Infonews n°309 from 16/09/2007
ESL Pronunciation Work Page
September 16th is Mayflower Day
September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day
September 21st is International Day of Peace
September 22nd is International Car Free Day
Some more on Rugby
Italian Tenor Pavarotti Dies at Age 71 (from [LII New This Week] September
13)
Northern Rock Crisis
Biofuel
How to make a cup of tea
British Money
Agatha Christie's Week
Who done it?
Jobs and houses
Biography : the Unknown Rebel
Using the Flatmates in class
Second life and virtual worlds
Health Vocabulary
Comics: Farley by Phil Frank (from [LII New This Week] September 13)
English Day by Day
DailyLit (from [LII New This Week] September 13)
Business English
Les langues par la chanson et le cinéma (Paris)
Remaniement du Test TOEIC®
Lu au B.O. : Bac STG 2008
ESL Pronunciation Work Page
Michelle Henry recommends this excellent site about pronunciation. There
is no heavy explanation about how to do it, but lots of examples and some interactive
exercises. It is well done and will be very useful for students willing to
improve their accent.
"Listen to native speakers, some with different American accents and dialects,
and hear examples of the topics ...: Word Stress - Emphasis - Intonation -
Phrasal Stress - Reduction - Consonants - Thought Groups (Phrasing) - Linking
- Vowels "
http://www.e-pron.com/
[ I recommend it for advanced students working autonomously, but secondary
school teachers can find interesting activities they can use in class, such
as poetry reading. Note that on the site there is a mistake in the link they
give for Poetry Readings, you should go to:
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/22 ]
September 16th is Mayflower Day
On e-teach, Catherine Serreau informs us that today is Mayflower Day in the
USA
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/September/mayflowerday.htm
and on this page you find links to several sites
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/History/history.php
September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day
"Ye'll be wantin' to explore the 'About' page for the history of the
glorious day [September 19], and when ye're ready to be soundin' like a real
pirate, here be 'How To Talk Like A Pirate.' To find out what be happenin'
this Pirate Day, be lookin' on our new events page." The talk like a pirate
page includes vocabulary and tips such as starting sentences with "Arr,
me hearty." (from [LII New This Week] September 13)
http://www.yarr.org.uk/
programme and explanation
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/curriculum.pdf
Treasure Island resources
http://www.tamrootbeer.com/teacherstuff/
Pirates' lesson Plans
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/teachers.html
poster of the Day
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/partykit/tlapdposter.pdf
video of the song (no script)
http://www.yarr.org.uk/single/
links
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/links.html
Official talk like a pirate song
http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff/oddio/TLAPD-Streaming064.mp3
lyrics
http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/tlapd.htm
other songs (MP3 and Lyrics) :Chanteys for Modern Pirates
http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/tlapd.htm
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/songs1.html
September 21st is International Day of Peace
Lots of links on Michelle Henry's page
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/paix.htm
including songs
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/paix.htm#song
and two webquests
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/paix.htm
September 22nd is Car Free Day
Here is a page I did for my students:
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/themes/carfreeday.html
You can also find resources in Michelle Henry's pages about Pollution and Road
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/pollution.htm
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/route.htm
Some more on Rugby
some more on the theme :
- on e-teach, Jean-Marc Gébelin recommends this article from the Independent,
referring to the Survival Kit I mentioned in Infonews n°307
http://sport.independent.co.uk/rugby_union/world_cup_features/article2921890.ece
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/KITdeSURVIE-32p-repiquage-2.pdf
- Anne Pinel used the documents on this page with her intermediate students:
http://aru.rugby.com.au/edrugby/for_the_classroom/interactive_games,316.html
- and Valéry Gély created this page about New Zealand for her students to work
from
http://www.my-english-courses.com/rugby/index.html
Italian Tenor Pavarotti Dies at Age 71 (from [LII New This Week] September 13)
Article about opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who died in September 2007.
