Peek of the week 21 - London

In about ten days I hope to board a plane for London, one of my favorite destinations in Europe. This will be my sixth time in London and I always get to see new and fascinating landmarks each time I'm there. This "peek of the week" takes a closer look at London, the big city with 8 million inhabitants, a slithering river that runs through it, a colorful history filled with eclectic people and languages and so much more, of course. This time I'll have a closer look at the SkyGarden, the Parliament building, St. Paul's, Camden Market, Covent Garden, the Warner Bros studio outside of London, the Tower, Buckingham Palace, many parks and some shopping thrown in too....can't wait!

Strip The City - London from MonkeyPuzzleMedia on Vimeo.

Peek of the week 20 - The British Empire

Most people know that the British Empire covered many areas around the globe for a period of time. This week's "peek of the week" takes a look at the British Empire and tries to make a long story short. When was the empire at its height and what areas did in fact belong to Britain? 

Did you know that the British Empire was the largest empire in history? Did you know that it covered close to 25-30% of the world's land surface at one point in time? The British Empire was at its height in the late 19th century and early 20th. Some say that Britain was at its height in the year around 1920.  Three videos will enlighten you, a couple of them in quite a humoristic way, because in hindsight we can afford to do just that...

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_the_British_Empire#/media/File:British_Empire_evolution3.gif

Colin Quinn makes a long story short! In quite a humoristic way. 

Here Bob Hale gives it a go...

Peek of the week 19 - Mission US

At the moment in my year 9 we're working on a project called "The USA - I have a dream". Among other things, the project includes learning about US history and then especially about the slavery and the Civil Right Movement. Mission US is a good interactive way of learning more history and I see it as a complement to the other material we have. There are four missions: For Crown or Colony - about life in the late 1700's and the Revolutionary war, Flight to Freedom - about a young teenage slave girl fighting slavery, A Cheyenne Odessey - the life of young Indian boy in the 1800's and City of Immigrants - about Lena, a Russian immigrant, and her starting a new life in the early 1900's in the US. I'll try it with my students next week.

http://www.mission-us.org/

Peek of the week 18 - Great books for teenagers/young adults

I encounter students on a weekly basis who say "I hate reading" or "I just can't focus on a book" ...times are changing - a great deal - and it's a fact that teenagers are becoming more digitally literate, but unfortunately more BOOK illiterate. I find this to be a necessary part of our digital evolution, however I also see it as a tragic part of a lost era where kids today are finding it hard to focus on a book, or anything else, for a longer period of time. 

I still remember the books that I read as a nerdy teenager, the books that became a part of my daily life, the books that still linger with me because I was sucked into them and could never leave them, books that haunted me, books that taught me a valuable lesson or two, books that made me realize that there was a different, mesmerizing, world outside of my own room, books that I need to recommend to anyone reading this. Peek of the week 18 takes a look at GREAT books:

Lord of the flies by William Golding

The Body by Stephen King

 The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Wave by Todd Strasser

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

A current favorite for the teenagers who actually ARE reading is this one. I haven't read it myself yet(but I've seen the movie and it's great!)

What's your favorite teenage/young adult book?

Peek of the week 17 - Tongue twisters

Tongue twisters...basically alliterated phrases, sentences, that you recite quickly for effect. I love them!! Here's a few of my favorites - knock yourself out!:

1. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. 

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

2. Betty Botter bought some butter;

“But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter!

If I put it in my batter

It will make my batter bitter.

But a bit o’ better butter

Will but make my batter better.”

Then she bought a bit o’ butter

Better than the bitter butter,

Made her bitter batter better.

So ’twas better Betty Botter

Bought a bit o’ better butter.

3. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck

If a woodchuck would chuck wood?

A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck

If a woodchuck would chuck wood.

