Infonews n°267 du 05/02/2006
News Article
Lesson Plan
Other resources
Death of Coretta Scott King
Groundhog Prediction (Feb 2nd)
Super Bowl (Feb 6th)
President's Day (Feb 20th)
Kindersite (recommended by Françoise Pistre on e-teach)
Working Dogs (from [LII New This Week] February 2)
Love Poems
Language activities worksheets
What would you do with a quarter of a billion dollars?
U.S. Chamber of Commerce (from The Scout Report -- February 3)
Oscar nominations
The New World
Hoodwinked
Walk the Line
Training for the Bac
Colloques and conférences
News Article
All upper intermediate students interested in inventions and technology will enjoy this article entitled "High Tech, under the skin " from the NYTimes:Lesson Plan
The associated lesson plan deal with "Body-Tech : Exploring the Implications
of Human Microchip Implants ", asks questions to help students elucidate
the text, and then invites them to create a 'how it works' poster to explain
how the device works, or debate the interesting question of radio frequency
identification chips (RFID chips) and how it may be used by different people
or institutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20060203friday.html
Other resources
- a picture showing how the chip is inserted
http://prisonplanet.com/Pictures/feb06/020206skin.jpg
- the same article on another site
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/february2006/020206chipped.htm
- a very detailed review of his book (plus comments from readers)
http://www.wifi-toys.com/wi-fi.php?a=about&f=summary
- you can also listen to an interview of Amal Graafstra, the man who had the
chip implanted ( a bit long)
http://www.cbc.ca/insite/AS_IT_HAPPENS_TORONTO/2006/1/13.html
- and here is a written interview
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/04/interview_with_1.html
and finally, here is Amal’s blog with latest updates, videos and more:
http://www.amal.net/rfid.html
I found there *** his interview on Discovery Channel Canada's "Daily Planet" interview
(including a discussion of Big Brother's concerns)
http://amal.net/blog/links/exn20060131-rfid.asf
Death of Coretta Scott King
Martin Luther King's wife died on January 31st. Since we studied Rosa Parks
official funerals in November (see Infonews n°257 from 1/2005 and Café
pédagogique n°67 http://www.cafepedagogique.net/disci/anglais/67.php )
MLK Day in January (see Infonews n°264 from 15/01/2005 and Café pédagogique
n°69 http://www.cafepedagogique.net/disci/anglais/69.php )
and since February is Black History month, this piece of news is quite topical
and easy to insert in our thematic units or just to reactivate what has been
studied before. her funerals will take place on Monday or Tuesday, so you may
find more information next week.
here is her biography
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/king_coretta_scott.htm
and read this special report from the Atlanta Journal, recommended by Marie-Jacques
Paulet
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/noadsindex/kingpage.html
More info about Coretta Scott's life and funerals
- from the BBC, with a video, links to other articles and to her obituary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4682218.stm
- from CBS Canada : "she was the first woman and first black person to
receive the tribute at the Capitol Rotunda in Georgia – once a seat of segregation."
http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/national/2006/02/04/king-memorial-060204.html
- other sites:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060204king,1,6002724.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1581160
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060205/NEWS06/602050473/1012/NEWS06 (with
a photo of the casket carried by state police honor guards)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/02/05/mrs_king_and_i_on_when_she_met_martin/ (her
first meeting with MLK)
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/388720p-329748c.html
"For most of Monday, King's casket will lie in Ebenezer Baptist Church,
where her husband preached in the years before his death. Her funeral will
be held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, where the Kings'
youngest child, Bernice, is a minister."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060204-0921-corettascottking.html
see also the Black History Month Special from Time For Kids
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,97217,00.html
Groundhog Prediction (Feb 2nd)
Groundhog day was last Thursday. Here are the results:
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/news/story/0,6260,1022372,00.html (article)
http://www.groundhog.org/ (see the
ceremony and read the prediction from the most famous groundhog : Phil from
Punxsutawney)
http://www.groundhogsday.com/groundhogcentral.php (see
all the predictions from the other groundhogs in the USA and Canada)
Super Bowl (Feb 6th)
this year it will take place in detroit, on Feb. 5, 2006
http://www.superbowl.com/
see also the site for the National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame with
biographies, statistics, and video interviews of players.
http://www.profootballhof.com/
but the site I prefer is the site designed by the NFL for kids
http://www.playfootball.com
with a clear and simple explanation of the game
http://www.playfootball.com/footballfacts/basics.html
the detail of the role of each player
http://www.playfootball.com/be_a_player/
and lots of interesting football facts, including the behind the scene jobs
http://www.playfootball.com/footballfacts/
Valentine Day (Feb 14th)
- stories and history
an easy word search, even for beginners
http://www.teacherview.com/ActivityPages/word_search/holidays/val_search.htm
The history, links to various sites for handicrafts and
http://www.2learn.ca/mapset/enjoy/valentines/valentines.html
Valentine Short stories mysteries ( a bit long, but easy to read, for upper
intermediates)
http://www.mysterynet.com/love/valentine/
- Poems
Some classical love poems, including the red red rose and Browning's strange
and deranging "Porphyria's lover"
http://www.poetry-online.org/love-poetry-index.htm
*** a strange and deranging poem as a visual work of art : very beautiful but
I don't really see how to use it in class....
