Movie: Mr. Holland's Opus (Cuarto Medio)

Mr. Holland's Opus is a 1995 drama film in which Richard Dreyfuss plays Glenn Holland, a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while trying to compose one memorable piece of music to make him famous.

The film features an orchestral score by Michael Kamen and many pieces of classical music. Kamen also wrote An American Symphony, the work Mr. Holland is shown working on throughout the movie.

The movie was written by Patrick Sheane Duncan (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination) and directed by Stephen Herek. Dreyfuss was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. It also stars Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt, Terrence Howard, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Joanna Gleason.

**The questions will be uploaded after watching the movie in class.**

Movie: 'Almost Famous' (Tercero Medio)

Almost Famous is a 2000 film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and released in 2000. It tells a fictional story of a teenage journalist initially writing for CREEM magazine and then later for Rolling Stone covering the rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published. The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

Despite very good reviews, the film was not a box-office success. The film received four Oscar nominations, one of which led to an award to Crowe for his screenplay. It was also awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Roger Ebert hailed it as the best movie of the year.

The film itself is based on Crowe's experiences on tour with rock band The Allman Brothers Band, and somewhat about his tour with Led Zeppelin in the early 1970s. It is also based on him touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd. He even said that Ronnie Van Zant was a big basis on the movie. In the Rolling Stone article, he talks about how he lost his virginity, fell in love, and met his heroes, experiences that the main character William has in the movie.

The tagline for Almost Famous is "Experience It. Enjoy It. Just Don't Fall For It."

**The questions will be uploaded after watching the movie in class.**

Coupling Task 2 (Cuartos Medios)

Read the vocabulary given in class and write about them. Describe where they were said, who said them, why said them and, if it proceeds, give the meaning of them.

• Interview
• Nudity projection
• Giggle-loop
• Minute silence
• Appropriate
• Break up
• Funeral
• Date
• Corp
• Cremate
• Face cream
• Naked

Funerals (Cuarto Medio)

The death of someone is itself painful and sad. But a funeral is surrounded by many situations created not only by the friends and the friends' friends' friends of the family but also by the members of the family too.
This exercise is not done to satirize or ridiculize the funeral ceremony, but to demonstrate that every sad situation in our lives have always another face: a funny one.

Below, there is a list of what to do and what not to do in a funeral.
Read it and then aske the following question:

1. If you have assisted to a funeral. Have you seen any of the actions described below?
2. If you have never assisted to a funeral. How do you think you would feel assisting to one?
3. According to the "Coupling" episode, Do you believe in the theory of 'giggle-loop' explained in the episode? Have you ever passed through it any time?

Funeral Etiquette Do's and Don'ts for Funerals

Don't attend funerals of people you don't know.
Don't try to outdo the family's grief.
Don't use the occasion to "schmooze".
Don't videotape the service.
Don't ask for "just a peek-a-doodle" if it is a closed casket.
Don't rate the funeral with a 1-10 rating scale in front of the family.
Don't race the hearse to the cemetery.
Do offer your help, but don't charge for it.
Don't make statements like "something seems fishy to me" or "I hope they did an autopsy."
Don't remark that the deceased looks "way better than they ever did"
Don't sit in the front row of the church and lean over the seat to wave at everyone you know coming in.
Do realize that the grieving family probably knows the deceased more than you do: especially if it is your neighbour or your friend's aunt.
Don't approach the widow/widower and ask for the fifty dollars the deceased owed you.
Don't make an offer to the widow/widower on the deceased clothes.
Don't try to make the grieving family feel better by handing them a typewritten list of the deceased's faults.
Don't climb on headstones to get a better view.
Don't do impressions of the deceased.
Don't ask about the "eats" the minute you arrive at the funeral home.
Don't ask if there's any booze.
Don't use the word "rooked" if a discussion of funeral expenses arises.
Don't ask the widow/widower on a date at the funeral home.
Don't tell everyone how much your flower arrangement cost and offer to show them the bill if they don't believe you.
Don't remove anything from the coffin as a memento.
Don't tell the grieving family "it could be worse" and then go into a long rambling story about the passing of your little dog Blue.
Don't tell the relatives that this is the smallest funeral you've ever seen.
Don't use a fake name like "I.P. Nightly" in the guestbook.
Don't offer to make a beer-run.

DEADLINE: September 1st.

Listening Activity 1 (Terceros Medios)

If you want listen again the national final debate in English 2006.

FINAL COMPETENCIA DE DEBATES EN INGLÉS 2006

Then, answer the following requests.


1. Write at least 2 arguments given for the proposition team, and explain them in your own words.
2. Write at least 2 arguments given for the opposition team, and explain them in your own words.
3. According to you... What team should have won the competition?
4. In which team you would be and why? tell me just one argument.

NEW ASSIGNMENT!! (TERCEROS Y CUARTOS MEDIOS)

Boys and girls... The new assignment for this week (from August 6th to August 18th) is below the article about COOKING.

Its name is THOUGHTS: "Loosing someone who close to you" (terceros y cuartos medios)

Bye.

Class Activity: CHILDREN'S SONGS

The last activity of the first semester was to perform Songs for children, but... in English (duuh!)

The groups that showed their performances did it excellent. Great creativity and much more enthusiasm. It's a shame that the other groups didn't participate because of many reasons... espacially beacuse of the end of the semester.

Thanks boys and girls.

The Performers


Row Row Row Your Boat


If You're Happy And You Know It

The Audience




The Dolls




The Typical Pictures

Class Activity: COOKING

The student from Cuarto Medio, made an excellent demonstration of cooking abilities.

They chose the dish they wanted to prepared, Then they organized their speech and materials, and finally they prepared their dishes for the camera.

A great moment and an excellent work. Congratulations.



The Final Results



Recipe Igredients


The Lost Video


If you thought I had forgotten the funny and embarasing pictures... well, I didn't!!

Flatulence??


Inside the TV studio.


The last details.


Humm... It seems to be that Marion was very hungry.


Ready to start boys!


Well, who goes first?




Ups... you see? Healthy food is much better!

THOUGHTS: "Loosing someone who close to you" (terceros y cuartos medios)

To think of loosing someone close to us is something that we tries to avoid. Sometimes we cheat ourselves thinking that those people who we loved will be close to us forever. But one and the last step of every human being is to die.

This exercise want to take you out all those feelings about the death, about loosing someone close to us.

In few words explain your ideas about how you'd react, how you'd feel, what you'd do if we lose someone close. Try to be sincere and honest in your answers.

As an example you have a song below about this topic. It's a Eric Clapton's sad song about loosing a very close person to him. I invite you to research about this song, about the motivations that Eric had to write it and about who is dedicated this song to and why. The results of your research will be shared in classes.

Ok. Bye

Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven

DEADLINE: August 18th, 2007

DEBATE 2 "Uniforms at school" (Terceros y Cuartos Medios)

The question of whether children should wear a uniform to school always makes for a lively debate, and not only among students! In some countries school uniform is normal and most schools make their students wear one.

Britain is the most obvious example of this, but in many other countries with strong links to Britain uniform often has to be worn to school - examples include Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and many other African countries. Uniform is also required at almost all schools in Japan.

In other countries, particularly in continental Europe, the USA and Canada, uniform is very rare in state-funded schools, although private schools may have one.

Debates about school uniform have been going on for decades in different countries and districts, but during the 1990s state schools in the USA began to adopt uniforms.

At first uniform rules were seen as a way of stopping children dressing in gang colours in troubled urban areas. Later, claims that introducing uniform leads to better discipline and educational results encouraged other school districts and schools to make a change. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations have been in favour of school uniforms. Other countries have picked up on this trend - for example, there has been talk of making German children wear uniforms.

This topic looks at a very large number of arguments about uniforms. Not all of these will apply in every country or school, so take care only to select the ones that are relevant to debate. The proposition (affirmative or government) side here is arguing for uniforms to be scrapped, but the case could easily be reversed if your debate is about introducing uniforms instead.

What do you think about the obligation of wearing uniform at the most of schools in Chile? Do you have an opinion about that? Agree or disagree?

This is an example of how, in other countries, sees and feel the issue of wearing uniforms at school. (note: this is just an example, a point of view, anything else)

After reading the text post an specific opinion based only in one point of agreement or disagreement.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 8th, 2007.

FIRST ENGLISH DEBATE: Tercero Medio versus Cuarto Medio

Toronto Police and Chilean Soccer Players Brawl

TORONTO (Reuters) - World soccer body FIFA said on Friday it was launching an investigation into a clash between Chile's Under-20 soccer team and Canadian police, while Chile's president called the police action "unjustified aggression."

The brawl took place Thursday night, shortly after Chile suffered a bitter 3-0 defeat to Argentina in a semifinal game at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Toronto, in which two Chilean players were ejected.

"This incident is definitely regrettable and I can only apologize in the name of FIFA," organization president, Sepp Blatter told reporters at a press conference in Toronto on Friday.

"We have given the responsibility ... to the Canadian Soccer Association to deal with this matter with the relevant authorities and then to report in detail to FIFA," he said.

Toronto police briefly detained all 21 Chilean players after an altercation with the athletes as they headed toward their bus amid a throng of fans.

Witnesses reported police used electric-shock guns and pepper spray against the athletes, prompting Santiago to file a formal complaint through diplomatic channels.

"The incident is especially serious because, in our opinion, the Chilean delegation suffered unjustified aggression," President Michelle Bachelet said.

The incident came just two days after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met in Santiago with Bachelet to bolster political and economic ties.

"These international matches are hotly contested and often become very emotional," Harper told CTV News on Friday during a visit to Haiti.

"There are provisions in Canada (under) which the authorities review these kinds of things and I don't intend to comment any further."

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair defended his officers, who he said stepped in when a Chilean team member began to argue with a rival fan. He said the Chileans then turned their aggression toward police.

Tensions were running high at the end of the game when several Chilean players angrily confronted the referee over his officiating. Police escorted the officials off the field.

(Additional reporting by Rodrigo Martinez in Santiago)





SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSN2030958920070720?sp=true

DEBATE: Read the first post and then follow the instructions.

Waking up of a long long nap

Hello dear boys and girls.

During the first semester I decided not to work with the blog focusing in other stuff inside the classroom. But it was just enough. It's time to read and to learn how to give opinions.

Just imagine, you are the top students, relating to English, from the whole school (I mean, more than 3.000 students). You need to show that.

I have already chosen some texts and articles that you'll have to read and then give some comments.

For 2007 I was asigned to give lessons to the Elective Classes of Terceros and Cuartos Medios. For that reason I'll separate the texts and articles in these two levels. In the titles will appear if that will belong to 3º or 4º Medio.

Well boys, Welcome to the net.

May the force be with you... always.. (or at least for this year)

See ya.

English Culture Icons I

This Wedenesday, November 29th we started with the first speeches and adresses session. The students get a more than expected performance with clear pronounciation and a good sense of rythm. I appreciate to those who worked hard to take their best english out.

We'll wait for the other group of students next wednesday when it will be also our final class.

See ya!

Martin Luther King's Speech: "I have a dream"

PowerPoint

British National Anthem: "God save the Queen"

PowerPoint

John Lennon's "Imagine"

PowerPoint

John Kennedy's "Inaugural Address"

PowerPoint

United States of America's National Anthem
PowerPoint

"God Bless America"
PowerPoint