Happy New Year!

2 Jan 2016 par Kate Beaton, publié dans In the news, Places and forms of power, Spaces and exchanges, The idea of progress, Uncategorized

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Happy New Year to you all! I wish you success in all your projects and for those sitting their BAC this year I hope you pass with flying colours!!

To start the year off let’s look at a topic that is very much in the news at the moment: climate change, particularly after the COP 21 – the United Nations conference on climate change in Paris.

This topic can be linked to the notion of idea of progress : how is our world changing, what effect does increasing pollution have on our environment? How can we predict the sort of weather we are going to have and the impact the extreme weather conditions can have on our planet? It can also be linked to the notion of spaces and exchanges as well as places and forms of power: how can developed countries help developing countries to cope with climate change? How can the different countries work together to reduce the impact that pollution has on our environment?

Here are a few articles and videos about it:

A BBC article about the impact El Nino is having on the world’s weather
A BBC article about the current flooding in the UK
An article from the Guardian on the floods in the UK and extreme global weather

The crisis in Calais – why do migrants want to reach the UK?

12 Nov 201512 Nov 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans In the news, Spaces and exchanges

Copyright:Kerry Davies/Daily Mail 2/08/2015 Immigrants last night made another attempt to rush the Channel Tunnel but were beaten back by police with tear gas. They then staged a sit-in on the main lorry route to the tunnel blocking vehicles for the entire night until they were dispersed by riot police. picture shows: Immigrants staging the sit-in blocking lorries. — Copyright:Kerry Davies/Daily Mail 2/08/2015
Immigrants made another attempt to rush the Channel Tunnel but were beaten back by police with tear gas.
They then staged a sit-in on the main lorry route to the tunnel blocking vehicles for the entire night until they were dispersed by riot police.
picture shows: Immigrants staging the sit-in blocking lorries.

One of the topics that is very much in the news at the moment is the problem of migrants fleeing their country and trying to reach the UK. An excellent topic to illustrate the notion of spaces and exchanges!

What are the reasons behind this problem?

Why are they so desperate to cross the Channel?

Here are a few articles and videos on the subject

Why is there a crisis in Calais? – BBC news website

Would Calais immigrants really be better off in the UK? – BBC News Website

The migrant crisis in Calais

The truth about immigration in the UK (BBC tv programme)

The impact of immigration in UK

Remember remember the 5th of November!

6 Nov 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Myths and Heroes

The fifth of November in the UK is Bonfire Night. What exactly is Bonfire Night and why do we celebrate it?

Here are a few articles and videos to explain:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11976634/Bonfire-Night-2015-Why-do-we-celebrate-tonight-and-who-was-Guy-Fawkes.html

America’s Gun Problem

6 Oct 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans In the news, Places and forms of power, The idea of progress

Here is an excellent article about gun violence in the USA – a topic which is very much in the news at that the moment and that can be used to illustrate the notion « Places and forms of power ».

The article includes a video of Obama’s speech after the Umpqau Community College shooting, tables and explanations about the problem and a video showing how some American politicians go to extreme lengths to show their support for gun rights: Senator Ted Cruz (republican) cooking bacon with a machine gun (!)

Finally there is a section on how other developed countries have had huge successes with gun control (Idea of progress/places and forms of power)

American Oxygen (Rihanna) – what is the American Dream?

17 Mai 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans Les 4 notions

A last minute idea that perhaps could be used in your oral exam!

Rihanna’s latest hit « American Oxygen » can be used to illustrate several notions –

Myths and heroes – the American dream: is it a myth or does it really exist? Martin Luther King….

Spaces and exchanges – immigration and the American dream. What makes people want to live in the USA?

