EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES

 One more year we are about to celebrate the European Day of Languages on Monday 26th. It is a celebration of culture and roots all the European countries share together.

 Learning languages is essential to open our mind and to get to know people. In Europe our languages share a common root : The Indoeuropean, but we also borrow and lend words, all the languages are full of borrowings from other languages around. 

 

Try to think aboout a word that is used in other language and yours and you will find it for sure.  Ej: Sandwitch, hobby (Spanish) / siesta, cafeteria (English)

 

 This year we will celebrate it in school too with exhibitions of book and the investigations of our students in the hall. 

In 1st of ESO we are going to do two tasks: 

·        Portmanteau words / blendings (acrónimos) 

The students  make a small card bending the right and left of a small cardboard and put the blending inside in the middle and the two words that form it on both sides. They can write real blendings or one that they invented

To learn what an acronym is you can read the post I wrote about it some years ago in this blog

·        Proverbs (refranes)

The students look for a proverb in Spanish and then llok for the equivalent in a European language. They write the two versions of the proverb on a cardboard 

We will exhibit all the ativities in the hall of school 

                            Join the Languages Party all over Europe!

Earth Day

On April 22nd people all over the world celebrate Earth Day. 

This event was organised in 1970 for the first time by Senator Gaylor Nelson to try to encourage respect for life on Earth, and concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water. 

There are lots of iniciatives, even Google has a doddle for this day,  but I want to highlight two videos that I really like. 

The first one is part of a project by Conservation International where famous artists give voice to Nature. The one I include gave me the chills when I first watched it. It is called Nature is Speaking and the voice is Julia Robert's

WATCH THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING     

 (vocab:   thrive = prosper “prosperar” / falter= fail “flaquear” / eons=millions of years)

1.How does the video make you feel? Explain it.

2.What do you think Nature wants from you?

3.Explain the following:

•“Nature doesn’t need people, people need nature”

•“I have fed species greater than you and I have starved species greater than you”

•“Your actions will determine your fate, not mine. I am nature I will go on and I am prepared to evolve” 

 The second one is a little bit different, to be in harmony with Nature some people in Japan practice what they call "Shinrin Yoku" or Forest Bathing. 

Watch the video and answer the following

1.What does forest bathing “Shinrin Yoku” consist of?

2.What do trees do as a protection?

3.Why is forest bathing important for health?

4.Would you like to join a forest bathing club? why?

5.Have you ever embraced a tree? how did you feel? 

 I hope you really like it and it gives you a little food for thought. 

Happy Earth Day!