Peek of the week 16 - Civil Rights - the USA

This week we take a peek at the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. Right now I'm in the process of planning some lessons around this theme for my ninth grade. After their national tests we'll learn more about this topic. Following are some really good links to material that'll be of good use during the lessons, and we'll start off with an infographic about the Civil Rights timeline. The lessons will finish with Alice Walkers' mesmerizing short story "Flowers".

Civil Rights Timeline

Primary Documents

A brief history of Jim Crow

Was Jim Crow a real person?

Examples of Jim Crow laws

Flight to Freedom: Mission US - interactive way to learn history

Headline from newspaper 1954

U2 - Pride (song about Martin Luther King Jr)

Theory of Non-Violence

Short story - "Flowers" by Alice Walker

Peek of the week 15 - Gandhi

After a few days off from work it is time to get back to the peeks of the week and this time it's number 15. This week the focus is on Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), a figure synonymous with civil rights, non-violence, fight for Indian independence and almost considered a father of India. Read the article below and watch the biographical video to learn more about this fascinating man. 

Picture source: wikipedia  Gandhi to the right in the picture

Historic figure Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma) (article)


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi biography (video)

Peek of the week 14 - Short films

I like short films very much, so much that I always come back to them in the blog and in life. I sometimes use short films at the end of lessons to quickly discuss a theme or to take up something important. Occasionally I even make the short film the center of attention during a lesson and build tasks around it. Some of my favorite short films I have collected under the page "short films" above.

The Australian short film festival Tropfest is where my interest started. From there on I found other good sites with short films: Film English, Film Shortage, Short of the week and Films Short. Of course there are other places to find brilliant shorties, but these are a few that I regularly go back to.

So which are my favorite short short films of all time? Well, that is too difficult to say, but a few of my current favorites are:

Alma:

Mind the gap: 

Mind The Gap from Luke Flanagan on Vimeo.

Mo'Ne Davis: Throw like a girl:

Peek of the week 13 - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Peek of the week number 13 takes a look at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), sometimes called "the Mounties", is Canada's federal police force. The force is to be found in all provinces and territories. The force was founded in 1873 but the current name came into use in 1920. Today, the force has about 25 000 employees all over the country. Here is a picture of their beautiful, ceremonial, uniform: 

Picture source: http://pixshark.com/canadian-mounted-police-hat.htm

Peek of the week 12 - Australia: Uluru

It is time to take a look at Australia and one of its fascinating wonders: Uluru, formerly more known as "Ayer's Rock". Uluru is a huge sandstone formation, 348 meters high and with a circumference of close to 9, 5 kilometers, in the middle of Australia and in the southern part of the Northern Territory. As a cultural landmark it is of utmost significance and it also seems like a sacred place for many people. The wonders of nature are amazing and Uluru is a great example of this! Take a look at the video!

(picture source: http://australiasgeography.weebly.com/uluru.html)

Peek of the week 11 - Nelson Mandela

When someone talks about South Africa it is almost impossible to NOT think about Nelson Mandela. He was so synonymous with the country and when it is time for this week's "peek" then it is the late human rights' advocate and former president who is the focal point. I suppose many people already know a little about Mandela's story but the following videos present his life with 1. old documentary footage and 2. an easy learner's cartoon guide. Do you have about 10 minutes to spare? Take a look at one of the videos to refresh your memory - or acquire new knowledge - about Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela

Map of the peeks of the week - so far

Peek of the week 1-10

I'm trying out a Google Map and placing my peeks on it...let's see how it goes.. :)

Peek of the week 10 - great videos and channels on YouTube

Peek of the week 10 focuses on channels and inspirational videos on YouTube. What they have in common? They are informative, often funny and graphically appealing and, not to forget, they are in English. Here are some of my favorites..

Apart from English, I also teach History and I really like Epic Rap Battles . Important historical figures pop up with fun lyrics, but still with facts woven in..

Here is 

Gandhi vs Martin Luther King Jr:

Crash Course has illustrative videos with a tiny humoristic twist. Subjects to be found are History, Chemistry, Biology, Literature among others...

