28 March 2014

2nd April is World Autism Awareness Day!


Questions:
  1. What is autism?
  2. Who launched World Autism Awareness Day, when and why?
  3. What event is being organized near you for this day?

Assignment:
Report for your school webzine someone's experience of living or working with an autistic person.

26 March 2014

All the world's a stage...27th March is World Theatre Day!

John Gielgud putting on his stage makeup

Translate:
"Sous les arbres dans les petits villages, et sur les scènes sophistiquées de grandes métropoles ; dans les halls d’écoles, les champs, les temples ; dans les quartiers pauvres, les places publiques, dans les centres de loisirs et les sous-sols de cités, les gens se regroupent pour communier dans les mondes théâtraux éphémères que nous créons pour exprimer notre complexité humaine, notre diversité, notre vulnérabilité, en chair et en os, en souffle, en voix."


Questions:
  1. What is the WTI (what does it do)?
  2. What is UNESCO and what is its slogan?
  3. How often do you go to the theatre?
  4. Who, for you, is the greatest playwright?
  5. What is your favourite play?
  6. Who is your favourite character in a play?
  7. Who is the actor you most admire (living or dead)?
  8. Would you like to become a professional actor?

To do:
  1. Describe to the others in your class your experience of taking part in a play.
  2. Act out a scene from a play you like a lot!
  3. Write a short review of the last play you saw (send it as a "comment" to this blog post!).

Assignment:
Interview an actor about his job; how much does s/he feel actors conform "to the sanitized demands of the market" as Brett Bailey says in his World Theatre Day message?

18 March 2014

20th March is World Sparrow Day

Click HERE to visit the website!

Questions:
  1. Which is your favourite bird?
  2. Why are sparrows disappearing?
  3. What can we do about it?

17 March 2014

20th March is United Nations International Day of Happiness!


Questions:
  1. What's your idea of happiness?
  2. Would you like to live in the "world's happiest country" (why/not)?
  3. How would you make where you live a happier place?

Hungry?

Why do we still use pesticides?

To do/questions:
  1. View the video and summarise it.
  2. What are the arguments AGAINST the use of pesticides according to the Pesticide Action Week leaflet?
  3. What are the arguments FOR the use of pesticides (cf. "Why do we still use pesticides?")?
  4. Translate the following information taken from http://www.pesticideactionweek.org/:

La France, champion des pesticides …

  • La France est le 1er pays européen utilisateur de pesticides et le 3ème au monde
  • La consommation de pesticides a augmenté de 2.6% depuis 2008, malgré le plan Ecophyto 2018 qui prévoit une diminution de 50% de pesticides d’ici 2018
  • 96% des cours d’eau sont pollués
  • Plus de 50% des fruits et légumes (non bio) contiennent des résidus de pesticides
  • L’épandage aérien est toujours pratiqué grâce aux nombreuses dérogations

… et mauvais élève pour les alternatives

  • La France est au 19ème rang européen pour sa production bio
  • Seulement 3.9% de la surface agricole française est en bio alors que le Grenelle de l’Environnement avait fixé l’objectif de 6% en 2012 et de 20% en 2020


Assignment:
  1. If you are against the use of pesticides, write a PAW postcard to someone to convince them of your point of view.
  2. Give a 60-second speech giving arguments FOR the use of pesticides.