Infonews n°286 from 12/11/2006
The Big Scan
Webquests, quizzes and games
History of Thanksgiving
- texts
- videos
- the true story
Pictures and paintings to make them react
Cartoons (mainly around the turkey)
The Pilgrims
Native Americans
The story of the Corn Husk Doll and how to make one
Traditional food and recipes
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York
Ready to use hand outs
- Thanksgiving Wordsearch
- a Thanksgiving puzzle
- Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth
- Facts and figures (from Annie Gwynn)
Pages of links in English
Pages of links in France
Di Caprio as an environmentalist
What we can do against global warming
Little Red Riding Hood
Learning profiles
How the Nintendo Wii Works (from howstuffworks)
Technical videos
Bharati
Think : ideas on Teaching
The Big Scan
The Big Scan is a new game designed by the BBC to encourage students to find
written information to solve a mystery through scanning texts. Someone has
been murdered, a lady goes to a private detective and the detective investigates.
You go with him to the crime scene, to the police, to interview people, you
have a clue sheet where you write down your findings and anwser questions:
the clue sheet : http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/reading/techniques/scanning/cluesheet.shtml
the Flash game : http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/reading/techniques/scanning/flash2.shtml
Intermediate students and above will enjoy this game, and improve their scanning
skills without realizing it, since all they want to do is beat the clock!
This game is part of the page on Brighton in the Road trip program:
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/roadtrip>http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/roadtrip
Here are four webquests to help you students discover Thanksgiving, then some texts and videos about the story of Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims, the Mayflower and Plymoth, the Indians and the traditional story of the Corn Husk Doll, handricrafts, recipes (audio and videos), Macy's parade in New York, ready to use worksheets and pages of links in english and French.
Webquests, quizzes and games
http://warriors.warren.k12.il.us/dburke/firstthanksgivingwebq.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/feast/webquest.htm?sa_campaign=internal_ads/teachers/homepage/thanksgiving/toplink4
http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/feast/play.htm
http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/daily_life/games.htm
History of Thanksgiving
- texts
http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/ (complete
history since the hebreus and the egyptians)
http://www.thanksgiving.org/2us.html (for
upper intermediates and above)
http://pilgrims.net/plymouth/thanksgiving.htm (id)
http://www.victorianas.com/thanks/native.html (interesting
text and a picture)
http://www.hazelwood.k12.mo.us/~cdavis01/webquests/kpw/ (for
beginners)
- videos
*** a video from History Channel
http://www.history.com/media.do?action=clip&id=history_holidays_thanksgiving_broadband&gclid=CLiuiqbLmIgCFSPfXgodrgPrQQ
and of course you all know the cartoon "History of America" with
the South Park on Michael Moore's site (how did gun violence come to America)
http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/media/clips/index.php
- the true story
I chose this short account of what really happened because the others are more
detailed, but some details are rather crude. Yet, remember to point out to
your students in your own words the fact that this traditional story of Thanksgiving
has been made up and covers the hideous sides of colonialism, the massacre
of the indians, their use for slavery and so on.
http://www.eatel.net/~wahya/thksgvg.html
Pictures and paintings to make them react
- *** the "Saturday Evening Post" covers since 1923 (including Rockwell's
painting, but with many others)
http://www.curtispublishing.com/gallery/categories/thanksgiving.htm
- the First thanksgiving (conventional painting, by Jenny Brownscombe)
http://www.intaglio-fine-art.com/images/trf301.jpg
- in the same conventional style of the beginning for the 1900s : the first
Thanksgiving by Gerome Ferris (1915)
http://www.artprintcollection.com/images/FerrisTheFirstThanksgiving1915.jpg
- the traditional Norman Rockwell painting "Freedom from hunger"
http://www.normanrockwellvt.com/NewsletterIssues/FreedomfromWant.htm
- the same, with the head of Bill Cosby added
http://www.worth1000.com/entries/22000/22068_w.jpg
- a photo of a table with all the dishes ready (no people)
http://www.am-utils.org/~aditya/images/Thanksgiving-1/Thanksgiving-1%20001.jpg
Cartoons (mainly around the turkey)
http://www.offthemark.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving02.htm
The Pilgrims
- The Mayflower (go to "history")
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/
- Plymoth plantation (virtual visit of the village + infos)
http://www.plimoth.org/
- Original : A Pilgrim Conversation
Using site presenting the Pilgrims and their way of life, the students will
invent a dialogue between two Pilgrims.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/page/3247.html
Native Americans
A map showing where the main tribes are located
http://groups.msn.com/asinglestandingteepee/mapofnotheasternnations.msnw
the traditions from the Indians' side
http://www.nativetech.org/
a text about native americans, with ready to use worksheets
http://lve.scola.ac-paris.fr/anglais/nativeamericansarticle.php
The story of the Corn Husk Doll and how to make one
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21493.asp (story)
http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/cornhusk.htm (handicraft)
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/appendix.html
Here is another handicraft for the youngest : dream catchers
http://www.nativetech.org/dreamcat/dreminst.html
Traditional food and recipes
- audio
"NPR's Scott Simon talks with Earl Mills Sr., Chief Flying Eagle of the
Mashpee Wampanoags and author of the Cape Cod Wampanoag Cookbook. The Wampanoags
broke bread with the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving in 1621, on Plymouth
Plantation. Mills talks about what was eaten at that meal."
