Merry Christmas!

          It's Christmas! The most magical and festive time of the year! As this video has showed us, it can be a very stressful time because there are so many things to take care, like choosing and buying presents, writing cards, cooking food, getting together with many people, following some traditions and so on.

But it depends on us to have a really pleasant time and even if we have done it over the past years, we still can find a new perspective that could make us feel that this year is a very special one. Some people are not here among us anymore and new family members are just waiting to be welcomed - and that's the way we see how life is renewed through the years. Being part of it is a blessing and a great privilege.

I do enjoy Christmas and I got very happy to see that a young guy (video) can feel the same. Although all the rush, he could offer us his nice point of view and show us how to go through it keeping our good mood and having fun! Thanks a lot Renan for sharing that. I really couldn't agree more!

MERRY CHRISTMAS for you, your family and everybody who has read the posts in this blog. God bless all of you!

Boko Haram, Fuvest e o conhecimento!

Dear Students

What else can I say?
Ao ler essa questão da Fuvest, a primeira coisa que me veio a mente foi a nossa foto no pátio e a participação na campanha #Bring Back Our Girls.
Para quem participou da campanha, responder essa questão foi "brincadeira de criança". Detalhe: a questão NÃO é de inglês, mas quem disse que a gente estuda inglês na aula de inglês? Uma língua estrangeira (seja ela qual for) é apenas uma ferramenta para que possamos ter acesso a uma gama maior de informações e principalmente, a uma escala maior de qualidade da informação, pois me permite ir buscar na fonte!
A questão é da prova de geografia, mas cá entre nós...quem separa? Física, química, matemática,

português, história, filosofia, literatura, biologia, inglês, filosofia, espanhol, geografia, artes, sociologia, sempre estiveram "intimamente" conectados. Quem separa o conhecimento não é a natureza, mas o ser humano. E a pessoa / profissional / professor / educador (whoever) que ainda não entendeu isso está a anos luz...lá atrás!

Um abraço a todos!

PS.: Eu nem vou comentar o texto da prova de inglês sobre o cérebro porque esse tema foi tópico da nossa prova no ano passado (com direito a post no blog)...ou seja, em relação a nós, a Fuvest está atrasada um ano...desculpa aí!

Reel Bad Arabs - documentary

 

          During these week, we have been watching and talking about the documentary Reel Bad Arabs.

          According to the documentary official site, it is based on Dr. Jack Shaheen’s book. It dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Dr. Shaheen watched thousands of movies and unfortunately they have always portrayed  the Arabian people in a mixture of incompetents, buffoons, terrorists and with no sense of reality when it comes to money. By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture.

Post Question: How do you like the documentary? What did you like most about it? What didn't you like about it? Do you agree to Dr. J. Shaheen when he says that hollywood has vilified the  Arabian people? Do you think the "Ali Babá" kit is still in the mind of people around the world? Is it in yours?

Tip: To donwload your vocabulary activity, just click here.

Hamlet Facing Death

          Sometimes life can be so generous and offer us some singular moments and of a unique beauty that you know they will be forever part of whom you are! Last night was one of those moments! What a nice night! The GRVPO TEMPO, a theater group, presented us with the play "Hamlet face à morte" (Hamlet facing death). I can't say anything about the story because I love it (I'm an English teacher who is absolutely anglophile, I can't help being it! It's Shakespeare, for God's sake!).

           But I can say that the costumes, the lighting, the scenery and the stage presence of the actors were so well connected, so well linked that all the factors involved in the presentation could complement one another and the overall result really fulfilled not only the physical space of the theater but also our minds and our hearts.

           If I had to pick up just one word to define it (which is a very hard job) I would dare to say "touching". I knew the story but I really feel moved by the way the group presented it. The introduction led us to reflect on the brevity of life compared with the here and now. As wisely stated, the awareness of death interferes with the quality of our actions and from time to time it is salutary to be reminded that nothing is forever. Consciously we know that, but we act as if this was not part of our reality.

We see and feel ourselves "invincible", but the finitude of life (as we conceive it here) is a fact that is independent of how we see and how we feel.

Thanks GRUPO TEMPO for reminding us about that with such kindness, poetry and refinement!

Besides all that, no words to describe how proud I was to see two former students (Roger Campanhari and Giuliano Bonesso)from our school doing what they do best: enchant us with their talent.

"If now is not then!
If then, it will not be now!"

For now that is. Go, see the play and indulge yourself to a moment of pleasure!

 

Post Question: For the students who saw the play, answer these questions:
- What's your opinion about the play? What did you like most about it? Why? What you didn't enjoy at all? Why?

Tip: To get more information about GRVPO TEMPO, visit their website, just click here.

 

SCRAPCARD - English work 3°E

How to make a scrapcard:

- choose your partners (group of 4 people)

- each member of the group must bring one photo of his/her childhood

- bring a card (half size of the common card, as the one used in your History work).

- choose one theme for your scrapcard (such as Autumn, friendship, celebration, etc)

- separate pictures, stickers, images from magazines and any other material the group think it's necessary to be used in the scrapcard to make it exactly according to the chosen theme.

- Choose the 5 sentences to be included in your scrap card. The sentences must be chosen from the Madonna's song "This Used To Be My Playground", the one we listened in our class and one sentence must be written using the verb "wish", expressing the desire of the group or of just the desire of one member of the group. You also can add sentences of your own.

- decide in which place all the components of your card must be displayed, organize the photos and all the material to be used in it (including the sentences).

- do the gluing  and writing work. Use all your creativity! Enjoy it!

- remember to write the group's name, number and class in your card

Have a nice job! And any doubt, just contact me by e-mail or during our class.

Post Question: Why do you think this is our 3rd quarter (3º trimestre) English work?

Tip: Some of our class Scrapcards will be posted here, in the blog.