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Get your facts right!

If you are on social media, you have certainly heard of ‘fake news’ or ‘Internet hoaxes’. How much do you really know about these terms?

Let’s take a short quiz:

  • Do you often share stories that seem strange, unbelievable or that make you feel angry or upset?
  • Would you share a news item without checking the source?
  • Does this URL seem to be a trustworthy website: crazymonkeyblogspot85.com.co ?
  • Do you think an image can provide solid evidence for a particular news item?
  • If a well-known journalist reports something is it necessarily a fact?

If you have answered ‘YES’ in most of the questions above, then you need to learn more about how to spot fake news.

Here’s a useful video lesson by the British Council website to help you spot fake news while practising some useful language.

Video lesson: Five ways to spot fake news

There has recently been a lot of misinformation and disinformation regarding the new coronavirus disease on the media. Some commentators are now referring to this avalanche of false information as a ‘disinfodemic’, which is as dangerous (if not more) as the pandemic itself. Organizations such as UNESCO and the World Health Organization (WHO) are making constant efforts to prevent the spreading of misleading rumours and promote the facts about the virus.

How much do you know about coronavirus disease? Are you confused about opposing views or not sure whether a rumour is a myth or a fact? Where can you get reliable information about the pandemic?

Here is your place to start!

CORONAVIRUS: MYTHS & FACTS

Explore this interactive poster to debunk some myths and learn all you need to know about coronavirus. Do a quiz, watch videos, get answers to your questions from trusted sources and have fun! Be informed and stay safe!

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Every cloud has a silver lining

A well-known English proverb says, “every cloud has a silver lining”, meaning that no matter how bad a situation might seem, there is always some good aspect to it. This phrase has been used quite a lot recently by many people who claim that despite the destructive consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, there is something good that can come out of it. This ‘silver lining’ perspective is best expressed in the following poem written by Kitty O’Meara, a retired teacher and chaplain from the US, which went viral as soon as it was posted on Facebook:

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

This Easter holiday, let’s make time spent at home, time well-spent. Let’s listen to music, read books, draw or dance. Let’s play with our little brothers and sisters, make Easter cookies with our mums, talk to each other, listen to each other. Let’s call someone who needs to listen to our voice or be silent and listen to our inner voice. Let’s make this a time of healing.

On Catholic Easter Sunday (April 12, 2020), by invitation of the City and of the Duomo cathedral of Milan, Italian global music icon Andrea Bocelli gave a solo performance representing a message of love, healing and hope to Italy and the world. This is his incredible performance of Amazing Grace, a Christian hymn written in 1772 by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

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We can be heroes!

Real heroes don’t wear capes. In fact, they look nothing like the glamorous superheroes we see in the movies. They are all around us, exhausted, dirty and sometimes scared. However, these ordinary people, whose names will never become famous, are the ones who work day and night, trying their best and even risking their lives to support us during this difficult time of crisis. This lesson  is my small tribute to them.

I thought it would be suitable to start with a favourite song of mine, David Bowie’s Heroes.

Heroes BowieListen to the song and complete the lyrics here.

Then,  read the background information about the song and fill in the missing prepositions. In what ways do you think this song could be relevant to coronavirus crisis?

Maybe the following comic strips by Iranian cartoonist and screenplay writer Mahnaz Yazdani might help you think a bit. The reason why these comic strips that Yazdani posted on Facebook and Instagram have gone viral is obvious: they send a powerful message about the real heroes around us in the most sensitive way.

So, why don’t you too pay a small tribute to these courageous frontline workers by adding a post on this padlet? Follow the link and post a story, an article or a message about these unsung heroes!

 

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Are you a tech addict?

Is it impossible to live without your smartphone? Are you hooked on social media or online gaming? Social media addiction, gaming disorder, internet addiction are gradually becoming more and more common, not only among teenagers, but with all age groups really. Especially now, during coronavirus lockdown, people have become even more dependent on modern technology for communication, education, work and entertainment. As a result, we end up spending most of our day in front of a screen.

But what effects does this behaviour have on us? Listen to this radio programme from the learnenglish.britishcouncil.org website to find more about tech addiction, while practising your listening skills.

Then, check your knowledge of vocabulary related to addictions with these interactive exercises:

So what about you? Are you a tech addict? Post your comment about your relationship with modern technology below.

 

 

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Get it off your chest!

The past few weeks have been really… should I say ‘weird’? It’s really hard to find a single word to describe one’s feelings during this difficult time. When school closure due to coronavirus was first announced, my kids jumped for joy! I can’t say I was sorry either; I would finally be able to do the things I had been putting off for quite some time, let alone relax at home a bit. (God knows I needed that!) Soon, the little ones started complaining about not seeing their friends, about Internet disconnections and so on… Then came boredom, anxiety about the whole situation getting out of control and, at times, fear about the ‘unknown enemy’. As a teacher I had to adapt to the new ‘distance teaching’ idea and somehow make it work. Confusion and curiosity soon gave place to disappointment and anger, when the online teaching platforms didn’t work as they were supposed to. I’ve been looking for alternatives and trying my best, but my best is still not good enough…

What about you? Can you find the right words to describe your emotions during the past few weeks? Experts say that in difficult situations like this, talking to people about your worries, in other words, “getting it off your chest” is the best way to keep your mental balance.

Here are some tips for teenagers that Unicef offers in order to protect their mental health during coronavirus. Read the following article then do a matching quiz.

Vocabulary: Feelings and emotions

  1. First take a short quiz to check your vocabulary knowledge.
  2. Which of the words in the box below express how you are feeling at the moment?
    anxious  lonely   bored   calm   hopeful   angry
    disappointed  sad   isolated  optimistic  scared
  3. Find the right words to talk about your feelings. Look at this chart.

 

  • In the inner circle you can find 6 basic emotional states:
    happy / sad / disgust / anger / fear / surprise
  • The middle circle includes different types of happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, fear and surprise, ranging from mild emotions (not so strong) such as ‘bored’ to intense emotions (much stronger) such as ‘despair’.
  • The outer circle gives you with synonyms for the emotional states in the middle circle.

Your turn

  1. Ask yourself: How am I feeling today? Choose one of the basic emotions in the inner circle and answer the question, e.g. I’m feeling happy.
  2. Ask yourself: Happy, in what way? Choose a word from the middle circle, e.g. I’m feeling optimistic.
  3. Ask yourself: Why am I feeling optimistic? Answer by choosing a word from the outer circle, e.g. I’m feeling inspired by the brave doctors and nurses fighting to heal the world.

Look up any unknown words in this online dictionary.

Source used for this activity: ‘Talking about emotions and feelings’
https://britishenglishcoach.com/talking-about-emotions-and-feelings/

 

So how are you feeling today?

Write a sentence, a paragraph or if you don’t feel like it, draw something, sing a song or talk to a friend. In any case, don’t forget: you are not alone!

 

Get informed about coronavirus by taking these online quizzes on globalcitizen.org:

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Coronavirus shutdown: How do teenagers feel about life at home?

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all doing well. School closure due to Coronavirus outbreak is obviously not a holiday, but nevertheless, it has offered us plenty of free time to do things we didn’t have the time to do before. Some people see it as a ‘blessing in disguise’, while others as a curse. How do teens feel about life at home during this quarantine? Read the stories teenagers from different parts of the US submitted on Facebook and answer the questions that follow.

Reading

Article: 12 Teens On Being Stuck At Home Because Of The Coronavirus

Scan the text above and do this matching exercise.

Vocabulary

Do this gap-filling exercise and learn some Coronavirus buzzwords.

So, what about you? Submit your own story about what life at home has been like for you so far in the comments section below.

And remember: Stay home, stay SAFE!

 

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Ανακοίνωση σχετικά με την εξ’αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση

Είναι γεγονός ότι το κλείσιμο των σχολείων, όπως και η γενικότερη κατάσταση που επικρατεί παγκοσμίως λόγω της ραγδαίας εξάπλωσης του κορονοϊού, έχουν αλλάξει την καθημερινότητα όλων μας. Ως εκπαιδευτικοί, προσπαθούμε να προσαρμοστούμε στα νέα δεδομένα και να συνεχίσουμε το έργο μας με σκοπό να διατηρήσουν οι μαθητές την επαφή με την εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία αλλά και την εκπαιδευτική κοινότητα. Εκμεταλλευόμενοι τις δυνατότητες της εξ’αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης και ακολουθώντας τις οδηγίες του Υπουργείου καταβάλλουμε κάθε δυνατή προσπάθεια να έρθουμε σε επαφή με τους μαθητές και να δημιουργήσουμε ένα περιβάλλον μάθησης και επικοινωνίας χρησιμοποιώντας τα ψηφιακά εργαλεία που έχουμε στη διάθεσή μας.

Για της ανάγκες της εξ’αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης, έχω επιλέξει την πλατφόρμα της ηλεκτρονικής τάξης (e-class) του Πανελλήνιου Σχολικού Δικτύου, όπου σταδιακά θα ανεβάζω υλικό για όλες τις τάξεις του Λυκείου. Για την ώρα τα μαθήματα θα είναι “ανοιχτά”, ώστε να είναι προσβάσιμα χωρίς να απαιτούνται κωδικοί του ΠΣΔ, μέχρι να εγγραφούν οι μαθητές σε αυτό. Όμως με αυτόν τον τρόπο κάποια στοιχεία της πλατφόρμας δεν είναι ενεργά, π.χ. τα μηνύματα, οι εργασίες ή οι συνομιλίες, επομένως δεν μπορεί να υπάρξει επικοινωνία και ανταλλαγή υλικού μεταξύ εκπαιδευτικού και μαθητών. Επίσης, λόγω της υπερφόρτωσης της πλατφόρμας, η είσοδος σε αυτήν είναι για πολλές ώρες της ημέρας δύσκολη ή και αδύνατη, πράγμα που δυσχεραίνει τόσο τη δημιουργία μαθημάτων όσο και την πρόσβαση σε αυτά από τους μαθητές.

Για τους παραπάνω λόγους, παράλληλα με την πλατφόρμα e-class, θα αναρτώ το εκπαιδευτικό υλικό στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος του και σε αυτό το ιστολόγιο. Στην αρχική σελίδα θα βρίσκετε ενημερώσεις και άρθρα που αφορούν όλους, ενώ στη σελίδα Αγγλικά Λυκείου υπάρχει υλικό ανά τάξη, το οποίο θα εμπλουτίζεται. Το περιεχόμενο θα ενημερώνεται τακτικά, οπότε πάντα θα υπάρχει κάτι καινούριο να δείτε και να κάνετε! Θα χαρώ να διαβάσω τα σχόλιά σας και να απαντήσω σε οποιαδήποτε ερώτηση.

Αν δούμε αυτήν την πρωτόγνωρη και δυσάρεστη εμπειρία σαν μια ευκαιρία για μάθηση, δημιουργικότητα και ενδιαφέρον για τον διπλανό μας, ίσως βγούμε από αυτήν την περιπέτεια σοφότεροι και καλύτεροι άνθρωποι.

Με φιλικούς χαιρετισμούς,
Γεωργία Μπαλαρά
Καθηγήτρια Αγγλικών – 1ο Γενικό Λύκειο Αργοστολίου

 

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Interactive Christmas cards!


Christmas is coming! Are you going to send some Christmas cards to your friends and relatives? Here are some interactive Christmas cards to put you in a festive mood!

More Christmas fun coming soon!

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