Comment définir les quatre notions?

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

La définition des 4 notions

1. Myths and heroes:

A myth can be defined as a story about gods or heroes, it can be a popular belief or a tradition or a false notion. A hero can be a mythological figure, a person who is admired for his or her achievements, a superhero or maybe a role model or an icon.

 Examples can be:

– a patriotic or national hero (sportsman, politician, human rights defender…..)

– a fictitious hero (superhero or film star)

– an icon or role model (fashion, tv, music)

– a defender of common values

– a politician/king/queen who has achieved international recognition

2.  Locations and forms of power: (also called Places and forms of power or Seats and forms of power)

In politics and social science, power is the ability to influence the behavior of people. In order to live together members of a community accept rules, regulations, laws. This helps to create social cohesion but can also lead to conflicts and tensions. Even when authority seems absolute, there are always counter-powers which question it, aim at limiting its excesses and resist it.

 Examples can be:

– the power of the media (reality tv, internet v written press)

– Financial power (the power of money)

– Inequalities between blacks and whites – the fight against oppression and segregation (South Africa, USA)

– The American Dream

– The Civil Rights movement and political recognition : Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X (can also be linked to the notion of Myths and Heroes)

3. The idea of Progress

The idea of progress can be defined as an improvement, a development or a change – a technical, scientific or social advance which contributes to making the world a better place.

 Examples can be:

– Scientific Progress – Medical advances, cures for illnesses, cloning, performance enhancing drugs,   genetically modified organisms.

– Technological Progress-  technologies to slow down climate change such as hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar panels, biofuel…..

advances in communication:  the internet, social media, mobile phones, video games – how      they have changed our lives and the dangers of these modern ways of communication

Robots, automated production

Nuclear Power – for and against

–  Social Progress: changes in the quality of life – how does progress affect our society?

Education, employment, equality, family life

Women’s rights, human rights, minority rights ……

The idea of liberty, freedom, democracy

 4. Spaces and Exchanges

This notion deals with the geographical and symbolic areas that all societies occupy and the interactions between men and different societies. Our world is built on the exploration and conquest of new spaces. The different cultural, economic, sociological and language interactions have shaped and characterised our modern-day world.

 Examples can be:

– Trade (the basis of all societies)

– Working conditions (telecommuting, internet)

– Globalization (the world has become a small village)

– School and education (social diversity / knowledge)  comparison of the different educational systems

– The Internet / social networks…

– the movement of people: Immigration

– movement across borders (Gap Year)

Pour plus d’informations vous pouvez consulter les pages suivantes:

http://missions.editions-bordas.fr/enseignant/webfm_send/108

The John Lewis Christmas Advert – another Christmas tradition!

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, In the news

One of the new Christmas traditions in the UK is the John Lewis advert which usually comes out in the middle of November. John Lewis is a famous department store in the UK and every year they bring out a new ad which tells a little story about giving a present at Christmas.

The advert is shown on all commercial TV channels in the UK, but it is shown so often that by Christmas Day most people are fed up of it!

This year the story is about the Hare who wants to give his best friend Bear a Christmas he’ll never forget. The story is set in a forest and Bear is the only animal that never gets to celebrate Christmas because he has to hibernate every year. However, this year is different. This year Hare has a brilliant idea.

The commercial uses a unique animation style that combines traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, stop frame, and 3D model made sets.The story is set to a cover of Keane’s ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ performed by Lily Allen.

This is the link to the advert : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqWig2WARb0

If you would like to learn the lyrics you will find them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGibGmKvZA0

If you want to see more of Bear and Hare you can visit the John Lewis website

Merry Christmas everyone 😉téléchargement

Learn all about London – and maybe win a trip!

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Compréhension orale, Places and forms of power

« London Story »

London is a fascinating place and the people that live and work there have many interesting stories to tell.

Here is the link to the competition:

http://www.visitlondon.com/story/competition

You can then click on the different stories told by Londoners, choose your 3 favourite videos and then submit your choices. You may win an all-expenses-paid trip to London.

If you don’t win, it’s an excellent way of learning about the different monuments and places to visit in London.

Do you want to learn about the making of Harry Potter films? Watch this video: http://www.visitlondon.com/story/profile/23035130-warner-bros-studio-tour-london-the-making-of-harry-potter

Do you want to learn about the different types of transport in London? Watch this video http://www.visitlondon.com/story/profile/33177689-transport-for-london

What about the Tate Modern Museum? Watch this video: http://www.visitlondon.com/story/profile/344410-tate-modern

And have you heard about Madame Tussauds? Watch this video about Rebecca who is an artist at Madame Tussauds and who talks about the history of the museum http://www.visitlondon.com/story/profile/284875-madame-tussauds-london

And for all football fans what about learning all about Wembley Stadium? http://www.visitlondon.com/story/profile/4114851-wembley-stadium-tour

It is an excellent way to learn all about London and the history of the different monuments!  And also excellent practice for the listening comprehension part of your exam!

Enjoy!!!

