Word cloud: Key words for 'Of Mice and Men'

Remember this! Of Mice and Men writing tasks

Hi everyone,

This week, I´m going to give you some writing tasks for Of Mice and Men, which might help you explore and recall some of the themes that you read about back in the first semester. Remember, this book will be on the CAE exam in December and the writing tasks can be very specific, so trying to tackle this should only be contemplated if you feel comfortable about what content you have to include.

Anyway, now to get down to some practice. What you need to do here is read the tasks below, all of which deal with the book´s central themes, and then write one of them. After that, you have to post it here as a comment - that way other students will be able to compare their ideas and recollections with yours, the way they´ve structured, say, a report, compared to the way you have.

Before you look at the tasks, it´s probably a good idea to listen to the podcast about the book, and you will find that on the previous blog.

The tasks:

1. The idea of the American Dream is prevalent throughout the story. Write a report, explaining its significance to the story and giving examples from the book. (180-220 words)

2. ´Friendship or a lack of it are what the book is really about.´ Discuss.
Write Your essay. (180-220 words)

3. Steinbeck includes several marginalised characters in the book. Write an article as to what this might say about society of that time - paying particular attention to how Crooks, Candy, Curley´s wife and Lenny are portrayed. (180-220 words)

I look forward to reading your compositions.
Have a great weekend,
Steve

Exam revision: Wªriting

Hi everyone,
Do you feel as though you know enough about the different CAE compositions? If not, what not share your ideas here?

The idea of this post is to create a mini file containing information about the different formats and structures that you might find in typical CAE exam writing tasks - Reports, Articles, reviews etc. And as they are posted here, you´ll be able to look at what others put and compare them with your own ideas.

Please post your notes below, and feel free to comment on what other people have written too. Remember, you have plenty of sources to revise from - the notes you´ve made in your noteboks, the information in the CB, www.flo-joe.co.uk - to name but a few.

Things to include in your posted comments: Composition Type, Target reader, style, structure/layout, useful language

Enjoy your weekend,

Steve

Of Mice and Men Podcast

Hi everyone,

I've just come across a fantastic podcast that was on www.flo-joe.co.uk - which is about the book we read in the first semester, John Steinbeck's classic Of Mice and Men. In it, Fiona Joseph talks about an overview of the plot, the main characters and exam-type questions.

When describing the plot of the story here are some useful words/collocations that are mentioned.

obey

taunt

lynch mob

And here are more when describing the main characters.

savvy

a wiry physique

snappy

fiercely protective

sense of moral duty

a lumbering giant

petting small animals/stroking the puppy

utterly defenceless against the...

a handy man

old and frail

a flirtatious encounter

When talking about an exam-type question, Fiona goes through some dos and donts, while talking about the idea of friendship, which is key to understanding the book.

She mentions that the question about this book in the CAE exam could be an article, essay review or report.

The podcast is about 12 minutes long and clicking here will take you directly to the link.

I hope this podcast will make you feel better prepared to tackle such a task in December.

Have a great week,

Steve

Ted World

This week in class we have looked at some of the hundreds of videos uploaded onto the excellentTed.com website. I´m sure that there´s something there of interest for all of you. What I´d like you to do is to write a little bit about one video you´ve seen, briefly explaining the content and saying why you like it.

Have a great week.

Let him have it

Hi everyone,
In 1952 Derek Bentley was hanged for murder of a policeman in London in November 1962. Read about the case here. I´d like to know whether you think this was a great miscarriage of justice or a deserved punishment. And can you think of any other cases which rested on the interpretation of a simple phrase?

Elvis Costello was clearly moved by the story and recorded the song Let him Dangle in the late 1970s. This is a live version. Enjoy...

Crime + what punishment?

Hi everyone,

Now that we´ve been looking at crime recently I thought that an article I came across in today´s Guardian might work for the blog. A brief synopsis: A famous German singer became infected with the HIV Virus and knowingly had other partners afterwards. They too became infected and now, after a long court case, she has received a 2-year suspended sentence.