How and Why We Read:

It's Okay to be smart has informative videos and this is a current favorite of mine:

Amy Poehler's Smart Girls has some videos where smart girls take a dominant seat - love it! Here is Girls of the World and Hannah from Northern Ireland:

Other good channels to recommend are:

Anglophenia
CGP Grey (witty informative videos) 
SoulPancake (Kid President is found here, reflective videos about life...)
Teaching Tolerance
TEDEducation

Peek of the week 9 - Kid President

Peek of the week number 9 takes a peek at the phenomenon that is "Kid President". 

Robby Novak, age 11, is an American kid who plays the role of "Kid President" in videos produced by SoulPancake - you can find many of them on his channel on Youtube. He has an inspiring approach to school, students, teachers and life - all with humor and good intent. Listen and let Kid President boost your mood! 

A pep talk for teachers and students:

Kid President has a dream!

Peek of the week 8 - the Serenity Prayer

Not being very religious I first questioned whether I should include the Serenity Prayer here, but as it is a good lesson for life, and also beneficial to include in one's general knowledge, here it comes.....The Serenity Prayer (short version featured here) is this week's "peek".

I guess I was a teenager when I first heard it. In a movie that I do not remember the name of, and recited by an actor that I cannot visualize right now. It was a he though, and the man's voice was steady and burly as he, with conviction, uttered "God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference." As that teenager I was mesmerized by the prayer and thought it was truth in just a couple of lines. Now, that I am much older and wiser (could be questioned!!!) I can also honestly say that the prayer contains a lot of truth... I mean we all encounter people, situations and happenings that are difficult to just behold and accept. Catastrophes happen; tsunamis, genocides, earthquakes, freak accidents and hopelessness enters into the equation and we try try to make the best of it. Accepting that things happen and cannot usually be altered through my hands, but still holding on to the courage needed for when things are possible to change, is an important life lesson. Eventually I also believe that the wisdom of distinguishing between the two deepens as we get older. At times, I want to believe that my wisdom is finely tuned into distinguishing that difference and making it clear to myself when the action is needed - a much needed capability to accompany me in the classroom!

The Serenity Prayer is said to have been written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It is to be found in several different versions and by different authors, but with the same message. It is simple, beautiful and we can all learn from it. 

Peek of the week 7 - the Haka

This week's "peek" takes a look at the "haka". The Haka is a traditional type of Maori war dance performed at various ceremonial get-togethers in New Zealand. From the beginning, the tribes made use of them as moral-boosting chants before going to battle. 

During the last decades it has popped up in other contexts and today the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, has become famous for performing a traditional Haka at the beginning of their games. Quite intimidating for the opposing team, I guess... 

The lyrics to a traditional haka you can find below the video...

(Lyrics source: BBC )

Ringa pakia
(Slap the hands against the thighs)
Uma tiraha
(Puff out the chest)
Turi whatia
(Bend the knees)
Hope whai ake
(Let the hip follow)
Waewae takahia kia kino
(Stamp the feet as hard as you can)
Ka mate! Ka mate!
(It is death!, It is death!) 
Ka ora! Ka ora!
(It is life!, It is life!) 
Ka mate! Ka mate!
(It is death! It is death!) 
Ka ora! Ka ora!
(It is life! It is life!) 
Tenei Te Tangata Puhuru huru
(This is the hairy man) 
Nana nei tiki mai 
(Who fetched the sun) 
Whakawhiti te ra
(And caused to shine again) 
A upa ne ka up ane
(One upward step, another upward step) 
Upane, Kaupane
(An upward step) 
Whiti te ra
(The sun shines!)

Peek of the week 6 - the 50 states of the USA

50. There are 50 states in the USA. No more, no less. I have taught English for close to 13 years now and a couple of times a year I always end up in a discussion with a student, or two, about how many states there are in the US. Many of the students show up in the 7th grade and think that there are 52 states. 52? Where do they get this from? A deck of cards? In every class there are always a handful of students who think there are 52 states, and others believe there are 48 of them (I guess they are thinking of mainland USA..) and of course some of them know that there are 50. So, every year I get to explain that there are 50 states, and has been so at least since 1960 when Hawaii gained statehood, for the non-believers. I suppose the district of Columbia (Washington D.C.) could cause a dilemma and maybe people think of Puerto Rico as a state, although it is not.

Anyway, here are some good links to learning more about the 50 states. Some of them have interesting laws and regulations, others memorable state mottos. One of my favorite states is New Hampshire and that state's motto is "Live free or die". Something to discuss and think about....

In Baltimore, in the state of Maryland, it is illegal to take a lion to the movies. Really? And in the state of Oklahoma it is illegal to have a sleeping donkey in your bathtub after 7 pm. That means...it is ok ... before 7 pm?? Some other funny laws can be found here.

Want to learn the names and locations of the states? This video will help you out:

Watched it? So now, see how many states you know by taking this quiz or this. Hope you did well - and that you now know that there are.....50 states in the USA. ;)

Peek of the week 5 - Canva

This week's "peek" into something, is the digital tool Canva. During the past week a few of my students began composing poems about emotions and illustrated them with the help of Canva. I found the interesting assignment in a discussion forum on Facebook and there was a link to Sara Bruun, who had her students do a similar thing. I am very pleased with how they started working with this, and we will continue next week creating more poems.

First, we quickly talked about what kind of emotions we can experience..and examples like "fear, anxiety, joy, sadness..." came up. The students chose one emotion, worked with a friend, and followed the following guidelines for the structure of the poem:


Title (emotion)
Line 1: ....(emotion) is (color)
Line 2: What does the emotion taste like?
Line 3: What does the emotion smell like?
Line 4: What does the emotion feel like?
Line 5: What does the emotion sound like?
Line 6: What does the emotion look like?


Here are some examples of what was made, and how Canva can be used:

Canva is easy to use, can be totally free of charge (there are elements that cost, but you can do without them) and is a lot fun when it comes to visualizing words like poems, stories or if you want to make a poster etc. Give it a go! :)

Peek of the week 4 - Keep Calm and Carry On

(Picture: courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On#mediaviewer/File:Keep-calm-and-carry-on-scan.jpg)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. The poster is well-known and today you can find it as a framed poster on someone's wall as a nice piece of interior design. But what is the original story? Take a look at the following video, as it tells the story behind the ubiquitous message:

So, the poster in red, with white capital letters, and King GeorgeVI's crown, was meant to carry a safety message to the British people during World War II. However, it never reached the Brits during the war - since the Germans never invaded the country and - hence, the poster was never distributed. After the war it was believed to have been destroyed and not found until around the year 2000, in a book shop called Barter Books, located in the north of England. After the discovery among some dusty old books, it quickly became popular and copied onto mugs, t-shirts, books, plates, cushions and so on. Webpages solely dedicated to the catchphrase started and soon the colors and the text itself changed to other messages. In my opinion, the original is striking and invincible in its simplicity, though.  Keep calm and carry on. 

Peek of the week 3 - Haggis

This week's "peek" into something worth knowing a little bit about is a Scottish traditional dish - haggis. Haggis is a dish that divides people - some love it and cannot live without it, others cannot stand it! But, traditional and Scottish to the bone it is.

Usually haggis is eaten to celebrate Robert Burns day, which is January 25. Robert Burns was a Scottish poet who lived in the 1700's. His Ode to a Haggis is recited at the dinner when celebrating Robert Burns day. Haggis contains sheep's intestines together with onion, barley, oats, traditional spices and it is usually cooked in a sheep's stomach. However, the video below shows a haggis being cooked in a canvas pouch due to practical reasons. Take a look to see how a haggis is made:

Here's the ode and the traditional serving: