Infonews n°336 from 08/06/2008

A la Une this week, Global Food Crisis : a major transformation is on its way and we will hear a lot about it in the month to come. Read articles about what it is, the causes, the consequences, the reactions of the populations and the possible solutions. In the calendar, several days for June, including Trooping the colours and end en of the school year...Primary school teachers will find online games and activities, a free cd about environment and links to explore during the holidays. Secondary school teachers will find interactive activities about football, videos about interior design and podcasts from National Geographic, and 3 sites about fashion design. Et à la fin, retrouver le bac 2008 d'Amérique du Nord et un appel à contribution des Lettres Modernes.
This is the last Infonews for this school year. You will find more information for the holidays in "Le sac de plage du Café Pédagogique" ( in French)
http://www.cafepedagogique.net

I wish you all a very good end of the year and nice, relaxing holidays!

Christine Reymond

Sommaire

A la Une : Global Food Crisis

What is this crisis? Some explanations
Analysis, Reactions and Consequences
From the UK
From the US
From India

In the Calendar

June 14th is Trooping the Colours
June 20th is Refugees Day
June 23rd is United Nation Public Services Day
June 26th is International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
End of the year activities

Resources for Primary School

Money
Downloads
Environment
Links to explore

Resources for Secondary School

Practice your English while you learn about football
Interior design videos online
Free podcasts from National Geographic
Fashion design and YSL

Teaching Practice

Bac 2008 Amérique du Nord
" Les Langues Modernes" : appel à contribution


A la Une : Global Food Crisis

What is this crisis? Some explanations

From Oxfam (a British Charity) : a text level A2+
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/issues/global_food_crisis.html
From BBC News : few images, interview and commentary fairly easy to understand (level B1+, no transcript)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVF_pXwAbxo
From the World Bank, see "understanding the crisis" : a short animation with facts and figures
http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/foodprices/
From The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), read the article : "Soaring food prices and the rural poor" with key facts.
http://www.ifad.org/operations/food/
From the BBC the video of a debate : "On 29 March 2008 six international panellists considered some of the most important issues effecting the future of global food production in the BBC World debate “Food – Who Pays the Price?”. " [ You can also download it : very informative for teachers and advanced students level C1.]
http://www.ifad.org/media/video/food/
on ABC News : "A silent tsunami" : an article and a video presenting several aspects of the problem :
- food is not missing but it's access to it that is denied
- the demand for biofuel has put several agricultural plans out of balance
- those hungry and angry populations might revolt
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4691282&page=1
Read also this article from BBC Asia : "how to solve the global food crisis"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7365798.stm
and an article in the Economist View by the Nobel Price winner Muhammad Yunus (micro credit)
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2008/05/solving-the-foo.html
[ about Muhammad Yunus, see Infonews n°284 and the Scout Report.
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/284.htm#une
http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2006/scout-061215-inthenews.php#1 ]

Analysis, Reactions and Consequences

From the UK
- On this page, the BBC features an article " UN plans to increase food supply" and several links to videos, a page of food facts, personal stories
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7439015.stm
- In The Independent read those two short articles level B1 for students interested in economics and who know enough about this issue:
" From Spam sales to rice riots - the food crisis bites"
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/from-spam-sales-to-rice-riots-ndash-the-food-crisis-bites-842428.html
"IMF (International Money Fund) warns rising food prices may spark more riots like Haiti "
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/imf-warns-rising-food-prices-may-spark-more-riots-like-haiti-808649.html