Idea of progress – the civil rights movement and how life has changed for black people in the USA, space technology, pollution,

Places and forms of power – terrorism (twin towers), wars and the anti-war movement, riots, gun power

The lyrics:

Breathe in, this feeling
American oxygen

I say, you see, this is the American Dream
Young girl, hustlin’
On the other side of the ocean
She can be anything at all
America, America
I should, come see
Just close your eyes and breathe

Breathe out, breathe in
American oxygen
Every breath I breathe
Chasin’ this American Dream
We sweat for a nickel and a dime
Turn it into an empire
Breathe in, this feeling
American, American oxygen
American oxygen
Breathe in, this feeling
American oxygen

Breathe in, this feeling
American oxygen

You say, you see, this is the American Dream
Young boy, hustlin’
Tryna get the wheels in motion
But he can be anything at all
America, America
I say, can’t see
Just close your eyes and breathe

This is the new America
We are the new America

This is the new America
We are the new America
This is the new America
We are the new America
This is the new America
We are the new America
Source:http://www.directlyrics.com/rihanna-american-oxygen-lyrics.html

The UK General Election – Thursday 7th May 2015

7 Mai 201510 Mai 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Places and forms of power

On Thursday 7th May the General Elections take place in the UK. It is traditionally held on the first Thursday in May once every five years in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The 650 members of parliament (MPs) will be elected through 650 individual elections for a constituency. Each voter chooses a candidate in their area. The candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House of Commons in the UK parliament, Westminster, London.

The main parties taking part in the election are the Conservatives (led by David Cameron), Labour (led by Ed Miliband), Liberal Democrats (led by Nick Clegg) and the United Kingdom Independance Party (led by Nigel Farage). The current Prime Minister is David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party. In the last General Election a coalition government was formed (also known as a hung parliament) with the Liberal Democrats because the Conservatives didn’t have an outright majority.

If one party wins more than half the seats (326) in the House of Commons, its leader becomes Prime Minister and forms a government. The Prime Minister’s official residence is at 10 Downing Street, London.

According to the Independant newspaper « Britain is heading for the most unpredictable general election in a generation as voters turn their backs on the established parties ». Support for the three main political parties is at an all-time low. So much so that it is possible that no single party will win a majority of seats in Parliament. The two main candidates are David Cameron – leader of the Conservatives and who has around a score of around 32% in the polls and Ed Miliband – leader of the Labour party who has around a 33% lead in the polls. However there is growing support for smaller parties like the UKIP and the Greens. The UKIP wants to cut immigration to the UK and quit the European Union – according to some polls they could win 15% of the vote. The Green party could possibly win 15% of the vote.

To learn more about the General Election here are some videos:

How does the General Election work?

The General Election explained (Election 2010)

How does Parliament work?

What happens if no-one wins?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32235317

Les oraux approchent….. quelques vidéos utiles pour répondre à vos questions

4 Mai 20154 Mai 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans Expression orale, Les 4 notions, Myths and Heroes, Places and forms of power, Spaces and exchanges, The idea of progress

Des vidéos très utiles et très claires avec quelques exemples pour l’épreuve d’expression orale.

(Source France TV Education)

Méthodologie expression orale

Places and forms of power

Myths and heroes

Spaces and exchanges

Idea of Progress

Des idées de problématiques pour présenter les notions

À la Une par Kate Beaton, publié dans Expression orale, Les 4 notions, Myths and Heroes, Places and forms of power, Spaces and exchanges, The idea of progress, Uncategorized

Vous êtes nombreux à me demander de vous aider à trouver des idées de « problématique » (key questions) pour vos oraux. Il n’est pas évident de proposer une problématique qui pourrait être utilisée par tout le monde car vous avez tous étudié des textes et documents différents. Je vais donc plutôt vous donner quelques idées de problématiques simples par notion… à vous de les adapter à vos textes et documents utilisés en cours.

Je vais mettre à jour l’article régulièrement – comme toujours sur le blog n’hésitez pas à proposer d’autres problématiques dans la partie « commentaires » – ça pourrait toujours inspirer les autres!

Myths and Heroes

What is a modern-day/contemporary hero? What impact do they have on our lives?

How can an ordinary person make the world a better place?

Why are sports heroes so important in today’s society?

To what extent does Barack Obama represent the black American dream?

To what extent did Rosa Parks/ Martin Luther King/Malcolm X contribute to the improvement of black American’s rights?

To what extent do myths represent society’s values?

In today’s society to what extent is there a need for myths, something to believe in that is greater than we are?

What is the role of the media in the making of heroes?