In addition to this article, which includes highlights from Pavarotti's life
and career, the site include audio of a remembrance and of a 2001 chat with
the Italian opera singer, blog entry, and related links. From Minnesota Public
Radio.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/06/pavarottiobit/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/05/pavarottilevang/ (with
audio)
http://www.publicradio.org/tools/media/player/news/features/2007/09/06_extra_minnopera (
audi oto download)
Northern Rock Crisis
For the first time since very long, people would rush to a bank to get their
money out. BBC Learning English features a short audio file and a text to present
the problem, plus a large page in their business section. Interesting for all
those studying business and economics.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/09/070914_northern_rock.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6994328.stm
Biofuel
BBC learning offers a lesson plan, a text, an audio file and a quiz about
a new technique to turn sugar cane into ethanol. You can also learn more about
ethanol, Brazil and Venezuela on the page in the second address. For those
interested in economics, environment and also technology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/09/070912_biofuels.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6566515.stm
How to make a cup of tea
Primary resources, a website for British students in kindergarten and primary
school features this page where you have to order the different steps to make
a cup of tea and describe each action. there is no right answer, and I'm not
sure which is the right way to do it : do you put milk and sugar before or
after the teabag and hot water? Do you let it simmer before you pour the milk
or after?
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/makingtea.swf
and to check your answers, watch this video with all the steps in the right
order
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7028086
and here is a text (don't forget to "scald" the pot if you make tea
in a tea pot!)
http://riri.essortment.com/makingtea_rurb.htm
variation ; how to make a jam sandwich
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/activities/instructions.shtml
British Money
Interactive game to discover the different British coins and add them up
to match the required number.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/moneynew.html
Agatha Christie's Week
[LII New This Week] from September 13 recommends The Official Agatha Christie
Site : "Official website for this British mystery writer. Features background
about how Christie wrote and the influence of travel and archeology, descriptions
of her famous fictional detectives (such as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot),
material about Christie works on stage and screen, and a database where you
can find books based on keywords or by location, detective, or means of murder.
Includes some commercial content."
http://uk.agathachristie.com/site/home/
[ note among the "extras" the interactive game about Death on the
Nile (you can download it for free and test it for a while). Don't get too
excited, it is beautiful, but all you have to do is find objects hidden in
a picture. it is difficult and there are not enough clues, so I don' know if
there is anything after that. Maybe you can use it in class to teach them how
to locate an object in a picture and work on the prepositions.
http://agathachristie.oberon-media.com/game.htm?code=112633440&RefId=&origin=pindex_ng_r
There are also three other games, one with little explanations, difficult for
ESL students, a hangman and a memory game.
http://uk.agathachristie.com/site/extras/games.php
Who did it?
Primary resources offers an interactive game in which you are the detective
and you must find out who has stolen the plans. The game in fact consists in
reading the pages one after the other and remembering the different fact. Although
it was made by young English children and the drawings are simple, the story
can interest lower intermdiates and even students above.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/Mystery/WHexit.htm
Jobs and houses
What jobs will take part in the building of this house? What family is the
best to live in this home? An interactive site to make your students discuss,
from intermediate level upwards.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/ks1ks2cons.swf
Biography : the Unknown Rebel
Remember to bookmark time site by Time magazine featuring the 100 most famous
people of the 20th century. Among them, MLK and Nelson Mandela, lady D, Einstein,
and...the unknown rebel in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989. You can use these
biographies with intermediate students and above : it corresponds to the French
national cultural curriculum about "people" in secondes, and "conflicts" in
terminale.
http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/rebel.html
Using the Flatmates in class
BBC Learning English offers a full page with tips to use this serie in class
: you can download cartoon strips, read the lesson plans, find ideas of activities
and see the current episode in the second address (you can also access the
archives there and download any episode you like in .MP3). The texts are always
short, and feature a simple and basic language point. You can use it with lower
intermediates upwards, and I find it especially adapted to older learners with
a low level (CAP, Bac Pro)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/teachingenglish/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/
Second life and virtual worlds
In this week's BBC webcast programme, they look at the topic of virtual and
fantasy worlds. Why are games like World of Warcraft and sites like Second
Life becoming so popular?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/webcast/
[ You can download the audio file and the script. It is too long and complex
to use as is, except with advanced students, but you can edit it and use it
with upper intermediates. Last year's baccalaureat for technological sections
(STI) was about addiction to video games.
