas. An allegory is a form of storytelling that uses symbolic characters, objects, or events to represent abstract or moral ideas.

C. Listen👂to the explanation of "The Allegory of the Cave" without watching and draw 🖍what you hear. (1:16’-2:49’) After that, watch 📽 the video and compare the images shown to the ones you've drawn.

D. Now say if the following are True or False. Account for your answers. 🎯

E. What’s the missing word? ✍

F. CAE Key Word Transformation. ✍

G. Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups of 3. 🗣

1. How does the story relate to the concept of reality nowadays?

2. Why do you think this story has endured for over 2,000 years?

3. In what ways can we apply the lessons from the Allegory of the Cave to our own lives?

4. Do you believe that reality is subjective or objective? Why?

5. How might technology impact our understanding of reality?

6. Have you ever had an experience that made you question your perception of reality?

H. Creative part (5 ideas 💡)

Using a fake Instagram post generator like zeoob in connection with the allegory of the cave can be a creative way to evaluate what students have learnt after this video session. Here are a few tasks they could do in groups:

Create a fake Instagram post from the perspective of one of the prisoners in the cave. What would they post about their life in the cave? What would they think about the world outside the cave?
Create a fake Instagram post from the perspective of the person who is freed from the cave. What would they post about their experience of seeing the real world for the first time? How would they describe the difference between the world inside the cave and the world outside?
Create a fake Instagram post that compares and contrasts the two worlds. What are the similarities and differences between the world inside the cave and the world outside? What does this say about the nature of reality?
Create a fake Instagram post that argues for or against the idea that the world outside the cave is more real than the world inside the cave. What evidence can you use to support your argument?
Create a fake Instagram post that explores the implications of the allegory of the cave for our own lives. What does it mean to live in a world of shadows? What can we do to escape the shadows and see the real world?

I. Final reflection 🤔

By evaluating students through activities like these 👆, as educators we can tap into students' creativity, foster critical thinking, and create a more engaging and authentic learning experience by encouraging active participation, collaboration, innovation, and the development of valuable technological and reflective skills. 🧡

The Human Library (B1+/ B2)

2019-12-21T08:56:00.004-03:00

Discuss Before you watch

Have you ever heard of the "Human Library"? What do you imagine it must be about?
Watch the following one-minute video and check your predictions.
What else would you like to know about the "Human Library"?

Watch this other video and complete the mindmap below.

Match up the following collocations which appear in the video and explain how they relate to what you have just seen.

Retell the video using the collocations above. You can use the mindmap to guide you!

Discuss again

1. What do you think of the Human Library? Is is a Good idea? Why? Why not?

2. Would you give the experience a try? Why? Why not?

3 If you could read a Human Book. What kind of book would you choose? Why?

4 Do you know anybody who would make a best-seller? Why?

5 If you could get published, what would you call your book? Would enjoy the experience?

6 Would it be a Good idea to implement Human Libraries in schools? Why? Why not? Would there be any drawback?

Nomophobia (B1/ B2)

2016-05-21T22:30:00.005-03:00

DISCUSS BEFORE YOU WATCH

Look at the following cartoons. What do they have in common?

How do you think your smatphone affects your life?
What are the pros and cons of using smartphones? Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, or the other way about?
Do you feel like you have to keep checking your phone when you're out?
When you are out and your phone dies, what is your reaction?
How disruptive are smartphones to a young person's social life?
What is the biggest disadvatage of smartphones on society and social interaction?
What makes smartphones so addictive in your opinion?
Have you ever heard of the term "Nomophobia"? If so, share what you know about it with the class.

WATCH

What exactly is nomophobia? Are any of the ideas discussed above mentioned in the video?
What could be done to overcome nomophobia?
Do you think you might be nomophobic? Take this quiz and find out!

MATCH UP THE COLLOCATIONS

How do the collocations above 👆 refer to the ideas expressed in the video?

FOLLOW UP: ESSAY WRITING (Cambridge First. B2)

In what ways have smartphones affected our lives? Has this been a positive or negative development?" (Write your essay 140-190 words)

Discuss:

Access to information
Relationships
____________ (Your own idea)

How Music Saved Venezuela's Children (B2/C1)

2016-04-02T20:42:00.001-03:00

Before you watch

Look at the photos above and discuss the questions.

Do you play any musical instrument? How long have you played it for?
How did you start playing it?
What are the advantages of teaching children to play musical instruments? Are there any disadvantages?
What is the best age to learn how to play a musical instrument?
Have you ever heard about the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra? If so, what do you know about it?

Reading & speaking

Cut these slips of papers on the different benefits of learning music and give out one to each student. They should read it and try to memorize the main idea. Play a song and let them move around the class sharing what they've read with their classmates. Then, ask them to go back to their seats and take turn to say what benefits they remember.

http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/twelve-benefits-of-music-education/

Look at the mindmap below. What information do you expect to learn from the video?

Watch

A. Watch and make connections with the images and information in the mindmap. Then, share your findings with the class.

Focus on Language

Match up and provide examples related to the video

Other Collocations you can use:

An ambitious scheme

Excluded children

An unlikely setting

Amazing results

Classical music

Now, write a short summary of the video, using the collocations above. Then use the mind map again and try retelling the video using the collocations you've learnt.

Sample Summary:

In the unlikely setting of Venezuela, an ambitious scheme called the 'Sistema' was set up in 1975 by the acclaimed musician José Antonio Abreu. This extraordinary project, utilizing the power of classical music, aimed to fight poverty and have a big effect on the lives of excluded children in the nation. By providing free instruments and lessons through after-school centers, the Sistema successfully kept kids away from drugs and gangs, turning the community into artists. The results were absolutely amazing, with the creation of 30 professional orchestras and the enrollment of approximately 275,000 children in El Sistema schools. At the forefront stood the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, led by Gustavo Dudamel, one of the best conductors in the world.

FOLLOW UP: Choose 3 questions and discuss them in small groups. Then, share your conclusions with the whole group.

How does music have the power to transform lives?How does music contribute to emotional well-being and mental health?
Can you identify any examples from history or current events where music has been used to inspire social change or promote important causes?

How does participating in music-related activities, such as playing an instrument or singing in a choir, enhance personal growth and development?
Can you imagine a world without music? How would it be different, and what aspects of human life would be affected?
How can small actions or gestures in our daily lives contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable society?
In what ways can education and awareness-raising campaigns be effective in promoting social change?
How can technology and social media be utilized as powerful tools for mobilizing and organizing social movements?
What role does empathy and understanding play in driving social change?
How can community involvement and collective action contribute to addressing social issues and creating lasting change?
What are some ways individuals can use their skills, talents, or resources to actively contribute to social change in their local communities?
What are some challenges or barriers that individuals or groups may face when trying to initiate social change, and how can they be overcome?

Money buys happiness (B2/ C1)

2016-03-10T12:13:00.002-03:00

WARM UP

What do you make of the images above?
Do you agree with the statement “Money buys happiness”?
Would you rather spend your money on yourself or on others?
If you spend it on yourself, what kind of things do you prefer to spend it on?
If you spend it on others, what kind of things do you prefer to spend it on?

BEFORE YOU WATCH

Match up the collocations

1. To be in pursuit a. end of the day

2. A correlation b. run

3. To use money to c. a raise or commission

4. To be sensitive d. source of happiness

5. To get e. of money

6. To go into f. debt

7. To spend money g. on yourself/ others

8. In the long h. question

9. To go i. to change

10. To be the main j. our advantage

11. At the k. between money and happiness

12. A burning l. after experiences

WATCH & DISCUSS

What’s the correlation between happiness and money according to the video?
How does making more than U$75.000 impact happiness?
What does the video say about people who win the lottery?
Where does the problem lie according to recent studies?
What happens in teams and organizations?
How important is the way money is spent on others?
How should you spend your money if you decide to spend it on yourself?
What should you do if you have a burning question?

