mardi 11 mai 2010

Elections in UK

As you can see , the elections have been quite eventful. After a hung parliament ( cf  http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8660000/newsid_8668300/8668322.stm) we've learnt today that Gordon Brown has  finally resigned as the Prime Minister ... 



http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8670000/newsid_8676200/8676297.stm )
This means that David Cameron will probably beome the new British Prime Minister ( he is the leader of the Conservative Party)





Here is a short article axplaining how votes are cast  : http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4380000/newsid_4387700/4387743.stm
And after that , you can try the quiz :   http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4380000/newsid_4388300/4388359.stm

mercredi 5 mai 2010

Easter and food

Last month , Amandine and Salomé made an oral presentation on Easter  . I forgot to take photos unfortunately :-(

A few historical reminders
Easter was originally a pagan festival.
The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a festival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre.
The Christian missionnaries who wanted to convert them decided to do so by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but to do so in a Christian manner. And as the pagan festival of Eastre happened  at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ.....

A few symbols
  • The Easter bunny  : it was the symbol of the goddess Eastre  
  • The Easter egg  : The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a very old custom .  The egg was a symbol of birth in most cultures 


 
Now, we've just started working on food...And so far we have studied a  recipe typical of Easter : that of the Hot Cross Buns   . Yummy and scrummy !
 These buns are traditionally eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday ( Vendredi Saint) , with the cross standing as a symbol of The Crucifixion.

If you want to improve your food vocabulary , have a look at these sites :
And a few phrases you could use,  related to food and eating : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/youmeus/lingo/lingo_food.shtml




lundi 5 avril 2010

April Fool's Day

Last Tuesday , Emma and Manon made a good oral presentation on April Fool’s Day



 
Do you remember its origins ?



In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was observed on April first. It was celebrated in much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.

Then in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. In 1564, Charles IX, the French king, adopted it.


In France There were some people, however, who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Others played tricks on them and called them "April fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried to make them believe that something false was true.

Britain didn't accept the new calendar until 1752 . April fooling became popular in England and Scotland during the 1700s
April Fool jokes usually involve persuading someone to do something silly, like looking for hen's teeth, striped paint, a long weight, or some other non-existent thing.

However, you can only play April Fools on people before midday –at midday the fun must stop or the trickster is told:

'April Fool's Day is past and gone,
Your 're the fool and I am none.'

One of the greatest April Fool jokes took place on April 1st, 1957. The BBC TV programme Panorama did a documentary on 'spaghetti farmers' growing 'spaghetti trees.' It broadcast about a family from Ticino in Switzerland carrying out their annual spaghetti harvest. It showed women carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree and laying them in the sun to dry.



"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. "- American humorist Mark Twain

Why not try this quiz here ? http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/hisholidays/l/blquizholapfool.htm

mardi 16 mars 2010

Saint Patrick's Day

Yesterday , we listened to an oral presentation on Patrick's DAy by Yann and Vincent  who had put on green clothes !! Here they are ...









  


To recap what they said  :
In the United States and in Great Britain , the Irish communities celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day WHICH  is on 17 March.


The Irish community in the US is very big. During the 1800’s thousands of Irish immigrants went to America to escape poverty and have a better life. They settled in all parts of the country and took their traditions with them.

Who is Saint Patrick and why is he important to the Irish ?


 
Saint Patrick is the patron of Ireland. He left several writings about his life and work in Ireland.

Saint Patrick WHOSE  father was a landowner and a Christian was born in Britain in 389 AD. When he was sixteen years old he was captured and taken to Ireland WHERE he became a slave. After six years he escaped to France WHERE he became a priest. (un prêtre)

In 432 AD he returned to Ireland as a bishop in order to convert most of the Irish to Christianity. He was a generous man and dedicated man  WHO also introduced the Roman alphabet to Ireland.

There are legends about Saint Patrick. One legend says that he banished all the serpents from Ireland,WHICH  is probably not true ! Another legend says that he used a shamrock to teach the Irish about the Trinity. Today the shamrock he used is still a symbol of Ireland and the Irish.

Saint Patrick died in 461 and his tomb WHICH is at Downpatrick is a centre of pilgrimage.

Today on March 17th there are big parades in big American cities in honour of the Irish . Marching bands dressed in green play lively Irish music. The Irish community organises parades and other colourful events

American and British people wear green clothing on Saint Patrick’s Day. The Chicago River is even dyed in green





 Most people wear a green shamrock. Many shops and restaurants are decorated with green shamrocks in honour of the Irish.

Not to forget the Leprechaun who is a solitary creature, whose principal occupation is making and mending shoes, and who enjoys practical jokes.He is said to possess a treasure and if you capture him and theaten( menacer) him , he can tell you where he has hidden it...

