Getting Started (1) - Making sense of the other / the syllabus

Today we are starting a new unit. It will be your first contact with this year's syllabus/curriculum (part 1), and it will hopefully foster discussion about assessment and how classwork should/will be organised (part 2).
The whole unit is designed to give you a say, so take the opportunity :-)
Part 1 will take a whole week - two lessons for group work and one lesson for presentations and discussion (October, 7th).
Click here to have an overview of the unit (Parts 1 and 2)
Click here for the guidelines for your group work (Part 1)
Enjoy...

Eggcersise

Yes, you guessed, the aim of this activity was not to keep you awake. It was fun but it was also a way of thinking about group dynamics.

Here are just a few comments. I hope I can hear from you too.

• the contraptions you devised were really ingenious. You were creative and resourceful :-)

• there were different ways of achieving the objective:
  some did a lot of thinking and planning, which is absolutely essential, but does not necessarily do the trick!
  some planned and started right away, which proved effectual but again... not necessarily!
• you came up with different ideas for testing your constructions, which is great. Trial-and-error, basically.
• all groups did very well. To be honest, all but one. The one whose members did not commit themselves to the task; discussion was poor, not all members included.
• the groups that worked better managed equal participation of all members. All were engaged and enthusiastic about the task.
• it proved difficult for all of you to (i) listen to and (ii) follow instructions. You should give it serious thought. Tell me, why is it so difficult to work in silence?

Now, I'd like to hear from you. Write a comment, or use the forum. Take a look at the photos.
And to the OBSERVER GRID.

PS: I should say the observers did an excellent job :-)

Encompassing the Globe - follow up

I should say I really enjoyed our visit last Friday. Our hosts/guides were excellent and, I speak for myself, I learned a whole lot of new things. I am now able to look at those maps, paintings and artifacts with more informed eyes. Enlightening:-)

So, today, after an eggcersise which is meant to wake you up, and you do know what I mean, I'll ask you to do some writing that will help you look through some of the new information and reflect on what you've learned.

I hope you enjoy the writing tasks.

Encompassing the World

Next lesson: The field trip ENCOMPASSING THE WORLD
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga - 18 September - 11:00 (We'll leave school at 9:45)

The BIG QUESTION is: what on earth is the link between this exhibition and the English subject? (check the topics)
There isn't much time for preparation so I'll just say that, besides keeping your eyes open, listening to the guide and taking notes, your task will be to answer this question.

Next week we'll get started. Our field trip will have set the tone, I hope. We'll start a GROUPWORK that will outline and shape our work this year. It's your SAY.

Hello everybody,

A new school year has started which, incidentally, is your final year at secondary school. Have you thought about what ir really means?

I'd like this course to be just like an ONGOING dialogue about the things we like and want to learn. With many QUESTIONS, inquiries and findings. And some positive conflicts, too :-)

Let's think together how we can do it; how we can find BRIDGES to link the familiar (that makes us feel nice and cozy ZZZZ) and the new and unknown (that baffles and challenges us) ...

Let’s think together about how to create and keep the right ATMOSPHERE, how to keep high levels of interest and curiosity.

We can discuss all this in class and in our forum CHITCHAT. WHY don’t you try it?

A few things I can say right now:

- We won't have a 'manual'/ TextBook, which I think is GREAT! Guess why.

- TOGETHER, we'll be organising lots of debates, and lectures, and role plays, and joint presentations, and OUTings/field trips. By the way, click here to find out about the first one.

- Unless you specifically ask ... we don't need to do that much grammar. The ENGLISH LANGUAGE is our business so we might as well use it to discuss IDEAS and discover NEW texts.

- These are the TOPICS we'll be dealing with. They are in our syllabus but we should interpret and expand them our way.

- A word of advice: set clear goals for yourself .... don't let grades mess up with your learning!

- Well, we (most of us) have known each other for quite a while now. I'm sure you're wondering about the PORTFolioooo. Are you?

WELCOME
I wish you a very pleasant and successful school year.