 

Les Présidents Américains

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Places and forms of power

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Diaporama des « dix meilleurs » Présidents américains selon le journal le Parisien

Learn about Presidential fun facts here: http://www.history.com/topics/the-us-presidents/videos#presidential-fun-facts

Other interesting facts about american Presidents here: http://www.history.com/topics/the-us-presidents/videos#founding-fathers-of-innovation

Learn about the White House here: http://www.history.com/topics/the-us-presidents/videos#deconstructing-history-white-house

Find out detailed information about each President here: http://www.usa4kids.com/presidents/Presidents.html

The story behind Halloween – Myths and Legends

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

 

 

 

Haunted-House-with-Bats

history_of_halloween_large

Halloween is celebrated every year on the 31st October, but do you know the origin of this celebration?

Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of « Samhain », when people used to light bonfires and wear costumes to scare away ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as « All Hallows’ Eve » and this later became known as « Halloween ».

Over the years, Halloween has evolved into a fun and family event with activities  for children such as trick-or-treating, when children dress as monsters, ghosts and witches and knock on neighbours’ doors to ask for sweets and candy.

The story of Halloween can be used to illustrate the notion of myths and heroes (the different myths and legends surrounding the Halloween celebration) but also the notion of Spaces and Exchanges: Halloween started in America when immigrants came from Ireland (potato famine) and Scotland, bringing their customs and traditions to the United States. They were proud of their Celtic origins and they called Halloween « Oidche Shamhna » (Night of Samhain) and kept the traditional observances. The Jack-o-lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would carve out turnips as but when they emigrated to America they could not find many turnips. They found however an abundance of pumpkins and they have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since. « Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century.

Here are a few links to help you learn about this day:

– The history of Halloween explained – link to a video with transcript and vocabulary explanations

– The real story behind Halloween – link to a video on the History channel

– Monster Quest – Are ghosts real? This is a 46-minute video about an investigation into the most haunted houses in America (don’t watch it alone!!)

– Read about the history of Halloween here and some Halloween superstitions here

– A reading comprehension about the history of Halloween with questions to check your understanding

– Myths and legends about Halloween

American history

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, The idea of progress

Several links to help you learn about the most important events in the history of the USA. Feel free to comment and add any other links below!

– Great moments in US history: http://listverse.com/2009/11/25/10-great-moments-in-us-history/

– Important events in US history: http://listverse.com/2011/07/14/top-10-important-events-in-us-history/

– the history of Ellis Island : http://www.history.com/topics/american-history/videos#deconstructing-history-ellis-island

– the Statue of Liberty: http://www.history.com/topics/american-history/videos#the-statue-of-liberty

– D-Day : http://www.history.com/topics/american-history/videos#d-days

– Rosie the riveter (Idea of progress/myths and heroes) : http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-was-the-real-rosie-the-riveter

Exemple de plan pour l’épreuve d’expression orale

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Expression orale

1. Introduce the notion you have chosen, define it and briefly explain how you will present it

I am going to talk about the idea of progress……..

First of all I would like to give a definition of this notion:  The idea of progress can be defined as an improvement, a development or a change – a technical, scientific or social advance which contributes to making the world a better place.

This year in class we studied several documents about the idea of progress and in particular …….

In order to illustrate this notion I have chosen to talk about (the power of money/immigration in the USA/the American Dream)

……and attempt to answer the question (posez ici votre « problématique » par exemple : to what extent does Barack Obama embody the American Dream)?

To answer this question I will present two documents…….

(Si vous ne trouvez pas de problématique ne paniquez pas! Vous pouvez présenter la notion en parlant simplement du sujet que vous choisi: « In order to illustrate this notion I have chosen to talk about immigration in the USA and in particular the American Dream »)

 

 2. Present the different documents you have chosen

The first document I have chosen is a newspaper article taken from the British newspaper « the Daily Telegraph » it deals with the problem of…….

– It indicates that……….

-The journalist draws our attention to the fact that………

– He claims that………………………

-He/she refers to the fact that ………………………..

 3.Explain the author’s/narrator’s/artist’s point of view

Through this illustration the artist wants to show us that he/she approves of …

After reading this article we understand that the author sides with ….

The journalist is against the idea of ……………………

He / she criticizesthe government for not doing enough

The author disapproves ofthe behaviour of the football players…..

The journalist gives an unbiased opinionand lets us make our own minds up about the subject. He simply provides us with the information.

 4. Explain the link with the notion you have to talk about

– The cartoon shows us the evolution of today’s society and the fact that technology has progressed

-It is an interesting/ relevant illustration of the notion of spaces and exchanges as it shows just how globalisation has changed our world

– This song perfectly illustrates the idea of myths and heroes because……….

– The extract from the film proves that…

  5. If possible make a link between the documents

– Both the article and the film make us realize that…

– The first two articles help us to understand that…..

– In all three documents, the idea put forward is ….

-There is a relationship between….and….

-The author/journalist/painter/singer/artist wants to draw our attention to …

 6.  Make a personal conclusion by giving your opinion on the document and perhaps opening up onto another notion or future prospects

– I totally agree with the idea that……………………..

