Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania is a 2012 American 3D computer animated fantasy comedy film.

It tells the story of count Dracula, the owner of the Hotel Transylvania where only monsters can go. 

On the occasion of the 118^th birthday of his daughter Mavis, Dracula invites some monsters for a party, but the hotel is unexpectedly visited by a “human” young boy, Jonathan. Dracula must protect Mavis from falling in love with him.

Hotel Transylvania 2 was released in 2015 and the story takes place seven years later. The hotel is now open to human guests, too. In the meanwhile, count Dracula had a grandson who is not a pure-blood vampire…

     Hotel Transylvania - Trailer

"The Zing" song

Hotel Transylvania soundtrack 

Let' s meet the main characters

I made this Piktochart poster for you

STUDENTS' TASK

Answer the following questions after watching the film

1. Did you enjoy the film? Why/why not?
2. Which is your favourite character? Why?
3. What is your favourite scene? Why?
4. Would you like to be Jonathan? Would you like to have an experience like his own?
5. What would you do if you were Mavis, would you always obey your overprotective father or would you try to win more freedom?

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Migration in Europe and multiculturalism in Britain

Europe is struggling to cope with a growing migrants flow. More and more migrants and asylum seekers are coming to Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

First of all, we are going to try to understand what migration is and what it means today. Then, we are going to talk about multiculturalism and, of course, about multicultural society in Britain.

Read the following articles, watch the video and answer the questions.

READING

HISTORY OF MIGRATION

History of migration:




http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=bbv

Migration from the colonies to Western Europe since 1800:




http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/europe-on-the-road/economic-migration/pieter-c-emmer-leo-lucassen-migration-from-the-colonies-to-western-europe-since-1800

Migration to Britain:




http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/next_steps/int_05_europe_01.shtml

MIGRATION TODAY

Some articles explain what is happening in Europe today 

Migration in Europe today: 
The following article try to answer these questions:

Why is EU struggling with migrants and asylum seekers? 

What has caused migrant numbers to rise?

What is the EU doing about it? 

Are all the EU countries sharing the burden?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286

These 5 Facts Explain Europe’s Deadly Migrants Crisis:

http://time.com/3833333/ian-bremmer-europe-migrants-deaths/

Multicultural societies in an historic perspective:

http://ndla.no/en/node/89615

LISTENING

MULTICULTURALISM

Multicultural Britain

WRITING
Answer the following questions

Unfortunately, because of the migrants crisis, xenophobia and anti-immigrant attitudes have recently risen across the continent. 

• What do you think about that?
• Do you live in a multicultural place? 
• Is there migration from or immigration to your country? 
• What is your opinion about multiculturalism? What are the pros and cons of a multicultural society?
• Watch the video above about multicultural Britain and write a summary.

SPEAKING

Role-play

If we are travelling to a foreign country, we are all immigrants although we are going to stay there for short periods. In fact, as soon as we set foot in a foreign airport, we have to pass trough the Customs Office, show our documents and answer some questions.

Watch the following video.  Imagine you are in a British airport, you and your class mate are respectively a customs officer and and a traveller. Invent dialogues like the one in the video, ask and answer questions like: 

• What is your final destination?
• How long will you be staying in the UK?
• What is the purpose of your visit?
• Where will you be staying?
• Do you have anything to declare?

English communication - Airport Immigration and Customs

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Martin Luther King - 47 years ago, on April 4th the civil rights leader was assassinated

Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important representative of the American Civil Rights Movement, which fought for equal rights for all. He used nonviolent resistanceagainst segregation laws. He truly believed  that "all men are created equal" as he said in the famous speech he delivered during the march on Washinghton on August, 28 1963. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April, 4 1968 when he was just 39 years old. 

Move the cursor on the image below and some links will appear. Open them to get some information about M. L. King.

STUDENTS' TASK

Read the above information and watch the videos about M. L. King, then use Projeqt to prepare a presentation. You can add documents, links, images and videos.

You can see an example of a Projeqt presentation of mine at the following link: https://projeqt.com/robertamartino/the-ant-and-the-grasshopper/aesops-life/g

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What can we do to save our planet?

To talk about the Environment to my students, this time I have created a simple Emaze online presentation. 

Emaze is a very interesting web tool, you can select a pre-designed template (or make your own slides from scratch) and easily create your presentation (slideshow, video and even a 3D presentation) by adding text, images, charts and videos. 

You can also save the presentation to view it offline.

This work is just a starting point to talk about many topics related to the environment. Students will learn:

• the meaning of the word environment
• to consider that we belong to a global community which shares resources
• to become more responsible and care about the planet Earth
• to think critically about the impact of people on their planet
• to take some real actions for the environment
• to understand the importance of reducing, reusing, recycling

Click on the image below and watch the presentation:

Let's save our planet!

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How to write a letter: formal or informal style?

Knowing how to write a letter is a very important skill (at school, in business, for general personal relationships).

I have created two simple Glogster interactive posters to show  formal and informal letter layouts. By moving your cursor over the images, some links will appear. Click on them to get more information.

You will learn:

• the structure of a letter
• the difference between a formal and an informal style
• the conventions of formal letter writing

Informal letter

Formal letter

Some useful resources about letter writing:

http://www.letterwritingguide.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/writing-a-letter
http://www.usingenglish.com/resources/letter-writing.php
http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/business-letter-parts.html
http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/Formal-Letter-Structure.htm
http://www.usingenglish.com/resources/letter-writing.php

Some exercises:
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/english_lessons/writing-letters-exercises

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Carnival and Pancake Day in the UK: a webquest

It's carnival time!