From the US
- see this video " Crisis is in our backyard" from Newsweek presenting Cape Ann food pantry in Manhattan with facts about the shortage of food for the poor in the US.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/136068
[ Here is the difference between a foodbank and a food pantry,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank
and a link to Cape Ann food pantry's website.
http://www.foodpantry.org/01_About_Us/index.html ]
- and read this long article:" it's the Stupid Politics : The world's poor are paying the price for years of bad government policy in agriculture." Here is an extract : "By all accounts, a period we might call the Era of Cheap Food, which ran from 1980 to 2003, is over­most likely for good. The new context is food scarcity, soaring grain prices, market panic and well-founded fears of widespread hunger in <http://www.newsweek.com/related.aspx?subject=Africa>Africa and South Asia. The crisis is driven by the inexorable rise of a new middle class in emerging markets that is consuming more and better food, but also by stupid and reversible policy mistakes. "
http://www.newsweek.com/id/136355
- see this special report from Voice Of America (VOA), with several videos and transcripts
http://www.voanews.com/english/Food-Crisis.cfm
- read " the Food Crisis in South Africa : a challenge to Sustainability." : an interview of Mr. Andrew Natsios, who is the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development., on the site of the US government Foreign Press Center.
http://fpc.state.gov/12853.htm
- listen to this report from NPR (with transcript) " balancing Biofuel, Food Crops a challenge for Britain"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89676007
- see this video from ABC news
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zsAOB5XOUA
- and here is a link to articles and video on CNN
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/food_and_agriculture_organization_of_the_united_nations
and a site of eco-solutions with lots of new ideas, suggestions and inventions to avoid pollution.
http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/eco.solutions/

From India
- In a traditional newspaper, the Hindu Business news : read "Food Crisis : the blame game " an article with a chart, declaring that "The world food crisis, despite all efforts to shift the blame, has been born out of life-style imbalances in the US and like-minded nations, characterised by an excess of nutrition and locomotion"
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/21/stories/2008052150370800.htm
- and in MeriNews, an Indian "citizen newspaper", Dhananjay Tripathi writes "Dump American junk, solve world food crisis ", an article to advise Indians to go back to traditional way of eating (including fasting) rather then eating American junk food.
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=133493

In the Calendar

June 14th is Trooping the Colours

A1+ : easy information on the site of Woodlands Junior School
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/trooping.html
A2 : short text with a photo, with numbers and "fly past"
http://www.thelondontraveler.com/coming-up-trooping-the-colour/
A2 : the official site
http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/
B1 : information sheet from the British Army website, more difficult to understand, with lots of passive forms
http://www.army.mod.uk/events/ceremonial/1074.aspx
On this site I also found this page about the Changing of the Guard with everything about the Queen's Guards (on foot) and the Queen's Life Guard (mounted) and the times of the parades. On this page you can also download a .pdf document with the times of all the parades in Whitehall and at Buckingham and Windsor castles, with the names of the regiments on duty.
http://www.army.mod.uk/events/ceremonial/1068.aspx
http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/cerem_guard_change_jun08.pdf
B2 : for very detailed information especially about the regiments, their musics and traditions and several links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trooping_the_Colour
For more information, see Infonews n° 274 about last year's Trooping the colours and the Queen's 80th birthday
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/274.htm
and read these pages about the Queen on the official website of the Royal Family, which also explains her two birthdays (A2)
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp

June 20th is Refugees Day

In its June newsletter, The British Council LearnEnglishCentral has created pages of resources for those special days
http://www.britishcouncil.org/lec-news-june-2008-1.htm
- a page with a story, a cartoon and some links at the end, like Refugees International.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-refugees.htm
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/

June 23rd is United Nation Public Services Day

- a poem, a cartoon and a story about robot nurses.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-public-services.htm

June 26th is International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

- a page to raise students awareness of the problem and there are a history of drugs, description of different types of substance and the story of an addict.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-drugs.htm

End of the year activities

Find games and activities for the end of the year in these page from le Café Pédagogique, Michelle Henry's page and infonews:
http://www.cafepedagogique.net/lemensuel/lenseignant/languesvivantes/anglais/Pages/2006/73_Activitespourlafindelannee.aspx
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/jeux.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/277.htm#endofy
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/219.htm