Of course there´s more than meets the eye, as with most stories that you read in the press, but click here to read that article and then get back to us with your views on the outcome of the trial.

Too harsh? Too soft?

Have a great week!

THE WEDDING DAY, the most special day for the Bride!

Planning a wedding for it to come out perfect may take up to a year - choosing the most beautiful synagogue or church, following a diet so that the dress looks amazing on the bride, choosing the most exquisite meal, music, flowers and five hundred things more is a real challenge.

But knowing how marriage will be in the first week is a mystery that nobody can know, especially those who are still to unite their lives with another person. In addition to planning the party that will last a few hours - but has been months´ work, it is also important to talk about planning a shared future, something that probably wasn´t talked about during the engagement, since marriage is much more than a party, it is expected to last a whole lifetime.

Therefore, marriage is more than the preparation, a dress, it’s a sentimental and emotional preparation to develop a relationship. And the most important thing to be able to perform it, is COMMUNICATION between partners, that’s the most powerful weapon for any marriage! This is my little piece of advice!!

Please leave your comments below and let us all know what you think!!
Can you think of any other situation which asks for as much commitment?
How does the wedding day compare to other special days in our lives?

Jackie

Egresados- just another holiday?

This week I'd like to ask you about something which you all (probably) have a close affinity with: El Viaje de Egresados. I've been hearing lots of things about them recently and one class of mine will be extremely quiet in the next few weeks because of them.

The thing is, I don't really get them. For me it's just another holiday - no better or worse than any of the other ones you all have each summer. So, I'm asking you to tell us why they're so important. And where the best Egresado destination is? Why? Isn't it just a waste of money?

Enjoy your week,

Steve

Where do you want to go today?

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the blog!

I hope you've all had a nice winter break.

To start the second semester I'd like you to think about some well-known and popular advertising slogans. Some of you might have just seen them in unit 8A of the Coursebook and some of you might have talked about them some time ago. Microsoft have used Where do you want to go today for quite a while now, and since it is such a huge company, one can only suspect that this slogan is a largely successful one (correct me if I'm wrong!).

I think it shows a clear reference to the internet and the fact that our options are almost unlimited in terms of being able to discover and learn new things about almost anything. Or if not learn, then play, watch and listen to a whole new world of ideas and culture. The internet is here to stay, and I think Microsoft's slogan is an attempt at offering everyone that cyber journey - to anywhere. We're more in control of our lives and the information we fill our days with, they seem to be saying.

Here are a couple more slogans, I won't say where they're from (and please don't Google it!). Please interpret one of them letting us know what you think and how successful it could be, bearing in mind the type of audience it might hope to attract and what it is trying to sell.

I'll post the origins of these slogans in a few days...

It's the real thing

It's finger lickin' good

Because you're worth it

He keeps going and going and going

Have a great week and look forward to seeing your comments here.

Steve

World Cup Profiles

Only 4 days to go now! I've just found some video World Cup Profiles for every team on the BBC website and thought it'd be a good idea to share. Click here to go directly to Argentina's profile page. There's a video for each of the 32 countries involved in the competition.

Don't forget to register for Fantasy Football at www.Fifa.com (read the post below for the code), or the World Cup predictions game at www.tipschallenge.com. (the code is 97383)

Steve

IH Fantasy Football Competition

With the greatest sporting event in the world bearing down on us, we thought it a good idea to up the stakes a wee bit. We've set up a fantasy football league just for International House Recoleta students and of course there will be a fantastic prize for the winner!!!

What is Fantasy Football?

Have you ever dreamed of being the next Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson or Diego Maradona? Well fantasy football allows us all to see how good we would be in the hot seat. The game gives you 150 units. Each player has a value of between 1-10 units. Before the World Cup starts you must select 23 players using your 150 units. Then during the World Cup your players score points for each goal, pass, save assist etc they make. The team at the end of the competition with the most points wins! Simple! The key to success is to actively manage your team throughout the competition changing some injured/out of form players for in-form/healthy players.