FOLLOW UP

The following language might help you:

Money is likely/ unlikely to affect ... as...
Having money makes no/ little difference given that ...
The lack of money may have a negative effect on... due to the fact that ...
Having money has a profound impact on...in the sense that ...

These are some synonyms of the word "Important": Try to use them in your discussion as well:

ESSENTIAL- CRUCIAL- VITAL- IMPERATIVE- PARAMOUNT

Save the World

2016-02-10T11:51:00.000-03:00

Before you watch

What do the terms in the wordcloud have in common? Choose 5 words and and discuss what you make of them.

Watch

Watch Video 1. Which of the issues above does the video display?

Putting two and two together

The mindmap above illustrates some environmental problems. Get into pairs and try to explain the connection between some of the terms. Use the expressions below to connect your ideas.

(MAY) LEAD(S) TO/ RESULT(S)IN TAKES PLACE WHEN
DUE TO (THE FACT THAT) OWING TO (THE FACT THAT) ON ACCOUNT OF (THE FACT THAT)

What can people do to address the problems above? Match up the collocations and find out.

Pose a.our planet
Protect/ safeguard b. containers
Reduce c. on foot/ by bike
Avoid emitting d. eco/environmentally friendly means of transport / bins
Lead e. of rubbish in landfill sites
Raise f. the amount of non-organic waste/
Take g. litter on the street
Not dispose h. a serious threat TO the environment
Reuse/ recycle i. a healthier life
Use j. awareness of environmental issues
Not drop/leave k. action (in order to solve a problem)
Travel l. toxic/ exhaust fumes

Now cover the exercise above. How many collocations do you remember?

Watch Video 2

Which of the ideas above are mentioned in the video?

WRITING FOLLOW UP (FCE Level)

Read the following essay and fill in the blanks with the vocabulary learnt above.

Now, write any of the tasks below and try to use as much vocabulary as possible. Use the essay above for useful vocabulary and expressions.

Meat for thought...

2013-12-24T15:13:00.000-03:00

Discuss before you watch

• Look at the title of this video session. What do you make of it? Does the expression ring a bell?

• Are you a vegetarian or a vegan? When/ Why did you choose to go veggie? If not, do you know
somebody who is? When/ Why did they choose to go veggie?

• Read the following quotations and say if you agree, disagree or somewhat agree. Account for your
answers.

"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body." (Gandhi)

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian." (Paul Mac Cartney)

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. (Albert Einstein)

“I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.” ( Leonardo da Vinci)

• What’s people’s attitude toward vegetarians or vegans in your country?

• Do you think the world would be different if everybody was vegetarian? Or a vegan?

• How would you feel if you were told that you could no longer eat meat?

• Do you think that vegetarians are more or less healthy than meat eaters?

• Have you ever visited a vegetarian restaurant? What was the food like?

• Is it true that humans are naturally omnivores or are we meant to eat meat?

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

These are some collocations which will be used in the video. Match them up.

GROUP 1

1. environmental a. poisoning

2. water b. pollution

3. air and water c. gases/ effect

4. food d. shortages

5. greenhouse e. issues

GROUP 2

1. Endure a. animals into a cage

2. Sound b. birth

3. Give c. insane

4. Raise/ breed d. suffering/ chronic pain

5. Cram e. the alarm

6. Go f. an animal

GROUP 3

1. Entire/ miserable a. conditions

2. Deadly b. sheds

3. Dismal/ appalling c. paid

4. Common d. abilities

5. Cognitive e. life/ existence

6. Poorly g. bacteria

7. Crowded/ Filthy h. practice

Fill in the blanks with a suitable preposition

1. Be_________ (constant) pain

2. Leave something _________ good

3. Be prone __________ a disease.

4. Figure_____________the solution to a problem

5. Be dumped back____________ the ocean.

6. Be confined____________ a tiny cage

7. Cut something ____________ of our diet

8. Lack _____________mental stimulation

FORMING WORDS with the PREPOSITIONS OUT, OFF and IN.

1. Pigs are more intelligent than dogs, even _____________________some primates on a variety of tasks, such as operating interactive video games. PERFORM

2. Female cows produce milk for their___________________, not for human beings. SPRING

3. Cattle used for meat and milk are fed an unnatural diet to maximize growth and milk_____________________ that causes them to be constantly bloated and in pain. PUT

4. During the winter, they are crowded into filthy congested sheds, in much the same way as pigs and chickens, and in some cases they are even kept ________________all year round. DOOR

5. Modern meat production is responsible for recent _____________________of Mad Cow Disease, SARS, bird flu, and other diseases. BREAK

LET’S WATCH

You’re about to watch a documentary in which Paul McCartney explains many important reasons for not eating meat— showing the horrible suffering that poultry, pigs, cows and fish are routinely subjected to in order to create meat that is eaten by people.

I’ve chosen it because I find it extremely effective in documenting the appalling conditions which factory farmed animals face in factory farms AKA “slaughterghouses” as well as other associated problems such as health issues and toxic pollution created as a byproduct of meat production.

The official website for this video is located here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4TON3BxTxg

Watch the video and complete the information related to each animal trying to use the vocabulary seen above. Then share your findings with a classmate.

AFTER YOU WATCH

What’s your take on what you have just seen? Do you think that a video like this one manages to raise awareness of the suffering farm animals have to endure? Do you think somebody can go vegetarian after watching this video? Why?

FOLLOW UP

Do a little research on any of the following topics and be ready to present it.

- VEGANISM vs VEGETARIANISM

- MEAT & ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS SUBSTITUTES

- INDIANS & COWS

- MUSLIMS & PIGS

- A VEGGIE RECIPE

- A VEGAN RECIPE

Try something new for 30 days!

2013-11-27T22:29:00.001-03:00

Activity contributed by Prof. Natalia Ghiglione. Thanks for sharing, Naty!!!

DISCUSS BEFORE YOU WATCH

· What are the most common bad habits people have?

· Do you have any of those? If so, have you ever tried to change it? What did you do? Did you succeed?

· Is there any good habit or activity you would like to develop? How would you do it?

LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING POSTER BEFORE YOU PLAY THE VIDEO, PREDICT WHAT MATT CUTTS WILL TALK ABOUT.

NOW, WATCH AND WRITE DOWN THE CHALLENGES MATT CUTTS TOOK UP.

· What things did he learn from doing these challenges?

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

· Match the phrases and idioms with their meanings.

1. To be (stuck) in a rut a. to attempt to do something.

2. To follow in the footsteps b. To start from the very beginning.

3. To stick c. to be bored in one’s routine.

4. Start from scratch d. not having enough sleep.

5. To be sleep-deprived e. to follow someone's example.

6. Give it a shot f. to remain for a long time.

· Complete the extracts with the phrasal verbs:

ended up – turns out - figured out - gave up

1. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It ________________, 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit.

2. Even last year, I ______________ hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would NEVER have been that adventurous before I started my challenges.

3. I also _______________ that if you really want something badly enough, you can do ANYTHING for 30 days.

4. When I ___________ sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this.

· Check your answers watching the video again. How would you translate those phrasal verbs into your own language?

FOCUS ON ….YOURSELF!

· Do you have any challenge in mind? What would that be?

· Remember Albert Einstein’s saying:

“A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.”

In Matt’s words, “What are you waiting for?! GIVE IT A SHOT!!”

Happy Birthday?

2013-10-16T01:30:00.001-03:00

Discuss before you watch

How do you feel on your birthday? How do you like to celebrate it? Is there anything you'd rather not do?

How did you celebrate your last birthday?

What is your best and worst birthday memory?

Do you like surprise parties? Have you ever had one?

What’s the best/ worst gift you’ve ever received? What’s the best/ worst gift you’ve ever given?

Do you think getting older (40, 50, 60) is depressing for people, or a happy occasion?

How do people celebrate turning 15 and 40 in your country?

Is there anybody whose birthday you always remember?

