Around the World in English

Posted on 29/11/2015 by argavalaki

To view a complete and updated version of my blog, click here.

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Alice in Wonderland classic celebrates 150 years (video)

Posted on 28/11/2015 by argavalaki
painting1
For 150 years, Alice in Wonderland has delighted and inspired generations of children and adults.

Task 1

Task 2 

    Watch the video again and answer the questions.

    1. What was Charles Dodgson’s job at the time when he created Alice’s story?
    2. Who did he take on a cruise in 1862?
    3. What is the pen name he used when he published his book?
    4. When was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland published?
    5. What is the title of its sequel?
    6. When was it published?
    7. What sort of things can you find in Alice’s shop in Oxford?
    8. Which characters didn’t exist in the original manuscript?
    9. How do some literary critics explain the timeless attraction of Alice’s story?

      Task 3

      For full screen view click here.

      Posted in Cloze tests, Lewis Carroll, News stories (video listening), Videos | Leave a comment

      The incredible history of China’s terracotta warriors (worksheet)

      Posted on 23/11/2015 by argavalaki
      Here is a worksheet based on the TED-Ed video about the incredible history of China’s terracotta warriors. It contains a True/False exercise, a set of comprehension questions and a vocabulary exercise (crossword puzzle). Answer Key included. 

       
      To download the worksheet, click here. 

      Related Post
      The incredible history of China’s terracotta warriors (TED-Ed video)  

      Posted in China, Terracotta Army, Videos, Worksheets | Leave a comment

      The incredible history of China’s terracotta warriors (TED-Ed video)

      Posted on 21/11/2015 by argavalaki

      The Terracotta Army is a part of a massive burial tomb built for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.

        

      Task 1

      Watch the video and answer the following questions.

      1. When was the terracotta army discovered?
      2. How many clay soldiers were found in the underground chambers surrounding the emperor’s tomb?
      3. How old was Ying Zheng when he came to power?
      4. How did he become the first emperor of China?
      5. How many years did he reign over China?
      6. What were his most important accomplishments?
      7. Why did he spend his last years searching for the elixir of life?
      8. Besides the terracotta soldiers, what other figurines were found in the underground necropolis?
      9. How many laborers worked on the project according to archaeologists?
      10. What features make each statue unique? 
      11. Why hasn’t the emperor’s tomb been excavated yet?
      12. What is the emperor’s tomb thought to contain? 

        Task 2

        Task 3

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        Posted in China, Terracotta Army, Videos | Leave a comment

        Halloween (who wants to be a millionaire game)

        Posted on 28/09/2015 by argavalaki
        I have used Adam Simpson’s amazing “Who wants to be a millionaire” template to make this game, which revises vocabulary and information related to the history and traditions of Halloween. (http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween)

        Download the template here to make your own games.

        https://www.scribd.com/doc/283003893/Halloween-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-game

        To download the game, click here.

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        Bet you didn’t know – Halloween (video)
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        Posted in Games, Halloween, Holidays, Powerpoints | Leave a comment

        The European Refugee Crisis

        Posted on 23/09/2015 by argavalaki
        In the summer of 2015, Europe experienced the highest influx of refugees since the Second World War. Why? The main reason is that Syria has become the world’s top source of refugees.

        Task 1

        Watch the video and answer the following questions.
        1. How long has Syria been ruled by the al-Assad family?
        2. What is the Arab Spring? When did it happen?
        3. What was ISIS’ goal?
        4. Where are the majority of Syrian refugees living now?
        5. Why was Greece unable to take care of all the people that arrived on its islands?
        6. What was the operation Mare Nostrum designed for?
        7. What made people around the world change the way they thought about the refugee crisis?  
        8. What fears do people in the Western world have over the large number of refugees arriving in Europe? 

         Task 2

        Image credit: https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/europe-migrants_greece-11.jpg?w=840

         

        Task 3

         

        Posted in Refugee Crisis, Syria, Videos | Leave a comment

        The European Refugee Crisis (worksheet)

        Posted on 23/09/2015 by argavalaki
        Here is a worksheet based on The European Refugee Crisis video. It contains a True/False exercise, a set of comprehension questions and a vocabulary exercise (crossword puzzle). Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

        To download the worksheet click here.
        To view an online version of this worksheet click here.

        RELATED POST
        The European Refugee Crisis (video listening)

        Posted in Refugee Crisis, Syria, Videos, Worksheets | Leave a comment

        Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

        Posted on 09/09/2015 by argavalaki
        Keep your eyes on the skies during the full moon later this month — because you could see something that hasn’t happened for more than 30 years, and won’t happen again for nearly 20 more. (Read more…)

        Task 1

        Watch the video and answer the questions below.

        1. What event will you be able to see in the night sky on September 27th, 2015?
        2. What is a supermoon?
        3. What is a lunar eclipse?
        4. How many times has a supermoon lunar eclipse happened since 1900?
        5. When was the last time you could see this event?
        6. When will you have the opportunity to see this event again in the future?

        Task 2

         

        Posted in Cloze tests, Lunar Eclipse, Moon, News stories (video listening), Videos | Leave a comment

        This Day in History (Aug 06): Hiroshima Atomic Bomb (1945)

        Posted on 28/07/2015 by argavalaki
        Hiroshima
        In August 1945, during the final stage of the Second World War, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. (from Wikipedia)

        Atomic bombing of Japan

        Task 1

        Watch the video about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and answer the following questions.

        1. When was the first atomic bomb dropped?
        2. What was the airplane that dropped the bomb called?
        3. Where was the group of scientists who made the bomb based?
        4. What happened inside the airplane when the bomb went off?
        5. Who was President of the USA at that time?
        6. What did the Hiroshima bombing teach mankind?

        Task 2

        Watch the video again and fill in the gaps in the transcript. 

        If you wish to check your answers, you can watch the video on YouTube with the captions on (just click the CC button at the bottom of the video).

        Task 3

        Worksheet

        Click on the image below to download the worksheet.

        https://www.scribd.com/doc/272871351/Hiroshima-Atomic-Bomb-1945

        Related Resources

        Hiroshima and Nagasaki – Japan surrenders (Scroll down the page to Downloadable PDF Text and Worksheets)
        Hiroshima Peace Day 

        Posted in Cloze tests, Japan, Today in History, Videos, Worksheets | Leave a comment

        Dead Poets Society (trailer)

        Posted on 27/06/2015 by argavalaki
        Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film written by Tom Schulman, directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in the northeast United States in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. (from wikipedia)

        Posted in Cloze tests, Movies, Trailers, Videos | Leave a comment