Log on to

http://en.mcdonalds.fantasy.fifa.com/ and create an account (it takes 4 mins)

Then join our private league by typing in the league code 161381-73062. It's called the IH Buenos Aires Cup. It's totally free.

You will be able to pick your team on June 4th. There is a forum on the website where you can post comments about the league/other teams etc.

Good luck and may the best team win!!

Students' blog 1: The 29er

What is 29er about?

29er is one of the newest dinghy classes, which was created by an Australian designer. It consists of a crew of two members, the helm and the crew, my actual position is crew. Argentina's fleet has experienced a boom since 2008 and is still growing for the 29er's world championship in Mar del Plata.

Why do it?

Many people ask that question, or why do you sail? At the moment you can't answer because if you think about it, it doesn't seem like it's much fun. In winter, with the freezing wind and water and in summer stuck in the middle of storms. But when you are right there and the only way to get back home is to keep on sailing, it gives you the strength to do it, when it is a windy day and your strength has left you and you are going downwind with the spinnaker (the big sail which is located in the front of the boat) and you are in the harness, the feeling of adrenaline is simply breathtaking. That's the reason why. Also, the surroundings are amazing, and as well all the laughs and happiness of course there are troubles too, but sometimes they seem to disappear.

What does a regatta consist of?

A regatta is a race, it consists of rounding marks which are buoys, and whoever gets to the finishing line first wins. As in other sports there's a rules system that applies which is called here in Argentina RRV (reglamento de regatas a vela) and is dictated by the ISAF (international sailing federation).

Feel free to check out this clip of the 29er, and I'd be interested in knowing what you thought about it.

Matias

Evelyn Glennie rocks Sesame Street!

These are some clips of Evelyn Glennie, an amazing musician who has been deaf from the age of six (and who went to my high school!) jamming on Sesame Street and in an old factory. Thanks to Santiago for sharing the first clip with me.

Clip 1

Clip 2

Clip 3

Evelyn really broke the mould by overcoming such an obstacle as deafness to become a world-renowned musician.
Can you think of anyone else who has overcome similar difficulties to achieve great things? Do you think we should respect Evelyn for what she achieved in overcoming her disability, or should we treat her like any other musician and judge her on her talents alone?

Chris.

Ladies and gentlemen- the interactive phonemic chart

Here, by popular demand, is a link to the interactive chart.

Just click on the symbols to hear a sample of the sound and an example word.

Click here

And you can find more hot tips on pronunciation from the excellent BBC "Learning English" site here.

Enjoy!

motor madness or urban progress...?

Hi everyone,

This week saw some of our biggest avenidas becoming 2-way thoroughfares between the centre and the outskirts of the city. Head of the Buenos Aires Council, Mauricio Macri, has claimed that 15 minutes have been shaved off some bus journeys; taxi drivers, however, (or at least the ones I've spoken to over the past week) seem to think that there's even more traffic than before.

Do you think it was a good move? Will it do anything to alleviate congestion during rush hour? What do you think should be the long-term plan for controlling the spiralling levels of pollution?

Have a great weekend!

See you all next week.

Steve

The (other) American Dream...

Hi everyone,
As we´ve been talking about the American Dream in Of Mice And Men - whereby George and Lenny imagine their ´little place´ and ´livin´ on the fatta the lan,´´ this week I´d like you to consider a different version of it, according to the American stand up, George Carlin.

He launches into a scathing attack on corporations, whom he believes really control the US with their influence on the economy and politics, and he vitriolically refutes any wide-eyed aspirtions such as George and Lenny´s - that they are in control of their destinies, that they can make it and succeed in life and fulfil their ambitions. Carlin concludes the 4-minute youtube clip by saying ´...that´s the American Dream. Because you have to be asleep to believe it.´

I´d like to know what you think about the two contrasting American dreams. Is George and Lenny´s version now a thing of the past? Do you have anything similar in Argentina?

Click here to see the videoclip but *please be warned that there is some very strong language. If you are an adolescent I strongly recommend that you ask persmission before watching. It isn´t esssential to view it anyway, as I´ve summarised it above.