Have you ever forgotten an important birthday? Has anybody who’s important for you ever forgotten yours?

What are the most typical bad signs of age?

Match up the collocations

1. Have/ throw a. 20

2. To turn b. an old watch
3. Wish c. in your early/mid/ late 20’s/ 30’s

4. Reconnect d. a party

5. Make e. the pages in your telephone and address book

6. Come across f. somebody a happy birthday

7. Flip g. a loose wire

8. Be h. the invitations

9. Blow out i. the candles

10. Send out j. a wish/ a fool of yourself

Watch and answer

1. Does Andy like the phrase “Happy Birthday”? Why? Why not?

2. What are some of the things that remind Andy that he’s getting on a bit?

Focusing on language: WISHES

After watching the video twice, think of some of Andy's wishes.

Use WISH + Simple Past (Present Wishes)
Use WISH + WOULD (to express annoyance)
Use WISH + Past Perfect (to express regret)

The following prompts might help!

Getting back on his feet easily.

People making fools of themselves.

Having to look in the bathroom mirror when he first gets up

Having to remove names from his telephone and address book.

Having to wear the same shoes every day.

His shoes looking terrible!

Younger people accepting the use of 4-letter f-words as normal conversation.
Needing more light to read the newspaper.
Having seen it all before.

What about your wishes? Provide examples that are meaninful to you.

Follow up

Choose one of the following points, find out about it and prepare a short presentation to share with the class. You can work with the aid of PPT or Prezi.

Some birthday traditions from other countries.

A/ some big event(s) that happened the year you were born.
The origins of the song "Happy Birthday to You"

The lyrics of the song "Happy Birthday to You" in another language

Transcript:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/12/60minutes/rooney/main1204160.shtml

Video Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=1207133n

Zhang Xin: China's real estate mogul

2013-09-27T03:23:00.003-03:00

To my dear and highly committed student Gaby M.

Before you watch

Look at the woman in the picture. Do you know who she is? Make assumptions about her age- nationality- job- etc using MIGHT- MUST- CAN’T

Before you watch, focus on some language that will appear in the video. It will help you undertand the video better and see the expressions in use!

COLLOCATIONS

ADJECTIVES

1. Real Estate business

2. Assembly line

3. Sweatshop corruption

4. Uncertain billionaire

5. Thriving people

6. self-made developer/ bubble

7. cutting edge/ futuristic future

8. a one way skyscraper

9. Funny looking girl

10. Widespread ticket (to London)

VERBS

1. Go back duties

2. Split for democracy/ food/

3. Earn a scholarship/ a masters in economics

4. look down home

5. crave on the poor

Watch

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zhang-xin-chinas-real-estate-mogul-11-08-2013/

Watch the introduction.What is said about the woman in the picture above? Check (√) the statement which are right.

Her name is Zhang Xin           She’s 30 years old
She’s a real estate developer.                     She’s a communist
                  She’s now in Wall Street
She’s a mogul                        She’s come into a fortune

Watch the rest of the video, pause it every 3 minutes and make connections with the help of the following collage.

Watch the video again and put the following events in order:

· At age 14 she was forced to slave away on assembly-lines as a sweat shop girl in Hong Kong.

· She was born during the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong brutally purged all the capitalists and intellectuals ("running dogs.")

· She came back to China and met Pan Shiyi (her future husband), who worked in real estate

· She decided to get married in 4 days.

· She earned a scholarship to the University of Sussex

· She ended up working at a fish and chips stand

· She got a masters in economics from Cambridge

· She got hired by Goldman Sachs and sent to the US to work in the field of investment banking.(competitive and cutthroat)

· Her parents were sent to countryside (re-education camp)

· She quit the job at Goldman Sachs and started working with Pan in RE with no money or backing

· She bought a one way ticket to London - packed up her bags, and left.

· She went back to England but changed her mind after a short while.

· She got pregnant with the first of their two sons, while Pan was making a success of
the company. (SOHO China)

REVISITING CONDITIONAL 3

Think of Zhang’s life. What would have happened if…?

1. She hadn’t worked in a sweatshop?

2. She hadn’t moved to London?

3. She hadn’t learned English?

4. She hadn’t studied economics?

5. She hadn’t worked in Goldman Sachs?

6. She hadn’t met her husband Pan?

7. She and Pan had had some backing at the outset?

8. She hadn’t changed her mind about leaving China?

9. She hadn’t been such a gifted designer?

10. She hadn’t got pregnant?

DISCUSS

· What strikes you about Zhang Xin’s life and career? Do you think she might be a source of inspiration for women in China? Why? Why not?

Transcript

Key to exercises

FOLLOW UP

· The following are some terms/ names the video makes reference to. How much do you know about them? Pick one or two, do research and be ready to present it/them.

COMMUNIST SOCIALIST CHINA                THE AMERICAN DREAM

                      THE GREAT WALL                    THE CITY OF BEIJING

WALL STREET

SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE WOMEN IN THE WORLD

SWEATSHOPS IN CHINA FISH & CHIPS STANDS

Dickensian

Piano Man

2013-09-07T01:10:00.003-03:00

The following video session is dedicated to Freddy Castro, who brought love and happiness to my life. He was a friend, a father and someone I will never forget.

Before you watch

The song you’re about to listen to really inspires me in a way that not many songs do. It makes me feel really emotional. Is there any song that makes you feel this way? Which one? Who is the song by? What is it about? Why do you find it so inspirational/ moving?

Watch the video and listen to the song.

Identify

- Time and place

- Main characters

- Reason why they have gathered

- Kind of atmosphere

Listen again and join with arrows

The old man a. think the piano man is very good and tip him.
John b. is in the Navy.
Paul c. practices politics.
Davy d. sounds like a carnival and brings comfort to the people at the bar.
The waitress e. is a single real estate novelist.
The businessmen f. wants the pianist to play a song he used to know by heart.
The piano man g. is a bartender who wishes he were a movie star.
The manager h. get drunk.
The people i. makes the people at the bar forget their troubles..
The piano j. is happy about the big crowd that has gathered to see the piano man.

Spot words in the word cloud which may help describe the atmosphere at the bar or the feelings the different characters may be experiencing. Explain how the different words may relate to the story.

"Piano Man"
Click on the link above to see this word cloud at WordItOut. You may also view it on this website if you enable JavaScript (see your web browser settings).

Word cloud made with WordItOut

4. Do you know the expressions in the box? Listen to the song again and fill in the blanks with them.

get stoned for free for a while for life in the mood (x3)

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin

He says, "Son, can you play me a memory
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes."

La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all ________________for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks _________________
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's someplace that he'd rather be
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me."
As the smile ran away from his face
"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place"

Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum

Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be _______________

And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly ________________
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' alone

Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all _________________for a melody
And you got us feeling alright

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about life _____________________
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum

Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all ________________for a melody
And you got us feeling alright

After you watch

The people in the song have come to the bar to listen to the piano man and forget about life for a while. What do you do when you want to forget about life for a while?
John works as a bartender but there’s some place that he’d rather be. Is there anything in your life you’re not so happy about or something else you'd rather do? What?
Have you ever felt lonely? When? What do you do when you feel this way?
At the end of the song the piano sounds like a carnival and seems to bring some comfort to the crowd that has gathered in the bar. What/ who brings comfort to you when you feel (a bit) down?

True friends: How many?

2013-07-21T00:30:00.000-03:00

Discuss before you watch

How many close friends do you have?
How many friends do you have on Facebook? How many of those pals do you regard as true friends? Are most of your friends on Facebook just acquaintances?
Do you think social networks like Facebook or Twitter bring people closer? Why? Why not?
How can you tell who your true friends are?

Watch and answer

How many friends does the average user have on Facebook?
What has the University study mentioned revealed?
How can you tell who is a true friend according to Psychologist Michelle Callahan?
What is the effect of social networks in relationships as far as Michelle Callahan is concerned?
What’s good about social network interaction in Michelle’s opinion?

