Clube de Inglês: January 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011

Gulliver's Travels

At some of my CEF students' request, I'm planning to take them to the movies, this time for GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, a remake now in 3D.

Published in 1726 (?) by the Irish satirist, essayist and clergyman Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745) his Gulliver's Travels became popular as soon as the book was published and has never been out of print :) - the story of Gulliver's shipwreck and adventures in Lilliput with people one-twelfth the size of normal human beings. Now there are surely further reasons to read Swift's best known full-length work - even if only to compare with this last version / adaptation to cinema of this classic of English Literature.
I've been quite short of time but I'm preparing some worksheets on the movie. The first one is done already and includes research work on the author (date / place of birth and death), family, occupation(s), most notable works and on Swift's own Gulliver's Travels.
To whet (y)our appetite, let's watch the trailer of this newest, modern version starring the comedian Jack Black, also featuring Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate, Chris O´Dowd.

If you wish to read it online, please click on
http://www.planetebook.com/Gulliver's-Travels.asp
You can also find more data on the movie's official site at http://www.gulliverstravelsthemovie.com/

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Students Like You

Today was your / our last day of training.

50 hours went by so fast, especially with such a committed and hardworking group as yours. It was a pleasure teaching you; it was a pleasure being with you. I feel sad already for all the nice time we spent together on Wednesday afternoons but know other challenges will come for both you and me.

Hope other groups are just the same way so that I might feel as rewarded as I did with your adult class.

Thanks for having been so patient and nice and for the beautiful flowers :=)

Now, dedicated to YOU - Cristina, Evaristo, Isabel, João, Lígia, Mabilda, Mário, Paula and Susana...

Students Like You With students like you, teaching is easy
I look forward to each day;
Your wondering minds keep me on my toes;
You make teaching more like play. Students like you make teaching rewarding;
When I go home, I’m content;
You pay attention, you learn—giving me
A sense of accomplishment. Thank you for being the way you are,
For making my job so much fun.
I’ll remember how good you made me feel,
Even when my teaching is done.
By Joanna Fuchs

Top, from left to right: MÁRIO, MABILDA, SUSANA, ISABEL,
below: LÍGIA, EVARISTO, CRISTINA
absent were PAULA and JOÂO

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Haiti Earthquake - one year on

One year after the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake on Jan 12, 2010, Haiti's reconstruction has barely begun and it is now a nation of thousands displaced people and of amputees - people whose limbs were amputated so they could be extricated from the rubble or to stop a dangerous infection - with corpses still being found under tons of rubble...if that wasn't enough, Haiti is fighting a cholera outbreak.
Have a look at this ITN video with images of then and now and a message of resilience coming from a local soccer team: