Infonews n°265 du 22/01/2005

A la Une this week, resources for and around Australia's National Day, with very nice and useful easy sites for beginners, as well as lots of other sites; In the news, find an article about a group of divorced fathers who planned to kidnap Tony Blair's son to make their voice heard, and links about the winter olympics; then sites about body surgery and the Nip and Tuck series. In the resources for primary school, show your pupils how to associate colors and feelings, and prepare Valentine's Day; students from secondary school will enjoy theses sites of literature, poetry, design and music; and at the end, find articles and tips for classroom management and the pages from the académie e Paris about the CERCL.
Have a nice week!
Christine Reymond

Sommaire

A la Une : Australia Day

Information about the country
On the official site
Sites for young children and beginners
Sites for intermediates students
Sites for advanced students
Pages of links and resources

In the News

Prime Minister's son 'kidnap plot' ( from the BBC)
Winter Olympics

Plastic Surgery

from Face Transplant to Nip and Tuck
What does "nip and tuck" mean?
Body Image (from [LII New This Week] January 19)

Resources for Primary School

Color Poems (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Friday, January 20th)
Valentine Arts and Crafts

Resources for Secondary School

True love, by Asimov
Mozart 2006: 250th Anniversary (from [LII New This Week] January 19)
Chic Is Where You Find It (from [LII New This Week] January 19)
It's a mystery to me (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)
Robert Frost Audio (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)

Teaching Practice

Classroom management and organisation (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)
Rethinking the classroom (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)
Cadre Européen et le Portfolio des langues (from Académie de Paris)


A la Une : Australia Day

January 26th is Australia's national day. it commemorates the day when, "On January 26, 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and became its first Governor." to learn more about the history of the day, go to
http://www.australiaday.gov.au/section.asp?sID=36

Information about the country

- the complete profile of Australia from the World's Factbook from the CIA (maps, history, geography, figures and politics)
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html
- and another one from the Gold site
http://www.gold-net.com.au/about1.html
- their bank notes:
http://www.rba.gov.au/CurrencyNotes/NotesInCirculation/index.html
- their national holidays:
http://www.oztourism.com.au/ozhols.htm
- the symbols of Australia, including the flag and the national anthem (with words and song in MP3 to download)
http://www.pm.gov.au/aus_in_focus/nat_symbols/index.html

On the official site

http://www.australiaday.gov.au
you can find:
- The new printed resource, Being Australian: Australia Day Resources for Upper Primary Students , has been developed for upper primary students. The resources provide teachers with materials to develop students': understanding and appreciation of the importance and meaning of Australia Day to the Australian community awareness and understanding of ideas and themes that contribute to Australian identity reflection and understanding of the land, the people, diversity, Indigenous perspectives, values, rights and responsibilities of Australian society.
http://www.australiaday.gov.au/pdf/nadc_finalpages.pdf
- a page of trivia and quizzes, plus other resources like coloring pages and a crossword
http://www.australiaday.gov.au/section.asp?sID=44
- the page of links : Australia online, with the sites of the government, museums, maps, sports, music, etc.
http://www.australiaday.gov.au/section.asp?sID=45
- statistics and facts
http://www.pm.gov.au/aus_in_focus/stats/index.html

Sites for young children and beginners

- *** Jean-Pierre Palasse has designed this superb site, with lots of photos and useful information, plus questions for the students as they read and watch:
http://www.dijon.iufm.fr/ressourc/langues/anglais/austral/
- *** an excellent easy webquest by Nathalie Vezon
http://pedagogie.ac-montpellier.fr/disciplines/anglais/ressources/webquests/australia.html
- the selection of sites for beginners and lower intermediates from Michèle Henry
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/civiaus.htm
- selection of easy documents from Zoom and Enchanted Learning
http://www.zoomschool.com/school/Australia/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/Australia/Ausmap.shtml
- word find, crosswords, coloring pages
http://www.australiaday.com.au/funandfree/default.asp#about
- coloring, map collage and boomerang crafts
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/australia_day.htm

Sites for intermediates students

- history, indigenous, quizzes, anthem
http://www.australiaday.com.au/student_centre.html
- several webquests, and activities listed by Michèle Henry
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/civiaus.htm#wq
- Australian animals
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/pid/1439
- a webquest about Australian animals
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/australia/
- easy webquests about Australia : one or two links and several questions
http://www.geocities.com/ozquest/fulllist.htm