Focus on collocations

Watch the video again and try to match up the collocations

1. Brag a. stress

2. Have b. on somebody

3. Share c. secrets with sby

4. Rely d. to yourself

5. Friend e. roughly 1000 friends

6. Loan f. about the number of friends you have

7. Build g. someone

8. Keep information h. somebody money

9. Relieve i. an intimate relationship

10. Make j. a positive change in your life

Focus on Phrasal Verbs

Get into pairs. Open your Facebook accounts and let each other see your friends. Take turns to ask questions.

1. Who’s this? Is he/she a close friend or just an acquaintance?

2. How long have you known each other? How/ Where did you meet him/her?

3. Is there anything you used to do together that you no longer do?

4. Do you keep in touch?

5. What does s/he do (go to school/college/ work)?

6. Do you share any activity outside Facebook?

7. How do you and (you mate’s name) get on?

8. Has he/she ever let you down? When?

9. Have you ever fallen out with each other or had a big argument? Why? How did you make up?

10. Have you ever been cross with him/ her or He/ she with you? Why?

11. Tell me a time one of you stuck up for the other.

12. Can you always count on him/ her?.

13. Do you think your friendship will last long? Why?

Focus on conditional II

Cut out the following questions. Get into pairs or small groups and take turns to ask each other the questions below.

1. What would you do if your best mate started hanging out with the wrong people?

2. If you could choose a friend to go on vacation with, who would you choose and why?

3. If your best friend forgot your birthday, would you get cross?

4. If you discovered your best friend has lied to you. Would you talk to him/her or fall out?

5. If your best friend started to drop in on you all the time and expected you to spend all your free time with her/ him, what would you do? Would you get cross?

6. If you had a huge argument with a close friend and he/ she asked you to apologize. Would you do it and make up even if you knew that you are right?

7. Would you get into big trouble in order to stick up for a friend?

8. Would you lie to a friend in order not to let him/ her down?

9. If you ran into a friend you have fallen out with, would you say “hi” or pretend you haven’t seen him/her?

10. Would you hit it off with somebody even if you knew he/ she has let down your best friend?

11. Would you keep counting on somebody who has let you down once?

Follow up: Reading

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_del_Amigo

Birth Order and Personality

2013-07-13T23:31:00.002-03:00

A. Discuss before you watch.

What do you understand by “the birth order effect”?

Do you think it could be true?

What are the common personality traits connected to first- born, middle-born and last-born children?

Do you believe there is a child who is in the favorable position in the family? Why?

Are there any variables concerning how birth order might affect personality?

B. Look at the word cloud below and spot some personality traits. Then, watch the video and place them under one of the 3 categories.

First-borns tend to be…	Middle-borns tend to be…	Last-borns tend to be…

C.After you watch

Would you say the personality traits decribed in the video apply to your family? How?

D.Expand your vocabulary: Adjectives used to describe somebody's personality
http://www.esolcourses.com/content/exercises/grammar/adjectives/personality/words-for-describing-personality.html (elementary)
http://www.esolcourses.com/content/exercises/grammar/adjectives/personality/more-words-for-describing-personality.html (intermediate)

http://www.lingolex.com/personalidad.htm 50 adjectives to describe the personality
in English and Spanish

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2941 (PRACTICE)

E.Speaking: Get together with a classmate and write down the names of 4 people you know. They might be members of your family, friends or just acquaintances. Then, write two or more personality traits associated with each of these people, scattered on the sheet of paper. Take turns to ask each other questions and find out who the people are and what they are like by asking and answering questions.

F. Follow up Reading from Wikipedia.
(the class may divide into 5 groups and each read and present one of the following parts)

1 Theories
2 Personality
3 Intelligence
4 Sexuality
5 Fourthborns
SOURCE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_order

Are robots hurting job growth?

2013-05-29T13:55:00.001-03:00

Links to online video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2lDmF8ZShI
http://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/video/2325167104/are-robots-hurting-job-growth

Before you watch

What do you make of the cartoon above? What do you expect this video session to be about?
What are the most common reasons why people may lose their jobs?
What do you understand by “technological unemployment”?
Can you think of jobs that are now done by robots? Do you find any downside to this? What about the advantages?
Do you think that all the work will be eventually done by machines?

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

COLLOCATIONS 1

1. white collar/ routine/ middle-skilled a. sample

2. heavily automated b. warehouses

3. blood c. teller

4. state-of-the-art d. job

5. wide and varied e. operator

6. assembly f. product

7. Sales g. robots

8. Switchboard h. product line

9. Bank i. line

10. flagship j. clerk

COLLOCATIONS 2

1. perform a. an order/ a prescription

2. portray b. the job of a human/ a task

3. Give way/ surrender c. stocks on Wall Street

4. Fill d. a robot/ a computer

5. Ship e. a robot as household help

6. Make f. somebody’s plans/ mission

7. Trade g. to something

8. Run h. a lab/ a company

9. Upgrade i. a living/ a comeback

10. level j. merchandise for retailers

11. bring k. the playing field

12. jeopardize l. to mind

After you watch

A-Watch and fill in the table below

What I already knew

What I learnt watching this video

Something that surprised me

Something I’d like to find out more about

B-Get together with your group and share what you've written. Then choose something you'd like to know more about and look it up in wikipaedia. Then, prepare a short presentation (using PPT) and share your findings.

Language Follow up

COMPARATIVES

How have things changed over the past years? Make comparisons. You can use the words below.

MORE FASTER MORE EFFICIENTLY FEWER BIGGER HIGHER

· Interactions with machines

· Interactions with human beings

· The economy now and before the Great Recession

· Business investment in hardware and software

· Way the merchandise is shipped

Khan Academy: The future of education?

2012-10-25T19:28:00.000-03:00

Discuss before you watch

· Have you heard of the “Khan Academy”? What do you expect to learn about it?

Focus on Vocabulary

Join with arrows

GROUP 1

1. A 10-minute a. tag

2. A math/ computer b. degree from Harvard

3. A revolutionary c. classrooms

4. Competitive d. organization

5. A big e. help from the teacher

6. A price f. wiz

7. An economics g. approach to education

8. One-on-one h. salaries

9. A handful of i. deal

10. for profit/ non-profit j. video/ tutorial

GROUP 2

1. To gather a. yourself full time to Khan Academy

2. To tutor/ reach b. a big boost

3. To go c. global/ public

4. To amass d. millions of students world-wide/remotely

5. To tackle/ break down/ struggle with e. massive amounts of data

6. To focus f. somebody’s progress overtime

7. To wind up g. a library of math lectures/ a fortune

8. To devote h. posting lessons on YouTube

9. To pilot/ fine tune i. a complicated subject

10. To give your math j. to problem solving activities

11. Monitor/ track k. new software

12. To address l. students’ needs

13. To move on m. on the math

Watch and make connections

Watch again and answer the following questions trying to use some of the new vocabulary

1. Who’s Sal Khan?

2. Who backs him?

3. What’s the Khan Academy and what’s its mission?

4. Who’s one of his most famous pupils? How/ When did he meet him?

5. What qualifications does Sal Khan have?

6. Where does he work from?

7. What are his video lessons like?

8. How many lessons has he amassed so far?

9. What’s his uncanny ability all about?

10. How much reading does he do ahead of time?

11. How long would it take to cover all the lectures he’s done?

12. Why is it that he’d rather not put himself in the video?

13. Why does his method appeal to so many people?

14. How did Sal Khan get started?

15. Where does Sal Khan get funding for The Khan Academy?

16. How’s the "flipping the classroom" approach working in Los Altos school district and in Eastside Prep?

17. What´s the role of the teacher in the Khan Academy?

18. How does Cadwell feel about implementing the Khan Academy? Why?

19. What do the skeptics argue?

20. Where’s the Khan Academy math program being piloted? What are the test revealing?

21. How many visits does the Khan Academy get worldwide?

22. What’s Eric Schmidt’s take on Sal Khan?

23. What’s does Sal Khan expect for the future? What does he assure he won’t do?

Take a look at the following presentation on how to go about Flipping the Classroom.

