by Elaine Gallagher    

Acting has been a human pastime since the earliest days of recorded history. In the Biblical era, and in the days of the ancient Romans and Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, thousands of years ago, people were involved in dramatizing events and stories for others who watched, amused, interested, and entertained.

          The actors of Shakespeare’s time, in the 1500’s, were all men, because women were not permitted to be in plays as it was thought to be vulgar and low – class for women to present themselves in public. Women’s roles in a play, such as Hamlet’s Ophelia, all were played by men who wore women’s masks and clothing. More than 100 years later, women began to be seen in publicly presented plays as actresses. Now, women play leading roles in theatre plays, alongside of men.

         Theatre-based plays, acted live, on a stage, in front of an audience is what we usually think of when we think of «plays». Acting, however, has expanded over the past 100 years, from on-the- stage acting to include radio-readings, which were dramatically presented, read by actors and actresses to a listening audience. The audience imagined the scenery, the actions, and the clothing and faces of the actors.

         From the 1920’s to the early 1950’s, radio programs, plays, and series of weekly stories, such as The Shadow, were a very popular and accessible means for millions of families to become acquainted with plays and acting in their own homes, using their imagination to complete the pictures conjured from the actors’ words.

         During this same time period, movies, too, became another means of seeing actors at work in their trade. There were movies produced in Hollywood, in Mexico, in most of Europe, in India, dramas, romances, musicals, comedies, and documentaries, providing visual stimuli for the audiences. For 10 cents (USD), in the 1950’s, you could go to the movies, a double feature on a Saturday, and even get a free bag of popcorn!

         In the early 1950’s, television began to make an impact on families, especially in the United States, where     the prices of TV’s were relatively low, due to the mass production and consumption of the people. About ten years later, television became a popular form of family entertainment in much of the world, causing most radio drama and comedy shows to be suspended.

         There has always been an interaction among the various acting and story modes: radio, books, movies, and live theatre. The movie industry sometimes depends on theatre plays for their scripts. Many movies that we may have heard of, began as a play on Broadway in New York City, or as a once-popular radio show, or as an interesting or exciting novel.

Examples include: movies, such as The Shadow, once a popular radio show; The King and I, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Auntie Mame, and My Fair Lady are five examples of Broadway plays that were made into popular movies. Interestingly, all five of these plays and movies, had been based originally on books. It could be a great research assignment for students to find the names of the books from which these five plays/movies had originated.

         Being involved in plays is not simply something for actors to do. There are many responsibilities to be completed in order to have a play presented well. In children’s plays, so all students can be involved, there should be:

1. An author, the writer «the playwright»,
2. A director, who sees that actors play their roles well and convincingly,
3. A narrator, who keeps the story flowing, who provides information in the gaps between the actors’ lines,  (The narrator can read the script….The part does not have to be memorized.)
4. The actors, who move the script along by playing their roles well, either   as individual actors or as part of a choral group,
5. The stage crew… people essential to the smooth production of a play or movie.  They are responsible for the scenery and settings, the props, the lighting, makeup for the actors, the costumes, and the    Programme (British spelling) given to the people in the audience as they enter. The Program (American English spelling) lists the play’s title, the playwright, and   has, perhaps, a synopsis of the play, the names of all the characters and the actor for each role, and names of     the stage crew with their major duties and responsibilities.

         The five main ideas about acting and plays that we expect our English students to be familiar with are:

1. Acting out a story is «acting», with the goal being that the audience understands the story and can relate to the actors’ expressions.
2. All roles in a play’s production are equally important and interdependent. An actor may be the visible contact for the audience, but the playwright and stage crew are equally essential to the play’s production.
3. A play, a movie, a book, and radio programs all had to have had an  author. They are often interrelated….a movie can be based on a book or a play, or a play could be based on a book. The origin of any of these theatrical forms of expression is always a written story or script.
4. Every student should have an experience to participate in all the roles of a play’s production, over the school year. Neither the teacher nor a student always knows who will be good at a certain role. Sometimes we can be surprised by the discovery of a hidden talent, but without the opportunity to test that talent, it will remain hidden.
5. The students do NOT have to know all the meanings of all the words when they begin a play. As they practice saying the words, gradually they will learn the meanings from the context. That is the natural way we acquire a language. Using plays, as part of the  English learning experience, will help your students with fluency.

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Next: PART 2: VOCABULARY EXPANSION

By Elaine Gallagher  

Hi Readers, here in «The English Corner» is a continuation from the last issue of UNONEWS, where I had introduced TRIVIA FACTS, Groups A and B, the two easier groups of trivia questions. In this issue, you’ll see questions in Groups C, D, E and F, with the difficulty level rising from C to F.

If you missed the instructions from the last issue of UNONEWS, on how to use these trivia facts, find the previous issue, so you can use the trivia data most effectively and efficiently. ENJOY!  

– – – – – – – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – –  

GROUP C

 

1. How fast can a cheetah run?

Up to 70 miles and hour, for short distances

2. What natural boundary separates Spain and France?

The Pyrenees Mountains

3. The increasing scarcity of elephants and rhinos resulted in a 1989 ban on which substance?

Ivory

4. Where is the country of Armenia?

It is between Europe/Asia, bordered by Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north.

5. Name the vertebrate in the movie version of King Kong, who climbed the Empire State Building in New York City.

A gorilla

6. What bird has the longest tongue?

The woodpecker. Its tongue is 5 times longer than its beak, which means it can seek food 5 inches deep inside tree crevices.

8. Pluto used to be named as a planet, but scientists took its name off the list of officially recognized planets in 2006. WHY?

It wasn’t large enough to be considered a planet.

10. Why is J.K. Rowling famous?

She is the British author of the Harry Potter series of fantasy books about an adolescent wizard.

11. What is a pelican? What is the most unique thing about a pelican?

Its bill…. A pelican is a large, white bird whose bill is very large, about 18 inches (1/2 meter) long.  The bill is used to catch fish.

12. What does the word goober mean?   (It is an English word, not another language.)

Goober is another word for peanut.

13. WHICH INSECT….

Likes to chirp at night? 

A cricket

 Is an uninvited picnic guest?

An ant

Has 8 legs?

A spider

14. What kind of disaster claimed 100,000 lives in Armenia in 1988??

An earthquake

15. What is the longest river in the United States of America?

Mississippi….3,000 miles long (4,800 km)

16. What are the top three languages spoken in the world?

#1. Mandarin Chinese  (885 million)

#2. English  (322 million)

#3. Spanish (266 million)

17. The esophagus is part of what system in the human body?                            

The digestive system

18. What is a haiku?  (hi-coo)

It is a poem, originally from Japan, composed of 3 lines. It is usually about nature, and has no rhyme.  The first line has FIVE syllables, the second line has SEVEN syllables, and the third line has FIVE syllables.

HERE IS A SAMPLE:

           I see the old trees…..

                   Wide trunks with knots, branches, shade,

                   A place of calm peace. 

19. Five hundred years ago, in the USA and Canada there were  more than 300 native languages, 2/3 of which are still in use. Name three places in USA or Canada whose name is from a native language word,     (MANY possibilities).

Some answers:

Chicago               (city in Illinois, USA),

Mississippi          (a major river and a state in USA),

Massachusetts    (a state in USA)

Ottawa,               (a city in Canada)                               

                   Penobscot,          (a county, a river, and a town in the state of Maine, USA),

Piscataqua           (a river ,the border between Maine and New Hampshire, USA),

Minnesota           (a USA state)

20. What kind of imaginary animal is usually part of a traditional Chinese New Year celebration?

A dragon

21. What is James Bond’s code name?

Double-o-seven (007)

 22. What country has not fought a war since 1815?

Switzerland

23. What is the largest state in the United States of America?

Alaska

24.  What is the name of the large mountain chain in South America?

The Andes

25. What is the name of the largest desert in China?

The Gobi

26. How far is the Sun from the Earth?

93,000,000 (93 million) miles (1,488,000,000 km)

27. When does the United States of America celebrate its birthday?

July 4th

28. Who is Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend?

Minnie Mouse

29. What sport are you watching if you are watching the Harlem Globetrotters?

Basketball

 30. What country (originally) did the Volkswagon (VW) come from?

 Germany

31. What is moss?

A plant

32. What were the Three Little Pigs’ houses made of?

Straw, sticks, and brick

33. What language is spoken in Germany?

German

34. What is the capital of Cuba?

Havana

35. How many years is a generation considered to be?

25 years

36. In MGM movies, what animal is pictured at the beginning of the film, appearing ¿with a roar?

A lion

37. What game are you playing using marbles on a six-pointed star?

Chinese checkers

38. How long does a regulation soccer game last?

Two 45-minute halves    

39. Why do beavers constantly gnaw on wood?

To wear down their teeth which never stop growing

40. What relation to you are your aunt’s children?

Cousins

41. What type of housing did Eskimos use before they had wooden houses?

Igloos…made of blocks cut from solid ice

42. Near what ocean is San Francisco, California located?

The Pacific Ocean

43. What do we see almost every day that is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit?

The sun

44. What was the little girl’s name in the «Wizard of Oz»?

Dorothy

45. Polar, Grizzly, Brown, and Black are types of what?

Bears

46. How many dwarfs did Snow White meet?

Seven

 47. What is the proper name for the sport using bows and arrows?

  Archery

48. What would you be doing if you were doing the polka?

Dancing

49. What is the head of a city called?

A mayor

50. What is a person called who eats a meatless diet?

A vegetarian

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GROUP D

1. What is the largest lake in Africa?

Lake Victoria (on the border of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania)

2. How many moons does Mars have?

Two

3. One type of invertebrate is a common insect. Some people say it has 100 legs. What is it called?

         A centipede …. (Centi  means 100, and ped means foot, in Latin.)

4. What does this mean?  Can you find a pattern to the numbers   2 – 15 – 14 – 5 – 19 ?

 These numbers spell BONES. The numbers correspond to the letters of the ENGLISH alphabet….Letter # 2 is B, an so on…

5. What vertebrate animal lives near water and uses its large, sharp teeth to cut down small trees?  It uses the wood from the trees to build a lodge (its house) in the water.

A beaver

6. What do camels store in their humps?

Camels don’t store water in their humps; the humps are made mostly of fat.

7. Who became the world’s youngest ever boxing heavyweight champion??

Mike Tyson, when he was 20 years old  (in 1986)

8. Tiananmen Square, a major plaza, is located in which city and country?

Beijing, the capital of China

9. What breed of dog from China bears the name that is English slang for «food»?

Chow

10. What was the name of China’s capital before it was changed to Beijing?

Peking

11. Where was corn first domesticated by humans?

Mexico….3500 B.C.

 12. What did Alexander Fleming invent?

 Penicillin  (in 1928). He was from Scotland.

13. When was the first motion picture shown to an audience?

1896, over a century ago

14. In Greek mythology, who is the goddess of love?

Aphrodite

15. What was Shakespeare’s first name?

William

16. What is the main religion of Israel?

Judaism

17. Confucius was an ancient teacher and philosopher. What country was he from?

China

18. What item can be used to break up light so that all the colors of the rainbow can be seen?

A prism  (A small, clear, solid, pyramid of plastic or glass)

19. Who or what are the «Bee Gees»?

A musical singing group that provided music for the film, «Saturday Night Fever»

20. A RIDDLE: What vertebrate, a mammal, is always ready to take a long trip or journey ?

An elephant, because it always has its trunk. (A TRUNK is a very large suitcase, used to pack things for a long trip.)

21. What do the numbers/dates 1961 and 6009 have in common?

1961 was the most recent year that could also be read upside down. The next date is 6009.

22. Who had the most expensive presidential inauguration ceremony of the 20th century??

George W. Bush,spending $40 million on his three-day inauguration celebration in January 2005. It was his second term as President of the USA, an election he barely won.

