Shakespeare not just for the Graduation Exam

The date of the graduation exam for 4th graders is just around the corner and the upcoming weeks can be a stressful period for all students.

You may say…it’s high time you started cramming for the final exam. Does it really help? This hasn´t been conclusively proved, yet.

You start to panic, your mind usually goes blank and things can downhill very quickly. You obviously won't have time to cover everything.

Most of us are connected 24/7. Here is my study tip to help you get a grip on Shakespeare. The best way is to join a free online course:

Exploring English: Shakespeare, from Monday 18 April 2016 to Sunday 29 May 2016.

The British Council’s team of educators will guide you through the course and you will get the opportunity to share your ideas and opinions with people from all over the world.
Improve your English language skills, learn about Shakespeare’s life and plays, increase your confidence, and get ready for your final exam.

Here is the link:

https://www.britishcouncil.cz/en/events/exploring-english-shakespeare

In the end…my favourite quotation:

"Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven."

                                                                     William Shakespeare

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…

These days we are talking about film industry, awards and stuff in our classes. The Oscars, BAFTA, the Razzies, etc.

Each year millions of people tune in to see if their favourite actor, film and director had been nominated and picked up the top award. The gold statuette prize, called an Oscar, is the highest honour in the movie industry. It can turn an actor into a legend or a movie into a classic.

The Golden Raspberry Awards, often shortened to the Razzies is an award ceremony in recognition of the worst in film.

A few tudents came up with an idea to make films and organise a competition on the BEST and the WORST movies.

The categories copied the Oscars and the Razzies. Best /Worst - Screenplay, Picture, Actor/Actress in a Leading Role, Actor/Actress  in a Supporting Role, Special Effects, Stunts, Camera and Director.

Students teamed up and made films on different topics of their own choice.

The nominees were all the films the students shot. The best ones have been awarded...received recognision and got the best mark.We were enjoying the lesson and had lots of fun.
The best films have been uploaded to the school YouTube storage space.

Better English more Opportunities

English is the most commonly used and an important language in today’s global society. Knowing English will make you more employable in every country in the world. It’s the language of business, the internet and modern culture. Having a confident grasp of English is essential in helping you get the most out of your career. 
It is good to make English your hobby and improve your English through different activites you enjoy.
The British Council has a wide range of free online resources to help adults, teenagers and children learn English. The resources include videos, mobile apps, games, stories, listening activities and grammar exercises.
Boost your confidence, improve your language skills, have better English and grasp the opportunity.

Some good tips:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-english-language-culture

An amazing trip to London

In order to get the best out of London we organised a school trip. Our top priorities were to make the trip safe, and most of all, fun!

London and the South East have one of the mildest climates in the UK, but the weather can be unpredictable. Londoners get used to carrying both an umbrella and sunglasses to be prepared for all eventualities!
We did the same.

We spent over a week in the very central part of London, but didn´t experience even a sign of clouds, rain and windy weather. 

We were lucky!

March was just the perfect choice and time to explore London's outdoor attractions.
We have visited the notoriously famous places of interest and of course much more...

We went behind-the scenes of the Harry Potter film series, located at the Warner Bros. Studio where it all began.
We just couldn´t miss the amazing THE MAKING THE HARRY POTTER!

Comparatives and superlatives are ready. Are you?

Today's English lesson in C1/G1 was more interesting than usual.

Throughout the lesson, the students get plenty of practice using comparative and superlative structures.

This fun class activity is an imaginative and insightful way how to teach students to associate comparatives and superlatives with a variety of questions.

The class is split into two or three big teams of three or four.  Each group is given a copy of the board game, a dice and counters, which should all be placed on the START square,

Students must form comparatives or superlatives and then answer the questions in full and give extra details.

If a student cannot form the question correctly or fails to provide an answer, he/she should miss a turn.

The winner is the first students to the FINISH.

Today we all WON. Had fun and learned a lot!

                            

Interactive performances in The Bear Theatre

The Bear Educational Theatre is famous for its uniqueness and ability to amuse the audience. We have already seen a few performances in REDUTA, and frankly, we never got bored with them.

In February we saw two performances. My favourite ones: The History of England Part 1 and The History of England Part 2.

The Bear interactive theatre is unique for many reasons. I want to lay stress on two aspects. The shows are supported by lots of teaching materials. They are informative, provide lots of facts and  of course very professional as well. They also have ability to create genuine emotional reactions and motivate students to feel positive about learning the language.

During the performances students positively got involved, laughed and had a lot of fun.

In a nutshell, we learnt a lot and laughed a lot!

THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND PART 2

Titanic: The Exhibition

World exhibition TITANIC arrived in Prague!

As I am a his-story devotee I did not hesitate to see the exhibition Titanic immediately I had come to know about it.

Firstly, because the story of the legendary ill-fated ship Titanic is notoriously famous and secondly, cause the film Titanic, a fictional story of lovers who fall in love aboard, staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, was one of my favourite movies for a long time.

It was a truly incredible experience.

We saw hundreds of original artefacts parts of the ship's equipment, furniture, china and personal items of passengers rescued from the famous wreck. Felt the atmosphere of luxury of the period interiors with a perfect reconstruction of the cabins, engine rooms and could hear the noise of the engines.
Seeing all those, remind me of the movie Titanic. There was a place, the grand staircase, which is from the famous scene in the film where Jack meets up with Rose by the clock with spiralling stairs.

One exhibit also included an iceberg - it could be the one that sunk the Titanic...

We could even touch the fatal iceberg!

However, the best part of the exhibition was that as you entered, you were given a replica boarding pass of one of the actual passengers that was aboard the Titanic. Towards the end of the exhibition you could check on the wall where the names of the passengers were listed, whether you survived or not...

For all students from primary and first grade of secondary school the exhibition was pretty immersive with lots of details and touching stories about the people that would have been on the Titanic.

I have taken lots of photos, but you must see the exhibition with your own eyes!

I am just enclosing a promo photo sent by my daughter from the very first day of the exhibition. 
Guess which of the passengers is my daughter?