Sites for advanced students

- citizenship (including applications forms, laws and statistics)
http://www.australiaday.com.au/student_centre.html
- Australia's tourist guide with info about the road, maps, places to visit and accommodations. For example, I discovered Kangaroo Island, an island for sealers and whalers...
http://www.travelmate.com.au
http://www.travelmate.com.au/Places/Featured_Regions.asp?TM_Page=Places&RegionId=40&State=SA
- *** audio : aboriginal stories that you can read and hear, and even see the story teller in a video
http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/storylist.htm
- webquest : we are Australian ( designed for Australian students, so should be adapted, but with lots of useful links)
http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/bb_site_intro/stage3_modules/exchangestudent/we_are_australian.htm
- the legend of Legend of Lasseter's Reef , on Gold Net
http://www.gold-net.com.au/lasseter1.html
- Gold Net, the site which give the current price of gold and show a map of the gold reserves (maybe you can build a webquest for the students to go and dig for gold?)
http://www.gold-net.com.au/maps1.html
- Sovereign Hill Challenge : discover this part of Australia, surf on their site and answer the questions:
site: http://www.sunnhillss.qld.edu.au/WebQuests/gold/index.htm
questions: http://www.sovereignhill.com.au/public/DocumentExchange/sitechallenge.doc
- A webquest about Australian explorers, including explorer of Australia and from Australia. A very comprehensive work
http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/bb_site_intro/stage3_Modules/overland/overland.html
- a webquest about Bushrangers : explore and imagine their life
http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/bb_site_intro/stage2_Modules/bushrangers/bushrangers.htm

Pages of links and resources

http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/australia.html ( lots of resources about Australia)
http://www.archaeolink.com/australian_history_lesson_plans.htm (Australia and Australian history lessons and activities)
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page456.html (pages of links by themes)
http://www.tsof.edu.au/resources/units/ ( ready to use teaching units)
http://www.dowslane.org/gday.html (interesting webquest with lots of links, but many are dead)
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/australia.htm (also includes links to webquests and thinkquests)
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~slacey/austidentity.htm (famous people, traditions, Australian identity)

In the News

Prime Minister's son 'kidnap plot' ( from the BBC)

This pages allows you to hear a part of the news article plus a full transcript and some vocabulary.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2006/01/060118_leo_blair.shtml
you can also access the full story, with the article and some links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4622880.stm
a video about the actions of the activist group "Fathers 4 Justice" : top right. ( worth a look : they dressed as super heroes!)
a profile of the group : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3653112.stm
the site of the group : http://www.fathers-4-justice.org/
Downing Street : http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp

Winter Olympics

the winter Olympics are about the start. Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Friday, January 20th offers you a full page of interesting links and lessons:
http://rivapprod2.riverdeep.net/portal/page?_pageid=338,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL#3 (after the links for Dr Seuss Day)
http://rivapprod2.riverdeep.net/portal/page?_pageid=338,770895&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL#5
Lots of links from Librarian's Internet Index (LII)
"Get ready for Torino with our Olympic Games collection, which we started in 2004 and just keeps growing. Explore facts, events, competitions, trivia, history, and much more."
http://lii.org/pub/topic/olympics

Plastic Surgery

from Face Transplant to Nip and Tuck

Linda Legrand on e-teach recommends these articles from CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/01/18/face.transplants.ap/index.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/01/11/face.transplant.ap/index.html
You can also extend your teaching unit to extreme surgery and discus the risks of Botox (with a clip of a Botox party and mentions of other fashion fads, and an excellent animation showing how Botox works.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/extremecosmetics/index.shtml
an American site about the same topic (to compare)
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4029048/
read also this article from the BBC about " Stars that have been nipped and tucked"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/health/atoz/cosmetic.shtml
and this American article about men who also try and little nip and tuck
http://www.health24.com/Man/Looking_good/748-768,11653.asp
official site of the Nip and Tuck series
- you may consider using the synopsis, the videos are not easy to use
http://www.warnervideo.com/niptuck2/
- this flash site is much more attractive, but remember that this is a series for adults!
http://www.warnerbros.co.uk/niptuck/main.html

What does "nip and tuck" mean?

when you enter "definition : "nip and tuck" in Google, you get:
- face lift: plastic surgery to remove wrinkles and other signs of aging from your face; an incision is made near the hair line and skin is pulled back and excess tissue is excised.
- neck and neck: even or close in a race or competition or comparison; "the horses ran neck and neck"; "he won nip and tuck"
And also:
- the expression nip and tuck, originally a close contest, but now more often a slang. reference to plastic surgery
http://www.answers.com/topic/nip
http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=nip+and+tuck&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&NLD=1&FRA=1&DEU=1&ITA=1&ESP=1&v=53993196
- it can be used as a noun, an adverb or an adjective
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nip+and+tuck

Body Image (from [LII New This Week] January 19)

