Unit 6 - Living the future

Today, we started Unit 6, in which we'll speak about technology and innovation. Interesting topic, don't you think? Can you imagine a city looking like the one in the picture in a near future? It might seem impossible, but technology just keeps advancing faster and faster and, today, we're able to do things we couldn't have even imagined a few years ago. Thanks to the Internet and the powerful mobile devices we have now, we have total access to all sorts of information anywhere and at any moment of the day. We can check our personal mail, knowing about our dear ones' updates or even going shopping just with a click or a finger touch. No one knows what the future will actually bring for us, since the limit is just our own imagination. 

Everyday, we can hear in the news about smart houses, robots or flying cars, for instance.
These are some articles about those topics:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1776047.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/04/18/spark.rabbit/index.html

But, do you think it will all come true? What's the real limit for technological innovation? Do you think technology makes our lives easier or we're too saturated with so much hi-tech?

Please share your opinions on this post or on our Google Classroom group. In later posts, we'll talk about famous computer companies.

See you in class!

Unit 5 - Self-assessment...and extra tips

I must really congratulate you all for your extraordinary performances the other day. We have some future Hollywood stars in our class!

Now, it's time to check what you've learned this unit. Tick all statements that are true for you.

• I can use expressions of agreement and disagreement
• I can understand the differences between -ed and -ing adjectives
• I can use Present Perfect in my language practice
• I know about forms of entertainment in the English-speaking world
• I know about Christmas traditions in the English-speaking world
• I can perform a film scene
• I can use both linking and filler words in my conversations

If you ticked them all, congratulations and keep it up! If not, don't give up and keep practicing!

Unit 5 - And the Oscar goes to...

Every year, one day around late February or early March the whole world is looking at the same place: The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. That day, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decides which film productions and performances deserves the Academy Awards, best known as the Oscars. There are many theories of why these awards got to be known as Oscars, but the most accepted one is that one of the first winners commented the man portrayed in the statuette looked like her uncle Oscar, and that name has remained till today.

The Oscar ceremony is a big event in the USA and the rest of the world, and people from all different countries gather in front of TV that day waiting for their favourite films and performers to be awarded. Before the ceremony, the whole world also pays great attention to the moment in which the best actors and actresses walk along the Red Carpet, showing their incredible designer's clothes and jewels. Those who are the most and least elegant will be commented on the media the following days, just as much as those who win the Oscars.

Now, if you click on the following links, you can watch some videos from the Red Carpet, as well as several speeches given by Oscar-winners. And the Oscar goes to...
Red Carpet
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
Leonardo DiCaprio

Interesting speeches, don't you think? What messages did the winners give and what impact can this have? Feel free to comment on Google Classroom.

Music is also present on the Oscars, since soundtrack is a very important element in a film and, as such, it's worth an award, too. The Oscar winner for Best Song last year was Remember Me, from the animated film Coco. This is the performance at the Oscars ceremony 2018.
Remember Me

See you in class!

Unit 5 - Live on stage!

Out of all forms of theatre, one of the most spectacular and magical ones is musical theatre. Musicals have become a perfect blend of a live music concert and a drama or comedy play. This type of plays are attracting a bigger and bigger audience, who leave the theatres totally amazed by the performers' great talent and capacity of acting and singing live, which is not an easy task.

When some musical plays are very successful, they can be turned into films, which is the case of great hits like Grease, The Sound of Music, Chicago and Nine. Sometimes, also, we have the opposite case, successful films turned into equally successful musicals: The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Wicked and High School Musical. Lately, there has been another case, which is creating musical plays based on the discography of a famous band. Examples of these are Mamma Mia!, with music by Abba, and We Will Rock You, with music by Queen.

In terms of street venues famous for musical plays, there are two places determining what succeeds and what doesn't: Broadway, in New York City, and The West End, in London. So if you ever visit one of these two cities, don't miss one of these productions, they're not to be missed!

Now, you can click on these links to watch some clips from different musicals. Enjoy yourselves!
The Lion King
Mamma Mia
Les Misérables
Wicked
The Phantom of the Opera

See you in class

Unit 5 - This is Hollywood

All of you have probably heard about Hollywood already, but what do you really know about this place? In this Unit 5, we're going to speak about different forms of entertainment, and that word cannot be understood in today's world without mentioning Hollywood. This neighbourhood in Los Angeles, California (USA) is the place where most films and TV shows are shot. But this area is not just full of TV and film studios, but also bursting with spectacular theatres hosting the premieres of the most important films.

And what about the famous Hollywood sign on the top of a hill? Did you know what people could see in the original sign? It was "Hollywood Land", this area's first name. Because of a big earthquake in L.A. (which occurs very often), the four letters forming the word "Land" got broken, so they decided to call this area simply "Hollywood".

This place is also home for the famous "Walk of Fame", where we can see the names of the great performers of all times, from Charles Chaplin to Meryl Streep. Everyone who pursues to be someone in the entertainment industry dreams to have his/her name engraved on a star on Hollywood streets.

If you'd like to know more about Hollywood, click on this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood,_Los_Angeles,_California

See you in class!