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/porphyria/index.html
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/porphyria/porphyria.html
love poems and love songs lyrics (from brigitte Baudet on eTeach)
http://www.links2love.com/poetry_poems_2nd.htm
http://www.links2love.com/love_lyrics.htm
- Lesson
a lesson for intermediates by Isabel Pérez Torres in Riverdeep's Classroom
Flyer, Friday, January 28th, based on a text which I personally don't like
the way the story is presented in the first person, but the comprehension activities
on the text are interesting and ready to use.
http://www.isabelperez.com/St.ValentineReading.htm
http://www.isabelperez.com/word/stvalentine.doc
here is the updated version of the page I did last year about Valentine day:
- History
http://holidays.mrdonn.org/valentine.html
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/valentines/stories/history/
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/valentines/1929328/detail.html
- Vital Guide to Valentines
Ask Jeeves' Butler Bulletin vous propose des infos et des idées d'activités:
http://www.me2u.com/LoveLore/Newsletter/2001/feb04_2001.tmpl
- Activities
http://www.activitiesforkids.com/holiday/holiday_valentines.htm (activités
et travaux manuels pour tous niveaux.)
http://www.123child.com/val/ ( avec
aussi des poèmes)
- Handicrafts
http://www.papervalentines.com/
http://www.dcrafts.com/valentineactivities.htm
- Write random poems
Wacky tales : http://www.eduplace.com/tales/content/wwt_062.html
Be my Valentine :
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,98851,00.html
Anti-valentine :
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/games/white/0,9970,98844,00.html
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,98833,00.html
- Pages of links about Valentine's Day
http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Holiday.html#Valentine
http://familyinternet.about.com/library/blvalentinesdayfacts.htm (dates
et infos)
President's Day (Feb 20th)
President's Day is celebrated each year on the third Monday of February to
honor two of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
History of the Day
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~maggieoh/Pd/prindex.html
http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/Holidays/celebrate/presiden.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidents'_Day
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/washington1.html (with
useful fact files)
Official sites
Meet the Presidents, from the official website of the White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/presidentsday/
Presidents' Day resources from US education website
http://www.ed.gov/free/pd.html
Here are some activities, crafts and worksheets for beginners and lower intermediates
from Enchanted Learning:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/presidentsday/
Other sites
Here are several other suggestions (including lesson plans and worksheets)
from The Classroom Flyer from Riverdeep, including lists of the presidents,
links to official sites, Mont Rushmore and a lot more...
http://rivapprod2.riverdeep.net/portal/page?_pageid=338,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL#3
and visit also those US educational sites offering resources
http://www.education-world.com/holidays/archives/february.shtml#president (lots
of activities and info)
http://fun.familyeducation.com/presidents-day/holidays-and-celebrations/32937.html
http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/presday.html
http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/presidents/presidents.htm (
game : name that president)
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hol/president.html
http://a4esl.org/q/h/tf-lb-pday.html (
a quiz)
http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/presidents/pres.htm (
a webquest)
http://teacher.scholastic.com/fieldtrp/socstu/presday2.htm
Kindersite (recommended by Françoise Pistre on e-teach)
This site is designed for kindergarten english speaking children, and is
quite suitable for primary school ESL beginners. You find there lots of games,
songs and stories for the youngest.
http://www.kindersite.org/Directory/DirectoryFrame.htm
Working Dogs (from [LII New This Week] February 2)
Lower intermediate and intermediate students may find interesting resources
in those sites ( FEMA, US US official site for emergencies, CIA, FBI) about
dogs to rescue people in catastrophes or dogs used during a war
- Canine's Role in Urban Search and Rescue
A small site on the role of dogs in search-and-rescue operations to locate
humans trapped in collapsed structures. Includes basic facts about search-and-rescue
dogs, a page for children (with "Canine Heroes" trading cards), and
a photo gallery of dogs involved in search-and-rescue efforts following the
World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. From the Federal Emergency
Management Agency .
http://www.fema.gov/usr/usr_canines.shtm
- CIA's K-9 Corps
Child-friendly details about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) K-9 Corps
(established in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War) and the dogs it trains to
search for explosives, drugs, and humans. Includes profiles and images of some
of the dogs. From the CIA's page for children.
http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/dogs/
- FBI Working Dogs
This colorful, child-friendly site describes working dogs used by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to locate chemical explosives, detect drugs,
perform search and rescue operations, and provide services for the disabled.