Flipped classroom from mrsfitzsocialstudies

Discuss after you watch

1. In your opinion, is the Khan Academy revolutionary in its approach to education?

2. Could it be an adequate replacement for a classroom?

3. What are its assets as compared with traditional classroom interaction? What about its liabilities?

4. Would you say these videos harken back to the idea that teaching is simply telling?

5. Do you think the Khan Academy might be a vehicle for bridging educational divides by helping ALL students reach mastery of core skills and concepts?

6. How useful might these video lessons be for complex subjects?

7. Would you use the Khan approach with your kids? Why? Why not?

Video Transcript

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57394905/khan-academy-the-future-of-education/

An Old Flame

2012-10-01T23:56:00.000-03:00

Discuss before you watch

What do you understand by Web Therapy?
What’s an old flame?
Talk about an old flame of yours. How did you meet him/ her? What kind of relationship did you have? What went wrong?
Why do you think this episode may be called that way?

You're going to watch the first in a set of 3 short episodes of an improvised series starring Lisa Kudrow.

A. Watch the episode once and answer the following questions:
LINK: http://www.lstudio.com/web-therapy/an-old-flame-1-of-3.html

1. What do we get to know about the therapist? (name, marital status, personality, kind of treatment she advocates, etc.)
2. What do we get to know about the patient? (name, job, personality, etc)

B. How much do you remember? Say if the following statements are T or F (account for it). Then watch the episode again and check your answers.

1. Richard and Fiona already know each other.
2. Fiona has never tried the traditional 50-minute session.
3. Fiona takes for granted Richard is in love with her.
4. Fiona denies flirting with Richard in the past.
5. Fiona has never met Gina at Lachman Brothers.
6. Richard made the appointment to get back in touch with Fiona.
7. Fiona is surprised Richard has a girlfriend.
8. The session finishes punctually.

D. Who says the following? When? What do the words/ expressions underlined mean?

- It’s been a very long time!
- His opinion never counted, as far as I’m concerned.
- They end up going on and on about dreams and feelings and memories ….
- The bulk of the help is really done in 3 minutes.
- I don’t wanna do it for a whole hour.
- You’ve gained weight or you’ve lost weight.
- You just misunderstood the nature of our relationship.
- You made it pretty clear … that you wanted me to kiss you.
- For the sake of privacy.
- Sometimes I misread people.
- Beckoned you?
- I thought that was kind of harsh.
- And she’s distant and moody.
- It’s been well over 3 minutes.
- We can see each other again next week and we can pick up where we left off.

http://esl.about.com/od/advanced-related-words/a/Human-Relationships.htm

The real deal with Groupon

2012-09-03T23:14:00.000-03:00

(Activity shared by Rocío Alvarez. Thanks Ro!!!)

Before you watch

Vocabulary Work: Discounts and price reductions

Match the expressions with their definitions

1. discount (noun)

2. special offer (noun)

3. cash discount (noun)

4. on offer (expression)

5. off (adjective, adverb, preposition)

6. on sale (expression)

7. economies of scale (noun)

a. available for people to buy at a price that is less than the usual price. The British expression is on offer.

b. used for saying that a price has been reduced by a particular amount

c. a reduction in the price of something that is offered if you pay the full amount immediately in cash.

d. a low price that a shop offer for a short period of time

e. a reduction in the price of something

f. being sold for a lower price for a short time

g. reductions in the cost of making and selling products that are made possible because a business is very large.

Discuss

What kind of discounts do you usually get?
Do you usually take advantage of special offers? If so, when was the last time? What did you get?
How do you usually find out about the current discounts?
Have you ever used GROUPON? Do you know how it works?

Links to online video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7395218n

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgeh607ZXA0

After you watch

What was the video about? Use the mind map to help you and also add more information to it.

Language work

ü Look at the extracts from the video and put the verbs in the right form

1) If we ___________ (be) smart, evil people, we ________________ (be) more cunning and subtle in our evil ways.

2) Analysts began _______________ (call) Groupon "unviable," "a Ponzi scheme," and wondered if any grownups were minding the store.

3) I ________________ (check) it once yesterday afternoon. And then, I felt dirty and I __________________ (not check) it again since then.

4) ________________________ (Groupon become) part of our lives like Google and Amazon?

5) The company began in 2008, when everyone _________________ (look) for a bargain.

6) Groupon ended up ________________ (have) a wildly successful opening day trading on Nasdaq as a public company.

ü Complete the sentences with other, another, the other, others, the others.

1) Is Groupon the next Amazon or ________________ MySpace?

2) There are 500 ________________ competitors out there that all want to do and be Groupon.

3) Can you name ________________ CEO with a demo on YouTube in which you're sitting around in front of a Christmas tree doing yoga?

4) Am I as experienced or mature or smart as ________________ CEOs?

5) …when you enter their offices and there's the Forbes cover. But it's surrounded by ________________ covers of hi-tech has-beens.

6) Amazon is getting into this business. ________________ are getting into this business -

Look at these expressions in context, do you know what they mean?

“The company took off, almost overnight. It's global now…”
“The answer depends in part on the 31-year-old who came up with the idea”
“The company began in 2008 at the height of the recession, when everyone was looking for a bargain and then it grew so quickly, so fast it took everyone by surprise.”
“Groupon looks like a real business. Where most websites rely on algorithms, Groupon relies on actual human beings.”
“What these human beings, the salespeople, do is think up deal ideas…”
“Groupon has found out by trial and error how to present its deals.”
“Now Groupon is tailoring its offers by age and gender.”
“Four hundred writers and editors - more than most newsrooms - come up with hundreds of these pitches a day, with twists of phrases and logic…”
“The loopy write-ups give Groupon its personality, which seems to seep down from the very top.”
“Andrew Mason is known as a little whacky himself. As a gag, his executive washroom is a port-o-potty.”
“…with a demo on YouTube in which you're sitting around in front of a Christmas tree in your skivvies doing yoga?”
“And his urge to be goofy makes him one of the most unlikely corporate CEOs you'll ever meet.”
“…it's that I've been unwilling to change myself or shape my personality around what's expected.”
“But it's surrounded by other covers of hi-tech has-beens, as if they're asking themselves: "Could we be the next to fall by the wayside?”
“…the biggest downside is how easy the model is to replicate.”
“But what Andrew Mason will tell you is that so far, they've killed them all off.”
“…they spend more money than they take in on such things as wooing new subscribers and…”
“…but with the steep markdowns, she lost $20,000.”
“Analysts began calling Groupon "unviable," "a Ponzi scheme," and wondered if any grownups were minding the store.”
“It looked as though something was fishy.”
“…it seemed like a bush-league mistake.”
“…we would be more cunning and subtle in our evil ways. You know?”
“But his impatience drove him to do something that drew the wrath of the regulators”
“Here's some of the adjectives that were used to describe you when that memo leaked: Thin-skinned, impetuous and childish.”

Video glossary:

Fad: a style or activity that suddenly becomes popular but which usually does not stay popular for very long

Overnight: for or during the night

IPO: initial public offering: the first sale of a company's shares to the public

Came up with: to suggest or think of an idea or plan

Bargain: something sold for a price that is lower than usual or lower than its value

Rely on: to depend on or trust someone or something

Think up: to invent a plan or solution

Trial and error: a way of achieving an aim or solving a problem by trying different methods and learning from your mistakes

SCRIPT: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57358912/the-real-deal-with-groupon/

Javier Bardem's Life, Love, and Career

2012-08-14T13:20:00.000-03:00

Dedicated to my former but very dear student Ana S.

Before you watch

. Look at the photo below. Do you know this man?

. What do you know about him?

. Below, there’s a list of movies starring Javier Bardem and a list of the roles he played in these movies. Join with arrows. Then watch PART 1 (minutes 0:00- 4:00´) and check your predictions.

Which role did he play?

MOVIE CHARACTER

“No country for old men” a. a heartthrob
“Biutiful” b. Julia Roberts' love
“The Sea Inside” c. a cold-hearted killer
"Before Night Falls." d. a quadriplegic fighting for the right to die
"Eat, Pray, Love." e. A jailed Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas
Vicky Cristina Barcelona f. a hustler trying to make a life for his two children

Look at the mindmap below. What aspects of Bardem's life could the words and images refer to? Make predictions. Then, keep watching, check your predictions and complete the mind-map as you go along.

What did you learn about Bardem after watching the video? Report to the class.

FOCUS ON VOCABULARY

What do the words/ expressions in bold mean?

1. "When you are doing a character, you have to put your judgments aside"

2. The film runs through the back alleys of Barcelona, deep into a grim part of the city you don't see in the travel brochures

3. He credits the group AC/DC for his fluency in English, in some respects

4. He dedicated the award to Cruz - "My joy, my friend, my companion, my love" - a rare public display for the famously private couple.

5. Like it or not, fame has found Javier Bardem, but he keeps it in perspective.

6. "It doesn't help to create a better world, no? When people are talking about themselves on and on?

Follow up

Get into groups of 3 read about Bardem's early life, career or personal life. Then tell each other what you've found out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem (Follow up)

KEY

1. C

2. F

3. D

4. E

5. B

6. A

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-3445_162-7231013.html (Video transcript)

The Olympic Games for Political Propaganda

2012-08-08T08:40:00.003-03:00

(Activity Prepared by Debbie Frankish. Thanks Debbie!)

Before you watch: QUIZ

1) In which year was the first Olympic Games recorded?

a) 776 AD b) 352 AD c) 776 BC d) 352 BC

2) In which Olympic sport are all events open to both me and women?

a) horse riding b) fencing c) gymnastics d) rifle shooting

3) In which year were the first modern Olympic Games held?

a) 1896 b) 1926 c) 1886 d) 1906

4) Where will the 2016 Olympic Games be held?

5) In the London Olympics in 1948, which 2 countries were not invited?

a) China and Japan b) Germany and Japan c) France and Spain d) Russia and Germany

6) What do the 5 Olympic rings represent?

7) Historically, how many Olympic medals has Argentina won?

a) 30 b) 102 c) 66 d) 127

8) In which sport has Argentina won most medals?

a) rowing b) swimming c) shooting d) boxing

9) Which country leads the medals table of the most won?

a) USA b) Russia c) China d) Germany

10) How many medals did Argentina win in Beijing in 2008?

a) 5 gold 2 silver b) 4 gold 2 bronze c) 2 silver 4 bronze d) 2 gold 4 bronze

Video 1: Jesse Owens (Berlin Olympics 1936)

Discuss:

What do you know about Germany in1936?

What was Hitler’s theory on the superiority of race?

How might events like the Olympic Games be used as political propaganda? Can you think of examples of this happening?

Watch for main ideas:

Watch and listen for the answers to the following :

1) Why would the summer Olympics of 1936 be important for Hitler?

2) How many countries participated in the Berlin Olympics?

3) How did the events in the games refute Hitler´s theories?

4) Which 4 events did Jesse Owens win? What do we find out about his background?

5) How many medals did Afro-Americans win?

Video 3: Munich Olympic Games 1972: Massacre of Israeli Athletes.

Match up the collocations

1. heavy a. a building

2. meet the b. fire to

3. set c. an alarm

4. give d. reprisal

5. sound e. demands

6. open f. criticism

7. break into g. in to sb's demands

8. in h. consideration

9. take into i. fire

Watch and say if the statements below are True or False.

1) 5 Israeli sportsmen were killed on September 11^th 1972.

2) The athletes were attacked by an Arab terrorist group.

3) Due to a coach, many Israelis were unhurt.

4) The terrorists wanted the German government to set Palestinian prisoners free.

5) It was agreed that the prisoners would be released.

6) Both hostages and terrorists were taken to an airport in Germany.

7) The outcome at the airport was a tragedy.

8) As a result of what happened the Olympics were called off.

9) The German police were blamed for the poor security.

10) Because of the events the Israeli government bombed strategic Palestinian sites.

11) The man being interviewed felt that the Israeli government committed a mistake.

12) The narrator felt that it was inevitable that such an event took place at the Olympics.

Paraphrase the following sentences, including the word in capitals :

1) People repudiated Hitler's ideas of superiority.. WERE

Hitler's ideas ……….......................………………………………………………………………………………....

2) Jesse Owens is famous for winning 4 gold medals and proving Hitler wrong. BUT

Jesse Owens not only ………………………………………………………………………………………………

3) The tragic events meant the games were postponed for a time. MADE

The tragic events ……………….................................…………………………………………………………….

4) The German police received heavy criticism for the lack of security. BLAMED

The German police …………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5) Possibly the German government didn´t imagine something so terrible could occur. MIGHT

The German government ……………………… ……………………………………………………………..

6) Israel refused to do what the terrorists wanted. DEMANDS

Israel refused ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7) The government didn´t want to allow the terrorists to leave the country. LET

The government ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Final general discussion :

1) We have seen 2 different examples of political beliefs being displayed during the Olympic

games, a sports competition that has nothing to do with politics.

In your opinion is it acceptable for this to happen at such events?

2) Is the motto ‘Faster,Higher, Stronger’ a good one for the Olympics?

3) Would you consider the Olympics to be a ‘fair’ competition, or does money play an important role? Is this inevitable in international sports?

4) Are you watching the games in London? Which sports are you particularly interested in?

5) What benefits does hosting the Olympic Games bring to a country? Are there any disadvantages?

POSSIBLE FOLLOW UPS

- Listening: The business of the Olympics

http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2012/07/29/business-english-news-18-the-business-of-the-olympics/

- Vocabulary: Sports Idioms commonly used in business

http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2007/08/12/bep-61-pp-american-sports-idioms-in-a-business-meeting/

http://www.speakforsuccess.net/a-bizspk.htm

KEY (Quiz)

1-c 2-a 3-a 4-Brazil 5-b(afterWW2) 6-the union of the 5 continents that participate 7-( the word 'gold'should be removed) the answer is c (12 gold 23 silver 26 bronze)

8-d 9-a(2549 medals) 10-d

Will import curbs revive Argentina's economy?

2012-07-05T14:40:00.002-03:00

BEFORE YOU WATCH

Focus on Vocabulary

1. How would you say the following in English? Make a wild guess.

Estatizar una empresa

Trabar las importaciones

Trabas a las importacions

Empezar acción legal

Esta movida

Pagar un precio alto

Estimular la economía local

Justificar la adquisición

Expropiarse de una empresa

Perderse inversiones extranjeras

El camino a seguir

Importaciones por el valor de M600$

2. Join with arrows and check your predictions

GROUP 1

1. Adopt a. legal proceedings at the WTO

2. Restrict b. on foreign investment

3. Stimulate c. the domestic economy

4. Nationalize/ seize d. the takeover

5. Start e. sovereignty

6. Pay f. a heavy price

7. These moves g. have angered/ Incensed the EU

8. Miss out h. a Spanish owned oil company

9. Justify i. protectionist trade policies

10. Recover j .imports

GROUP 2

1. Oil a. attitude

2. Import b. crisis

3. Unapologetic c. forward

4. Free market d. curbs

5. The way e. fundamentalist

AFTER YOU WATCH

Watch the introduction and answer the following questions using the collocations above (until 1’ 23’’)

1. What does the reporter say about Argentina concerning imports?

2. What’s the aim of this move?

3. How has the EU reacted toward the seizure of YPF?

4. What do the critics argue?

5. How does the government disregard the critics?

6. What’s the government’s attitude according to the presenter?

7. How does CFK justify the takeover?

Listen again and fill in the blanks

If you’re on the L_________________ for an IPhone or a pair of Nike trainers in Buenos Aires today, you might be out of L________________.