23. What does A.D. mean after dates, such as 79 A.D.?

It is Latin, Ano Domini, Year of our Lord, referring to dates after the birth of Jesus.

24. What lengthy word was added to the English language in Disney’s «Mary Poppins» movie, in a song?

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

25. What country holds the world’s record for talking the most on the telephone?

The United States of America

26. When you tell your sled dog team to «mush..mush», what do you want it to do?          

To run, run  (Eskimo words, the Inuit language)

27. What is a common name for a bison?

Buffalo

28. Where do you sit to eat dinner with a traditional Japanese family?

On the floor

29. Who invented the telephone?

Alexander Graham Bell

30. What is the name of the Queen of England’s main home?

Buckingham Palace

31. What do you call a mountain of ice floating in the sea?

An iceberg

32. With what country do you associate windmills and tulips?

Holland

33. Name one of the earliest timekeepers still found in some parks or gardens.

The sundial

34. What is the Punjab?

A district in India

35. What is Superman faster than?

A speeding bullet

36. If you are looking at the Mona Lisa, what kind of building are you in?

A museum or art gallery

37. How many rooms are there in the White House, the home of the President of the United States?

132 rooms

38. How many times did Aladdin rub his magic lamp?

Three times

39. When and where did the first underground railway system (subway) open?

The London Underground opened in 1863,

40. What do ice hockey players chase around a rink?

A puck.  It’s a round, solid rubber item, about 3 inches in diameter.

41. What are dried grapes called?

Raisins

42. What bird looks like he’s going to a formal party»

A penguin

43. How do Japanese read their books?

From the back of the book to the front

44. What was the first name of the USA President Lincoln?

Abraham

45. What do the words «bogus’ and «counterfeit» mean?

Fake or false

46. What is hot and fiery and flows from volcanoes?

Lava

47.  What is the first number with an «A» in its spelling?

One thousand

48. Where is a human’s sense of balance located?

In the ears

 49. What was Mozart’s middle name?

Amadeus

50. The Morse Code is made up of dots and ……. ?

dashes

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GROUP E

 

1. Which two planets do not have a moon?

Mercury, Venus

2.  How did the Canary Islands get their name?

From the Latin word, canis, which means «dog», because there were large, fierce dogs found on the islands when they were first discovered.

3. What was the Spanish Armada?  What happened to it in 1588?

A powerful fleet of ships from Spain, (a navy), once the strongest ships in the known world, but they were defeated by England in a battle in 1588,

 4.  What famous non-Spanish explorer started a great age of exploration and conquest for Spain?

Christopher Columbus, who was from Italy… In 1492, when Spain was still powerful, Columbus led Spain to the New World. It was almost 100 years later (1588) that Spain’s armada, the navy, was defeated by England.

 5. What important geological event happened in Europe in August, 79 A.D.?

Mount Vesuvius exploded, giving off heat blasts and gases that killed 1000’s of people, burying Pompeii in more than 30 feet (10 meters) of ashes falling from the explosion caused by the volcano.

6. Which are the five largest countries in the world, geographically?

1st: Russia,

2nd: Canada,

3rd: China,

4th: United States of America,

5th: Brazil

7. Why is Steve Jobs famous?

He invented / founded the Apple/Macintosh computer company. He died in 2011.

8. Which sport uses the word «LOVE» in scoring?

Tennis

9. Which was the longest moon landing??

Apollo 17, in 1972 the astronauts carried out scientific mission for 3 days.

10. Which Walt Disney movie star began his career in the 1928 movie, Steamboat Willie?

Mickey Mouse

12. What is the best-selling car ever?

Toyota Corolla

13. Which country has more computers per capita (based on its population percentage) in the world?

Finland

14. What are Rosemary and Thyme?

Spices or herbs

15. What is a major score in American football called?

A touchdown

16. What is a more common name for a tortoise?

A turtle

17. What precious jewel is a shiny red stone?

A ruby

18. What snack food, sometimes sold by street venders, means «little arms» in Latin?

Pretzels

 19. What were Longfellow, Poe, Paz, and Stevenson?

Poets…»Authors» is also correct.

20. What do you bake pottery in so the clay gets hard?

A kiln

 21. Who gave a famous speech in the 20th Century that talks about

                   «I have a dream…»

                   Martin Luther King

22. What is a «light year»?

It is NOT time. It is a measure used for huge distances in space, and refers to how long it takes light to travel in a year.  If a star is 100 light years from earth, it means that light leaving that star will take 100 years to be seen on earth.

23. Why is the day after Christmas called «Boxing Day» in the UK?

Because people box-up the left-over food from the Christmas feast to give to others, less fortunate than they.

24. What is the leader of an orchestra called?

A conductor

25. What would you be on if you were traveling on a Chinese junk?

A boat

26. What is the speed of light?

186,000 miles per second…(300,000 km per second)

27. Where is the deepest part of an ocean?

The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.  It is more than 5 miles deep.

28. What are the minerals plutonium and uranium used for?

To produce nuclear power

29. In what country would you use a rupee as money?

India

30. In what country are the cities of Melbourne and Sydney?

Australia

31. Where did Count Dracula live?

In Transylvania (in Europe)

32. How many inches of water are produced when 10 inches of snow melts?

One inch of water

33. In the Bible, who was Miriam’s baby brother?

Moses

34. Among mammals, which are the only two capable of distinguishing colors?

Humans and monkeys

35. What is it called when a nuclear reactor overheats and the core melts?

A meltdown

36.  Diabetes is usually caused by the improper functioning of which gland?

The pancreas

37. Why is author Mary Shelley famous?

She wrote the novel Frankenstein.

38. When you melt and mix copper and zinc, what do you get?

Brass

39. Two companies invented the CD (compact disc) in 1979, which, for the first time, provided high-quality digital sound in a small, portable format. Which are the two companies?

Philips (a Dutch company)

Sony (a Japanese company)

40. Where in the Ukraine (part of Russia) was there a nuclear explosion in 1986 causing many deaths and great, long-lasting damage to the environment?

Chernobyl

41. Johann Strauss composed a famous waltz named for a European river. What is it?

The Blue Danube Waltz

42. By what name is Southern Rhodesia now called?

Zimbabwe

43. How many binary digits make up a «byte»?

8 (eight)

44. What is Swahili?

The official language of Nigeria, spoken by 35,000,000 (35 million) East Africans

45. CCXXXIV is the Roman numeral for what Arabic number?

234

46. What is an ancient Chinese calculator called?

The abacus

47. If you are fighting with a «foil», and an  «epée», what are you doing?

Fencing

48. Tenochtitlan was the capital of what ancient empire of Mexico?

The Aztecs

49. What is a Punnett Square used for?

To predict genetic probabilities between a specific male and female

50. What were Lancelot, Galahad, Tristram, and Percival?

Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table

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GROUP F

 

1. Which planet has the most moons?

Saturn has at least 18 moons.

2. What are the names of the 3 countries, the sea, and the ocean  that border Spain?

         France, Andorra, Portugal; the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea

 3.  What is NaCl?

 It’s the chemical formula for salt.

4. What do the letters of SONAR mean?

SONAR stands for SOund detectioN And Ranging.

5. What was the Magna Carta?

It was an agreement signed by King John of England in 1215, giving a few rights to  the people. It was the first recorded step towards democracy.

 6. Why is the city of Aiea, which is in Hawaii, unusual?

 It is the only city name made up of just vowels.

7. Anwar Sadat was President of which country when he died in  1981?             

Egypt

8. Who released a musical album called Thriller in 1982, which brought him instant fame?

Michael Jackson

 9. Which city was devastated by an earthquake in 1985, killing more than 10,000 people,  but then hosted the World Cup in 1986??

Mexico City, the capital of Mexico

10. Elected in 1913, how long was Pedro Lascuráin president of Mexico??

Less than one hour, the shortest in world history….

 NOTES:  General Victoriano Huerta overthrew President Madero, and later had him assassinated. Lascuráin served in the interim. Lascuráin was offered positions by Huerta, but left politics and worked in a law school in Mexico City, writing books.

11. After the Sun, earth’s closest star, what is the next closest star to Earth?

Proxima Centuri.   4.3 light years from the sun.

NOTES: It’s really 3 stars close together, but appears as one star from Earth.

 

The Sun is about 93 million miles from the earth. The star nearest to the Sun is Proxima Centauri. Astronomers measure the distance between stars in units called light-years. A light-year equals 5.88 million million miles (9.46 million million kilometers). This is the distance light travels in one year, at a speed of 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second).

Proxima Centauri is 4.3 light-years from the Sun. It is a dim red star in the constellation of Centaurus that lies at a distance of over 40 million million kilometers, some 270,000 times greater than the distance between the earth and the sun.

12. Which country has the most people of the Muslim religion?

Indonesia

13. What is the oldest musical instrument discovered by archeologists?

A flute, found in France, made of bird bone, more than 25,000 years old, shows humans’ early interest in music.

14. In the world, there are several rare languages, which are part of a group of language «isolates», used in very specific geographic areas, which linguistic scientists have not been able to discover their roots. Name two languages, and tell where each is located as an isolated, small language family, a «language island».

          Euskera, used by the Basque people in Spain and France, living near the Pyrenees Mountains

Burushaski,    used in an isolated section of Pakistan

          Chukchi, used is a small part of Siberia

15. Why aren’t Roman numerals used in mathematics?

They have no zero, and they have no place value, so advanced mathematics and accounting could not use them.

16. What is the total of all matter and energy known to man called?

The universe

17. What is the lowest-pitched wind instrument?

The tuba

18.What city is known as «The Eternal City»?

Rome

19. Where was the earliest known written text found in the Americas?

It was found in Oaxaca, Mexico.

NOTES:  It was written by the Zapotec people about 500 B.C.  Two stone slabs, written in the native  writing system shows calendar information.

20. In its lifetime, how many children can a female termite produce?

500 million

21. What Greek word means «Temple of the Muses»?

Museum

22.  The winter of 1932 in the United States of America was so cold that what happened for the first time in recorded history?

Niagara Falls, between the USA and Canada, froze completely solid.

23. How long does it take sunlight to reach the earth from the sun?

8 minutes, 12 seconds

24. Who was Euclid?

He born in Greece, and taught in Egypt, living between 325 B.C. and 265 B.C.. Euclid is known as the «Father of Geometry».  His geometry textbook, Elements, served as the western world’s unchallenged standard for two thousand years.

25. Why are Euclid’s dates of life listed backwards?  (born 325 B.C., died 265 B.C.)

Dates are like a number line showing positive and negative numbers. After Christ’s birth, the dates advance forward; but in the years before Christ, the numbers go backwards; the lower the number, the closer it is to Year One, the year of Christ’s birth as recorded on a time line. (There is NO Year Zero.)

26. What board game was invented on the first of August, 1933, during the world’s great economic depression?

Monopoly

27. What is weird about the eating habits of houseflies?

After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again!

28.  We’ve all heard of Mandarin Chinese, the language spoken by more people than any other language in the world. (885 million). There is a second Chinese language, spoken by more than 77 million people in China. What is it?

Wui

29. What is the Gutenberg Bible?

The first book published using a printing press, invented by a German, Johann Gutenberg. Prior to this invention (1465), all books were written by hand. Once the printing press was invented, books became easier to acquire.

30. Which country produces more feature films for the cinema than any other country?

India

31.  What do the letters in the word RADAR stand for?

RADAR stands for Radio Aid to Detection And Ranging.

32. What nationality was the 15th Century explorer, Vasco de Gama?

Portuguese

33. When measuring the height of a horse, what term is used?

Hands

34. What kind of scientist studies ocean life?

An oceanographer

35. Who is credited with discovering the Laws of Gravity?

Sir Isaac Newton

36. How many units are in a «gross» ?

144    A box with a gross of pencils, holds 144 pencils.

37. What are the only two mammals that get sunburned?

Humans and pigs

38. What does a seismograph do?

It measures the strength of earthquakes, (using the Richter Scale) .