Here is the link to the video -song   : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz4R5uVo6W4

Enjoy !







samedi 13 mars 2010

Trooping the colour

Last week we listened to a talk about Trooping the Colour(Carrying of the Flag) by Agathe and Pauline
As you know it is the Queen's official birthday Parade which takes place in June although her real birthday is on April 21st.
Each June, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family attend the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall in London. The Queen attends the ceremony to take the salute from thousands of guardsmen who parade the Colour (their regiment's flag).
The Queen's birthday parade is the biggest royal event of the year.
Historical facts
 In 1748, the celebration of the official birthday of the sovereign was amalgamated with the Trooping of the Colour.
The Trooping the Colour is tradition going back to the days when the Colours (regimental flag of the regiment) was trooped in front of soldiers to make sure everyone could recognize their flag in battle

The next Trooping the Colour will take place on Saturday 12 June 2010 on Horse Guards Parade.



Here is a video commenting on last year's :



lundi 22 février 2010

Valentine's Day

After last week' s Paruline and Mathilde's oral presentation on Valentine's Day , here are a few pieces of information to know more about this day .
Who was  Saint Valentine ?
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
According to another legend , Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.

jeudi 4 février 2010

The Queen and the Royal Family

We've started studying British monarchy - which is a constitutional monarchy.
Here is a fun quiz to see what you've remembered on the Royal family : http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4250000/newsid_4256900/4256917.stm  
Enjoy !

mardi 26 janvier 2010

Little Red Riding Hood

After Steve's  captivating visit  last week, here is the tale as you  wrote it :
Once upon a time , a housewife was hoovering when her mother rang. She had a flu shot and a sore throat and wanted her daughter to bring her a bottle of cognac, some fresh butter and a chocolate cake. The housewife couldn’t so she asked her 13-year old daughter called Red to go and bring all these to her grandmother’s. First Red who was listening to Rn’b and calling her boyfriend, Robert a kayak and rock-climbing champion, didn’t want to but her mother forced her.. On her way, in a clearing while she was picking up flowers, snails and mushrooms, she met a strange and scary man in dark on his bike. He asked her where she was going and she told him , he disappeared. he went to the grandmother’s and devoured her and lay in her bed with her clothes on ! When Red arrived , she found her grandmother had changed , she aked her a lot of questions and the man devoured her too. To finish he ate the chocolate cake, drank the bottle of Cognac and he would never want for anything ever after !!!! THE END



















If you want to watch the real version ; here are a few links too:
Enjoy !!

mardi 5 janvier 2010

Stereotypes

As we have started to see , stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about a particular group of people. Of course they mustn't be taken at face value. Some French people are good drivers whereas others are appaling drivers !
I asked  you to think about stereotypes about the French but also about the English . Here are a few links to help you 


http://blogs.projectbritain.com/2009/05/british-stereotypes.html
( have a look at all the comments, you may recognize yours....)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk_tqFAFT-Y   : What a nice French accent, isn't it !!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uPwOPRuPQ8&annotation_id=annotation_690013&feature=iv

Happy New Year !!!

I wish you a happy new year and a nice European year in room 104 .
New Year's a good time to make resolutions, decisions and promises about your life . Did you make a New Year's Resolution ? More to the point . . . . have you kept it ?!

Have a look here , a funny song about resolutions ....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLk3IFTDhkg

Thanks to Arnaud and Nathan for their oral presentation about New Year.



mardi 15 décembre 2009

Christmas !!

Many thanks to Victoire and Julie for their oral presentation on Christmas today.( and thanks for the sweets!!!)  Here are a few photos.



If you want to know more about Christmas, you should go here : http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html#world

Why not do these quizzes too ?!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4030000/newsid_4033400/4033443.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4460000/newsid_4466000/4466000.stm

Merry Xmas !!

mardi 8 décembre 2009

A Christmas Carol

Here are 4 links to watch another very nice and faithful version of this famous Christmas tale :
Part 1 :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hA5T1G7rxg&feature=related
Part 2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwii8AMfgkA&feature=related
Part 3 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXsALUC4HEU&feature=related
Part 4 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtsV8QZXS7Q



Enjoy !!

lundi 7 décembre 2009

Jean Monnet's House

Today , we visited Jean Monnet's house in Houjarray ( Bazoche-sur-Guyonne)




Jean Monnet who, as you all know better now,  is one of the founders of Europe ( not to be mistaken with the painter Claude Monet !!)
We listened to a great talk by a nice lecturer on how the E U was ( sorry  is !! ) being built.
Here are a few photos of our visit .


No doubt Mylène has found his bedroom/study interesting !!!

Don't hesitate to post comments and tell what you thought of this visit ( In English of course !!)
Have you learnt anything new and interesting  ?

mercredi 2 décembre 2009

Thanksgiving

Yesterday , we listened to a talk by Mylène and Mathilde about Thanksgiving.
To know a bit more about this American celebration., you can watch these two videos
1) http://www.history.com/video.do?name=culture&bcpid=1676043212&bclid=1672079702&bctid=1586348651
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFDSobNnfQs&feature=player_embedded


lundi 30 novembre 2009

Limericks

Yesterday we saw how limericks are formed  ( remember AABBA !)
There are many limericks in Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense ; Here are two of them.  Enjoy !


