Another Brick in the Wall

On the 9th of november of 1989 fell the Berlin Wall, which had been built in 1961 and separated the city and its inhabitants. For more than two decades Berlin West had been an isolated island inside the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), or communist Germany.  People living in West Berlin could only leave by plane or driving along a motorway to reach the rest of West Germany, and people living in East Berlin had to follow the strict rules of the communist regime and could not visit non-communist countries.

But when in 1985 Mikhail Gorwatxov became the leader of the Soviet Union, he started a series of reforms which culminated in the opening of the Hungarian frontiers in august 1989 and in the fall of "Die Berliner Mauer" in november of that same year. Finally,  on the 3rd of october of 1990 the two Germanies became officially reunited (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) and this date is celebrated every year since.

On the 21st of July 1990 Roger Waters and his group Pink Floyd played their famous song " Another Brick in the Wall" in front of the remains of the wall, in a concert which was broadcasted worldwide. This song, from the album " The Wall", was not originally composed to talk about the Berlin Wall, but it has become a symbol of its fall since that concert. Here you have the lyrics and the music.

Climate Change

Help, world temperatures are rising, what can we do about it?
First of all, watch this video

There are many things we can do to stop climate change, but one of the first ones is to inform and raise awareness on the topic. How? Find a piece of news which talks about a story of survival in natural disasters/ extreme weather related to climate change, rewrite it in your own words, and post it in a middlespot page. We will then post these pieces of news in our schoolweb, as a way for the rest of the students to be aware of one of the consequences of climate change.

A typical day in a different school

What's a typical schoolday for you? What lessons do you have?
Would you like to go to a different school ( art school, sport school, etc...)? Do you think the activities they do there are very different? Watch these three videos and find out:

Did you find the three videos interesting? Now your task is to find a different school ( art school, boarding school, sport school, etc...) in any country and look for information about the subjects they teach, their daily life, etc... When you have all this information, prepare a small presentation using googleslides ( 6 slides maximum with lots of pictures and little text, where you describe the school, its subjects and  its daily routines) to show the rest of your classmates. In this presentation you have to explain things about this school and compare it to yours.  You may do it individually or in groups of 2/3 students. Here you have an example. Good luck!

Halloween!

Halloween is the second biggest festival in England and especially in the USA, so it is worth starting to speak about it with plenty of time in advance!

To begin with, watch  this video( B1/B2 level) about the origins of Halloween and prepare to answer some quizz questions about it. This is a treasure hunt and you may look for your answers in internet, fastest group wins! There is also a kahoot you can do about this video, go ahead if you dare!

If you found the first video too difficult for you, here you have an easier one that explains the history of Halloween:

Now that you have discovered the origins of Halloween, we will find out about how exactly British people celebrate it. Watch this video and answer its questions.  

When you finish, you can continue by doing this crossword  and then this vocabulary quizz.

Scary stories are very typical for Halloween, would you like to watch one? Are you brave enough?
Here you have. Hold still and be careful, somebody may be behind you!

And to finish, you can do this Kahoot to practise the vocabulary and other things about Halloween that you have learnt with the rest of the class.

                                             

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Do you like Greek mythology? Are you a fan of Percy Jackson? If so, you will probably recognise this scene. If you do, keep quiet because we want the rest of the class to guess the battle´s ending!
Watch only the first minute of this movie clip: 

Before we watch the next movie clip, try to answer the following questions:

-What happens when you cut one head of the Hydra?
-Will the group of friends beat the Hydra? If so, how?

Join our organisation!

Have you ever been a volunteer? Which organisation? Did you like the experience?
In groups of two or three students, prepare an oral presentation following these guidelines:
- Choose a volunteering organisation and explain its activities.
- Explain why you choose this organisation
- Encourage your classmates to join.

Find and example and student´s presentations from years ago here. 

Sensory Branding

Have you ever heard of sensory branding? This is a marketing concept which has spread widely. More and more companies use it and it has replaced other more traditional ways of advertising.
Check this post from some years ago about it.