Thursday, November 22, 2012

FROM THE SCHOOL'S BLOG: VIDEO AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS CAROL

Our D' and E' Class students (B1+ level) are going to read Charles Dickens' story 'A Christmas Carol' and prepare their own post-reading activities about it in groups in order to take part in the reading competition organized by their French online friends and their teacher, Aniella Lebeau. Our lesson is meant to comprise these particular stages:

1) Students should first watch this video to get a general idea of the story. Can they guess what the end of the story will be?



2) Students can now read about the main characters of the story.

❄ Scrooge is a horrible, nasty and mean man. He loves money more than his life. He always counts his money but he never gives any to the poor people, even for Christmas.

❄ Fred - Scrooge's nephew is a very kind man. He loves Christmas. And he always invites Scrooge to his Christmas but his grumpy uncle never accepts the invitation.

❄ Bob Cratchit - Scrooge’s clerk is a very poor man with a large family. He generally works hard and he does his best to be a good clerk. But he sometimes gets into trouble because Scrooge is very strict.

❄ Tiny Tim - Bob Cratchit's young son is handicapped from birth. He always walks with a crutch. Tiny Tim is always cheerful. He never sits or plays alone because everybody loves him. His father Bob always looks after him after work.

❄ Marley’s ghost is always in chains because Marley is damned for eternity. Marley was horrible and nasty when he was alive. Now he is punished so he is very miserable.

❄ The 1st spirit is the ghost of Christmas past. He takes Scrooge back to his childhood. He always carries a light.

❄ The 2nd spirit is the ghost of Christmas present. He takes Scrooge to Cratchit’s house and to his nephew’s house where everyone is celebrating Christmas. This spirit is often sarcastic and ironical.

❄ The 3rd spirit is the ghost of the future. He takes Scrooge to his own tomb. He never talks or answers a question, he is so scary!

3) Some pictures illustrating the story can be found here.

llustrations :

http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/carol/gallery.html 

http://charlesdickenspage.com/illustrations-carol.html 

http://www.printspast.com/christmas-carol-prints-rackham.htm 


4) Students can now read the whole story on their handout and simultaneously listen to it by clicking here.

5) The additional activities on the handout can be completed either in the classroom or at home. They will also help the students understand what they have to do in the following stage.

6) Students are divided into groups of three. Each team should have its own name. Having decided on the name, they should start making their own activities which can be of any type (multiple- choice questions, matching or gap-filling activities, etc.).

Thursday, November 1, 2012

HALLOWEEN

Halloween is celebrated in Ireland and Scotland on 31st octomber.
People celebrate Halloween because they beleve that the souls of the dead came back 
to Earth.
People decorate their houses and make pumkins.
This day children dress up and visit other houses
saying  "trick or treat".Then people give them sweets.
If they do not give them sweets children do them many
funny tricks.
Halloween takes place at 31st October and it came from Ireland and Scottland.In Halloween the souls of the dead come back to earth and the children dress up in costumes and make noise to dessipate these spirits.

We celebrate Halloween on 31st October.Halloween come from Ireland and Scotland .Halloween is very interesting because people dress up and make fruits.Also pumkins are the most popular joke of Halloween celebration.Some of the children go to the houses to make fun with alot of jokes and when the joke ends the house owners give to them money or sweets.I really like Halloween because I think that is the most creative celebration!
We celebrate Halloween at 31st October. Halloween took its name from Hallows Eve from the eve of All Saints Day. Halloween come from Ireland and Scotland, people at this day dresses up and makes noise, they are usally wear scary costumes. People thinks that the souls of the dead people cames back to earth. People put pumkins engraved of human characteristics out of the houses to be friendly with the spirits. The kids that night goes out dressed up and do trick or treat, trick is when people does not gives them sweets the kids will do practical jokes to them and treat is the sweets tha the people gives them.
On 31st October people celebrate Halloween. It comes from Ireland and Scotland.The word "Halloween" comes from ''All Hallow's Eve.When that day comes,people, and especially children, dress up in costumes and make noise all over the town.In the past people,thought that the souls of the dead came back to Earth.Because people wanted to be friendly to the spirits, they put a lantern outside their house.A lantern is made from a pumpkin which is actually a fruit.At Halloween people go to many houses and play a game called 'Trick or Treat.Tricks are practical jokes and treats are sweets.