Much Ado About Nothing follow-up (3ºC,B)

Remember the topics for the composition about Much Ado...? Let´s see what your classmates in 3ºB and C had to say about them...

Topic A. Why do you think this play is called Much Ado About Nothing (Mucho ruido y pocas nueces)?

"In Spanish, Much Ado About Nothing means "Mucho ruido y pocas nueces". When we say that expression we are referring to a person or something that looks or shows themselves as a very extraordinary person or thing. But finally it isn´t as spectacular as expected. For example when you see it is going to rain a lot and you take your umbrella, a lot of clothes, your coat, but then it hardly rains. (...) I think this play is called "Much Ado About Nothing" because (...) there is a lot of mess and confusion with Don John, Hero, Borachio, Claudio, Beatrice, Benedick and the other characters, and then, at the end, it´s all the same way it was, except for Benedick and Beatrice". (Raquel B.) 

"In my opinion the play is called Much Ado About Nothing because the characters go through many scandals and problems formed by nothing (jealousy) or without a special intention from the people provoking them. An example of this would be the love story between Benedick and Beatrice, as the love between them was created by a simple game (...). Another example of this would obviously be how Claudio abandoned Hero because he did not trust her and he let Don John fool him without questioning his arguments or talking to Hero about it.

 (...) Another possible option would be that Shakespeare tried to make a pun, as in his day "nothing" was often pronounced as "noting", which can mean the same as eavesdropping. Now remember how Benedick and Beatrice get to know about each other´s feelings by overhearing conversations..." (Laurentiu C.)

 

Topic B. If you were in love with a beautiful girl/handsome boy who really loved you, but one day  the rumour had it through whatsapp (with pictures of him/her with another girl/boy in a very friendly attitude) that he/she is cheating on you, would you believe it without hesitation?  Would you leave your girl/boyfriend without talking to her/him about it? 

"The first thing I would do is to talk to my girlfriend because resolving problems makes relationships stronger, and if the excuse convinces me I will continue with her because she has the right to meet her friends but I would tell her that if she sees me with another girl she shouldn´t get jealous". (Alejandro J.)

"Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in my opinion, this is not true. Sometimes an excellent explanation can give more information than expected, and can even save love between two people. 

(...) Before making a decision you should consider your love towards that person. If you really love her, you trust her, and therefore you won´t be jealous. I would always behave this way, and if she is really cheating on you, it´s her problem. that woman doesn´t deserve your love, and you should look for someone who is really worth". (Alberto S.) 

"...with technology available now, a good photo editor can make you believe a situation that is not real, for example if you have a photo in a social network kissing your girlfriend, the editor can change your face for another person´s". (Cristian F.)

"In a relationship there has to be confidence, respect and love, and if you break that confidence, it is very difficult to earn it again, because confidence is hard and slow to obtain, but fast to break". (Irene M.)

"A relationship broken because of a misunderstanding isn´t strong enough". (Larisa P.)

"You always have to give people time to stay with their friends and I understand he is not going to be with me all the time as also I´m not going to be always with him". (Marta V.)

"It is a very difficult situation because I think you never know how to react. If you get angry maybe the other person will also get angry or not. If you are calm, he could get angry or not. If you are nervous he will probably leave you because he thinks you are too reactive, but he would also see you care about him. If you are calm he maybe would think you don´t care and is better to leave you, or he would like it because you show you are a very calm person. But for sure I would choose the first reaction, getting angry. I think because I prefer him to think I am jealous and am concerned about this situation. I want him to see that I love him". (Patricia E.)

"...if finally the girl confesses that they are having a secret relation, I will immediately leave my boyfriend (...). Then I will try to make the boy confess because I will never be able to forget that love if I never know the truth from both parts. I will never forget the situation, I will be for a long time very depressed because I will feel betrayed and disappointed". (Carolina B.)

"If I love someone I trust her (...), if she really loved me she wouldn´t cheat on me, that´s what I think". (Ioan S.)

The Sigüenza Nature Camp

 We are now back from Sigüenza, four exciting days we won´t forget!