39. What are aglets?

The plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces are called «aglets»»

40. What state in the USA the smallest land area??

Rhode Island is the smallest state in area in the United States;

41. Why is the science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, famous?

In 1945 he suggested that satellites could be used to transmit and relay telephone and television signals around the planet.  Almost 20 years later, the first commercial satellite was launched. Now, there are more than 200 functioning satellites orbiting the earth.

42. What are the only two animals that contract leprosy?

Humans and armadillos

43. What shape is the Milky Way Galaxy?

Spiral

44. What is the liquid part of humans’ blood called?

Plasma

45. In a regular deck of cards, each of the four Kings represents a famous King in history. Who are the four kings?

Spades = David 

Clubs   = Alexander the Great

Hearts  = Charlemagne 

Diamonds = Caesar

46. Why is Lascaux, France famous?

In a cave in Lascaux, the first paintings by humans were discovered. They date back to 32,000 B.C. and show horses, bison, and rhinos.

47. What famous children’s ballet, by Tchaikovsky, features «The Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy»?

The Nutcracker Suite

48.  What do the olive branches on the flag of the United Nations represent?

Olive branches are the symbol of peace.

49. What was the former name of Iran?… of Thailand?

Persia                                      Siam

50. What is the most commonly eaten food in the world?

Rice

BONUS QUESTION:

 

51. What do these words have in common? palm, ham, shrimp, cell?

         They all have double (or triple) meanings. 

Palm of your hand; a palm tree. Ham that you eat; a person who jokes a lot is said to be a «ham». Shrimp that you eat; a shrimp is a nickname for a short person. Cell in a jail; cell in biology…and other meanings, too.

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TEACHERS and STUDENTS:

Stay alert, and find more facts to add to these lists.

Your input will be most welcomed!  

==============================================================

                     ADDITIONAL TRIVIA FACTS

————————————————————–

What dog does not ever bark…never?

The Basenji is the world’s only barkless dog.

The Basenji produces an unusual yodel-like sound commonly called a «barroo», due to its unusually shaped larynx. This trait also gives the Basenji the nickname «Barkless Dog».

———————————————————————–

What is the only poisonous snake in the UK? (UNITED KINGDOM)

The adder is the only venomous snake in the UK. (United Kingdom)

Despite it posing a threat to humans, it is in fact a very timid and non-aggressive creature. This snake is easily identified by the dark zigzag line passing along the back bordered by rows of spots.

===============================================-

What is a baby eel called?

A baby eel is called an elver.

Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 centimeters in the one-jawed eel to 3.75 meters! Most eels live in the shallow waters of the ocean and burrow into sand, mud, among rocks, or in cracks found in coral reefs. The majority of eel species are nocturnal, and thus are rarely seen.

====================================================

What are the two longest English words that only contain consonants?

The two longest English words that contain only consonants are «rhythm» and «syzygy».

These two words have six consonants each and don’t contain any vowels.

The word «syzygy» is most commonly used in the astronomical or astrological sense.

=====================================================

What is one of the most famous quotes of Julius Caesar, when he conquered the city of Zela in 47 B.C.?

«Vini, Vidi, Vinci» is Latin for «I came, I saw, I conquered».

It’s a famous Latin sentence reportedly quoted by Julius Caesar in 47 BC as a comment on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus in the city of Zela (currently known as Zile, in Turkey).

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                                   CAN YOU ADD MORE?

by Elaine Gallagher

            Hello Readers, as I visit school after school in Mexico, talking with teachers, I am surprised at how many teachers are not using material that UNO has available in its Platform for support.

Three years ago, I wrote «300 Facts of the Week», a collection of trivia facts and answers, so teachers could animate and interest their students to think «outside the box», outside the text, to research, investigate, and learn about a broad segment of topics.

            This publication, I’ll put into «The English Corner» trivia facts (GROUP A and GROUP B) that you may have missed in the UNO Platform. Use them as explained below. ENJOY stretching the students’ brains! Students love a challenge!

            The next publication of UNONEWS, «The English Corner» will include trivia questions from GROUPS C, D, E, and F. 

FACTS OF THE WEEK

FOR TEACHERS:

            Place one of these questions each week on the board, project from an i-pad, or write on a poster. Have children guess the answer, or look up the answer, or ask someone at home for the answer.  Some items, the students will know immediately.  Others, they may have to ask at home, and tell you later. The difficulty level varies within each level, A-F, for fairness to students of various abilities, and to build interest in the facts.

Easier facts are in Group A. The difficulty level rises, up to Group F, with more difficult questions.

            If you put a new FACT OF THE WEEK on the board the first day of each week, the students will have the rest of the week to research it, discuss, and expand on the topic in class. They also can relate these trivia facts to on-going studies, or to programs they might see on television. or Internet.

            I suggest you have a section of the students’ notebook named «FACTS OF THE WEEK», where students will copy the fact you give them. Then, when the correct answer is revealed, they write the answer in their notebooks where they had written the question.

            Once a class gets enthused, some students will want to be the «FIRST» one to answer the fact. There are many sites on Internet to find more questions. Students can help you find more facts and answers as part of a learning experience for them.

            A positive «reward’ when a student correctly answers the trivia fact can be «virtual points» Just saying, «Great! You got 50 points», is enough to build intrinsic interest in seeking knowledge outside the book. The «points» are imaginary, virtual, but to a student with the correct answer, it’s a positive form of recognition. Some students, for fun, actually keep a total score of their virtual points.

MAIN OBJECTIVE: 

To stimulate curiosity and to encourage further research

 NOTE:

Some of the answers provided have extra information for teachers to use as background when they encounter a super-curious or a very intelligent student who may require more depth.

=================================================================

 300 FACTS OF THE WEEK

 GROUP A

1. What is the largest land animal in the world? It is a vertebrate (has a backbone) and is a mammal.

An elephant

2. Which bone protects the brain?   C _ _ _ _ _ _

The cranium    (sometimes called «the skull»).

3. What musical instrument has 88 ivory and black keys?

A piano

4. What vertebratehops, has a pouch for its babies, and lives in Australia?       

A kangaroo

5. What country in the world has the most people?

China

6. How are all birds different from any other living thing?

They all have feathers.

7. Name a bird that cannot fly because it is too heavy

An ostrich….(or an emu)

8.  What is a MARSUPIAL ?

It’s an animal that has a pouch in front of its body.       Mothers carry their babies in the pouch until they are big enough to walk alone. Marsupials live in Australia. 

9. What sport needs 9 people on each team?

Baseball

10. What is the very hardest mineral / rock?

A diamond

11. When did Columbus discover America?

October 12, 1492

12.  What do the letters AVE stand for in the train system of Spain?

                  ALTA VELOCIDAD  (a high speed train in Spain/Europe)

13. What is the birthstone for December?

The turquoise

14. In the Tarzan movies and books, (Tarzan of the Jungle), what was Tarzan’s girlfriend’s/wife’s name?

Jane

 15. What is the animal with the largest brain in proportion to its body size?

The ant

16. How many years in a decade?   …in a century? in a millenium?

Ten years………100 years………1000 years

17. Which people invented paper, to replace papyrus and parchment?

The Chinese, about 200 A.D.

18. Which bird lays the largest egg?

The ostrich

19. How many stars were there in the original flag of the United States of America?

Thirteen  (one for each original colony)

20. What color is associated with Valentine’s Day?

Red

21. What is the name of the imaginary line that divides the Earth into northern and southern hemispheres?

The Equator

22. What color do you get if you mix red and blue paint?

Purple

23. What color to you get if you mix yellow and blue paint?

Green

24. What kind of animal was King Kong?

Gorilla

25. A lifeguard always works near what?

Water

26. What are figs, mangos, and pomegranates?

Fruits

27.  What does a red road sign with 8 sides mean?

STOP

28. What color clothes do cricket players wear?

White

29. If you visited a tropical climate, what would the climate be like?

Warm

30. What happens when the sun shines through raindrops that are falling in a distant rain shower?

A rainbow is formed.

31. What is the largest mammal on Earth?

A whale…It breathes air, so it is NOT a fish.

32. What is the most common vitamin in orange juice?

Vitamin C

33. Who is Batman’s partner?

Robin

34. What part of your body cannot be used to touch the ball in soccer (football)?

Hands

35. What language would you speak if you lived in modern Australian cities?

English

36. In what sport can you have a «fly ball»?

Baseball

37. What food crop grows in flooded fields?

Rice

38. What state in the USA has made the hula a famous dance?

Hawaii

39. When is Saint Patrick’s Day?

March 17th

40. What object is about 230,000 miles (365,000 kilometers) from Earth?

The moon

At its closest point, known as the perigee, the Moon is only 363,104 km (225,622 miles). And at its most distant point, called apogee, the Moon gets to a distance of 406,696 km (252,088 miles).?

?(Here’s a trick to remembering which is which – “apogee”, starts with “A”, just like going “away”).

You can see that the distance from Earth to Moon can vary by 43,592 km. That’s a pretty big difference, and it can make the Moon appear dramatically different in size depending on where it is in its orbit.

Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/103206/what-is-the-distance-to-the-moon/#ixzz2sne8fzoC

41. What is a veterinarian?

A doctor for animals

42. What language do people from Tokyo speak?

Japanese

43. What might you find inside an oyster shell, if you are lucky?

A pearl

44. How did people first travel?

They walked.

45. In what game would you use a pawn?

Chess

46. What is an Eskimo’s jacket called?

A parka

47. On what continent are the countries Italy, France, and Monaco located?

Europe

48. What is the Japanese art of paper folding called?

Origami

49. What country still uses a rickshaw as a means of transportation?

China

50. What common animal has a horrible smell as its weapon?

A skunk

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GROUP B

 

1. What does the word «SAHARA» mean?

It means «Great Desert» in Arabic. (So don’t say «the Sahara Desert» because it’s as if you are saying «The Great Desert Desert». )  Simply say, «The Sahara».

2.   Name the vertebrate:    It flies, has sonar, with large ears for the size of its body

A bat

3. What item should you have with you if you go camping?  It helps you find directions. 

A compass

4. What is the chemical formula for water?

H₂O

5. Which are the two official languages of Canada?

French and English.   Both languages are taught in ALL the schools, and are used in all official     government documents.

6. What is the longest river in the world?

The Nile River in Egypt.  It is more than 5,000 miles long (8,000 km).

7.  Most of us have heard of the Swiss company Nestlé, which is famous for its chocolate. It now produces various foods in over 80 countries. When it first opened, in 1867, it produced a different product. What was it?

Infant formula (for babies to drink)

8. Which country has the most computers in the world?

The USA…over 24 million.   Next: Canada with 2 million.   Finland has the most per capita, about 1 million (per capita means  in proportion to the number of people it has.)

9. What would you not do if you were to fast for 3 days?

Eat

10.  How many pickles did Peter Piper pick?

A peck

11. Name the vertebrate: He is known as «King of the Jungle», appeared in the book and  the movie «The Wizard of Oz»……

A lion

12.  What kind if building was Alcatraz (in California, USA)?

It was a prison.

13. What is the name of the player in the baseball diamond that is located between second and third base?

The shortstop

14. What is the name of the material that lines an oyster shell?

Mother-of-pearl

15. What does a geologist study?

Rocks / the Earth

16. What do traditional oriental people use to eat with?

Chopsticks

17. Who couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again?

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

18. How many sides does every snowflake have?

Six  (6)       Each one is a different hexagon.

19. What is the traditional food for the American holiday,Thanksgiving?

Turkey

20. What do you call the remains of a plant or animal that are preserved in the earth’s crust?

A fossil

21. What kind of a tree has acorns?

An oak tree

22. What country has made the bagpipe famous?

Scotland

23. What is the name of a period of time when almost all the earth was covered in ice or snow?

The Ice Age    (There were at least 9 Ice Ages during the earth’s history.)