Have a great weekend!
See you next week,
Steve

MuseumMania!

Hi Everyone,

Since we´ve recently been talking about museums in the past few classes, the opportunity to visit the British Museum website was too good to miss. Click here to get straight to it, and then click on explore, followed by online tours. Once there, you´ll be able to choose one of the many online exhibitions of ancient and moden artwork and artefacts from across the globe.

I checked out the one on Enlightenment: The Birth of Archaeology, which contains exhibits from the UK. It might sound a little dull, and I have to say that in the end it wasn´t really my cup of tea, but I wasn´t bored out of my mind. The Burial Urn was fascinating, but unfortunately some of the pieces hadn ´t stood the test of time and are badly damaged beyond repair. I read a lot of the given information too, which was useful, but next time I think I´ll choose a different display...

No, it wasn´t quite as good as being there in person, but all in all it was still pretty good.

Please choose one of the exhibitions on the website and get back to us with a mini review of it (the language on pp.96-97 of the CB might come in useful here).

Apart from that, have a great weekend!

Steve

Are you the next Lionel Messi? The BBC comes to Argentina...

The BBC website recently reported on a new reality TV show which is aiming to uncover football´s next big thing. In the report, they visit Argentina and talk to some contenders dreaming of becoming the new Lionel Messi.

Take a look at the clip here.

So, what do you think? Has reality TV gone too far this time? Would you be interested in watching this programme? Or even in taking part?
Can you suggest an idea for the next big reality TV show?

Health & Fitness

Hi everyone,

This week's post is related to what we've been covering in class throughout Unit 6A.

Below is a hilarious Youtube video clip about Dance Aerobics, from the 1987 Dance Championships. What I like about it most is that the three guys seem to be very passionate about their routine even though it looks quite absurd (in my opinion of course!). It's unmistakably from the '80s, and I can't imagine seeing anything quite like it today. No rap music or hip hop either, which is what I expect to be blaring out of the loud speakers at every gymnasium in Buenos Aires. Check out the dodgy, skin-tight costumes, the outrageous high- kicks and a very naughty moustache.

It'd be great if you had a little look for an amusing or informative video clip on Youtube about health and posted the link here. Please include a short description like the paragraph above.

Thanks to Tom for finding this gem. And who knows, maybe it'd be a good idea to start each class with a routine like this one - so that we'd be fully prepared for the 90 minutes of an English class afterwards...

Look forward to seeing your posts.

Enjoy the rest of Easter Week.

Steve

Protests in Argentina

As you all know, today is el día de la Memoria in Argentina. I remember this day last year succinctly. It was my first visit to La Plaza de Mayo and I was overwhelmed by all the colours and emotion. No doubt, it'll be the same there this year and I'm interested in finding out how our students feel about this day and about mass protests in general. Are you going to be at the plaza this year? Could the events between 1975-1983 happen again? Is protesting a good way to voice your concerns? If not, then what should or could be done?

Enjoy your day off (from classes and work) and I look forward to seeing your opinions on here.

Steve

In the shadows of the Superclasico

As a newcomer to this beautiful country I'm looking to involve myself in the most typically Argentine pursuits. I've been to an ´asado` and I've filled my belly with facturas. However the one thing I've yet to do is go to El Superclasico. Even in England we realise that this is the biggest and most passionate game in the world apart from Tottenham vs Arsenal of course.

In the Observer they did a list of the top 50 sporting events you should go to before you die. El Superclasico is number 1.

Do you agree?

click here to read the article

Tom

Welcome to the 2010 academic year!

We hope you had a fantastic summer and are now ready for the challenging year ahead. Last year, the blogs proved to be a successful way of sharing and exchanging ideas, photos and video clips, but only because of your - the students' - contributions.

There will be plenty of opportunity to do more of the same this year and we really hope you take advantage of this wonderful tool to continue interacting with your classmates outside the classroom.

Have a fantastic year and don't forget -

to keep blogging!!!!

The Advanced 2 teaching team.