Surf the following websites and have your own (virtual) 
pancakes race!

First of all let' s take a look at some Carnival glossary: 
http://www.carnivalarts.org.uk/Portals/0/Carnival%20Glossary.pdf


Now let's see UK carnivals by region:
http://www.carnivalarts.org.uk/Carnivals/UKCarnivalsbyregion.aspx

Carnival festival culminates on Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday,  is the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. 'Shrove' derives from an old English word 'shrive', meaning 'confess all sins'. In the UK it is also called Pancake Day because on this day people traditionally eat pancakes.

Surf the following site for more information about Shrove Tuesday in the UK:
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/shrove-tuesday

Pancake day in London:

http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/pancake-day-in-london

Basic Pancake recipes:

http://www.bordbia.ie/aboutfood/recipes/eggs/pages/basicpancakes.aspx

Some videos:

Pancake Day

The great pancake race

WEBQUEST

Your own pancakes race...

Click on my Thinglink image below (I made the mindmap with Spiderscribe), follow the route, open the Word documents, answer the questions about the websites you have just visited... and win the pancakes race!

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Never too young to remember - International Holocaust Remembrance Day

“If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, 

when it is over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, 

will be held up as an example.” 

Anne Frank

January 27th is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On 27 January 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was liberated by the Soviet troops during World War II.

What is World War II?
http://history.parkfieldict.co.uk/world-war-ii/why-did-world-war-ii-start

Learn more about the Remembrance Day at the following websites:

The United Nations site:
http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/

The Unesco site:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/commemoration-in-memory-of-the-victims-of-the-holocaust/

Over one million children under the age of sixteen 

died in the Holocaust...

Children of the Holocaust

Click on the images below to open my Blendspace lessons about the Holocaust children and Anne Frank.

Anne Frank - A graphic biography

Anne Frank

Anne Frank - the only known video

STUDENTS' TASK

Click on the image below and surf the links.
Read and listen to some excerpts from Anne's diary, then take a quiz.

“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.”

Primo Levi

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New Year is coming. Let's have a look at the horoscope!

Who among us has never peeked the horoscope? Whether we believe it or not, at the beginning of a new year we always have a look at the astrological predictions.

In this lesson you will reflect on yourself, you will improve your personality adjectives vocabulary and you will revise English grammar about making predictions.

What's your astrological sign?

Star signs

The Western Zodiac

The Chineese Zodiac

The Chineese Horoscope:

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-43375.php

 Zodiac Signs

A list of personality adjectives:

http://www.englishlanguageterminology.org/parts-of-speech/personality-adjectives.htm

Positive and negative personalty adjectives for each star sign:
http://esl.about.com/od/vocabularyadvanced/ig/Zodiac-Personality.--Ho/

STUDENTS' TASK

What's your personality like? Describe some positive and some negative traits of you character. Is your zodiac sign description right in your opinion?

Which animal are you in the Chineese horoscope? Describe your personality according to this horoscope.

What will  your future be like?

2015 Horoscope:
http://astrology.horoscope.com/horoscope/year/2015-horoscope.aspx

Making predictions:
http://www.grammaring.com/future-simple-for-predictions

Future tenses:
http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/future.htm

Talking about probability:
http://www.english-at-home.com/speaking/talking-about-probability-in-english/

STUDENTS' TASK

What does you horoscope say about the 2015? What do you think will happen next year? Talk about your expectations, predictions and resolutions for the new year.

Some worksheets and printables for teachers:
http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-vocabulary/horoscopeszodiac_signs-worksheets/
http://www.eslprintables.com/vocabulary_worksheets/describing_people/zodiac_signs/

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Thanksgiving Day... at the movies! Let's watch some videos!

WHAT IS THANKSGIVING?

Click on the following link to read my post about Thanksgiving origins, then watch the videos.

http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2013/11/travelling-into-foreing-cultures.html

American holidays - Thanksgiving Day

The American Thanksgiving story

THANKSGIVING ...AT THE MOVIES!

How many times have we seen Thanksgiving dinners in American movies or telefilms? 

"Dear Lord, we realize that lately, everything's been changing too damn fast. And all sorts of things are always the same, even if we hate it — like shoveling the turkey and stuffing the snow."

from the movie "Home for the holidays", 1996

"Once, there was this day. . . this one day when. . . everyone realized they needed each other."

from the movie "Pisces of April", 2003

"You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now my people will be forced to live in mobile homes on reservations. Your people will wear cardigans, and drink highballs. 

We will sell our bracelets by the road sides, and you will play golf. 

My people will have pain and degradation. Your people will have stick shifts. The gods of my tribe have spoken. They said do not trust the pilgrims. And especially do not trust Sarah Miller.

 For all these reasons I have decided to scalp you and burn your village to the ground."

from the movie "Addams Family Values", 1993

SOME FAMOUS SCENES

"You cut the turkey without me!" from "Avalon" 2001

"The turkey" - from "Home for the holidays", 1996

"The prayer" - from "Blind Side", 2009

"The toast" - from "Funny people", 2009

April explains Thanksgiving to a Chineese family - from "Pisces of April", 2003

Addams family Thanksgiving - from "Addams Family Values", 1993

STUDENTS' TASK
Answer the following questions:

Do you think it's possible to understand some cultural aspects of a foreign country
just watching its movies?
After watching theese scenes, what can you understand about Usa Thanksgiving traditions?
Which movie scene do you like the most? Why?

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