Articles and links to resources (many from government agencies) on topics related to body image, such as weight, eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and children's body images. The "BodyWise" handbook includes facts sheets for school personnel and health care providers on recognizing eating disorders and promoting positive body image behaviors. Site also provides material on healthy eating and physical activity. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC).
http://www.4woman.gov/bodyimage/index.cfm

Resources for Primary School

Color Poems (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Friday, January 20th)

Templates, examples, and assessments are all included in this poetry and sensory exploration for upper elementary classes. Students will work together to try to describe colors with sensory descriptions and visual comparisons,and then write color poems using symbolism, imagery, and assigning texture. They will try to portray color for someone who has never known what it is. Mini lessons are also included to teach symbolism and imagery in poetry.
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=375
[interesting links to sites of poetry, examples of color poems and templates. This activity can be performed by students with very little English, and allows them to reflect on what they feel with all their senses and build images and similes/comparisons/symbols.]

Valentine Arts and Crafts

Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Friday, January 20th offers you several Valentine's Day Artworks : Valentine Vases, Broken Hearts, Magic Hearts, Valentine Roses, Felt & Ribbon Bookmarks, Hand Over Your Heart Patterns
http://rivapprod2.riverdeep.net/portal/page?_pageid=338,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL#2

Resources for Secondary School

True love, by Asimov

Christine Silvestri on eTeachNet has found this interesting US exam paper. The documents to study are the full version of Asimov's short story "true Love" and Richard Brautigan's poem "All watched over by machines of loving grace". these texts could come in handy in a teaching unit about robots, for upper intermediate or intermediate students!

Mozart 2006: 250th Anniversary (from [LII New This Week] January 19)

This site accompanies the festivities surrounding the 250-year celebration of the birth of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on January 27, 2006. Includes biographical information, information about visiting sites associated with Mozart, descriptions of his works (orchestral, chamber, sacred, and for the state), and a calendar of events in Austria. Available in several languages. From a group of Austrian tourist boards.
http://www.mozart2006.net/eng/index.html
You can complement this with this site about the Mozart effect:
This site considers issues such as whether "listening to Mozart's music is purported to improve our spatial intelligence," and what this effect might be on babies. Includes links to related sites and a bibliography. Part of the Human Intelligence website from Indiana University.
http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/mozarteffect2.shtml
[ for musicians.]

Chic Is Where You Find It (from [LII New This Week] January 19)

An overview of the life and work of Bonnie Cashin (1908-2000), "one of the foremost American fashion designers in the second half of the twentieth century. ... [She] grew up in a string of California cities, particularly fascinated by the jostling of Asian and South American cultures." Includes pictures of her designs. From the UCLA Charles E. Young Library Department of Special Collections.
http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/20373
[ for those interested in clothes and design. With a site and other links.]

It's a mystery to me (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)

Students are introduced to the detective genre with novels from Poe, Doyle, and Christie. They will learn the elements of detective fiction and investigate author backgrounds, and then complete related vocabulary and comprehension worksheets.
http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1995/1/95.01.07.x.html
[ with interesting activity sheets.]

Robert Frost Audio (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)

Being a Robert Frost fan, I was very excited to find this wonderful site online, offering audio files of the famed poet himself reading his poems. "The Road Not Taken" is here, along with "The Death of the Hired Man", "Mending Wall", and more. Use the 2nd link above to delve into the intricacies of Frost's poetry, including themes, subject matter, sound, metaphor, and nature.
http://town.hall.org/radio/HarperAudio/012294_harp_ITH.html
http://www.frostfriends.org/tutorial-3.html

Teaching Practice

Classroom management and organisation (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)

Looking at effective classroom management principles and practices, this site offers practical strategies for developing routines and procedures, assigning and managing work, organizing your physical classroom space, establishing positive working environments, preparing for instruction, and managing it all.
http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/%7Eelc/gameplan.htm

Rethinking the classroom(from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, January 19th)

Your students will become active participants in deciding and designing what works and what doesn't in your classroom. Find ten ideas for rethinking here.
http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/001.shtml

Cadre Européen et le Portfolio des langues (from Académie de Paris)

Pour compléter le dossier sur Le Cadre Européen et le Portfolio des langues, le site de l'académie de Paris vous propose un nouveau document sur le Cadre Européen Commun de références. Ce texte, rédigé par l'IPR d'anglais Madame Chen Géré, comporte des pistes de réflexion et des exemples sur l'utilisation du Cadre Européen Commun de Références.
http://lve.scola.ac-paris.fr/anglais/cecr.php
Voyez aussi la page consacrée au Portfolio des langues
http://lve.scola.ac-paris.fr/anglais/portfolio.php


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