HAMLET

The LISBON PLAYERS are now staging HAMLET.
Don't miss it. Friday's performance (December, 4th) is sold out, but there are other dates available.
To reserve a place phone: Tel: 213 961 946 and leave a message.

Focus on Vocabulary

Here is the worksheet for you to print and ... answer.

PARLIAMENT

Welcome to our "parliamentary week"...
This week will be almost entirely dedicated to 'A day in the life of a demcracy'...
Yes, let's see how democracy works by looking into one of its pillars: the Parliament.


Since it is not that easy to go to London we'll have to do with BBC's DEMOCRACY LIVE to pay a visit to the House of Commons. You can do it any time you please, comfortably sitting at home. Together, on Monday morning,we will listen to the Queen's speech...

As for the Portuguese Parliament, next Wednesday, take a pen and a note pad (remember, your cell phone is not allowed in) and keep your eyes and ears wide open (but your mouth zipped) while we listen to our MPs. Check the agenda for Wednesday, 25th  here.

Our focus in either case will be:
- The 'House of Lords' & The 'House of Commons' and the Portuguese Hemiciclo. The buildings, the 'rituals' and procedures. Differences and similarities between the two parliaments. Be ready to describe and discuss.

- The Speakers - the Speeches - the Audience: Purpose of speeches; main arguments and theses. Language markers/features. Impact of speeches.
- Overall impressions - the ambience, the importance or relevance of the debate and the speeches, the background work that underlies what we can see and hear.
Beware of your own assumptions...be ready to change your lenses now and then!

I hope you'll have a good time :-)

Portfolio

If you are having trouble writing your portfolio, take some time to read my message to Sara which you can find here.
Remember that you should also refer to the document Wrap ups anf Portfolio which I update on a regular basis.

Thought provoking

Here are two paintings by a very famous German painter George Grosz.
Read about the painter and his paintings and caricatures here (MoMA - Museum of Modern Art) or here (The Tate Gallery, UK).

The Eclipse of the Sun (1926)

Pillars of Society (1926)

Preparing the DEBATE

"Democratic systems do not work unless theres is basic consensus amongst citizens about the acceptability of their state and social system, or at least a readiness to bargain for compromise settlements. This, in turn, is much facilitated by prosperity."

in Hobsbawm, E. (1994). Age of Extremes - The Short Twentieth Century - 1914-10091 (p 136). London: Michael Joseph.

There will be 5 sides to our debate. List the arguments, find examples of countries/societies that are/were organised that way because you will be defending:
DEMOCRACY - Mário, Bernardo, J, Meira, Rita
MONARCHY - Hugo, J. Machado, Karina
OLIGARCHY - Tiago, Frederico, Joana D.
DICTATORSHIP of the PROLETARIAT - João C, Pedro, João V.
ANARCHY - Inês, Marta, Nuno, Sara

I'm sure we'll have a very lively debate this Wednesday :-)

These wikipedia entries may not be very accurate but they can shed some light on the subject. To read with caution:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers

For assessment use this checklist which will also help you prepare a good speech.

The English Language

 Thank you Hugo for calling my attention to the fact that I forgot to post this worksheet about the English Language.
Also, you might like to find out more about, and read more poems by Benjamin Zephaniah. You see, his latest book is called 'The Teacher's dead',so ...

4 freedoms

Some speeches made history for their importance and because they marked an era. They cannot be forgotten.
This is one of them. The famous Four-Freedom speech by F.D. Roosevelt.
Listen and read (here is the worksheet). And if you want to read the whole speech follow this LINK.

Fish-eaters and the Crystal Coffin

The title is enigmatic ... but the text is interesting enough.
Here is the text you read last Friday, and which we will  continue to explore this Monday.
Democray - Oligarchy - Monarchy

I recommend...

All of us have a 'book of a lifetime, or a 'film you can't miss', or 'a place I will never forget'...
Why not share it with all the colleagues?
Volunteer and you'll have 20 minutes to give your short presentation and persuade us to read, see or go...

João M. and João V. tried to catch your attention last week but, unfortunately, you were busy showing that you were not paying attention. Well, you know what I mean and it would be a good idea to have an entry in your Learning Journal about this 'trick' we played on them.

What's in the NEWS?

Last week we watched these two BBC news video reports in class:

Iraq fears return to violence

CCTV of Turkish boy's 'miracle' escape

Now it's your turn. Volunteer to present some news report you would like to discuss in class.
Ckeck the BBC or other sources.

- Introduce the news report
- Analyse both text and image
- Introduce new Vocabulary (words/phrases/expressions you learned)
- Raise questions for debate
- Conclude and give suggestions for future debate/research

Plans & Schedules

Project planning can really be hard work if you really set yourselves to finding good Research Questions. Figuring out which sources and field work will be most likely to bring the best results, is not exactly easy, either.

On your own you've identified OBJECTIVES and possible OUTPUTS. From your notes (and I'm afraid sometimes they were not so clear) I've organised this table that gives us an overview of the different projects. This is a working document. Now pick the project you'd like to develop and MAKE IT YOUR OWN.

We need to reconcile working in a group (your projects) and 'regular' classwork so to say (or as most of you would call it)... So here is an initial work schedule. I'll update it as you enroll for the different activities such as 'What's in the news' and 'I recommend'.

Last but not the least, here is a very important reminder concerning GROUP WORK and the different ROLES that make up leadership. Yes, you may not be a born leader, but if you care to learn, and practise, and think ... you may become a true leader. Give it a try.Will you?