Include profiles and images of some of the FBI dogs. From the FBI website for
children.
http://www.fbi.gov/kids/dogs/doghome.htm
Love Poems
[LII New This Week] February 2 recommends these sites for Valentine Day :
How to Write the Perfect Love Letter
Tips from a professional writer for crafting a successful love letter.
http://www.writeexpress.com/How-to-write-a-love-letter.html
Poets.org: Love Poems
"A very small sample of both new and classic love poems" from poets
such as William Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats, and Robert Penn Warren. Includes a
list of poems and links to selected poems from the Academy of American Poets.
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5860
Language activities worksheets
Aline Degenne recommends this site on e-teach because it offers many ideas
of language activities and ready to use worksheets.
http://www.moveahead-english.com/resourcesteachers_ele.htm
[ If you are looking for some language activities based on non authentic material,
you will find lots of useful resources there. If you prefer more authentic
material, you will regard them as hints and prompts and adapt them to real
life situations.]
What would you do with a quarter of a billion dollars?
in Weekender this week, the BBC offers an audio file about the Euro Lottery,
complete with a script, grammar help (if clauses) and a quiz. Interesting for
audio comprehension and also to start a discussion with upper intermediates.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1412_weekender/
U.S. Chamber of Commerce (from The Scout Report -- February 3)
One would be hard pressed to find a better slogan for the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce than “Fighting for Your Business”, so it is rather fortunate that
they have already effectively trademarked these exact words. With a long and
storied history dating back to 1912, the U.S Chamber of Commerce is the world’s
largest not-for-profit business federation, representing over 3 million businesses
and 2800 state and local chambers. Their website will be most useful to both
businesspersons and those with an interest in the role this organization plays
throughout the United States in terms of its effect on the creation of national
and local policy regarding the climate for small and large businesses. As might
be expected, the homepage contains a full-site directory, which will lead visitors
to information on international trade, current issues of relevance to business,
and the Chamber’s own Center for Workforce Preparation. Some visitors may also
wish to sign up for their free weekly e-newsletters, which cover topics such
as corporate citizenship and workforce preparation. [KMG]
http://www.uschamber.com/
[ for business students.]
Oscar nominations
Listen to this report about the nominations for the Oscar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2006/02/060201_oscars.shtml
You may also want to use the vocabulary on the page, or the Teacher's Pack
including a lesson plan and several ready-to-use worksheets (for intermediates)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/plans/060201_oscars.pdf
The New World
Read the reviews and critics and follow the links on Le Café Pédagogique
http://www.cafepedagogique.net/disci/anglais/69.php
and Emmanuelle Bogé recommends you the page of links on the académie de Reims
http://www.ac-reims.fr/datice/anglais/actualites/new_world.htm
Laure Peskine found this critic
http://www.cupola.com/html/wordplay/redride1.htm
[ for my part, I found the critic rather disappointing and I don't think it
is the kind of film my studnets will enjoy. But see it and make your own opinion.]
Hoodwinked
Emmanuelle Bogé has put together an excellent page of links on the académie
de Reims, with activities and even a link to the excellent short story by James
Thurber
http://www.ac-reims.fr/datice/anglais/actualites/littlered.htm
Philippe Hatais has put several trailers from the film online on his blog
http://englisheiffel.over-blog.net/categorie-390189.html
Here are some other links to work around the Red Riding Hood Story :
Updates from Café Pédagogique n°63
- the real story in old fashioned pictures ( some students will laugh!) with
a text to read
<http://www.dltk-kids.com/rhymes/littlered/1.htm>http://www.dltk-kids.com/rhymes/littlere d/1.htm
- *** the story from the BBC, with 'normal' pictures, an excellent sound with
subtitles and a text easy enough for lower intermediates or even beginners,
and a morale "you should never talk to strangers you meet in the woods" ;)
<http://www.dltk-kids.com/rhymes/littlered/1.htm>http://www.dltk-kids.com/rhymes/littlere d/1.htm
- for intermediates and above, here is a full lesson, with an introduction,
the story in 6 parts, each read and with the script, and a conclusion leading
to a discussion about tales and story telling.
http://www.storybookonline.net/article.aspx?Article=lrrh
- Grimm's version and several variations in different languages, for advanced
students
http://www.storybookonline.net/article.aspx?Article=lrrh
- for beginners and the youngest children, here are some colorings and handicrafts
around the story
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/onlinestory/steps/redridinghood.htm
Sites recommended by colleagues on e-teach
Catherine Tertre recommends several lesson plans for all levels around Andersen's
tales from the CNDP
http://www.cndp.fr/secondaire/languespratique/anglais/andersen/dossierImp.htm
J.L. Cormier recommends the version by James Finn Garner ( recommended by )
http://philip.greenspun.com/zoo/red-riding-hood
Laure Peskine has found this version by James Thurber, with illustrations
http://stenzel.ucdavis.edu/180/anthology/thurber.html
Clau Hepburn recommends version by Roald Dahl which worked vey well with her
intermediate students (4ème, 3ème)
http://www.cupola.com/html/wordplay/redride1.htm
Deb Blaz points to this page with lots of activities
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/littleredridinghood.htm
Alyne Piazza has found online the Tex Avery cartoon version
http://www.area-77.com/cartoons/redhotridinghood.mov
Linda Legrand recommends those easy activities for beginners from the Penguin
Readers
http://www.penguinreaders.com/downloads/058242867X.pdf
Béatrice Silliard recommends those activities for primary school
http://www.ac-versailles.fr/pedagogi/anglais/ecole/MEP_Anglais_C3.pdf (pages
14-17)
Walk the Line
Walk the Line is James Mangold's movie about Johnny Cash, his life and the
music of the late 60's, with a love story and splendid actress Reese Witherspoon.
I'm not sure this film will captivate the students, but I think you may enjoy
it as a holiday entertainment. The actors do their own singing and playing
and the review are rather good. It will be released on February 15th in France.
If you want to use it in class, the BBC offers an audio file with an interview
of Reese Witherspoon about the music in the film. The page is complete, with
questions to think of while listening, a script and some vocabulary
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1446_entertainment/
official site of the film
http://www.walkthelinethemovie.com/
some info and reviews about the film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/walk_the_line/
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=306598
http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/review.asp?ID=452
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/18/review.walk/index.html
the trailers and some clips from the film
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/walktheline.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/trailers-screenplay-E25590-6-3
http://www.justmovietrailers.com/video/5592/walk_the_line_trailer_300.html
several clips of the songs, a nice featurette and several interviews
http://movies.vidnet.com/player/29730/walk_the_line_featurette_300.php
many addresses (trailers, bios, etc.)
http://movies.about.com/od/walktheline/
Training for the Bac
Our colleague Philippe Hattais has created these pages based on an extract
from the Da Vinci Code:
Text: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/mybestenglishteacher/Media_Files/Type_Bac/bac_da_vinci_text.JPG
Questionnaire (type bac ancienne formule) : http://perso.wanadoo.fr/mybestenglishteacher/Media_Files/Type_Bac/bac_da_vinci_questions.pdf
Déroulement de la séance au labo avec document d'accompagnement : http://perso.wanadoo.fr/mybestenglishteacher/Media_Files/Type_Bac/Correction_Type_Bac_DaVinci.pdf
Exercices en autonomie :
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/mybestenglishteacher/Media_Files/Type_Bac/bac_da_vinci_interactif.htm
Colloques and conférences
- Colloque international de Clermont-Ferrand 14 - 15 Septembre 2006
TICE et Didactique des Langues Étrangères et Maternelles : la problématique
des aides à l'apprentissage
http://lrlweb.univ-bpclermont.fr/collloques/tdlem2006/PDF/Colloque%20international%202006.pdf
- Deuxième édition du festival des langues à
Lille les 1° , 2 et 3 avril, la journée du 1°
(vendredi) étant plutôt réservée au scolaires
http://www.festivaldeslangues.org/index.htm
http://www.festivaldeslangues.org/programmedetaille.htm
A cette occasion, un concours est proposé aux collégiens et lycéens qui doivent
créer par groupes de 2 à 4 des blogs multilingues
http://www.festivaldeslangues.org/inscription.php
- L'ICFP-CEFOR, le centre de formation catholique de Méditerranée, organise
un colloque européen sur le Cadre Européen Commun de Référence du 20 au 22
avril 2006, sur son site de Cannes.
<http://www.icfpcefor.net/catalogue_2d_05_06/langues/colloque_langues_quelles_perspectives.pdf>http://www.icfpcefor.net/catalogue_2d_05_06/langues/colloque_langues_quelles_perspectives.pdf
Contact : Florence VIQUERAT <mailto:viquerat@icfpcefor.net>viquerat@icfpcefor.net
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