Don't forget we all have a brain!

Source: Google images

You have just read a text about the memory capacity of the human brain and we have worked some vocabulary around this topic. This theme is very interesting, there are numerous studies going on about it in order to try to understand and explain the complexity of the human brain.

Some time ago there was a piece of surprising news about Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic man who has an incredible ability to draw buildings in specific and accurate detail after seeing them just once. In fact, some scientists think they have identified the part of the brain, which if switched off, can stimulate artistic genius.

Watch this amazing case (click the link below the image).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8327199.stm

You can now work some idioms on memory here and when you are ready, do the quiz.

The importance of using a proper punctuation.

Using punctuation correctly makes your writing easier for the reader to understand. Proper punctuation is essential in written English to enable the reader to understand what it is you are trying to say. Spacing with punctuation is also important to make your writing readable. Here you have a couple of links that can help you understand the English punctuation rules.

Simple Punctuation Guide: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/punctuationtext.htm

Punctuation game (for the playful ones): http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/english/spelling_grammar/punctuation/play/

My favourite punctuation mark is the semicolon. What is yours? Click the link below the image if you want to start using the semicolon properly. 

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

And if you want to practise before you start writing your essays and stories, here’s an interesting page that can help you.

More tales from Shakespeare's (resources)

These are the four adapted plays by Shakespeare we have read and talked about in class. I have included their key themes.

Hamlet:

Hesitation, Corruption, Revenge, Deception, Ambition, Loyalty, Serendipity, Madness

Othello:

Appearance vs reality, All things are not what they seem, Jealousy, Hatred, True love.

Romeo and Juliet:

Love, Tragedy, Judgement, Conflict, Fate.

King Lear:

Suffering can transform a contemptible human being into a good person, All things are not as they appear, Green and lust, Fate, Power.

There are plenty of summaries and resources you can have a look at on the internet, but the best way to get to know Shakespeare’s work is to do your own outlines and work the vocabulary to understand the stories.

Here you have the links to the plays by The Reduced Shakespeare Company for a laugh J

Romeo and Juliet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzVyqiskpMk&feature=related

Othello: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC-f0drvdmM

Hamlet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPdWcCHkxM&feature=related

About King Lear I have found Act 5 Scene 3, when the King realises how wrong he was, by the Royal Shakespeare Company: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvA_gUDGKik&feature=relmfu

Remember you should rewatch the video about Shakespeare’s biography to understand his historical and personal background:

You have here another shorter video about the Elizabethan age:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=h24zZETMzR8&NR=1

Do you like maga comics? Well, here you have the summaries (PDF) of the plays in manga version:

Hamlet: http://www.mangashakespeare.com/synopsis/HAMLET_plot_summary.pdf

Romeo and Juliet: http://www.mangashakespeare.com/synopsis/ROMEO&JULIET_plot_summary.pdf

Othello: http://www.mangashakespeare.com/synopsis/OTHELLO_plot_summary.pdf

King Lear: http://www.mangashakespeare.com/synopsis/KING_LEAR_plot_summary.pdf

These resources are meant to help you, I hope they help you, but it is you who must decide which are useful. Feel free to look for other links or options to prepare the test.

#Dickens2012

Charles Dickens was born in England on 7 February 1812, so there are already numerous international celebrations going on to commemorate the event.

We’ll do our bit by tweeting a quote of the author or info about his biography. The activity is very simple. You just have to surf on the net to find a short quote or some facts about the universal writer, you can also post a photo or image, or ever better, why don't you do the three options?

Iknow, you won’t, but don’t forget to bring your smartphones to class on tuesday! And have your tweets ready to post!! We'll display all our tweets in cool way! I hope you like the surprise!

We’ll include the hashtags #Dickens2012 and #tmeng to our tweets. Here you have three examples of possible tweets:

Short history of our calendar!

It's the year 2012. We started a new century and a new millennium not long ago. We can't even imagine what the next thousand years will bring, but if the last twelve years are any guide, the rest of the third millennium will hold changes and hopefully wonders!!

We often depend on the calendar to plan our daily routines. We also use it to plan our future: work, meetings, appointments, holidays, birthdays and all of the other events in life. Most of us write them in our diaries so that we won't forget.

Here’s a video of a short history of the modern calendar that explains in a graphic way the origins of our system of organizing our schedule in days, weeks, months and years.

Happy 2012!

Nice message for this still baby year!! Happy 2012 2U all ㋡

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You're simply the best!

This week I’ve been showing all the class groups the Cadbury viral campaign to support British athletes in the Olimpic Games held in London next summer. This time swimmer Rebecca Adlington is swimming while a few stereotyped characters sing the great Tina Turner’s song "You’re Simply the Best" under the water: there are workmen, a royal guard, a dinner lady, a butcher, a uniformed boy, a shepherd ... as well as an eccentric pop group.

This video is part of the campaign which encourages Britons to record their own words of encouragement. You can find all the details clicking here. They have not needed to include their brand’s name, there’s just a touch of purple throughout the ad, a very subtle and elegant way of getting publicity

The video is indeed encouraging and spreads positivism. I hope all of you get infected by this cheerfulness and think that you can also be the best. Enjoy it!