Patricia, abseiling and (surprisingly) smiling at the same time

Learning to play Tchouckball with Gretchen

Playing Lacrosse

Andrea having a go at golf

Baseball now

A literary circle in the forest? No, playing Splat with Daniel

In Barbatona

Hiking back to Sigüenza: Don Quixote was here!

Some indoor activities too

Eva and Gloria preparing cupcakes (or so)

Rubén, about to descend a frightening rock

Reyes, another bold abseiler

Ioan went down three times!

Gabriel making his way to the top

Sightseeing in Sigüenza

What is El Doncel reading?

Farewell

 

 

 

 

With the fabulous Naturenglish team: Gretchen, Joseph and Daniel

April 5-8 plan (3ºB,C)

Hi all, these are the activities you must prepare this week. Distribute your time to have them ready for Monday 11:

3ºB

-Passive "pack": finish it. Work also with the online drills in the entry below if you haven´t yet.


-Much Ado About Nothing:

-Now you have unscrambled the plot and know what happens in each scene of the play, it´s time to act one of them! Task:
1. Think of groups (between 2 and 5 members) to work with. Don´t forget to include the students who will go to the immersion activity.
2. Choose a scene you would like to perform (according to the number of characters it includes: if you are only 3, it wouldn´t be very advisable to choose a scene with 6 characters unless you want to go nuts).  Each group must pick a different scene. Andrei, as your class representative, will see to that.
3. Choose then a character. The sex of the character shouldn´t be a problem, if you are a man you can perform a woman (as you know, that was the case back in Shakespeare´s times), and vice-versa. I wouldn´t mind if you included a character that is not in the scene as long as the main events in the scene are not affected, with the same condition an unimportant character could also be eliminated.
4. When I´m back, I´ll give you a quarto (hopefully you remember what that is, come on, check your notes) with the scene you selected (an adapted version!) so you can work on it. You can (and should if you want to get a better mark) introduce changes in the dialogues or make them longer again on condition again that you don´t change the plot. You can give me your own quartos for me to check ASAP (anyway never later than April 20).
5. The performances will be done on April 25. Come properly dressed and bring the necessary props...

-Continue reading Skellig. Remember on April 14 you must turn in the LC worksheet about chapters 10 to 15.

-Student´s book (Interactive): p 62, exercise 8a,b (vocabulary) and pp.64, 65 (Jamaica) exercises 1a,b,c (p.65).

3ºC

-Passive "pack": finish it. Work also with the online drills in the entry below if you haven´t yet.


-Time capsule activity: In groups of 3 students (and one of 4) you have to think of 3 things which in your opinion best represent teenagers in Spain and prepare a poster to display them. The objects must not be bigger than a book (the idea is to put them into a time capsule to be buried and eventually opened in 2099 so that the people living then can have an idea about what you were like) and the poster will include pictures of the objects, explanations of what they are used for with the passive voice (It´s used to, it was invented....) and an eye-catching graphic design.  Organize the groups as you like: three groups must be made up by 3 students and a fourth should have 4.

-Much Ado About Nothing: Finish the unscrambling activity and find the correct order of the scenes. Start thinking of the classmates you would like to work with to prepare the performance of one of the scenes, the scene you would like to perform and the character you would like to be.


-Continue reading Skellig. Remember on April 14 you must turn in the LC worksheet about chapters 10 to 15.

 -Student´s book (Interactive): p 62, exercise 8a,b (vocabulary) and pp.64, 65 (Jamaica) exercises 1a,b,c (p.65).

Skellig Literary Circles plan (3ºB,C)

Here you are the planning for the 3rd Term Literary Circles about Skellig. The Thursdays before those dates you must turn in your LC worksheets, except for the first LC (Chapters 1-9), which must be submitted on Mon April 4).

APR 12: CHAPTERS 1 TO 9

APR 19: CH.10 TO 15

APR 26: CH. 16 TO 20

MAY 3: CH. 21 TO 28

MAY 10: CH. 29 TO 34

MAY 17: CH. 35 TO 40

MAY 24: CH. 40 TO 46

"We believe that schools inhibit the natural curiosity , creativity and intelligence of children. The mind needs to be opened out into the world , not shuttered down  inside a gloomy classroom" (Oh my!).

Passive Easter

No, I don´t want your Easter holidays to be passive so here you are a list of links to practice the Passive voice online. Start working out that fabulous third term mark right now! And of course enjoy your holidays and have fun!

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6

Global again!

For the third year in a row, our students of 3ºESO passed to the final round of Global Classrooms, and also for the third year, one of them will be able to attend a UN conference in the New York headquarters! Congratulations to you and to all the people who made this exciting experience possible.

Intensive preparation at school, here helped by 4º ESO students who won the competition last year

Carlos, Social Science teacher,  with 3ºB students

Working out the Opening Speeches

One for all, all for one:with Teresa, our Fulbright assistant, in the Asamblea

Shakespeare´s quiz

You must have this quiz ready for next Monday (March 7).

A. In  "60 seconds Shakespeare" (with summaries of William Shakespeare´s plays in tabloid format), you will find the answers to these questions:
-How did Macbeth discover he would be king?
-Why did Macbeth kill Banquo, his best friend?
-Which trick did Iago use to make Othello believe his wife was unfaithful to him?
-How did Hamlet find out his father, King Hamlet, had been killed by his brother Claudius?
-How did Ophelia die?
-How did Leonato punish Claudio for rejecting his daughter at their wedding?
-In which play does Touchstone appear? What is his job at the king´s court?
-How could Antonio avoid having to pay Shylock a pound of flesh?
-Why did Portia help Antonio?
-Explain what is happening and the characters involved in this scene of the 2004 film version of The Merchant of Venice:

-Now, which plays are these quotes from?

1."Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."

2. "Out, damned spot! out, I say!
Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?"

3. "All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts". 

4. "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?".

5."O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on." 

6."To be or not to be, that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?"

B. Questions on The Tempest (find the answers here).
1.Why was Prospero in a haunted island? Was he alone?
2.Who were Prospero´s servants?
3. Prospero must have thought that "revenge is a dish best served cold". Why?
4. Say two ways Prospero used his magic to make fun of Antonio and Alonso.
5. What is the final message of this play in your opinion? 
6. Now watch this trailer of the 2010 film version of the play. What´s the main difference with the original play?

  C. Questions on Romeo and Juliet (answers here).
1. Why is Romeo banished from Verona? 
2.  Who marries Romeo and Juliet?
3.  How does Juliet avoid her wedding to Paris?
4.  How does Juliet die?
5. In which act and scene is the duel between Tybalt and Mercutio narrated? 

6. In this trailer of Baz Luhrmann´s version of the play, how is the Prologue presented?

 

Gymnasium Anna-Sophianeum

Gymnasium Anna-Sophianeum

Future Perfect and Continuous

The Future Perfect. Click on the links:
#1
#2

The Future Continuous.
#3 
#4 

Mixed.
#5 
#6

Fear, Stress, Success and the like

70% of the students of 3ºB and C are scared of spiders...

So here are some extracts from your compositions.
Let´s start with first paragraphs that I´ve liked (remember the idea here is to grab the reader´s attention with strong openings: a thought-provoking question, a direct address to the reader...).
 "Is there anyone in the whole world not afraid of something? Even though that person might exist, I´m not one of them". (Paula F.) Simple but effective!
"Everybody is scared of something, it doesn´t matter if it is snakes or darkness. If you aren´t scared of anything, you are not human". (Bea M.) Excellent beginning.
"In spite of the fact that I am going to talk about my successes and failures in life, I´m not going to say any failures because it´s never too late to try again and I am never going to give up". (Álvaro C.) Optimistic and confident, a good way to start.
"What scares me? Nothing at all. First of all, to know what you are scared of, you must understand what fear is: Some scientists define fear as a reaction to something unknown that you can´t control. Therefore, if you can control all your emotions, despite the fact that is difficult, you will be able to control your fears". (Óscar R). Interesting point (easily said than done, I´m afraid).
"Have you ever been bitten by a spider? Or have you seen some shadows while you were alone at home? Although these situations don´t seem related, they are fears. My fears". (Andrei S.) Cool start.
"Terror, what an interesting an complicated issue, don´t you think? I´ve heard of really strange fears, such as ecclesophobia (fear of going to churches)....". (Alberto S.) Curious and amazing facts just to start with, the rest can´t get worse!
"Stuff that pisses me off? Obviously when there´s this kind of situation: -"Hey, look at that fat boy, nasty" -said a girl that weighed 90 kg. Now, how do you deal with that?". (Larisa P.). Wow... but the piss off element is a bit out of the question in what is meant to be a formal composition, though. Don´t do it in the Cambridge exams (or in mine).

The body: main idea(s), supported by your own experiences, anecdotes, examples, statistics...
"These phobias started when I was younger. I was playing at home with my toys when suddenly a spider fell from the roof into my box of toys. In order to kill it I started to take out the toys from the box; as I was doing that, without knowing it [noticing it], the spider started to climb up my arm, I saw it when it was near my shoulder. Although I started to scream and hit my shoulder in order to kill it, the "friendly spider" got on my face". (George B.) Really creepy.
"I´m scared of rollercoasters because one day when I was a child I got into one and the security boy didn´t put me the protection belts, and my mother had to do it rapidly". (Marta V.) Same idea!
Connectors are key, especially at this point. Your composition should flow from sentence to sentence and connect the ideas in a clear and logical way.
"Despite the fact that many people think it isn´t true, kids in schools can get stressed. It can be due to the excess of homework or upcoming exams. Therefore schools coud offer more help for children in order to help them study or do more class work so that teachers give less homework". (Patricia A.) Great use of linkers! 


Let´s see now some final paragraphs (time to sum up, recap and establish conclusions):
"Being afraid of whatever that surrounds us is not that bad, everybody feels the same things, that means in some aspects we all have lots of things in common". (Paula F.) Good point!
 "Therefore, there are not many things that scare me, in spite of the fact that the ones which do it do it really well, so I can have a bit more fun at Haloween!" (Ignacio C.) Some sense of humor, especially with serious topics, is always welcome.
"To conclude, we all face our own problems, you aren´t alone out there, even though you may think so. I hope these tips have helped you, as this is how I deal with stressful things in life (it doesn´t always work though). Now go for it and achieve anything you want! I believe in you!" (Laurentiu C.) Again, uplifting optimism.
"Never give up, try always to give the maximum of you, so that you can grow as a person. Never I will forget that day, thanks to my long pass to a mate we won the match and now we are the leaders of the league". (Ioan S.) That´s it!

February/March planning 3ºC, 3ºB

Hi all. An exciting month awaits us...

 3ºC
 These dates are for 3ºC (Sección):
Feb. 19 (Fri): Reading+writing exam. 2 points
Feb. 26 (Fri): Grammar+Vocabulary exam (units 1-6). 2 p.+ Listening exam. 1 p.
March 2 (Wed): Singing for Mrs Pettigrew exam (up to What does it feel like? incl.) 1 p. (30% min.to pass the term)
March 3 (Thurs): Literature (Shakespeare) exam 2 p. (30% min.to pass the term: NEW!).
(The speaking mark -1 p.- will be obtained according to your participation in the Literary Circles)

 3ºB
 These dates are for 3ºB:
Feb. 19 (Fri): Reading+writing exam. 2 points
Feb. 26 (Fri): Grammar+Vocabulary exam (units 1-6). 2 p.+ Listening exam. 1 p.
March 1 (Tue): Singing for Mrs Pettigrew exam (up to What does it feel like? incl.) 1 p. (30% min.to pass the term)
March 3 (Thurs): Literature (Shakespeare) exam 2 p. (30% min.to pass the term: NEW!).
(The speaking mark -1 p.- will be obtained according to your participation in the Literary Circles)

Linkers

Do these online drills, click on the links:

Contrast linkers:
#1
#2
#3

Purpose linkers
#4
#5  (scroll down to find the exercises)

So vs Such
#6
#7

Mixed:
#8