There was an Old Man with a beard,  


Who said, 'It is just as I feared!

Two Owls and a Hen,

Four Larks and a Wren,

Have all built their nests in my beard!'  
 
 
 
There was a Young Lady whose chin,



Resembled the point of a pin;

So she had it made sharp,

And purchased a harp,

And played several tunes with her chin  
 
 
 
 
 
There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,



Who never had more than a penny;

He spent all that money,

In onions and honey,

That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.
 
 

vendredi 27 novembre 2009

LOGOS !!

Here are your logos together with the texts
You are not allowed to vote but you can post your comments to tell what you think of them !!

Text1 - Logo 1
This logo represents France and UK. In the middle we can see a giant four for the 4eme. On the left, we can see UK and on it a little man Who is holding the UK flag. There is another little man, on the right who is holding the French flag. They are saying "Hi" and "Salut" in their own languages. We've chosen this logo because it symbolizes our correspondence with pen friends from another country. It represents the importance of English because we can talk with everybody. It shows our class too: the European class.

Text 2 - Logo2
At the bottom, in the foreground, there are pupils who represent the French pupils and there is France in the background. At the top, there is a board, and on this board there is the United Kingdom, which represents the English class. On the left of the board, there is a teacher, he represents the English teachers. On the left, we can see the United Kingdom flag and on the right, we can see the French flag. In the middle, the handshake located between the flag of France and the Union-jack, symbolizes the union between France and England. This union is possible because French children learn English (and conversely) and contribute to the relationship between these two peoples. When we speak English, we can travel more easily and meet foreign people, and find news friends.


Logo3 - Text 3
According to us, this logo evokes many things which represent the euro class.
First, the correspondence which joins some London pupils and us, through the first two letters mixing our cities: “L” and “R”. The two characters who are bearing the letters of our cities show that, too : they are united. What is more, they are holding a post between them to also bring to the fore the euro class’ correspondence
Secondly, on the top of the “R”, two flags, the Union Jack and the French flag, are represented. Moreover, we can see the twelve stars of the European Union between them. Thus, it shows our union. In fact, we can guess the two flags make just one: that of the European Union. On top of that, we have chosen the European motto, ''United in Diversity'', to refer this topic, too.
Last but not least, there is another reason which explains our choice. The Union Jack fills a large part of the top of the “R”. So, we wanted to illustrate the importance of English.
To sum up, we'd like to say this logo evokes almost everything about the great euro class of this year and the next one according to us.




Logo 4- Text 4

In euro class we talk about the history, harmony and languages in England.
To improve our general knowledge, this year we'll do presentation about festivals in the United Kingdom and you can see these in this site because our English European teacher has filmed us
We'll speak English more often and we'll correspond with English students who come from the south of London to improve our English.
And you, you can make progress in English if you read our site.
And don't forget: «The world seems to us less big if we share our cultures and languages.»

Logo5-Text 5




First we can see two maps which represent France and the United Kingdom ; in the middle, there is a plane which is going from France to The United Kingdom, on the plane , there is the topic : EURO 4 . We have chosen this picture because the plane represents us when we’re going to the UK to see our pen friends. There are two maps because France represents us and the UK represents our pen friends.

mardi 17 novembre 2009

What does European citizenship mean to you ?

Yesterday we revised about the European Union and saw what European citizenship meant to some teachers ...
What about you ? Do you feel a European citizen ? Why yes ? Why no?
You'll have to prepare a one or two-minute speech on this topic for Monday 23rd .
To help you here is the link where you can listen to the teachers again.
http://myeurope.eun.org/ww/en/pub/myeurope/home/news/headlines/eu_citizenship.htm
Don't forget to use gap fillers and to have your ideas organized by using linking words.
You will not be allowed to write complete sentences , just notes....

mercredi 11 novembre 2009

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November ... Guy Fawkes

Yesterday we listened to a great talk by Adam on Bonfire Night
Here he is :


If you want to know more about Guy Fawkes night, I advise you to visit this site and click on the talking cards to get the full story. http://www.parliament.uk/gunpowderplot/children_index.htm
If you go over the heads with the mouse, you'll even hear the famous nursery rhyme.
Otherwise, you'll find a very useful slideshow on the site of the school .
Enjoy !!

mercredi 4 novembre 2009

Halloween

We've listened to a great talk on Halloween by Alice and Diane .
Here are some photos ( thank you Mathilde!)
If you  couldn't understand it all and/or if you were mesmerized by their performance and if you want to revise about this Celtic celebration , go to http://home.howstuffworks.com/holidays/halloween.htm
Don't forget , there's a small test on it ....



lundi 19 octobre 2009

The European Union

Today, we've seen how the European Union was built.
Here is an interesting and easy-reading site to broaden your knowledge  of the EU
http://europa.eu/abc/index_en.htm
Click here to learn the European countries and their capitals