European Day of Languages

Next Monday, September 26, is European Day of Languages this year celebrating its tenth anniversary following the decision of the Council of Europe to declare a European Day of Languages to be celebrated on this date each year.
Being a foreign language teacher I obviously try to find different ways to celebrate these dates or, at least, to raise awareness with blogposts, posters, games, classroom activities...
Well, I'm not going to repeat myself because a lot has already been written here and here but for this year I thought about doing something slightly different that can also be used later on. Why? Two reasons: one of the topics / modules for our 10th graders is a World of Many Languages (including highlighting the importance of English); the other reason is the fact that England / London (with its myriad of languages) is hosting the 2012 Olympics. Why not take advantage of these two reasons and celebrate the EDL as a kick off?
Let's just remember... the general objectives of the European Day of Languages are

1.Alerting the public to the importance of language learning and diversifying the range of languages learnt in order to increase plurilingualism and intercultural understanding; 
2. Promoting the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe, which must be preserved and fostered; 

3. Encouraging lifelong language learning in and out of school, whether for study purposes, for professional needs, for purposes of mobility or for pleasure and exchanges.   

http://edl.ecml.at/Abouttheday/Whatisit/tabid/1760/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

So, while alerting for the importance of plurilingualism in Europe and the idea of European citizenship, tolerance and understanding towards diversity, we can also lead the way to a forthcoming reality as at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games England will be host to athletes and spectators from more than 220 countries across the globe; they will  be ‘welcoming the world’ and their richness of languages and cultures. How? Here you'll find the infographics I'm about to use to bridge Europe / World:

Its authors describe it in the following terms:

This infographic illustrates the most widely spoken languages in the world and some of the countries these languages are spoken in. The station name indicates the language and the number of speakers that languages has and the map illustrates some of the countries these languages are spoken in. The list of countries is not exhaustive but can help the viewer navigate the world of languages. The inspiration for this map came from the London Underground map – which in fact is not a map but a schematic diagram. As a schematic diagram it shows not the geographic but the relative positions of stations along the lines, stations’ connective relations with each other and their fare zone locations.

As a teacher of English I would use the snipping tool in windows 7 to "snip" it first and show it to the sts as below: 

and would ask the sts some questions...

What is this? What does it look like? What does it remind you of? Have you ever seen anything like this?  

If they hesitate too much, why not give them a clue with the title?

What do the lines / tracks represent? What does each track represent? What about the points / stations on each track, what do they represent?

We can also elicit or add information about the London Underground - already serving a largely multilingual customer base - and the fact that London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world, constantly renewing itself, and now home to 200 ethnic communities, who speak a total of 300 languages. Pretty much, right???

Moving on to the Olympic Games...

 Again, according to the authors The Olympics rings (the interlocking blue, yellow, black, green and red rings on a white background), originally designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, represent the five continents of Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Throughout these five continents many languages and dialects are spoken. The rings shown here on this infographic represent some of the major languages and dialects spoken throughout these continents. No precedence has been given to any specific languages and the size of a language does not denote the popularity or the assumed use of that language. The Olympic committee have stipulated that no one ring represents a specific continent; however on this graphic each ring does represent a specific continent.

As before, I'd use my version...

and would go on asking questions:

What does this represent? What is the meaning of the five interlocking rings? What do they stand for? If each of the rings / colours represent a continent, what do the inscribed words stand for?

There is a basic requirement that the Games be staged bilingually in French and English as the two official languages of the Olympic movement but London, being such a diverse city, is committed to staging a multilingual Games. It's important to stress among our students that the use of others’ languages denotes respect, and reflects the egalitarian and democratic ideals of the Olympic movement. 

Languages are all about communication and thus a never ending subject. I could go on and on but to summarise some more ideas I would (and I will later) develop this topic with some history on the Olympic Games, would definitely refer to Pierre de Coubertin, would ask for some research work on curiosities such as why the name "Olympic", the awarded prizes, participants / athletes...As I enjoy Asterix, I would take advantage of Asterix at the Olympic Games not only to move on to sports but also to performance enhancing drug usage in sports.
Well...Any suggestions?As usual, suggestions / criticism / feedback are welcome. Thank you :)

Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless
        With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
    To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
        And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
          To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
        With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
    And still more, later flowers for the bees,
  Until they think warm days will never cease,
          For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

  Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
      Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
  Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
      Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
  Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
      Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
          Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
  And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
      Steady thy laden head across a brook;
      Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
          Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

  Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
      Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
  While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
      And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
  Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
      Among the river sallows, borne aloft
          Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
  And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
      Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
      The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
          And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

John Keats in I Like this Poem ed. by Kaye Webb

Source: npg.org.uk

Agatha Christie's Birthday

 Another year has gone by since I published here data and resources / links that might be of interest to you about Agatha Christie's life and work.

thebiographychannel.co.uk

Biography.com has a short biography and video on Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (1890-1976) better known as Dame Agatha Christie:
Writer, born on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon, SE England, UK. Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was the youngest of the three children. Under the surname of her first husband (Colonel Archibald Christie, divorced 1928), she wrote more than 70 detective novels, featuring the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, or the enquiring village lady, Miss Marple. Though she also wrote romance novels (under the name Mary Westmacott), Christie's success as an author of  mysteries has earned her the the title the 'Queen of Crime'. In 1930 she married archaeology professor Max Mallowan, with whom she travelled on several expeditions. Her play The Mousetrap opened in 1952 at the Ambassador Theatre, and holds the record for the longest unbroken run in a London theatre. Several of her stories have become popular films, such as Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and Death on the Nile (1978). She was made a dame in 1971. In 1974, Agatha Christie made her last public appearance for the opening night of her play Murder on the Orient Express. She died on January 12, 1976.

Roald Dahl Day 2011

Roald Dahl Day takes place every year on 13 September, on the birthday of the world's no. 1 storyteller and  this year will be no different: there will be many different celebrations around the UK and the world. As I posted here last year, I still enjoy reading his books and one of my favourites is undoubtedly Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Have a look at the trailer of the most recent film adaptation:

 

Now a curiosity...

Source: roalddahlmuseum.org

During the time Roald Dahl attended Repton School in South Derbyshire from 1930 to 1934 he and his schoolmates were used by Cadbury to taste and rate new products before they went to market.
The school believes this sparked not only the inspiration but also a lifelong love of chocolate culminating in Dahl's world-famous story.
Today it is holding a day of celebrations to mark what would have been the author's 95th birthday. The special day includes a quiz, an assembly about the author and a visit to The Priory, the Repton school house where Dahl lived.
Another curiosity...

Many of Roald Dahl's best loved and unforgettable stories, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and James and the Giant Peach, were written in a small hut at the bottom of his garden in Buckinghamshire. It was built in the 1950's and hasn't been touched since the author's death.
The hut is falling apart and now a fund-raising campaign has been launched to preserve it for future generations. Check here:

http://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/uploads/SAVE%20THE%20HUT%20Press%20release%20FINAL.pdf
However, this can become controversial particularly now in these tough economic times, don't you think? With such a wealthy family which still earns huge royalties from Dahl's classic children's books, is it fair to ask for public fundraising when Sophie Dahl (Dahl's granddaughter) and her husband are wealthy enough to support the expenses? Shouldn't they pay to preserve the family's legacy???

Anyway, as for resources, check here : there is a book description, teaching ideas in / for different topics (art / science / maths...) and useful resources as wordsearches, crosswords,... just browse by category or author; as simple as that!!! By Roald Dahl you'll also find The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine orThe BFG
Check them out and ... enjoy :))

International Literacy Day

In previous years I've already dedicated some lines and thoughts to this date. So, today I'll just leave you with a quote by Mario Vargas Llosa in "The Way to Paradise" / "O Paraíso na Outra Esquina":

"Ser inculta além de pobre era ser duplamente pobre, (Florita)"

Did you know...?

Did you know that on this day in 1813, the United States got its nickname, Uncle Sam???

Source: wikipedia

The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson (1766-1854) stamped the barrels with "U.S." for United States, but soldiers began referring to the grub as "Uncle Sam's." The local newspaper picked up on the story and Uncle Sam eventually gained widespread acceptance as the nickname for the U.S. federal government.

In the late 1860s and 1870s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902) began popularizing the image of Uncle Sam. Nast continued to evolve the image, eventually giving Sam the white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that are associated with the character today.

Perhaps the most famous image of Uncle Sam was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960). In Flagg's version, Uncle Sam wears a tall top hat and blue jacket and is pointing straight ahead at the viewer. During World War I, this portrait of Sam with the words "I Want You For The U.S. Army" was used as a recruiting poster. The poster was widely distributed and has subsequently been re-used numerous times with different captions.
(adapted from History.com )

Freddie Mercury doodle

Who doesn't know Freddie Mercury? Who hasn't heard of the rock band QUEEN and the lead vocalist?
If Freddie Mercury were alive, he would be 65 today and to honour him, here it is an amazing google doodle.
I just couldn't help it, folks - Queen and Freddie Mercury are still my favourites... I simply can't forget the acclaimed London musical our school group watched in April 2009 which was absolutely fabulous! We still talk about it at school and if you ever have the chance to see it, don't miss We Will Rock You - it's still rocking after 9 years and has just been awarded the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award at the Olivier Awards in London :)

Now, the google doodle:



For more infos, please check:
http://www.biography.com/articles/Freddie-Mercury-9406228
http://www.queenonline.com/
http://www.queenzone.com/

Teacher's Prayer

Phew! This has been quite a Summer! I've spent part of my holidays busy with my report that I handed out today, just in time for the beginning of a new school year.
All this time though I just couldn't help thinking... how do I measure success / my own success on a daily basis? How do YOU measure it? In a world that demands instant success and "evidence", how do we, educators, measure it? I can tell when my students are motivated, when they start asking questions and making associations but, unlike other professions, I guess we have to wait years, even decades to know if we are successful, if we managed to pass on the knowledge we were supposed to and if they can appropriately apply it; if we managed to make a difference in the lives of our students, instill hope for their dreams, support and care for them. So much, Gosh! Surely every teacher in Portugal is now overworked and underpaid but we still strive each day to deal with challenging students, the pressure of higher test scores and curricular mandates and still can't be sure if we are successful...

Anyway, enough digression and time to cheer up... let's pray and bear together for another school year :)

Allan Ahlberg in The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry edited by Brian Patten

All the best for 2011 / 2012!