Resources for Primary School

Money

The British Council LearnEnglishKids newsletter recommends this page of games and activities around money : children will learn to count British money and spell foreign currencies, there is also an interactive story that students can read and hear, and then an activity where they must put the sequences in the right order, and a song that they can read and hear, with an activity through which they can learn the words and practice adding sums.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-topics-money.htm

Downloads

In the section of The British Council LearnEnglishKids, you can download traditional songs, pronunciation exercises and flashcards.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/parents-downloads.htm

Environment

The British Environment Agency has designed a site with interactive activities and games for children. They can watch short films with the sound and the words and play games through which they will learn facts and figures about British Environment in the fields of air, water and land pollution, threats to wildlife, alternative energies, climate change, the 3Rs (reduce, recycle, reuse).
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/fun/?lang=_e
They even have a limited number of free cdroms (the K World) which can allow you to access the activities off line. I got a copy three days after I send them a mail of request!
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/fun/595875/?version=1&lang=_e

Links to explore

Explore this page of links to sites where you can find suggestions of activities, both in "measurable" and in "social and emotional" skills. Just in time before the holidays to help you prepare new activities for the next school year!
http://www.dittydoodle.com/teachingToolbox/links/links.html

Resources for Secondary School

Practice your English while you learn about football

The British Council LearnEnglishCentral has created a page around football, that will appeal to students now, when they watch the Euro 2008 football tournament...and be very useful for teachers who don't know anything about football...;)
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-football.htm

Interior design videos online

The newsletter Thirteen Ed Online recommends this site presenting several episodes of a program called "Moments of Luxury" : you find videos and comments about lots of different styles, ranging from Paris, Texas or Palm Beach classics, to western style or old England. Excellent for teachers and students interested in creativity, interior design and architecture.
http://www.wliw.org/productions/mol.html
[ for some other sites and activities around design and architecture, see Infonews n°190
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/190.htm ]

Free podcasts from National Geographic

there you can download videos about various topics, such as the World's Most Unusual Foods and register to get a new podcast each Friday. ( Level B1+)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/

Fashion design and YSL

Specialists in fashion and clothes will find three sites about Fashion Design and Yves Saint Laurent in the newsletter Librarian's Internet Index of June 5th 2008.
http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/152

Teaching Practice

Bac 2008 Amérique du Nord

Sur e-teach, Alain gayet signale la mise en ligne des sujets d'anglais LV1 et LV2 pour les sections L, ES et S d'Amérique du nord sur le site du Lycée Rochambeau de Washington DC.
http://www.rochambeau.org/informations/examens/bac/bac2008/bac2008.html

" Les Langues Modernes" : appel à contribution

Laure Peskine nous informe que le numéro 1-2009 des Langues Modernes (la revue de l'Association des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes) portera sur le lexique. Voici un extrait de l'appel à contribution qui pourra inciter certains d'entre vous à partager leur expérience :
" Ce numéro, articulant recherches et pratiques, portera sur :
- la façon dont on enseigne le lexique aujourd’hui, c’est-à-dire les différentes méthodes et moyens utilisés pour que les apprenants intègrent et retiennent les mots nouveaux : exercices pratiques, jeux de mots, productions d’élèves, apprentissage systématique des mots nouveaux (pourquoi, pourquoi pas ?), procédés mnémotechniques, dialogues, chansons… Comment les TICE peuvent-ils contribuer à améliorer la maîtrise lexicale des apprenants ?
- l’utilisation des autres langues, y compris la langue maternelle, pour faciliter la compréhension (langues voisines, intercompréhension) ; les problèmes que les apprenants rencontrent et les moyens que l’on peut mettre en place pour les aider à les surmonter : statut de l’erreur, erreurs récurrentes, faux-amis, exploitation d’exercices avec erreur, exercices pratiques, confusions lexicales, polysémie des termes, étymologie, etc. "
http://www.aplv-languesmodernes.org/spip.php?article1641


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.
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