Supplies are low after the Argentinean government R____________ Imports

The aim is to stimulate the D________________ economy.

Last month, President Cristina Kirchner’s government N________________ the country’s biggest oil company YPF, which had been owned by the Spanish company Repsol.

These M_______________ have angered the EU which started legal P________________ at the WTO on Friday. The EU argues that Argentina’s restrictions have already affected imports W______________over $600m and domestic critics argue the country will pay a H____________________price by M_____________ out on foreign investment.

But the government is unapologetic arguing that they seized YF to avoid an oil C___________________ with ministers dismissing critics as free market fundamentalists.

Is protectionism the way forward for Argentina amidst slow economic growth?

You’ll watch 3 people expressing their opinions. Watch and take notes.

ALDO CALIARI:

DIEGO GUELAR:

ALEX GIBSON:

Listen to the definition of "import curbs" and fill in the blanks.

IMPORT CURBS= The government requires all importers to obtain L__________________ that are not automatically R____________________ for products ranging from cars to electronics, and since February every import transaction has to be P______________________ and P______________________. The import substitution rule requires foreign companies to produce goods D_______________________ or lose market access, and all importers are required to balance imports with exports.

Focus on Vocabulary

Join with arrows and summarize what the speakers above say using as many as the collocations below.

To embark a. at his/ her word
Have the right b. the balance
Make sure c. great/ some pains to do sth
Take d. something for granted
Renew e. to regulate foreign investment
Register/ approve f. on a policy of protectionist import duties/ on a new project
Exert g. an import transaction
Take somebody h. a licence/ a visa/ a passport
Tip i. the domestic interests align with the foreign ones
Go to j. control over how the country makes money

The seizure of YPF

Summarize each speaker’s opinion. You can use the words in the box.

Aldo:

Outrage uproar NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE HANDS

IMPLEMENT A PRACTICE TREASURY CONTRIBUTION TAXING IMPLEMENT ROYALTIES FOREIGN OPERATED RESOURCE RALLY AROUND (sb) SOURCE OF INCOME DRAMATIC SITUATION BE DEPRIVED OF

Diego:

IMPOSE a TARIFF on sth Take protectionist measures

overseas investment LACK OF confidence/ credibility

WORSEN SERIOUS DOMESTIC PROBLEM AT THIS MOMENT

Axel:

Needlessly complicated KEY POINT CONTROVERSIAL

PUT CRONIES IN POWER

Policies

Who expresses the following ideas Put A (Aldo) D (Diego) A (Axel)

Nationalistic policies are popular everywhere.
Nationalism isn’t the most accurate term to use in this case.
I don’t want to dodge the question.
More isn’t necessarily better.
The downside of all this is missed investment opportunities.
Argentina is falling behind Chile or Brazil.
You have to participate in the global economy to
Axel Kicillof and Miguel Galuccio are new stars but they will be short-lived.
Isolation is a very serious mistake.
It’s very simplistic to say that countries like Venezuela or Ecuador are doing badly because they don’t side with the US.
Unfortunately, we are repeating the same phenomenon.
Underdeveloped countries have to be more clumsy to undertake these protections.
These policies are trying to revert what has been done for many years.
It’s not a bad idea to bet on the domestic market.
Cristina will not succumb to pressure.

Go back to exercise 1 and translate the terms again. Any difference?

DISCUSS (use the new vocab)

1. What's your take on all this? Do you side with any of the speakers? Why?
2. What impact do you think these import curbs will have on our country?
3. Do you think these new policies are the way forward? Why? Why not?

WRITING TASK (use the new vocab)

Imagine you work in the Argentine branch of an American company that imports most of its products and sells them locally. Imports have been curbed overnight and your company has been badly affected.
Your boss in the US has asked you to write a report giving him an overview of the situation, explaining how these measure have affected your company and suggesting a workaround.

Write a report to him/ her.

Divide your report into:

1. Introduction (aim of the report)
2. Background
3. Findings
4. Recommendations
5. Conclusion (optional)

The following link may help you:
http://www.google.com.ar/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=%22useful%20phrases%22%20to%20write%20a%20%22business%20report%22&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CFgQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewomaninchina.com%2F09_Business%2520Reports_Handout_NEM.doc&ei=lND1T8mLOezp0QHnxIj9Bg&usg=AFQjCNFG8AcAMZKCAyGaTix5OlvhQseA1w&cad=rja

How lucky are you?

2012-06-24T22:42:00.000-03:00

Thanks a million Desiree Dodds for sharing this video session!!!

BEFORE YOU WATCH

Discuss

· Do you believe in luck?

· Is luck something that happens or something we create?

· Do you consider yourself lucky or unlucky?

· Do your students believe in the law of attraction?

· Have you ever carried a lucky charm? When? Why?

Join with arrows

1. Experience a. a positive mindset

2. Make b. prepared to work hard

3. Tend c. good/ ill fortune

4. Adopt d. on destiny/ fate

5. Be e. to be fatalistic/ resilient

6. Rely f. the most of an opportunity

Watch the complete interview first

AFTER YOU WATCH

Listening for main ideas

· Were any of the ideas you’ve just discussed mentioned in the interview?

· What point does Professor Richard Wiseman try to make? How far do you agree?

Listening for details

A. True or false?

1. According to Wiseman the issue of “luck” is central to our lives.

2. The Aimhigher survey has revealed that 82% of the people regard themselves as lucky.

3. According to Wiseman, people who consider themselves lucky bounce back more easily after having a bad experience.

4. According to Wiseman people who believe they are going to fail see no point in making an effort.

5. People with a positive mindset see more pathways to success.

B. Listen to the 3 students again – join the student with what he/she said.

· student 1:

· student 2:

· student 3:

a- If I want something, I go for it.

b- It all comes down to hard work.

c- You have to push for things . You have to further your ambitions by being proactive.

C. Listen and complete

Wiseman says that the goal of AIMHIGHER is to __________ ________ the barrier of a fatalistic mindset.

FOCUS ON VOCABULARY

English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions

Read the following English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions from the links below. Choose 5 and provide examples that are relevant to you.

Best of luck!

http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiom-categories/luck/luck-opportunity1.html

http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiom-categories/luck/luck-opportunity2.html

Prenuptial Agreements

2012-04-20T11:55:00.002-03:00

Look at the picture above. What do you expect this video session to be about?

Discuss before you watch

- What do you understand by “prenups”?

- Is there any advantage to signing a prenup? What about the disadvantages?

- Would you sign a prenup? Why? Why not?

Watch an answer

Link to online video: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/video?id=8130738

1. Who are Bethany and Scott Palmer?

2. What does Scott say about people’s attitude towards “prenups”?

3. How should you get the conversation started according to Bethany?

4. What are some of the reasons to have a prenup according to Bethany?

5. Why is timing so important when it comes to doing a prenup?

6. What questions should couples grapple with before you decide to sign the prenup?

7. Are prenups for everyone of for the rich?

8. What tips does Bethany give about prenups? What for?

9. How can you avoid “hard feelings” about prenups?

Focus on language

Collocations: join with arrows and say how these collocations are used in the video

VERBS

1. Exchange your financial future

2. Address/ approach/ bring up to divorce

3. Protect engaged/ married/ divorced/ some things in place

4. Lead a relationship

5. Lay out an issue

6. Put something everything on the table

7. Get a prenup

8. Grapple on the back burner

9. Strengthen/ weaken vows

10. Sign with a problem

Adjectives

1. Newly business/ home

2. A sensitive way to do sth

3. A family issue

4. A surefire weds

5. A key topic

Discuss after you watch

1. Is there any issue mentioned you hadn’t thought of before watching?

2. How would you react/ would you have reacted if your fiancé/ fiancée asked you/ had asked you to sign a prenup?

3. How would you suggest approaching the issue with your fiancé/ fiancée?

4. Do you agree that people’s attitude toward prenups has changed lately?

5. Do you think prenups will become more and more common with the passing of time or the other way about?

Walt Disney

2012-02-03T00:46:00.000-03:00

Before you match

Have you ever been to Disney World?
If so, when did you go? Who with? If not, would you go there if you had the chance? Why? Why not?
What do you know about Walt Disney?