no script, but a phone interview of a chief chef (Indian and cook) who talks
about traditional food for Thanksgiving and mentions racoon and the recipe
for a nice cramberry desert.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4180281
- video
http://www.foodtv.com/
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/minisite/thanksgiving-main/ (videos
and crafts to decorate the table)
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York
the official site, with the route, photos and a history of the parade
http://www.nyctourist.com/macys_menu.htm
a photo from the parade
http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061106/061106_parade_vmed_2p.widec.jpg
a special float (wind up float)
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/10/18/post_110.php
Ready to use hand outs
- Thanksgiving Wordsearch
http://www.abcteach.com/Thanksgiving/wordsearch.htm
- a Thanksgiving puzzle
http://blackdog4kids.com/holiday/thanks/crossword/print.html
- Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth
This document "assists teachers in preparing lessons about the first Thanksgiving.
The study guide includes information on which Native peoples met the first
European immigrants in 1621, the harvest celebration, the Wampanoag today,
the importance of corn, and instructions on how to make Johnny cakes."From
the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).
http://americanindian.si.edu/education/files/harvest.pdf
- Facts and figures (from Annie Gwynn)
from the U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day Facts and
statistics about turkeys, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, holiday shopping,
places named Plymouth, and more.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/005712.html
Pages of links in English
- Education World Weekly Newsletter Vol. 8 Issue 45 articles, lesson plans
and several sites with comments
http://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/thanksgiving.shtml
- Classbrain coloring pages and other activities for the youngest
http://www.classbrain.com/artholiday/publish/thanksgiving.shtml
- A page of links from an American school teacher
http://marilee.us/seasonal.html#Thanksgiving
Pages of links in France
- Infonews
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/thanksgivingkids.htm
- Michèle Henry's page on académie de Nancy Metz
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/thanks.htm
- the académie de Paris' page
http://lve.scola.ac-paris.fr/anglais/fetes11.php#tg
- the académie de Versailles' page
http://www.ac-versailles.fr/pedagogi/anglais/civi/thanksgiving.html
Di Caprio as an environmentalist
Maybe you have seen "An inconvenient Truth" : I gave addresses
for it in Infonews n°185 and le Café Pédagogique:
http://www.cafepedagogique.net/disci/anglais/76.php#160
Our colleague Annie Gwynn has found this site with a teachers' guide to the
film:
<http://www.filmeducation.org/aninconvenienttruth/index.html>http://www.filmeducation.org/aninconvenienttruth/index.html
My colleague Johanna Nepote-Cit has found this other film which can be used
with upper intermediate students. It is said by Leonardo Di Caprio, and stresses
the link between oil and the US state and corporations. It also gives a good
picture (in pictures and words) of what global warming is doing, and turns
it into global warNing.
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/whatsimportant/globalwarming_movie01.htm
You can also read an interview of Di Caprio by Oprah, with pictures and longer
texts:
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200510/20051027/slide_20051027_350_101.jhtml
and another about his commitment as an activist on about.com
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/dicaprio.htm
here is the site for kids from the Di Caprio foundation (with games, including
word search)
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/kids/
and here is what he also did about water:
a film : Water Planet
http://www.leonardodicaprio.com/
the comment about the film and his action on Treehugger :
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/03/leonardo_dicapr_1.php
What we can do against global warming
Once your students are aware of the problem, they will want to take action.
Here are some sites of suggestions, tips and advises from:
- Climate Crisis : the site presenting "an Inconvenient Truth". there
you can find the ten tips that are given at the end of the film
http://www.climatecrisis.net/pdf/10things.pdf
plus some others and links to reduce your impact at home:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/
reduce your impact while on the move:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/index5.html
help bring about change locally, nationally, internationally
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/becomeactive/
- Earth Easy : a site which explains to young people how to live, eat, dress,
play, garden in an eco-friendly way.
http://www.eartheasy.com/article_global_warming.htm
- EPA (US offocial Environment Protection Agency) : one page of advices with
drawings, that can be used even with lower intermediates.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/OAR/globalwarming.nsf/UniqueKeyLookup/SHSU5BWJKS/$File/whatcanwedoaboutgw.pdf
- Time Magazine from April 6th (for teachers and advanced students)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1176980,00.html
- the BBC : listen to this programme of Talking Point about How we can combat
global warming:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4596891.stm
Little Red Riding Hood
Our colleague Florinda Fernandes has put online the Roald Dahl version of
the story:
http://bebos.chez-alice.fr/mon_site_web/doc/little_red_riding_hood_Roald_Dahl.pdf
You can also find different versions of the story, to read or to listen to,
on storybookonline:
http://www.storybookonline.net/Default.aspx
Here is the traditional story with pictures and the text (with traditional
drawing, which the students will find funny...)
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/littlered/1.htm
I also enjoyed a lot the BBC version, presented as a cartoon, with sound and
subtitles, and a nice morale : "you should never talk to strangers you
meet in the woods!" .
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/storycircle/fairystories/redridinghood/red_s.shtml
and for activites around the story, go to:
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/onlinestory/steps/redridinghood.htm
Learning profiles
Our collegue Alain Gayer has prepared this teaching unit around learning styles,
with a questionnaire and some other exercises to help the students determine
their learning style and how they behave according to it. Interesting!
http://perso.orange.fr/activitice/menus/index3/pnl.htm
How the Nintendo Wii Works (from howstuffworks)
Nintendo states that the pronunciation of Wii, which is like the word "we," tells
you who this console is for -- all of us, everyone! There are other implied
in the new name -- one important one goes with related Wi-Fi releases to be
used with Nintendo's wireless gaming service,
"Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection." Watch for its release on November 19th
How the Nintendo Wii Works - Take a close look at Nintendo's new console and
interface -- and learn what makes the Wii so incredibly different from other
next-generation consoles.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ref/playstation-three.htm?cid=e38
[ everything about how the last game console works. All students interested
in technology and video games will be fascinated!]
Technical videos
On eTeachNet, our colleague J-Marc Brauer recommends these videos from the
Nasa featuring a robot helping a human. You can download the videos and read
the full transcript of the conversations.
All students interested in technology and interaction between man and robots
will enjoy this film.
http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/videos.htm
Bharati
If you like India, you will love this show. The music is magic, the singers
are fabulous, and the dancers, the wonderful costumes and the choreography
make you feel as if you where there, in a whirling and stirring world of vivid
colours and sounds. The grandiose side of the show is quite Bollywoodian, but
it is not simply folklore. the show is lead by a storyteller ( in France, Rahul
Vohra who played the uncle in Monsoon Wedding and also played with Pierre Arditi
in "Passeur d'enfants" ) who introduces to the Indian traditions,
tells stories and leads us through India. The different places are show as
background pictures, and we travel from Bénarès (Varanasi) to Kérala, Bollywood,
Punjab and Kadjuraho.
Here is what you can read on the site:
"'Bharati' is a journey into the essence of India, into the heart, mind & soul
of India - revealing the beauty of her traditions, the richness of her art,
culture and heritage and the depth of her values and ideals. It explores the
ideals of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' i.e. the entire world is one family and one
Pariwar. The world must gear up to co-exist as India does with all her beauty,
diversity and contradictions. "
You can find there when the show comes to your town and lots of pictures and
even videos of the show:
<http://www.bharatitheshow.com/>http://www.bharatitheshow.com/
Pour en savoir plus sur Rahul Vohra (en français):
<http://www.arte.tv/fr/cinema-fiction/bollywood/Interviews/780956,CmC=778214.html>http://www.arte.tv/fr/cinema-fiction/bollywood/Interviews/780956,CmC=778214.html
http://www.nice-premiere.com/article/destination-bharati-ce-week-end-a-nice.1212.html
for more pictures, see also this site from a French fan:
http://www.bharatipourlavie.com/
Think : ideas on Teaching
the BBC and the British Council have created these pages full of resources
for the teachers : you will find advices for class management, but also information
on different teaching methods:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/think.shtml
Read for example reflective teaching : exploring our own classroom practice
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/reflection.shtml
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