Is it useful for society to have « superheroes »?

What is the role of the media in the rise and fall of certain « heroes »?

Why are myths and heroes so important to our society?

In what way are heroes portrayed in Hollywood movies? How does this reflect our society today?

From rags to riches: Self-made men/women – how did they do it?

The Queen of England : why do the British love her so much?

Spaces and Exchanges

What drives people to leave their country to go and live in another country?

Is the American Dream still alive? What attracts immigrants to live in the USA?

Has the Olympic ideal of fair play and tolerance been now replaced by money, drugs and politics?

What are the different conflicts that have shaped the US society? What effect have they had on the USA as we know it today?

What are the advantages of moving to another country to study or find work?

To what extent does travelling to a foreign country broaden our horizons?

What impact does globalisation have on international exchanges?

Why do refugees choose to leave their countries? What difficulties do they face?

In what way does travelling broaden the mind?

What difficulties do immigrants face when they arrive in a new country?

Idea of Progress

To what extent does new technology isolate people?

Are social networking sites a threat to our private lives?

How has the internet modified our social behaviour and changed the way we communicate?

To what extent does progress change our vision of the others and of the world?

To what extent has technological progress made an impact on our environment?

Working from home – is it the end of productivity or the future of work?

How does modern technology affect today’s society? Does it have a positive or a negative effect?

To what extent has social progress over the past century led to an improvement in women’s rights?

What sort of social progress was made in the 20th century? How did it come about?

In what ways has progress made modern-day life better?

How has the internet changed today’s world?

How did the Civil Rights movement bring about progress in the USA?

What major technological/scientific breakthroughs have been made in the last decades and how have they changed our lives?

Are peoples rights progressing or regressing?

Places and forms of power

In what way does sport have the power to unite people in a way that little else can?

« Whoever controls the media controls the mind (Jim Morrison) » – how much power do the media have over us?

When power is misused how do people rebel against it?

In what ways do the social networks have power to influence public opinion?

To what extent can we say that schools and universities are instruments of power?

How powerful is the NRA (National Rifle Association)? How has it consistently succeeded in defeating new gun control legislation in the USA?

How have civil rights activists used nonviolent protest to bring about change in the USA?

Money is power and rare are the heads that can withstand the possession of great power (Benjamin Disraeli) : how far is this quote true?

What are the limits to power? In what ways can power be abused?

To what extent can education be a key to power?

With social networks and internet is it possible to limit the power of the media?

How do people exercise their power? What are the different tools used?

Is progress always positive?

28 Avr 20151 Mai 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans Compréhension orale, Expression orale, The idea of progress

Thank you « chbo78 » for suggesting these videos! They really help illustrate the negative aspects of the idea of progress: what negative impacts can progress have on our society and on our planet?

« Can we auto-correct humanity? »

« Dear future generations: sorry »

« Why I think this world should end »

This is what I want this blog to be about: helping each other and sharing ideas (without paying!!)

Keep contributing!!

Another interesting report on the bad effects a smartphone can have on your sleep:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26899454

Documents pour l’épreuve à l’oral

19 Mar 201523 Mar 2015 par Kate Beaton, publié dans Expression orale, Spaces and exchanges

On me demande souvent des idées d’articles ou de documents pour l’oral. Je vais essayer de rajouter des articles/documents régulièrement (en précisant pour quelle notion ça pourrait servir). Si vous avez des documents intéressants vous pouvez également les partager dans la partie « commentaires ».

1. « International Happiness Day » (20th March) – et le fait que L’ONU va publier une liste de chansons pour rendre les gens « heureux » – Watch the video with Ban Ki Moon here (cliquez sur les photos pour voir les vidéos)

(Notion: Spaces and Exchanges – trying to improve life in other countries)

2. World Water Day (22nd March)

Watch this video and learn about the world water crisis. What can we do to help change the situation?

Read the article here

(Notions: spaces and exchanges/idea of progress – how our environment is affected by climate change)

3. Living on Mars

Mars One is a project to send people to live on Mars. Watch this video to learn more about the mission

(Notion: idea of progress – what does this mean for our future? What can we learn from this mission?)