Some weeks ago I watched a funny video (thanks Paul Kelly for sharing) by "Weird Al" Yankovic called "Word Crimes" this video is a parody of the song " Blurred lines" by Robin Thicke and was recorded in 2013. All
Yankovic is really concerned about proper use of grammar and has
campaigned against bad use in songs, posters, ads and social media. He
considers himself a "grammar nerd"
In this video he mocks on line commenters, misspelling, abuse of numbers instead of letters, language on SMS, punctuation etc.
Watch the video and write down as many mistakes which are mentioned as you can.
I have come across a viral ad that I consider worthy to share and talk about with my students. It an advertisement from Swedish Railways (SJ) by TBWA\Stockholm which challenges gender roles with Paul's transformative journey.
1. Can you describe what you saw? 2. What is the main purpose of the ad? 3. Why do you think this video has gone viral? 4. How does it make you feel?
"Whoever you are, wherever you want to go, for the bigger journeys and the small, SJ will be there for you" this is the main message of the campaign. Would you travel with them?
On December 9th, 2016 Madonna was regarded Best Woman of the Year at Billboard Awards. It wasn't something new for her as she is used to getting all kinds of awards all along her 34 years as an entertainer, but this was a special one to be cited. When she got on stage to receive her award she stood in a man-like position and gave a powerful speech.
She talked about misogyny, abuse, sexism and feminism. We found an unusual Madonna who almost broke into tears remembering long ago sufferings. I want to highlight some of the things she said about the following and give some food for thought.
MISOGYNY AND SEXISM
“I stand before you as a doormat… Oh, I mean, as a female entertainer"
What do you think she wanted to say about being " a doormat"?
“Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career
for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny and constant bullying
and relentless abuse.”
"If you’re a girl, you have to play the game. You’re allowed to be pretty
and cute and sexy. But don’t act too smart. Don’t have an opinion that’s out of
line with the status quo"
What happens if you have an out-of-line opinion or you don't play the game?
"To age is a
sin"
Why are women rejected in some jobs when they age?
"Women do not
have the same freedom as men.”
"Women have
been so oppressed for so long, they believe what men have to say about them,”
“They believe they have to back a man to get the job done.”
Why would you back a man or a woman? In what ways?
WOMEN HATING/HELPING OTHER WOMEN
“Be what
men want you to be, but more importantly, be what women feel comfortable with
you being around other men"
What do you think she means with this last sentence?
"As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other’s
worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn
from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by.”
Why is this so important?
This year the International theme is #BeBoldforChange to help forge a better world- a more inclusive, gender equal world
To celebrate woman's Day this year I've chosen two videos I hope you like
A beatiful song by Alicia Keys "Superwoman" (2007)
and another one as a tribute to George Michael who passed away on December 25th "Freedom" (1990).
They talk about being yourself and don't care about others' opinions on you. It's like Madonna said in her speech: you have to fit a stereotype or an imageto be counted.
On January 10th, 2016 David Bowie passed away, but he left an interesting legacy of songs, videos, art, tolerance and a new way to see life.
One of his best song ever was "Space Oddity" released in 1969 during a period of great interest in space flight. The United States' Apollo 11 mission would launch five days later and would become the first manned moon landing another five days after that.
In 2013, the song was covered by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who performed the song while aboard the and therefore became the first music video shot in space. It has reached popularity in 2016 because it was used by Lady Heroine for the game "Call of Duty Infinity warfare"
Chris Hadfield ( 1959) was the first Canadian to walk in space, he flew two space shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station. He was responsible for a crew of five astronauts and helped to run
dozens of scientific experiments dealing with the impact of low gravity
on human biology. During the mission he also gained popularity by
chronicling life aboard the space station and taking pictures of the
earth and posting them through social networks and by singing and playing the guitar in space for the first time.
Before listening and watching the video I'd like you to try to define or give a synonym for the following words that you'll see in the video.
After learning all different types of reported sentences, reporting verbs, linkers etc, it's time to have some fun practising a little.
1. Listen to a famous song by Suzanne Vega "Luka" and do the activities that follow
A) Explain what Luka tells you in the song; write at least five sentences. B) Write two examples of reported questions she says. C) Write two examples of conditional sentences.
This song is about child abuse; How did you feel when you listened to it? Why does Luka act this way? Would you do the same in that situation?
Now watch the video with the Lyrics and check your activity
2. "Fifty Ways to Leave your Lover" by Paul Simon: this is the ideal song to practise reported speech. A man a woman talk about the best ways to leave a lover and Paul Simon reports their conversation. Watch the video and complete the worksheet, you can also practise rhyming
Every March 8th we celebrate International Women's Day. As I always do, I've been trying to include something new this year. The UN has organised lots of events, here you have some to know more about it.
What problems which women suffer in
the world are mentioned?
What do "the glass ceiling" and "acarpet of shards" refer to?
What actions has the Secretary made
in favour of women?
How many Parliaments don’t have
women now?
Name two campaigns who are fighting in favour of women
What do you think of Confucius’ sentence: “ To put the world in order, we must begin in our own circles”.What
does it remind you of?
As you already know, this year's theme is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality” in clear reference to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 especially
No. 5 "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls"
No. 4 "Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning"
Some of the objectives to achieve for 2030 are:
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free,
equitable and quality primary and secondary education.
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to
quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so
that they are ready for primary education.
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls
in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual
and other types of exploitation.
Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
DISCUSS
Do you think these goals could be achieved? Which do you think is the most difficult to get? why? Do you think girls are discriminated in our society? how?
