Auteur : Kate Beaton

Global migrants

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Les 4 notions, Spaces and exchanges

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In this episode of 6 Minute English, Rob and Jennifer talk about why people move around the world to find work. These people are known as « global migrants ».

Some 214 million people are international migrants, living in a different country from the one in which they were born. There are plenty with high-level skills who end up working for at least part of their careers outside their home country.

Some take work they are overqualified for, because it still pays better than what is available at home. This has led to a brain drain from some developing countries.

Watch the BBC 6-minute English report to learn more about global migration

 

Read more about the topic here

and here

Ideas for « Places and forms of power »

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Les 4 notions, Places and forms of power

What are the most famous places of power in the English-speaking world?

1. The White House

The White House is in Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The Washington Monument, the Capitol Building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Pentagon, and the Lincoln Memorial are also in the Washington, D.C. area. 

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For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation’s capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790.

White House Facts

  • There are 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, and 6 levels to accommodate all the people who live in, work in, and visit the White House. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 7 staircases, and 3 elevators.
  • President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
  • The White House receives approximately 6,000 visitors a day.
  • With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to up to 140 guests
  • For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, a jogging track, swimming pool, cinema, billiards room, and a bowling lane.

You can take a virtual tour of the White House here

The official office of the President of the United States is the Oval Office. This room situated in the West Wing of the White House has become associated in Americans’ minds with the presidency itself  for example, President Richard Nixon speaking to Apollo 11 astronauts during their moonwalk.

An Oval Office adress, the television broadcast of a formal presidential speech from the office, is rare and reserved for occasions with a sense of gravity, as when President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation following the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, or President George W Bush addressed the nation on the evening of September 11, 2001.

More ideas to come……….!!!

The Butler – the film that made Barack Obama cry

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, In the news

LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER tells the story of a White House butler, Eugene Allen who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family. Eugene grew up during the time of Southern segregation and Jim Crow laws but he went on to find work as a waiter and went on to serve in the White House, working for for eight different US presidents.

Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy.

The film is currently topping the American box office and is already being spoken of as a multiple Academy Award contender.

In a recent radio interview Obama admitted: « I teared up just thinking about not just the butlers who have worked here in the White House, but an entire generation of people who were talented and skilled, but because of Jim Crow, because of discrimination, there was only so far they could go. »

« And yet, with dignity and tenacity, they got up and worked every single day, » said Obama, the first African-American US president, noting that those who were discriminated against put up with a lot « because they hoped for something better for their kids ».

From the 1880s into the 1960s, a majority of American states enforced segregation through « Jim Crow » laws . Many states could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated.

Jim Crow Law   USAjimcrow1   Jim Crow law

The film is released in France on the 11th September 2013, the title in French is « Le Majordome »

Here is the trailer for the film : link

Have fun learning history!

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Myths and Heroes

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Have you always found history boring? Do you find it difficult to learn your dates?

1. Here’s a fun way to learn about historical events on Historyteachers channel on You Tube :  http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers?feature=watch

You’ll never forget your dates again!

You can learn about

–Henry VIII

– William the Conqueror

– Mary Queen of Scots

2. Another excellent video is Bad Romance: Women’s Suffrage – a parody music video paying homage to Alice Paul and the generations of brave women who joined together in the fight to pass the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in 1920. (Could be used to illustrate the notion Myths and Heroes)

3. An excellent BBC video telling the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot (I wish this kind of programme had existed when I was learning history!)

Bac 2013: confusion à l’épreuve d’anglais ?

par Kate Beaton, publié dans In the news

Selon un journaliste anglais, les concepteurs du sujet d’anglais LV1 se seraient risqués à comparer le prestigieux ‘ »Oxford Union » avec une vulgaire association étudiante…
En savoir plus sur http://www.lexpress.fr/education/bac-2013-shocking-confusion-a-l-epreuve-d-anglais_1259312.html#f6YfvGVzIA8OFYGj.99

et aussi ici:

http://enseignementsup.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/06/22/confusion-ou-formulation-volontaire-le-sujet-dexpression-ecrite-du-bac-danglais-fait-polemique/

Qu’est ce que c’est « Oxford Union »?

Read about it here: http://www.oxford-union.org/about_us

Food in Britain

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Spaces and exchanges

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How much is today’s British cuisine influenced by its multicultural population?

We have all heard about the traditional British dishes such as fish and chips, roast beef and yorkshire pudding, roast lamb and mint sauce, bacon and eggs, but British cuisine is changing. If you walk round London you will be amazed by the amount of foreign restaurants – thai, japanese, italian, chinese, indian…

Thank to globalisation traditional British cuisine is being reinvented and new dishes are appearing on menus.

Watch this video to find out more about it: Video

There are also exercises that you can download or try online.

Idea for « Spaces and exchanges »

This topic could be used to illustrate the notion of spaces and exchanges. Think about how the way we eat today is influenced by globalization – what are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

On a positive side, food is more interesting, more colourful, tastier, more inventive than before, we take an interest in other cultures and there are more and more foreign products are available in supermarkets.

However globalization may be responsible for today’s bad eating habits – the boom of fast food and problems of obesity. It can also cause a problem for the environment due to the fact that more and more products are imported and flown across the world. A demand is created for products that we don’t necessarily need!

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All you ever wanted to know about life in the United Kingdom!

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation

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Here are a few links to find out more about life in the UK

1. Vous trouverez sur ce site la réponse à 100 des questions les plus courantes et les plus intéressantes que l’on se pose à propos du Royaume-Uni (en français)

http://100questions.net/wp/

2. If you want to find out information about life in the UK you can visit this site (in English):

http://www.projectbritain.com/

3. You can listen to this recording from the British Council website:

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/i-wanna-talk-about/my-life-uk

4. Visit the « Visit Britain » website to get information about the cities and places to visit:

http://www.visitbritain.com/en/About-Britain/

If you click on the town names you can watch videos

Definition of places and forms of power

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Les 4 notions, Places and forms of power

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How can you define the notion of places and forms of power?

« Places » could be important buildings or institutions that represent a certain form of power, for example Buckingham Palace – a symbol of the British monarchy, the White – a symbol of the American presidency. A place can also be a country or a state –  for example the USA is a state which is powerful enough to influence events throughout the world (superpower) and China is a major economic power in today’s world.

« Power » is the ability to control others, events, or resources; the ability to make things happen despite obstacles, resistance, or opposition. This of course leads to conflict between those who have power and those who don’t.

You can use this « prezi » (interactive presentation) to find ideas to illustrate the notion of « places and forms of power »

http://prezi.com/pkzwjibb5fb_/places-and-forms-of-power/

You will find a definition of the four notions here