WATCH FOR MAIN IDEAS

http://youtu.be/zIA8aKZkR7Y

Part 1: An overview of Walt Disney World

Where can you find the following? Join with arrows

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Spaceship Earth Animal Kingdom

The Castle Epcot

The Lights, Motors, Action! The Magic Kingdom

Expedition Everest MGM

The complex tunnels

Part 2: Walt Disney: the man.

Say if the following statements are True or false. Account for your answer.

Walter Elias Disney was born in 1010.
He spent his youth in California.
Ever since he was young he wanted to set up his own Hollywood studio.
His brother Roy was in charge of running the business.
Steamboat Willie was Walter’s first feature length film.

Part 4: Disneyland

Watch and answer thr following questions

Why did he decide to build the world’s first theme park?
Where and when was Disneyland set up?
How was the park designed?
What happened on Inauguration Day?
What broke the Disneyland’s magic according to Disney?
Why did he choose Orlando to build Disneyworld? Why did he keep everyone in the dark at first?
Why was his dream put on hold?
What happened in 1966? Why was it such a heavy blow to the Disney Company?
Who made the decision to move ahead with Disneyworld?
Who did he hire and why?

Workplace Misconduct Rising

2011-12-11T18:36:00.000-03:00

DISCUSS BEFORE YOU WATCH

Look at the cartoons below on typical ways employees misbehave at work. What do you make of them?

Can you think of other rules employees bend or other ways in which they tend to misbehave?
How common is it for people in your country to do so?

Have you ever made up an excuse to miss work or to arrive late? If so, what did you say?
What are the most typical excuses workers come up with in these cases?
What is the weirdest excuse you’ve ever heard?
Have you or has any of the people you know ever been caught?
How do companies go about handling “workplace misbehavior”?
What would you do if you were the employer and you discovered that the employees are bending the rules?

WATCH AND COMPLETE THE MINDMAP

Link to online video: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=711729n

Teacher's notes:

- Language to exploit or integrate:

Conditional 2 (what would you do if you were the employer?)

Modals (MUST/ HAVE TO for employees' obligations at work/ MUSTN'T for prohibition)

TENSES: Simple Present (employee habits at work) Simple Past & Present Perfect (to talk about students' experiences)

Passive Voice: BE EXPECTED TO/ NOT BE EXPECTED TO

Useful Vocabulary:

1. misconduct

2. call in sick

3. nab a pen

4. harmless

5. mandatory

6. kidney stones

7. shift workloads

8. get-well-Soon card
at a five-year high

9. look the other way

10. set a bad example

11. spiral into

12. track

13. slacker

14. tracker

15. bend over

16. load (v)

17. trunk

18. do yard work

19. performance

20. spot

21. surveillance van

22. Loafer

23. ditch work

24. breakdown

25. cause for alarm

26. job-hopping workers

27. have a false sense of entitlement

28. loyalty

29. at will

30. get away with sth

31. day of leave

32. big time

33. join a company

34. plot the next move

Are Gender Myths True?

2011-09-13T19:16:00.000-03:00

DISCUSSION

What do you understand by “gender myths”?
Can you think of a popular gender myth in your country?

Read the following myths and say if you think they’re true or false. Account for your answer

Women are more talkative
Men don’t listen
Women can’t read maps
Women are more emotional
Only men have Adam’s apple
Men snore more than women
Men cheat much more than women
Women drive worse than men do
Women are more cautious than men
Men die earlier than women

Watch the video for main ideas

Link:Are Gender Myths True? | Video - ABC News

- What is said about the myths above?

Watch the video again and listen more in depth

Make connections between the items in group A and those in group B. Account for your answer.

GROUP A GROUP B

1. Blind-folded                              a. Maize of tunnels
2. cluttered room                           b. slight difference
3. June Reinisch’s                          c. Drink/ smoke
4. Newly-borns                            d. Female voice
5. Male brain                                e. Speed
6. Adam’s apple                           f. Detailed- description
7. Snore                                       g. risk-taking
8. Cheating                                   h. Testosterone
9. Safe Driving                              i. inborn differences
10. Men                                       j. Different behavior

After you watch

Is there anything you've found particularly interesting, silly or strange?

OPTIONAL

FOCUS ON COMPARATIVES

Get together into pairs or small groups and in 5 minutes write down as many sentences as possible comparing men and women. You can make your comparisons more emphatic through the use of the following words:

MUCH FAR A LOT A BIT A LITTLE SLIGHTLY

e.g. It is said that men are much safer drivers than women.
Men are said to cheat slighly more than women.
Women do not take as many risks as men do.

Transcript: http://cafe338.daum.net/_c21_/bbs_search_read?grpid=1AY2&fldid=5Ote&contentval=0009tzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz&nenc=&fenc=&q=&nil_profile=cafetop&nil_menu=sch_updw

What I already knew	What I learnt watching this video	Something that surprised me	Something I’d like to find out more about

My EFL Video Sessions

Why is Plato's Allegory of the Cave still Relevant? (C1-C2)

A: Discuss before you watch 🗣

B. Watch the introduction of the video and define "Allegory" (0:00-1:15’) 🤔

C. Listen👂to the explanation of "The Allegory of the Cave" without watching and draw 🖍what you hear. (1:16’-2:49’) After that, watch 📽 the video and compare the images shown to the ones you've drawn.

D. Now say if the following are True or False. Account for your answers. 🎯

E. What’s the missing word? ✍

F. CAE Key Word Transformation. ✍

G. Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups of 3. 🗣

H. Creative part (5 ideas 💡)

I. Final reflection 🤔

The Human Library (B1+/ B2)

Discuss Before you watch

Watch this other video and complete the mindmap below.

Nomophobia (B1/ B2)

How do the collocations above 👆 refer to the ideas expressed in the video?

How Music Saved Venezuela's Children (B2/C1)

Reading & speaking

Watch

Focus on Language

FOLLOW UP: Choose 3 questions and discuss them in small groups. Then, share your conclusions with the whole group.

Money buys happiness (B2/ C1)

Save the World

Before you watch

Meat for thought...

Discuss before you watch

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

LET’S WATCH

FOLLOW UP

Try something new for 30 days!

DISCUSS BEFORE YOU WATCH

LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING POSTER BEFORE YOU PLAY THE VIDEO, PREDICT WHAT MATT CUTTS WILL TALK ABOUT.

NOW, WATCH AND WRITE DOWN THE CHALLENGES MATT CUTTS TOOK UP.

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

Happy Birthday?

Discuss before you watch

Match up the collocations

Watch and answer

Focusing on language: WISHES

Follow up

Zhang Xin: China's real estate mogul

Piano Man

True friends: How many?

Birth Order and Personality

Are robots hurting job growth?

Before you watch

After you watch

A-Watch and fill in the table below

What I already knew What I learnt watching this video Something that surprised me Something I’d like to find out more about

B-Get together with your group and share what you've written. Then choose something you'd like to know more about and look it up in wikipaedia. Then, prepare a short presentation (using PPT) and share your findings.

Khan Academy: The future of education?

An Old Flame

The real deal with Groupon

Javier Bardem's Life, Love, and Career

The Olympic Games for Political Propaganda

Will import curbs revive Argentina's economy?

How lucky are you?

Prenuptial Agreements

Walt Disney

Workplace Misconduct Rising

Are Gender Myths True?

What I already knew

What I learnt watching this video

Something that surprised me

Something I’d like to find out more about