http://www.franglish.fr/bac/met-STG-LV1-2007.PDF
You find the same idea in the last part of the text, from middle of page 8
to middle of page 9 in the script. I also liked the part from page 4 to middle
of page 5, with the speaker discovering Second life, installing it on her computer
and building her avatar, and then having a problem. ]
Health Vocabulary
The topic BBC learning English's crossword for this week is health. As usual,
you get a definition, a link to a page presenting the word, and some hints.
Excellent for all those studying health and medical care.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/crosswords/
Comics: Farley by Phil Frank (from [LII New This Week] September 13)
Collection of cartoons and related material for this comic strip that was
inspired by San Francisco events and that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle
until its creator, Phil Frank, retired in September 2007. Includes an archive
with comics back to 2002, a biography of Frank, a list of books by Frank, and
a 2005 article about three decades of Frank cartooning.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/09/BAFARLEY.DTL&hw=phil+frank&sn=006&sc=187
English Day by Day
Vous retrouverez parfois des documents utilisables en cours dans les articles
de notre collègue Philippe Hattais sur son blog sponsorisé
par Reverso : voici la présentation qu'il en fait : "English Day by Day
est un module à destination de tous ceux qui veulent enrichir leur connaissance
de la langue anglaise de manière ludique. Des mots et des points de grammaire
chaque jour expliqués et illustrés par des visuels ou des vidéo et ce pour
tout niveau (débutant, intermédiaire, ou avancé)."
http://www.englishdaybyday.com/
Certains articles sont un peu racoleurs, comme cat fight, mais j'ai trouvé utiles
la page sur Dog day et sa vidéo de Greenpeace, et la présentation de sophomore,
junior, etc.
http://englishonline-reverso.typepad.com/mon_weblog/2007/09/dog---dog-days.html#more
http://englishonline-reverso.typepad.com/mon_weblog/2007/09/freshman-sophom.html#more
DailyLit (from [LII New This Week] September 13)
"DailyLit sends books in installments via e-mail. DailyLit currently
offers over 400 classic public domain titles that can be subscribed to and
read in their entirety for free." Includes some in French, Italian, and
Spanish. Search, or browse by title, author, or category. The entry for each
work includes a preview of the first installment and the number of installments
(such as 675 for
"War and Peace" and 149 for "Pride and Prejudice").
http://www.dailylit.com/
[ A fun new site for literature : you give your email address, and the time
and day when you want to receive an installment, and you get it in you mail
box. It can be either written or read, then you receive it as an RSS. You can
also use the forum to communicate with other readers. I selected this Sherlock
Holmes book that must be fun to read and useful for daily practice:
http://www.dailylit.com/books/adventures-of-sherlock-holmes ]
Business English
This section of BBC Learning English is called
"TALKING BUSINESS" and deals with presentations. It is aimed at businessmen
and people making official presentations. Very useful for university students
and all those planning to give a presnetation in English. "Check out this
new unit on giving effective presentations. Four modules offer vocabulary,
listening practice, fun quizzes and tips on business presentations! "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/1opening.shtml
Les langues par la chanson et le cinéma
Cette info ne concerne que ceux qui sont sur Paris:
Le CRDP de Paris organise le mercredi 3 octobre un rendez-vous du libraire
consacré au thème : Les langues par la chanson et le cinéma à:
Librairie du CRDP 37 rue Jacob - 75006 Paris Métro : Saint-Germain-des-Prés
au programme:
9 h 30 - 12 h - L'anglais oral dans le 1er degré
14 h - Présentation de collection CINÉ-V.O. Anglais (1)avec Marie-France Chen-Géré,
IA-IPR
http://crdp.ac-paris.fr/do_pao/rdv_langues.pdf
Remaniement du Test TOEIC®
ETS (Educational Testing Service) Europe annonce le lancement de la version
remaniée du test TOEIC® (Test Of English For International CommunicationTM).