– I really enjoyed reading this article because I am very interested in…………………

– I have to disagree with the author because….

– It is important not to forget that…………..

– This article could also be linked to the notion of the idea of progress because……..

– We have to be careful because in the future this could lead to (mener à)

– There are advantages to social progress but there are also disadvantages such as…..

– It is important that we are aware of the d angers

 

Don’t forget to make a link with another notion in your conclusion, perhaps a notion that you are more confident with. The examiner will then maybe ask you questions about that notion.

For example if you present documents about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King to illustrate the notion of places and forms of power you could add at the end:

« We can also relate these articles to the notion of Myths and Heroes. Indeed Rosa Parks and ML King are considered as heroes to many people: Before the Civil Rights Movement, when whites were thought to be better than all other races, they decided it was time for change. »

This could even be linked to the « idea of progress » as what Rosa Parks and ML King did contributed to a change in rights for Black people in the USA. A lot of progress has been made since they stood up for the rights of black Americans, there is no more segregation and even the American President is black. This can be considered as great progress for human rights.

Related articles

Homeless Boston man hailed as a hero

par Kate Beaton, publié dans In the news, Myths and Heroes

A homeless man who returned a backpack containing $40,000 in cash and travelers checks has been rewarded by well-wishers who have donated more than $75,000 to help him.

Former Boston courthouse employee Glen James had lost his job because of health problems, but said he would not have tried to keep any of the money he found at the weekend.

After hearing about his story a Virginia man set up a GoFundMe website which has raised thousands to help Mr James in just one day

You can read more about the story here: New York Daily News

What would you do if you found $40,000 in the street? Would you keep it or would you hand it in to the police?

Do you consider this man to be a modern-day hero?

« Vocable » magazine: nouvelle banque de données audio BAC

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Expression orale

Nouveau sur le site de Vocable.fr

Des documents sonores authentiques, classés par notion, pour vous entraîner à l’épreuve de compréhension orale du Bac. It’s great! Click here

Vous pouvez également suivre Vocable sur Twitter : @Vocable_english pour apprendre du vocabulaire, lire des articles, participer à des jeux concours… Try it!!

Pour savoir plus sur le site de Vocable.fr, regarder des vidéos en anglais ou vous abonner au magazine papier c’est par ici

The American Dream

par Kate Beaton, publié dans Civilisation, Compréhension orale, Spaces and exchanges, The idea of progress

0711_ms_american_dream_v8

What is the American dream?

The American dream is the notion that the American social, economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual. Someone who manages to achieve their version of the American dream is said to be « living the dream ».

Many people criticize the idea of the American dream because they say that it is impossible for everyone to be able to fulfill their dreams – there are still inequalities in class, race, religion and ethnicity preventing people from « living the dream ».

The idea of the American dream is older than the USA itself – it dates back to the 1600s, when people began to have hopes for what was a new and largely unexplored continent to European immigrants. People dreamt of owning land and establishing a prosperous business and hoped that this would make them happier.

Today’s the definition of the American dream is much different. Most people nowadays hope that they will get married, have two children and live in a three-bedroom traditional home. Rather than looking for great wealth or success, people hope to avoid poverty or loneliness.

Improve your listening comprehension!

You can listen to people talking about what the American dream is here

You can watch a political ad talking about the American dream here

You can watch a BBC report about the American dream here

You can listen to different people talking about the American dream on the Academie de Paris website

Ellis Island

The Voyage to Freedom

Coming to America appealed to many immigrants from the southern and northern parts of Europe as they found a way out of situations of persecution and oppression as well as political and economic difficulties. Once they arrived in America, some passengers were allowed to go on shore without making their way through inspection. This privilege was given to those considered to be first and second class citizens. All the other « lower class » citizens were shipped off to Ellis Island to go through inspection.

To travel to America immigrants had to pay from twelve dollars to sixty dollars per person, which meant that families had to save their money for years before they could travel to America. Even when the money was available, families still had to go through the process of being screened before they could get on board a ship to sail to America. Once they made it to their destination, passengers had to go through a physical inspection by doctors before they were set free into their new life or were detained because of issues that the doctors found. Sometimes, what was supposed to be a happy ending to coming to America ended in disappointment. This happened when a family member was not allowed into America and was sent back to where he came from.

Ellis Island and the Immigrant- Annie Moore

On January 1, 1892, a ship coming in from Ireland, landed at Ellis Island with a load of Irish Immigrants. The first person to step foot on the island was Annie Moore, a 15 year old girl. The teenager was presented with a gold coin; its monetary value was worth ten dollars for being the first person to step foot on the newly constructed Ellis Island. Annie and her brothers had spent 12 days on the ship as they set out to join their parents who were already living comfortably in New York. This girl and her brothers are recognized as the first people to arrive on the renovated island. A statue with the image of Annie and her younger brothers now stands at the Ellis Island Museum.

Learn about Ellis Island in this History Channel report.

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