24. Where do Dutch people come from?

Holland

25. What country’s flag is all white with a red circle in the center?

Japan         

26. What is a make-believe creature that is 1/2 fish and 1/2 human?

A mermaid

 27. How many states make up the United States of America?

50  (fifty)

28. Why do birds sit on their eggs?

To keep them warm so they will hatch

29.  How many months of the year have 28 days?

All of them, but February is the month that has ONLY 28 days and in Leap Year it has 29 days.

Leap Year comes once every 4 years, and it has 366 days instead of 365. This is to keep the calendar months in line with the movements of the Earth and the Sun. Look up «Leap Year», See what else you can find out.

 30. What do the letters «BBC» stand for?

British Broadcasting Company

31. What is the «lead» inside a lead pencil made of?

Graphite

32. What are 727’s, 747’s, and 767’s?

Kinds of airplanes

33. What book documents world records?

Guinness Book of World Records

34. If your only sisters are triplets, how many sisters do you have?

Three

35. In car racing, what is it called when you stop to change a tire or to get fuel?

A pit stop

36. What kind of fruit are oranges, grapefruits, limes, and lemons?

They are citrus fruits.

37. In Italy, how do you say, «So long» ?

Ciao (pronounced chow)

38. On what part of your body does an orthodontist work?

Your teeth

39. From what part of a fish do we get caviar?

The eggs

40. In the Bible, what was the work of Mary’s husband, Joseph?

Joseph was a carpenter.

41. What did butter start as?

Milk

42. What is the «grand slam home run» in baseball?                          

It’s when the batter has a home run, with all the other three bases loaded. It results in 4 home runs at the same time.

43. For how many days do the Chinese celebrate their New Year?

Fifteen days

44. Why does a refrigerator warm your kitchen?

Because of the heat coming from the motor used to cool the inside of the refrigerator

45. What are the largest pieces of land on earth called?

Continents

46. How many insects does a toad eat daily, on an average?

100

47. If your pet is a feline, what is it?

A cat

48. Originally, piano keys were made of ivory. What are they made of today?

Plastic

49. Which of the planets has rings?

Saturn

50. If you suffer from zoophobia, what are you very afraid of?

Animals

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 By Elaine Gallagher

            Brain studies are proving what good teachers have known for years. When students SEE a photo or picture, and HEAR the word at the same time, they remember the word easier, making it part of their active vocabulary.

            Memory can be divided into three temporal stages, according to research by Dr. Steven Peterson, professor in the Department of Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine.

            1. The ENCODING stage. Information is presented, (verbal and /or visual).

            2. Information is STORED, and frequently reinforced.

            3. RETRIEVAL stage, when stored information is remembered.

            You are more likely to remember an object if you are shown a picture of it, rather than just hearing the word that names the object.  For example, when you see a picture of an object, such as a lizard, you are ENCODING visual and auditory information, hearing the name «lizard».

            If you’re asked to remember the object later, the visual and the verbal codes combine to give you a better memory than just one single code or a simple word.  

            Now you know the neurological reason why movies, slides, photos, drawings, and flashcards help students to remember more easily, and why UNO vocabulary lessons encourage students to find Internet photos of vocabulary words.

Visual support is imperative to good learning.

________________________________

 

By Elaine Gallagher

Grade Level: 5th Grade – 9th Grade

Overview -This lesson is designed to complement an audio/visual (a live or film) performance of Peter and the Wolf, and can be used both prior to and after the performance.

The activities in the lesson support students’ literacy growth and encourage the development of critical thinking skills. Students will match instruments to the characters they represent in the symphony, re-write the story of Peter and the Wolf from the wolf’s perspective, engage in a debate on whether or not the wolf should be released from the zoo, and make homemade instruments.

Subjects: Language Arts/ The Arts

Materials

• Audio recording of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf
• Film of Peter and the Wolf
• Jon Scieszka’s book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
• Poster paper
• Book paper
• Drawing utensils
• Materials for instruments

Objectives – Students will be able to do the following:

1. Describe how musical instruments can communicate particular ideas or moods in music.
2. Write a story that uses a character’s traits and motivations to determine the causes for that character’s actions.
3. Use details, examples, or anecdotes to explain or clarify their position on an issue.
4. Compose and improvise simple rhythmic and melodic patterns on classroom instruments.

Steps

Pre-Concert Activity

In this activity students will listen to Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony Peter and the Wolf and match the instruments to the characters they represent. 

1. Explain to students that Sergei Prokofiev composed the Peter and the Wolf symphony to introduce children to the different instruments of the orchestra.

2. Read the story of Peter and the Wolf to your class. An online version of the story can be found at http://library.thinkquest.org/17321/data/estext.html.

3. Stop at different points in the story and ask students to guess which instrument Prokofiev might have used to represent the character.

4. Tell students that they are going to listen to instruments and try to match them to the corresponding story character.

5. Write the following lists of instruments and characters on the board or use your i-pad & projector.

•      Strings            Peter
•      Bassoon          Peter’s Grandfather
•      Flute                Bird
•      Horns              Wolf
•      Clarinet            Cat
•      Oboe                Duck
•      Timpani            Hunters’ Guns

6. Go to the http://www.dsokids.com/2001/instrumentchart.htm Web site and click on the instruments listed above. Each link leads to a page that gives a brief description, history and sound clip of the corresponding instrument.

7. As you play the sound clip of each instrument, ask students to guess which character that particular instrument is representing and record their answers.

8. After everyone has finished, replay each instrument and ask students what character they thought it was and discuss the reasons for their choices. Example: The instrument made a loud bang that sounded like a gun.

Answers:

• Strings-Peter
• Tympani- Hunters’ Guns
• Flute – Bird
• Horns – Wolf
• Clarinet – Cat
• Oboe – Duck
• Bassoon – Peter’s Grandfather

 Post-Concert Activities

 Activity One

In this activity students will rewrite the story of Peter and the Wolf from the wolf’s perspective.

1. Read Jon Scieszka’s book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs to your class.

2. Discuss how this story differs from the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs when it is told from the wolf’s perspective.

3. Read the story of Peter and the Wolf to your class. An online version of the story can be found at http://library.thinkquest.org/17321/data/estext.html. You may also choose to copy the story from the site and pass it out to the students, or use yopur i-pad to project the story to all the students. If you can download it on their i-pades or computers, even better!

4. Ask students to rewrite the story of Peter and the Wolf from the wolf’s perspective.

5. Tell students not to change the plot of the story, but to retell the story from the wolf’s point-of-view.

6. Have students progress through the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing successive versions).

Teacher Note: These Web sites offer information on the writing process.

• http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/
• http://serv1.ncte.org/teach//Mathias13085.html

7. Explain to students that because they are “publishing” this book, the text needs to be free from errors.

8. Conference with each student and address the following items:

•           Sentence Structure
•           Grammar
•           Punctuation
•           Capitalization
•           Spelling

9. Ask students to illustrate their books.

10. Bind the pages together.

11. Have a class book party so that students can share their books with their classmates.

12. The following is a list of possible discussion questions to use after everyone has shared their story:

•      How are the two versions different?
•      What are the reasons for this?
•      Can you relate this to events that happen at home, school, your community or the world?

Activity two

In this activity students will debate whether or not the wolf should be released from the zoo.

1. Tell students to imagine that the Peter and the Wolf story really happened and they live in the community where the wolf is being kept in the zoo. Tell them that some local residents think the wolf should be released from the zoo, and they are being asked to take a stand on the issue.

2. Ask students to decide if they think the wolf should be kept at, or released from, the zoo.

3. The students will create the following items to help convince people to either free the wolf or keep it in the zoo:

•      A poster
•      A slogan
•      A statement that explains their point-of –view on the wolf situation

Teacher Note: Students’ written statements should:

• Provide an introductory paragraph.
• Establish and support a central idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of the first paragraph.
• Include supporting paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanations.
• Conclude with a paragraph that summarizes the points.

4. Display the finished posters and slogans around the room.

Teacher Note: Create a panel to hear the students’ arguments and make a decision on the wolf controversy. This panel might include parents, school administrators or students from other classes.

5. Have the students take turns reading their arguments to the panel.

6. After hearing all of the arguments, ask the panel members to discuss the issue among themselves, and draft a brief statement to read to the class.

Activity Three

In this lesson students will make homemade instruments and use them to represent the characters in the book The Musicians of Bremen.

1. Read the story The Musicians of Bremen. An online version of the story can be found at http://www.interest.de/~krausst/grimm/musicians.of.bremen.html.

You may also choose to copy the story from the site and pass it out to the students, or use individual i-pads  or computers, where the story has been downloaded, or the teacher projects the story from an i-pad. 

2. Ask the class to think about how Prokofiev used the instruments in Peter and the Wolf to represent the characters in the story. Instruct students to think about what instruments could be used to represent the animals in The Musicians of Bremen.

3. These Web sites contain directions on how to make homemade instruments:

• http://menc.org/guides/wlc/tg02/Lesson6.html.
• http://www.iit.edu/~smile/ph9416.html
• http://www.mudcat.org/kids/

Visit the sites to choose which instruments you would like to make with your class and copy the directions.

4. Break the class into small groups and provide them with materials to make the instruments.

5. Form small groups again and ask the students to complete the following tasks:

• Decide which homemade instrument should represent each of the characters in the story.
• Compose a short melody with each instrument to represent each character.
• Practice telling the story, combining the text and the melody.
• Perform the piece for the class.

6. After all of the groups have finished their performances, ask each group to explain why it chose the instruments it did for the characters.

Interdisciplinary Extensions

Science

Learn about sound at The Sound Project Web site hosted by IBM, the Minnesota Orchestral Association and the Science Museum of Minnesota.

http://www.smm.org/sound/

Music

Send students to this site to create their own music.

http://www.creatingmusic.com/

Assessment

Teacher Evaluation

Create individual portfolios of students’ work.

Observe students in the following areas:

•      Growth in cognitive skills
•      Interactions that occur during group work
•      Growth in social skills
•      Growth in attitudes toward learning

Conference with each student on these topics:

•      His or her goals
•      Strategies for learning
•      Solutions to problems

Student Self Evaluation

• What did I learn from this project?
• What do I still want to learn about this topic?
• What part of my work on this project gives me a sense of achievement?
• What would I do differently next time?
• In what ways was I able to work with others on this project?
• What did I like most about this project?

 Setting Standards

Grades 5, 6

 Language Arts

1. Writing Strategies – Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).

2.  Literary Response and Analysis

3.  Determine what characters are like by what they say or do and by how the author or illustrator portrays them.

4. Written and Oral English Language Conventions?Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to their age/experience/grade level.

Listening and Speaking

Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication ?

1.Organize ideas chronologically or around major points of information.

2. Provide a beginning, a middle, and an end, including concrete details that develop a central idea.

3. Use clear and specific vocabulary to communicate ideas and establish the tone.

4. Clarify and enhance oral presentations through the use of appropriate props (e.g., objects, pictures, charts).

Music

1. Play rhythmic and melodic ostinatos on classroom instruments.

2. Describe how specific musical elements communicate particular ideas or moods in music.

Compose, Arrange, and Improvise

1. Create short rhythmic and melodic phrases in question-and-answer form.

Visual Arts

1. CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS?

   Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas

2. CREATIVE EXPRESSION?Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts

Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.

SETTING STANDARDS

Grades 7, 8, 9

Language Arts

Literary Response and Analysis

1. Use knowledge of the situation and setting and of a character’s traits and motivations to determine the causes for that character’s actions.

2. Writing Strategies

Students write clear, coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).

3. Create multiple-paragraph compositions:

a. Provide an introductory paragraph.

b. Establish and support a central idea with a topic  sentence at or near the beginning of the first paragraph.

c. Include supporting paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanations.

d. Conclude with a paragraph that summarizes the points.

e. Use correct indention.

4. Written and Oral English Language Conventions

Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level.

Listening and Speaking

1. Listening and Speaking Strategies

Students listen critically and respond appropriately to oral communication. They speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation.

 2.  Summarize major ideas and supporting evidence presented in spoken messages and formal presentations.

3. Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication

Present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the listener’s understanding of important ideas and evidence.

4. Use traditional structures for conveying information (e.g., cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question).

5. Emphasize points in ways that help the listener or viewer to follow important ideas and concepts.

6. Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to explain or clarify information.

7. Use volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulation, and gestures appropriately to enhance meaning.

Music

Compose, Arrange, and Improvise

Compose and improvise simple rhythmic and melodic patterns on classroom instruments.

Visual Arts

1. CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS

Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas

 2. CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Improvise, teachers, using ideas that will support your style of teaching and your students’ various ways of learning.

ENJOY!

_____________________________

 

by Annette Capel, Cambridge English Language Assessment consultant  

 

Although people still talk about different types of English – American English, Australian English, Indian English – it is interesting to notice how close these are to each other nowadays. Any native speaker reading or listening to another ‘type’ of English will understand almost every word. Of course, there are differences, and this article gives a few examples of the variation that still exists between American and British English. However, largely because of global communication, cinema, television and especially the internet, different types of English have influenced each other a lot recently. This is typically coming in one direction – from the US to Britain – and it has changed our daily language significantly.

Teens and young adults in Britain use American vocabulary that has crossed the Atlantic all the time – things that young speakers like a lot are described as cool or awesome, and, as a way to refuse to do something impossible, we often hear the phrase No way! However, it is not just our youth who use expressions which were originally American – the polite phrases You’re welcome! or Have a nice day!, which are commonly used in Britain in places like hotels, both originated in the US, while British business people may use phrases like taking a rain check, meaning that they cannot accept an invitation at that time.

Nevertheless, some differences do remain. From 2007 to 2012, I was fortunate enough to work on a massive vocabulary research project for Cambridge English, which is called the English Vocabulary Profile. You can view the results for free online at www.englishprofile.org. Working with Carol Cassidy, based in New York, we developed two versions of an interactive database, containing the words and phrases that learners of English around the world typically know and use. Our evidence was based partly on a 50-million-word collection of learners’ writing from Cambridge English exams, but we also looked at the vocabulary taught in best-selling British and American English course books.

So, what did we find out? Well, for a start, there are some words that are still exclusively British or American, even though people from both countries understand them. British people have biscuits with their cup of tea or coffee, but Americans have cookies. We have cookies too in Britain, but they are a certain type of biscuit, such as chocolate chip cookies, where the original recipe is American. A British person goes on holiday, whereas an American takes a vacation; you visit a city centre in Britain but go downtown in the US; British people join a queue to wait for something, but Americans wait in line.

A few words have different meanings across the two varieties of English, which could cause some embarrassment: Americans who are wearing pants definitely have their legs covered, but if a British person is dressed only in pants, they are in their underwear! And if you need to fill up your car with fuel, you can ask for gas in the US, but you need to buy petrol in Britain, as ‘gas’ is not a liquid in British English.

Phrasal verbs (verbs with two or more words like take off or live up to) are another area of difference, and there are slightly fewer of them in the American English version of the English Vocabulary Profile. British and American speakers, for example, talk of a relationship breaking up, but Americans wouldn’t use this phrasal verb to mean ‘finish a school term’ as we do in Britain. And British people buy food to take away whereas Americans have a take-out.

Overall, though, our research shows that British and American English are actually very similar. The 10 most common words (the, of, to, and, a, in, that, is, for and I) are the same in both countries, and looking at the 5,000 most common words in the UK, the vast majority of these words are also in the USA’s top 5,000. Most of the differences are easy to explain – for example, it’s not surprising that ‘pounds’ is much more common in British English, while ‘dollars’ is used more in the USA.

How does all of this affect a learner of English who is thinking of taking a Cambridge English exam? As an examiner, I can reassure you that both British and American English are equally acceptable in the Writing and Speaking tests. We recognise (recognize in American English!) that classes are taking place around the world in many varieties of English, from American English to Zimbabwean English, but what is important above all is that an exam candidate can show us their ability to communicate effectively in English. It is a language that is used globally and our examinations reflect that diversity.

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Artículos relacionados:  American English? British English? by Elaine Gallagher

 

By Elaine Gallagher           

DO YOURSELF AND YOUR STUDENTS A FAVOR: INTRODUCE THEM TO CLASSICAL MUSIC

         Maybe you’re thinking ahead to a program for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day…or to a special event at the end of the school year. You may be wondering, «What can I plan for my students to do that’s special?»  Here’s an idea for you, a project of «Peter and the Wolf».

         I remember when I was about ten years old (1952), or maybe younger, when I first saw/heard Walt Disney’s version of «Peter and the Wolf». I was fascinated by the music and by the plot. I cried when I thought the wolf ate the duck. (In the Disney version, the duck survives. In the original composition, the duck is actually eaten.) The music stayed in my mind, and the next Saturday, I had to go to the movies to see Peter and the Wolf again.

         We didn’t get a television until I was twelve years old, and even then, TV had little to offer for me….just  silly comedies, sports, news, babyish children’s shows, like «Howdy Doody».

It wasn’t ‘til I was a teenager, that TV programs began to interest me, such as Disney’s «Spin and Marty», «The Twilight Zone», and «Alfred Hitchcock Presents….»

         Despite the invention and expansion of television in middle-class homes, my perennial Saturday ritual, until I went off to university at age 17,  was a trip to the public library all morning, and a double-feature at the cinema for 10 cents, watching movies all afternoon.

         «Peter and the Wolf», a Disney cartoon version of Sergei Prokofiev’s composition, was one of the first musicals I remember seeing. It paved the way and set the ground for my love of classical music and Broadway musicals.

         Do your students a favor. In this age of rap, rock, and pop, let them become familiar with classical music. Granted, Disney’s version was more «child friendly» than the original version, where the goose actually does get eaten by the wolf. Disney’s animals have names. In Prokofiev’s version, the animals are only known by their sounds of musical instruments.

         In this first installment, you’ll get the TEACHER GUIDE, an introduction to Peter and the Wolf.

         In the second installment, you’ll get the LESSON PLAN,  with various projects to complete. You’ll be offered material to prepare with the students for a better understanding of the composition. 

         Finally, you can use the student work to present an exhibition for the parents. There are many versions of the composition, enhanced by a narrator. You can get into this project as deeply as you want. The goal is promoting music and dance with your students.

This project is suitable for 5th grade through 9th grade.

ENJOY!

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MUSIC & DANCE AS A LANGUAGE:

TELLING A STORY WITHOUT WORDS

«Peter and the Wolf»

Composed in Russia in 1936 by Sergei Prokofiev

 TEACHER GUIDE

Program Overview

         Your lesson / program introduces students to the plot and characters of «Peter and the Wolf,» and to the central themes of obedience and courage. Students can act out or demonstrate how character, plot and themes are expressed in dance. It will be extremely helpful if you can have your students listen to a CD of the narration and music of «Peter and the Wolf».

Even better, if you can rent a movie of the work, so the students can see and listen to the composition. Guide your students to move to the music.

The Story of «Peter and the Wolf»

         Peter, a young boy, sits in the meadow outside his grandfather’s house. It is the last day of his visit with his grandfather, and Peter is thinking how much he will miss all his animal friends that live near by. He will especially miss the little bird and the duck. He spots his two friends, but they are having an argument, as friends sometimes do. The duck says he is the better fowl, because he can swim. The little bird says that he is better, because he can fly.

         While they are arguing, who should appear but the cat. The cat quietly sneaks up on the bird. Suddenly the cat springs from the tall grass, aiming right for the bird. “Watch out!” cries Peter. The bird barely escapes by flying up into a tree.

         Soon, Peter’s grandfather comes out to the meadow. He warns Peter about wolves that might be around. “Stay inside the garden gate, and don’t play in the meadow!” grandfather tells Peter.

          Peter goes with his grandfather into the safety of the garden. Grandfather locks the gate, and goes back into the house. Peter soon gets bored. He misses his friends who are still playing in the meadow. “I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf!” says Peter. He hops over the gate, and joins the cat, bird and duck in the meadow.

         The friends are together for only a few minutes when who should appear? It is the wolf with his sharp teeth and burning, red eyes. The cat and the bird manage to escape the wolf, but the poor duck is not so lucky. With one big gulp, the duck is gone!

         Peter realizes that he must act to save his other friends. But what can he do? Peter then gets an idea. He grabs a rope, and tells the bird to distract the wolf by flying over his head.

         Peter climbs the tree with his rope and makes a lasso. While the wolf is watching the bird, Peter swings the rope around the wolf’s tail, and gives the rope a big tug. Up goes the wolf so that he is hanging by his tail from the tree. Peter did it! He captured the wolf.

         Shortly after, some hunters come looking for the wolf. “Don’t shoot,” yells Peter, “I’ve already captured the wolf!” They soon agree that the zoo would be the best place for the wolf. They have a wonderful little parade as they triumphantly march the wolf away.

         Meanwhile, Peter’s grandfather doesn’t know what to think, after all, Peter did disobey him. On the other hand, he is proud of Peter for catching the wolf. “But what would have happened if he DIDN’T catch the wolf?” grandfather wonders. “What would have happened, indeed!”

 

PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES

The Themes of Peter and the Wolf

         Review the story of Peter and the Wolf with your class. Explain to the class that in «Peter and the Wolf«, Peter decides to disobey his grandfather. He doesn’t like the boring safety of the garden, but chooses instead to have fun with his friends in the dangerous meadow.

         Form into small groups and have each group choose one of the following questions to discuss. When you are done, share your group’s discussion with the whole class.

Discussion questions

1. Do you think Peter really understood how dangerous it was to play in the meadow? Was grandfather’s rule to play only in the garden a good one? Are there times when we have to obey rules even if we don’t understand why they are there?

2. If you were Peter’s grandfather, how would you have felt about Peter’s actions? Would you feel proud of Peter because he captured the wolf, or would you be angry because he disobeyed you? Is it possible to feel two different ways about the same thing?

3. In the story, Peter becomes the hero by saving the animals. What are some other things that could have happened to Peter instead?

4. Peter shows great courage in capturing the wolf. Peter acts very brave, but do you think he might have been just a little afraid? Should he have been afraid? Would you be afraid? In order to be courageous, do you think one has to be at least a little afraid?

5. Can you think of another way Peter could have captured the wolf?

6. (For older students) When, if ever, is it better to disobey the rules instead of following them?

 

Peter and the Wolf, Music and Dance

         Dancers use their bodies to convey plot, character and emotion. While plot usually requires more complex movements, characters and emotions can often be expressed in a simple gesture. Using just a few simple movements, have your students express the following characterizations and emotions found in «Peter and the Wolf«:

1. The light and carefree spirit of Peter
2. The fluttery bird
3. The hopping and swimming duck
4. The slinky steps of the cat’s paws
5. The stiff heavy steps of the old grandfather
6. The sly wolf
7. The stomping march of the strong hunters

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

The Art of Story Telling

         In order for an audience to be interested in a story, it is important that the characters in the story seem real and likeable.

         Discuss with the class the character of Peter. In the story, what makes Peter seem like a real boy? Is he a perfectly good little boy? Do you know someone like Peter?

         How is the character of Peter like you? How did the dancer help us understand the character of Peter?

         It is important for stories to keep the audience guessing. If we always know what is going to happen, we lose interest.

         In Peter and the Wolf, the duck is killed by the wolf. Even though this is a very sad part of the story, it was necessary. Discuss with the class why the duck’s death was important for the story. How did it make the story less predictable? How does it make the wolf more threatening? How does it make Peter braver?

NOTE: In the Walt Disney cartoon, child-friendly version of Peter and the Wolf, the duck does not die. She escapes the wolf. Also, in Disney’s cartoon version, the animals are given names, such as «Sasha» and «Ivan», which did not occur in the original story. In Prokofiev’s work, the musical instruments represented each character, so names were not used.

         Most good stories have a beginning, middle and end. The beginning of the story often introduces the audience to the main characters. Ask the class to name the characters that are introduced in the beginning of Peter and the Wolf? What characters are not introduced?

         The middle of a story usually sets up a conflict. Discuss with your students the conflict that Peter faces in the middle of Peter and the Wolf. The end of a story resolves the conflict. Have students identify how this happens in Peter and the Wolf.

Other Activities

         Sergei Prokofiev is the composer of the music to Peter and the Wolf. He wrote it in four days in 1936 in Russia, when asked to produce a children’s musical work which would help young children develop a love for music. He also composed a work called the Classical Symphony.

         Play a recording of the first movement of the Classical Symphony for your class. Discuss with the class how Peter and the Wolf, and the Classical Symphony are alike and different. Notice that while Peter and the Wolf is about a story, the Classical Symphony does not have a story to it.

         Younger students may enjoy making up a story to the Classical Symphony, or drawing a picture of what they feel the music could be about.

         In Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev uses instruments to represent animals:

• The bird: flute
• The duck: oboe
• The cat: clarinet
• The wolf: French horn
• The grandfather: bassoon
• The hunters: timpani
• Peter: strings

          The French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns, also wrote a work that uses instruments to depict animals – Carnival of the Animals. Play a recording of Carnival of the Animals for your students.

         What are some similarities between the two pieces? Some students may notice that the seventh movement of Carnival of the Animals has a melody similar to the music in the Disney movie, «Beauty and the Beast» (the “Aquarium” scene).

         Another work that familiarizes students with the instruments of the orchestra is Benjamin Britten’s «A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra».

         Have students draw a picture of one of the dancers/characters in Peter and the Wolf. How do the artistic elements of color, form, and the position of the dancer contribute to the feel of the character they are drawing?

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ENJOY THE LESSON!

This lesson based on «PETER and the WOLF» could provide enough work for several weeks, especially if you use all the suggestions, the music, the dancing, and art-work recommended. Critical thinking questions are an important element of this lesson.

NEXT INSTALLMENT:
The LESSON PLAN.

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Elaine Gallagher  

         Developing language arts skills in English begins with ORAL FLUENCY. Without the fluency and expanded vocabulary that reflects oral fluency, a student can’t really develop well in language skills. When teachers use 100% English in the class, based on CLIL philosophy, they promote oral fluency.

         Once a student is fluent, then we can build the language arts skills: WRITING/SPELLING, READING, and GRAMMAR.

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WRITING/SPELLING

            Spelling correctly is an important and necessary writing skill. Keys essential to good spelling are listening and pronunciation, not writing the words over and over again. If a student listens to a word, sees a picture of the word (when possible), and pronounces correctly, spelling becomes much easier. Understanding the definitions (not memorizing them) also aids in improved spelling ability.  Writing the words in games, or gap activities, seeing the words in use in sentences or stories, and identifying words by their shapes are techniques used to stimulate spelling interest among students. These techniques are interrelated with various multiple intelligences so that students’ learning preferences are utilized.

            Vocabulary and spelling words should be based based on an eclectic approach to offer variety, and to avoid the boring, predictable kinds of lists that do not stimulate students.

Following this philosophy, teachers and students may find some spelling lists based on phonetic similarity among the words, for example a list of words all with short E’s. Another list may have words that relate to a topic, such as science words or a literature-based story.

            The variety among the types of words is intentional and can even be a base of a high level thinking lesson. The creative teacher may ask, «Do you see a pattern or any similarity among the words in this month’s spelling list? If so, what do you see?»

            Students thrive on these kinds of questions, and their spelling efficiency also improves because they are interested in long-term learning, not simply memorizing words for a test, which they forget a few days after the test.

            Synonyms, antonyms, homonyms (homophones), sight words, phonetically- based words, unusual pronunciations /spellings (such as island…where the S is silent, or often, where the T is silent), and irregular plurals (tooth / teeth) should be introduced to students over time, in an eclectic system of vocabulary expansion to develop strong spelling skills.

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READING COMPREHENSION

            Other than speaking fluency, reading ability is a major key in the success of a student or an adult.  Books, newspapers and magazines, Internet, reading assignments in work or university all depend on reading success. Writing skills are impossible to develop well if a person does not read and speak with ease and fluency.

            Research shows that we learn more vocabulary by reading than by listening, so good texts carefully adds challenging words among easier ones to help the student develop a more varied and useful vocabulary. When possible, stories should be presented in an audio or movie format, as well as in text on an i-pad or book, so that students can listen as they read, or absorb the story in film version, both before and after reading a novel.

            By listening to the words, or seeing the actions, as used in the stories or articles, the students hear the words, and they begin to assimilate them in the short-term memory. After listening to the story on several occasions, reading the story, and using words over time, the focused vocabulary words begin to transfer to long-term memory and available to the student to retrieve from his/her brain during speaking and reading activities.

            In addition to the vocabulary enhancement as supported by the story vocabulary and phrases, reading comprehension experiences should vary in an eclectic approach by mixing fiction, non-fiction, factual articles, such as biographies and science information, with fantasies and myths.

            There is a wide variety of stories and articles available in most on-line books and levels in order to challenge students. Identifying the genre is a high-level critical thinking skill. For this reason, vary long and short stories or articles, fiction and non-fiction, funny stories with serious ones…all with the aim of mental stimulation and challenge for the students.

            Teachers should take time with each story or article, not simply rush through to read it and move on to another. There is no need rush. There are no academic police plotting the velocity with which you teach. YOU are the person to determine how much time a book or story or chapter needs to complete tasks. Introduce the reading, focusing the students, before even opening the pages. An introduction can be background information, an anecdote about the topic, drawings, photos connected to the topic, or vocabulary words that are important for clear understanding. Vary your approach.

            If the story is in film or audio formats, they can be used as an introduction, to check basic                     comprehension of the story’s theme, and used during the story, in short excerpts to emphasize a point, with students reading along as they listen. Again, at the end of the lesson, students can listen to the complete story, and, perhaps, draw a story scene as they listen, or design a time-line plotting the story in chronological order.

There are three levels of reading difficulty:

      1. INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL:

• Stories / articles, new to the students, are intended to be at this level, depending, of course, on individual students. This is slightly above the students’ vocabulary and reading level. Perhaps there are 10% of the words that students do not know, but guided by the teacher, they learn them, and, therefore, grow in reading skills. Teacher-guided lessons are essential to the development and growth of reading skills at the Instruction level.

      2. INDEPENDENT LEVEL:

• This is at the students’ actual reading level, where he/she has no difficulty in smooth reading. Perhaps there is one unknown word on a page, but from the context, usually the student can figure out what it means. This level is for relaxed, leisure-type reading. While students may not increase vocabulary at this level, they can increase fluency and reading speed.

      3. FRUSTRATION LEVEL:

• No child should ever be placed at this level where he/she does not know 2-3 words out of every ten words (20%- 30%). No learning takes place, and children learn to hate reading.

              In exceptional cases of children far below others in his /her class, try an easier text, or develop story vocabulary with the child prior to the reading lessons, using    drawings or picture/vocabulary flash cards. Assigning the child to a peer partner can help, if embarrassment will not be an issue for the student to be assisted. Encourage the child to listen to stories at home on an auditory or movie CD. Putting e-books on      an i-pad is proving to be a great stimulus to poor readers because they love the i-pad technology, so learn to read better to by developing vocabulary, using context clues, and using the text  in a more relaxed manner than with a traditional book.

             This frustration-level situation is common with students new to the language. In these     cases, if only one or two students are at frustration level, a peer-partner, and patience    and support by the teachers can ease the child over the frustration level with time,    leading the student to the instructional level, which is the goal.

            If, however, the majority of your students are trying to read a text or story that is way above their capabilities, obviously you, the teacher, will need to select an easier text or story, one at the instructional level of the students. YOU are the one in  charge; you should know your students’ abilities. Have confidence in your ability to   make these decisions, which should not be made by a text or editorial company.

            Worst-case scenario, if you absolutely MUST use a text or story way too difficult for your students’ reading levels, present the story or topic verbally, using pictures, films, photos, and examples, introducing basic vocabulary for students to learn. Students will not actually READ the entire story, but they will be introduced to the plot, the characters, the time and setting, some vocabulary, and will listen to an audio or see a film version of the story so they can grasp the major concepts. The teacher will use 100% English in all explanations and examples to promote language development based on CLIL philosophy.

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GRAMMAR

            Teachers need to understand a basis for grammar so they can guide students for better fluency.Grammar is an explanation of how a language is organized and used.

            Grammar explanation cannot be well-understood until students actually are using the language with some fluency. In no way should we expect student to memorize grammar rules or examples. Grammar points should be presented only as a guide, in casual passing.

            Once students are at A-2 level, with oral fluency, they’ll be ready to understand basic grammar explanations. Identifying basic parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs is acceptable. Basic verb tenses (present, past, future) can be introduced in third grade. Once students understand and can use these basic tenses, they can move on to present progressive verbs, types of sentences (declarative, imperative, interrogative), and irregular verbs.

           When CLIL philosophy is used, with teachers speaking 100% of the class in English, students acquire correct grammar much more easily. Knowing advanced tenses, cases, the subjunctive are not essential in primary grades. When more advanced grammar skills have been modeled by teachers in everyday speech, students will learn them easily during middle school and high school.

            The goal, teachers and parents, is NOT to pass a language exam! The goal is to have students who enjoy English, who have oral fluency with a large vocabulary, and who are eager to learn more! Putting fear into them with undue emphasis on their exam performance will result in students «hating» grammar.

            I LOVE GRAMMAR! Why? Because, even as a native speaker, I was never expected to memorize patterns or rules or lists. We spoke English, wrote it, read it, and received explanations along the way from our teachers. In high school is when we actually learned advanced tenses. The emphasis was always placed on what «sounded right», with grammatical reasons explained.

The teacher must speak English 100% of the time, helping to model fluency and grammar for rhe students.

            I promote a spiral approach to grammar, whereby similar grammar points are introduced in various grades over time, repeated for thorough practice. The «natural approach» to language acquisition, as supported for 30+ years by Dr. Stephen Krashen and Dr. Virginia Collier, emphasizes that activities that use the language in games, fun, oral practice in the classroom, and in routines is more effective in long-term grammar acquisition. This is the position that I support.

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Now you know that LANGUAGE ARTS consists of writing/spelling, reading, and grammar skills. Of course, ORAL FLUENCY is the first skill to develop.

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by Elaine Gallagher                                                            

Hi, English Teachers!  February will be here soon, Many of you probably know that in the U.S.A February is known as «Presidents’ Month» because two important presidents were born in February, President George Washington, the first president, and Abraham Lincoln, who was responsible for ending slavery in the USA.

Abraham Lincoln was president of the USA at the same time that Benito Juarez was president of Mexico. It will make a very interesting research project for your students to find out what was the relationship between President Juarez and President Lincoln.

Why is the bridge crossing the Rio Bravo (called the «Rio Grande» in USA) between Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas named the «Lincoln-Juarez Bridge»?

Why are there so many schools in Mexico named «Juarez-Lincoln»?

These are research questions to help develop critical thinking skills among your students. Instead of requiring your students to simply memorize facts, such as birthdates or cities of origin, encourage your students to find relationships between famous people who lived at the same time.

For some basic information, here is some information about President Abraham Lincoln and President George Washington of the U.S. A. Both men were born in February.

U.S.A. – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday         February 12^th

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky. He was the 16^th President of the United States of America, serving from 1861 to 1865. He is best known for having been a self-educated, honest man, “Honest Abe”, and for freeing the slaves, with the “Emancipation Proclamation”. He served as President during the Civil War between the northern states and the southern states. “His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest.»

The spirit that guided him was clearly that of his Second Inaugural Address, now inscribed on the wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds…”

On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theater in Washington by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, who somehow thought he was helping the South. The opposite was the result, for with Lincoln’s death, the possibility of peace with magnanimity died.

The Lincoln Memorial

Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the Lincoln Memorial honors Abraham Lincoln. The memorial, which was built between 1914 and 1922, symbolizes his belief that all people should be free.

The theme of the building represents the Union. The columns surrounding the walls stand for the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. The names of the 48 states in the Union (when the memorial was completed in 1922) are carved on the walls along the outside of the memorial. A plaque honoring Alaska and Hawaii is in the approach plaza.

The chamber inside the memorial contains a statue of Lincoln seated, facing the Washington Monument and the Capitol. The statue of Lincoln is 19 feet high and weighs 175 tons. The chamber also houses two huge stone tables, one engraved with Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and the other with the Gettysburg Address.

Art Activity – Coin Rubbing

Have children obtain a penny (one cent coin) in currency of U.S.A. On one side of the penny is a profile of Abraham Lincoln. Place a small piece of white paper (3 inch square) on top of the penny with Abraham Lincoln’s profile. With a #2 (soft lead) pencil, lightly rub the paper evenly. An image of Abraham Lincoln will appear on the paper.

 

 

 

U.S.A. – George Washington’s Birthday                  February 22^nd

George Washington, the 1^st President of the United States of America, was born on February 22^nd, 1732. He was a general in the Revolutionary War, in which the 13 colonies in America fought against Great Britain. The colonists won, and the 13 original colonies became the United States of America. George Washington was elected the 1^st President, serving from 1789 to 1797. He died in 1799.

Americans celebrated Washington’s Birthday while he was still alive. They were grateful for a strong leader who had proven that democracy was a feasible way to govern the growing country. And, while he was alive, legends grew up about him. The most famous one says that he was so strong, he threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. Some Americans argue that this is a true story. Parts of the Potomac River, they say, were extremely narrow a few hundred years ago! Another story which has never been proven, but Americans pass down to their children as a lesson:

When George Washington was young, his father gave him a hatchet. He tried to cut down a cherry tree with it. His father noticed the cuts on the tree, and asked his son how they got there. “I cannot tell a lie”, George said. “I did it with my hatchet”. Perhaps George Washington had no hatchet, and perhaps there were no cherry trees where he grew up. However, George Washington today represents honesty, and cherry pies have become a favorite food associated with his birthday. Various communities observe the holiday by staging pageants and reenactments of important milestones in Washington’s life. 

Activity – Coin Rubbing

Have children obtain a quarter coin in currency of U.S.A. On one side of the quarter is a profile of George Washington. Place a small piece of white paper on top of the quarter with Washington’s profile. With a pencil, lightly rub the paper evenly. An image of George Washington will appear on the paper.

 

U.S.A. – Presidents’ Day               3^rd Monday in February

Because there have been three USA Presidents born in February (Lincoln, Washington, and William Henry Harrison, the 9^th President, who died in 1841, after 1 month in office), Presidents’ Day is celebrated in February to honor ALL Presidents. It is a federal holiday, with schools and offices closed, celebrated on the 3^rd Monday of February to give people a long weekend. Also, the holiday has taken on another side, much more commercial in nature. Many shopping malls and stores run Presidents’ Day sales to attract shoppers who have the day off from work or school.

Activity – sillhouettes

The students will need black paper and a white sheet of paper. Students will trace silhouettes, with black profiles of 2 men and paste them on the sheet of white paper.

They will then write “PRESIDENTS’ DAY” on the top of the white sheet.

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Elaine Gallagher, Ph.D. 

UNO International 

Introduction 

The worldwide transformation occurring in bilingual/multilingual education revolves around two areas: Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Fifty countries, since 1991, have adopted these two movements as part of their national plan(Council of Europe, 2001). The United States is one of the major countries that has not yet unified objectives of bilingualism. The political debates in the United States concerning «English-only» and immigration are simply «too hot» to deal with in a logical, sane manner. Meanwhile, our children are cheated of a complete education. This situation seems ironic because the United States supposedly has been the world’s «melting pot».

            Being bilingual used to be for some highly motivated immigrants, or for people who needed a second or third language for a job, or for people in countries, such as Switzerland, who have no specific language in their country, so they need to learn the language of neighbors, French, Italian, and German. In mainstream U.S.A., someone who is bilingual is seen as «different», an immigrant, or someone who is gifted in languages; however, more than half of the world’s population is bilingual(Grosjean, 2010).

Background

What generally is known about education, general learning and bilingualism is not new. The main problem most of the time is that what we know about learning and what we actually do are not closely related. Recent brain studies are supporting work of Montessori and Piaget from over fifty years ago when such instruments were not available; however, the practices being used in education in 2013 are still far behind what has been learned from accumulated knowledge and research.

Works of Vygotsky, Krashen, Collier, Bloom, Gardner, and others who support bilingualism and promotion of critical thinking, are not being implemented in U.S. schools. We need to know about and utilize an eclectic approach to bilingual education if we want positive results. What results and goals should we be seeking? [Who is “we”?] Meeting the dual goals of oral fluency and academic expertise in two or more languages are the results we should be advocating, not simply «passing» multiple choice exams based on the two lowest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory   

Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory (1978) is one of the foundations of constructivism, and supports second language teaching/learning. It asserts three major themes:

1. Social interaction. It plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. In contrast to Jean Piaget’s understanding of child development (in which development necessarily precedes learning), Vygotsky felt social learning precedes development. He stated: “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level. First, between people (inter-psychological) and then inside the child (intra- psychological)” (Vygotsky, 1978. pp.20-24).
2. The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). The MKO refers to anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or concept. The MKO is normally thought of as being a teacher, coach, or older adult, but the MKO could also be peers, a younger person, or even computers.
3. The Zone of Proximal Development(ZPD). The ZPD is the distance between a student’s ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration and the student’s ability solving the problem independently. According to Vygotsky, learning occurred in this zone. Vygotsky focused on the connections between people and the sociocultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences (Crawford, 1996).

According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. Initially, children develop these tools to serve solely as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills.

Cognitive development results from a process whereby a child learns through problem-solving experiences shared with someone else, usually parent or teacher but sometimes a sibling or peers. Initially, the person interacting with child assumes most of the responsibility for guiding the problem solving, but gradually this responsibility transfers to the child. Language is a primary form of interaction through which adults transmit to the child the rich body of knowledge that exists in the culture. As learning progresses, the child’s own language comes to serve as the primary tool of intellectual adaptation. Eventually, children can use internal language to direct their own behavior.

                        Vygotsky impacts language learning in three ways:

1. Curriculum. Since children learn much through interaction, curricula should be designed to emphasize interaction between learners and learning tasks, projects, pair work, teamwork, cooperative learning experiences.
2. Instruction. With appropriate adult help, children can often perform tasks that they are incapable of completing on their own. With this in mind, scaffolding – where the adult continually adjusts the level of his or her help in response to the child’s level of performance–is an effective form of teaching. Scaffolding not only produces immediate results, but also instills the skills necessary for independent problem solving in the future.
3. Assessment. Assessment methods must take into account the zone of proximal development. What children can do on their own is their level of actual development and what they can do with help is their level of potential development. Two children might have the same level of actual development, but given the appropriate help from an adult, one might be able to solve many more problems than the other. Assessment methods must target both the level of actual development and the level of potential development.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

            Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchy of six levels of cognitive thought, developed by Dr. Benjamin Bloom in 1954. It demonstrates how humans best learn to develop critical thinking skills. It’s not new, yet no one has come with a more effective way to show how to raise performance levels on the basis of critical thinking, so is still in use to develop critical thinking, especially useful in second language acquisition.

            Simply by changing a verb in a lesson’s activity, the teacher can raise the level of students’ thinking. Bilingualism requires communication skills. When higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (1954) are used, students remember better and learn more deeply. The two lower levels, to know and to understand, are based mainly on memory. The four higher levels: apply, analyze, assess, and create, depend on critical thinking. When teachers use the four higher levels, students learn better, and second languages are more easily acquired.

Contributions from Neuroscience on Bilingual Education

Researchers and neuro-medical studies are reporting that children who are bilingual have an intellectual advantage (Baker, 1993; Bialystok, 1991; Gonzalez, 1999; Shaffer, 1999). By being bilingual, children will have various mental advantages. There is more plasticity in the brain, allowing faster learning. When a brain is fluent in two or more languages, for example, needing to choose between English and Spanish, the cortical circuits that hold both languages become active. The prefrontal cortex must step in to decide… man or hombre. The workout the prefrontal cortex gets in bilingualism carries over to other functions, such as problem solving, attention switching, and postpones dementia by at least 5 years (Weber-Fox, Leonard, Hampton Wray, & Tomblin, 2010).

            Ultimately, study after study indicates that bilingualism changes and affects the human brain and how a person learns. There is sufficient neurological research indicating that bilingual children may have more intelligence and cognitive strengths than monolingual children (Diamond, 2010)

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

            Teachers have been hearing much about Multiple Intelligences the past 25 years, not because it is new, but because they are discovering that the theory offers a clear explanation of the many ways in which humans learn. In 1984, Dr. Howard Gardner (1983) published Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. It was a book originally written for psychologists. Classroom teachers, however, were the ones who embraced the theory, recognizing that it gave a logical explanation of why some students did well in school and others, with similar I.Q. (intelligence quotient), did not.

            Gardner’s theory challenged the traditional psychological view of intelligence as a single capacity that is evidenced by verbal ability, and logical and mathematical thought. Instead, Gardner proposed that all individuals possess eight independent intelligences. These, in combination, enable people to solve problems or fashion products with varying levels of skill. Gardner’s simplified definition of intelligence is «the ability to solve problems» (Gardner, 1984, p.16). The eight «intelligences» (learner preferences) presented by Dr. Gardner are:

1. Verbal-Linguistic
2. Logical-Mathematical
3. Musical-Rhythmic
4. Visual-Spatial
5. Bodily-Kinesthetic (including gross and fine motor skills)
6. Interpersonal
7. Intrapersonal
8. Naturalist

Verbal-Linguistic and Interpersonal Intelligences are most closely connected to the acquisition of a second or third language. Gardner identified these various intelligences using biological and psychological studies. The use of Multiple Intelligence (MI) activities helps teachers and students in many different ways:

• It encourages teachers to use a wide variety of activities, in music, art, critical thinking, kinesthetic, logic puzzles, brain -easers, cooperative learning activities.
• It promotes or justifies education in diverse forms.
• It encourages teachers to work in teams, complementing their own strengths with those of their colleagues.
• It encourages schools to devise rich educational experiences for children from diverse backgrounds.
• It allows children to see that they may have abilities and skills that are diverse, and that their strengths can be developed.
• Parents will be able to recognize strengths in their children that may not have been noticed before if they had been concentrating on only traditional «intelligences».
• Using a wide variety of MI activities keeps the students more involved and interested in academic work. Furthermore, one intelligence can help to strengthen another. For example, a student weak in reading may enhance skills by using music lyrics or a sports rules book in order to grow in reading skills. Second language acquisition, L2, is enhanced.

Techniques, ideas, and research supporting the advocacy of a 21st century transition in bilingual education, lead to the urgency and necessity of implementing 180-degree changes in educational practices, some of which are based on recent neuro-educational studies. These implementations need to be based on an eclectic combination and use of CEFR, CLIL, and research by Vygotsky, Bloom, Gardner, and many others.

Recent Challenges of Bilingual Education in the United States

            Current «pullout» language classes, or the gradual implementation of English, have proven to be a failure. The fact is that 47% of native Spanish-speaking students who have been enrolled in public schools «bilingual programs» do not graduate from high school. They are the disenfranchised (American Legislative Exchange Council, 1994); however, 91% of students whose parents denied them entrance into a bilingual program (instead choosing all-English classes) graduate (Berman, 1992). These signs should be glaring, yet states still continue the unattainable quest of using antiquated, obsolete, unsuccessful methods to attempt to reach a goal of English fluency that could easily be attainable, as proven with millions of students in other countries.

            The United States is isolated, provincial, and far-removed from what is occurring in the rest of the world. Most of our English teachers, as well as teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English as a Second Language (ESL), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and whatever other acronyms are used in the field, are teaching English the way Latin had been taught 90 years ago, using memorization of vocabulary, verb conjugations, and translations. Forgotten is the fact that Latin was taught this way because the Romans have been dead for 2,000 years, so there was no one to talk to in Latin.

            In the 21st Century, any educated person needs to be bilingual, with English being one of the two languages. Why English? Because it is the universal language (the lingua franca) of technology, medicine, businesses, the arts and economy. In the United States, Spanish could be a second language (L2) because it has the highest number of speakers, after English. There are more Spanish speakers in the United States than there are speakers of Chinese, French, German, Italian, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined (United States Census Bureau, 2011).

Supposedly, by 2034, there will be more people speaking Spanish in the United States than English. It behooves universities and education departments to forget politics and movements for «English only,» and its closed, discriminatory policy. Instead, the United States must emphasize fluency in two or more languages for all students, so they will be prepared for the near future.

            Apart from the politics and economic necessities of knowing two languages in the United States, English and Spanish, much more important is that various brain studies and documented research in neuroscience are supporting that people who are bilingual have a more agile brain.

From Globalization to CEFR and CLIL

Because the prime language in the United States, for now, is English, citizens ignore, and even reject, the acquisition of Spanish as a needed skill. Being able to communicate in the first language (L1) of 37% of the United States population is a valid skill, not to mention the brain studies showing bilingual students perform better on cognitive skills.

However, it is important to remember that in the 21st Century, with international world travel common for work and pleasure, with globalization promoting out-sourcing to other countries, and with English becoming more and more the lingua franca, bilingualism is essential for economic, professional, and social success. Globalization has led to the necessity of bilingualism, which, in turn, led to the development of the Common European Framework.

            Without clear designations of language levels, teachers, worldwide, had to use multiple-guess exams, low-level-thinking tests, or vague estimates, to decide students’ language levels. «Beginning,» «Basic,» «Intermediate,» or «Advanced» were terms used to group students or to label texts. Newspaper listing job vacancies asked for «80% English», or «75% French», or «100% Spanish.» What did those arbitrary percentages mean? Did they mean that someone understood 80% of an English dictionary? Or that they understood 80% of a movie? Obviously, the percentages made no more sense than «Intermediate English.»

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

            In the late 1980’s, more than twenty European countries began to research and document what skills and abilities needed to be exhibited to demonstrate language knowledge, in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, under various situations: social, professional, family, academic, and professional, etc.

            After much work, in 1991, in Switzerland, a consortium of language educators and linguistic specialists presented their findings and recommendations in a 265 page document, named Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. What they succeeded to do was to specifically list observable actions and characteristics, which would exhibit language ability under a variety of circumstances, and at various levels.

            They divided language abilities, for any language, into six classifications: A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2, C-1, C-2, with A-1 being the basic level, and C-2 the most proficient level. Tables 1 and 2 provide a clearer picture of the CEFR.

Table 1. Alignment between Grade levels and CEFR levels

 

Notice that first grade level of primary is not included, because most young children do not have the smoothness, vocabulary level, or fluency that A-1 would exhibit.

Once the Common European Framework of Reference was established and accepted in 1991, and publishers were required to eliminate the traditional designations of «Advanced,» «Intermediate,» and «Beginning» levels, language learning and teaching began to change. Publishers in Europe now have to indicate on the covers of their language teaching books the language level, such as «A1» or «B2», etc.

Table 2. Framework of Levels of Reference for Language Acquisition

Proficient User	C2	Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
	C1	Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Independent User	B2	Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
	B1	Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics, which are familiar, or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Basic User	A2	Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
	A1	Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

            Once the CEFR was in effect, schools and teacher-preparation programs had a dilemma: how do we teach languages to students so they will reach the levels of the CEFR? This problem was serious, because since the CEFR emphasized oral fluency, multicultural knowledge, projects, small group activities and lifelong learning, among other things, schools were not prepared. Most language courses were traditional, with memorization, translations, workbooks to complete, grammar emphasis, phonics, fill-in-the-blanks, copying, language patterns to complete, all of which presented fake, artificial communication styles. Conjugating verbs such as in «I am… you are… he is… she is… we are… you are… they are…» doesn’t lead anyone to language fluency. No one talks that way, so it was obvious that the traditional way of language teaching would not obtain the desired results of oral fluency, the kind of ability needed in the 21st Century.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

            Linguistic experts and language educators began to meet in Finland at the University of Jyvaskyla, in Helsinki from 1991-1994. The diverse group of educators, from more than 20 countries, headed by Dr. David Marsh, investigated language teaching programs in order to plan what they would recommend to the European Union supporting CEFR levels.

            The linguists researched approximately 40 second-language programs, looking at what worked and what was not so successful. Their goal was to implement a teaching philosophy for the acquisition of a second language. They decided to establish a philosophy, based on the best practices of how languages are best learned. They called this philosophy Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Much of the research on the «Natural Approach to Language Learning», by Dr. Stephen Krashen, and others, from the United States, such as Dr, Virginia Collier’s research with dual language programs, also were incorporated into the framework of CLIL philosophy.

How does CLIL support bilingualism?

In order to better understand CLIL, the following must be considered:

• CLIL is a philosophy of how language is learned. It is not a program or a method.
• Knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content.
• Language is integrated into the broad curriculum.
• This broad, complete, curriculum is taught, using 100% in English.
• Long-term learning is planned for nearly native-like English.
• Fluency is the prime goal, with students using English to communicate.
• Errors are a natural part of language learning.
• Fluency is emphasized, not grammatical structures.
• More focus is on the process of learning, and less emphasis on the final product.
• Reading and oral production are the essential skills.
• Content is used to expand vocabulary and fluency in speaking and reading.

CLIL has become the umbrella term describing both learning a content subject, such as physics or geography, through the medium of a second language, and learning a second language by studying a content-based subject.

CLIL in the Classroom

One of the most important notions in teaching a second language is that the teacher needs to use the second language 100% of the time, making it a necessary and essentialcommunication tool. They need tovary materials; use visuals; plan team and pair activities; have lots of oral production; use critical thinking; and include music, arts, crafts and physical activities, all in the target language.They accept thatrecognition precedes production.Teachers need to accept thaterrors are O.K. We learn by our errors. [Who is “we” and “our”?]

There is no doubt that learning a language and learning through a language are concurrent processes, but implementing CLIL requires a rethink of the traditional concepts of the language classroom and the language teacher. The immediate obstacles seem to be:

• Opposition to language teaching by subject teachers may come from language teachers themselves. Subject teachers may be unwilling to take on the responsibility.
• The lack of CLIL teacher-training program suggests that the majority of teachers working on bilingual programs may be ill equipped to do the job adequately.

The need for language teaching reformwill make CLIL a common philosophy by many education systems in the near future.

Some teachers may think that subject material will be weak if it is not in the L1, and students will not learn as much and will become confused. Studies are supporting that CLIL is effective, not only in language acquisition, but also in the acquisition of academic knowledge in various subjects. Studies from Finland, Denmark and Austria are exhibiting that students are performing better in subject areas when they are taught in an L2 sing CLIL philosophy (Poisel, 2008).

One of guiding principles of CLIL is that teachers have to select the most important information to teach, based on the following question: Of all the things that COULD be taught, what MUST be taught? When the CLIL philosophy is implemented, teachers tend to use more visuals and examples, and students are able to remember more data when it is organized and specific.        

Some CLIL programs          

            In Spain, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala, the national curriculum, based on bilingualism (Spanish/English), are having successful implementation. Canada, also, with its official policy being bilingualism (French/English), is involved in the globalization movement in multilingual and teacher improvement.

            Teaching English in schools in Mexico is not new. Private schools for two generations have included English in the curricula. In Mexican public schools, twenty-one states have been offering English, some of them for twenty years. The state of Coahuila, for example, began its English program as a project in 550 primary schools, in the school year 1995-96 with approximately 800 English teachers. Currently, the English program is an official program, not a project. Coahuila has expanded its English program to include pre-school, middle school, and high school levels. As more and more Mexican states have initiated English programs, each state with its own distinct focus, the need for a unified program, at the national level was imperative.

            Thus was born the Programa Nacional de Inglés en la Educación Básica (PNIEB), the National English Program for Basic Education.The focus of the PNIEB, since its approval by Congress of Mexico in 2008, is based more on the CEFR standards and on CLIL philosophy than on methods or philosophies previously emphasized in traditional language studies.

Conclusion

Basically, what’s being said in bilingual circles, in countries where bilingualism has made a strong, positive image, such as Mexico, Canada, Spain, is this: «If you can’t speak the language, you don’t know the language.» In other words, oral fluency has made a strong impact in these countries, with much less emphasis being given to the traditional grammar-translation method.

PISA is an exam applied in a country’s native language, in science, mathematics, and language. Countries enter voluntarily, public and private schools. The exam is based on critical thinking skills, the four higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, not memorized responses. Finland, Canada, South Korea, Denmark, Ireland, Hong Kong, Germany, are nations placing at the top, joining Finland and Canada, who, consistently, for 15 years, are among the highest scorers. Both countries embrace CLIL, bilingualism, multilingualism, and high level, critical thinking.

            Oral fluency, classes conducted 100% in the target language, positive atmosphere, subjects being taught in the L2, use of graphics, and challenging students’ thoughts with critical thinking interactions all contribute to the transformation in bilingual education. What needs to be emphasized is that on-going teacher improvement means on-going student transformation.

References

American Legislative Exchange Council (1994). Report Card on American Education. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Baker, C. (1993). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.

Berman, P. (1992). Meeting the Challenge of Language Diversity. University of Texas, Austin, TX.

Bialystok, E. (1991). Language Processing in Bilingual Children. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Bloom, B. S. (1954). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Handbook 1 Cognitive Domains. New York: Longman.

Council of Europe (2001). Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Crawford, K. (1996).Vygotskian approaches to human development in the information era. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 31: 43-62.

Diamond, J. (2010). The Benefits of Multilingualism. Science, 330: 332-333.

Gardner, Howard (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York.Basic Books.

Gardner, Howard (1999). Multiple Intelligence for the 21st Century. New York. Basic Books.

Gonzalez, V. (1999). Language and Cognitive Development in Second Language Learning: Educational Implications for Children and Adults. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Grosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and Reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Poisel, E. (2008). Assessment modes in CLIL to enhance language proficiency and interpersonal skills. VIEWZ: Vienna English Working Papers, 16(3), 43-46.

Shaffer, D. R. (1999). Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence. Pacific Grove: Brooks / Cole Publishing Company.

United States Census Bureau (2011). Language Use, Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Weber-Fox, C., Leonard, L. B., Hampton Wray, A. & Tomblin, J. A. (2010). Electrophysiological correlates of rapid auditory and linguistic processing in adolescents with specific language impairment. Brain and Language, 115(3): 162-181.

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This paper is based on a talk Elaine gave at a TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) conference at Chicago State University last year, and published in the January issue of the Illinois TESOL Journal.