Disponible dès le 17 septembre 2007, le test TOEIC® a été modifié et adapté pour
répondre aux exigences les plus récentes du marché international du travail.
Cette mise à jour du test TOEIC® est effectuée de manière à couvrir tous les
styles de langage et satisfaire à la fois les besoins en vocabulaire spécialisé et
ceux de conversations courantes. C'est ainsi qu'il intègre aussi bien des outils
de mesure pour la compréhension, qu'une restitution plus riche des compétences
linguistiques des candidats.
« Nous avons bien évidemment conservé les fondamentaux qui ont fait le succès
du test
modalité de passage, durée du test, échelle de score et niveau similaire de
difficultés que la version précédente en y ajoutant des questions plus orientées
aux besoins professionnels », déclare Philippe Grosskost, Directeur Général
de ETS EMEA. « Nous sommes aujourd'hui fiers d'offrir un produit plus performant,
permettant aux utilisateurs d'être en adéquation avec les exigences du monde
des affaires. »
L'autre grande nouveauté est l'utilisation de différents accents (américain,
canadien, australien et britannique) qui reflète la diversité des accents que
l'on peut rencontrer dans le monde professionnel.
site de l'organisme (dans toutes les langues européennes)
http://www.etseurope.org/no_cache/choose-your-country/
à propos du nouveau test
http://84.37.54.68/index.php?id=7055
inscription pour une session d'entrainement gratuit en ligne ( mais seulement
les vendredis à 11h! )
http://www.fr.etseurope.org/site-ets-europe/inscription-aux-formations-en-ligne/
Lu au B.O. : Bac STG 2008
Au B.O. aujourd'hui : définition des épreuves du Bac STG pour la session
2008 :
http://www.education.gouv.fr/bo/2007/32/MENE0701530N.htm
Les nouveautés:
- la partie écrite reste inchangée,
- l'épreuve de compréhension de l'oral reste un
"test généralisé" et la note ne comptera pas, elle figurera seulement
sur le livret scolaire,
- l'épreuve de production orale se déroulera comme l'an dernier en CCF dans
les
établissements, avec "une banque nationale de documents". (durée
de l'épreuve : 10mn préparation, 10 mn passage)
- il y a une liste de suggestions, ce qui aidera
à l'entrainement (image publicitaire, dessin humoristique, photographie, reproduction
d’une
œuvre plastique, citation, proverbe, aphorisme, histoire drôle, question invitant
le candidat à
prendre position sur une question d’actualité ou un phénomène de société, slogan,
titre d’article de presse, etc.).
- l'oral de rattrapage sera une épreuve avec 20mn préparation et 20 mn passage,
sur une liste de seulement 3 documents, dont au moins un texte
"dont la longueur peut varier en fonction de sa difficulté"
et si vous voulez voir à quoi a ressemblé une
épreuve expérimentale de compréhension orale l'an dernier, notre collègue de
Martinique Laurence Bernard a eu la gentillesse de mettre les documents à disposition
des collègues sur son site:
- un fichier son de 2 minutes environ (le meme doc en LV1 et LV2)
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/absolutenglish-972/notes/comporale/2007/CO_STG_lv1lv2_mai2007.mp3
- un questionnaire LV1 et un questionnaire LV2 (quasi identique a LV1 si bien
qu'on peut se demander si cela valait le coup de faire 2 questionnaires?)
les consignes et les questions etaient sur la meme feuille (recto-verso)
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/absolutenglish-972/notes/comporale/2007/lv1_stg_co_2007.PDF
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/absolutenglish-972/notes/comporale/2007/lv2_stg_co_2007.PDF
Ceci est un message de la LISTE INFONEWS
réalisé par Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
E-Mail: Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr
Les commentaires et réflexions entre [ ] ne reflètent que mon opinion personnelle.
Sites Infonews:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/une1.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/une1.htm
Pour consulter les sources:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/archives/sourcinfonw.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/sourcinfonw.htm
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