VOCABULARY you should know for the CAMBRIDGE PET for SCHOOLS (B1) certification

 The first section is in alphabetical order. You can go to p. 40 for the division into topics.  You can download the list by clicking HERE.

ERASMUS THEATER's presentation of The Blues Brothers

John Belushi (1949-1982) and Dan Aykroyd (1952) were two actors who performed on Saturday Night Live (SNL), an American late-night television comedy show, now in its 48th season. They made their first performance as the Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood, on SNL on April 22, 1978, performing the songs "Hey Bartender" and "I don't know" with their full band. They became such a hit, that they made the movie, The Blues Brothers in 1980. Although today you must pay to see the original sketch, the video below with the famous song, "Soul Man", is from season 4 of the same year, 1978. 

Here's a scene with the famous singer, Aretha Franklin

a scene with Ray Charles

Matching: Vocabulary words you should know

 

You can join the challenge by going to https://game.educaplay.com/ and using the pin 304677

🎄🎅 Christmas Commercials in the UK 🤶🎄

 🎄🎅These have been voted the best Christmas commercials in the UK for 2022, although some have considered them the most annoying. Which ones do you like (or dislike) the most? 🎄🎅

                       

        

    

Which Christmas commercials do you think are good this year? 

Which can't you stand or are tired of seeing? 

A Christmas Carol vs How the Grinch Stole Christmas

 How do the two stories compare?      

                                    A Christmas Carol 

 by Charles Dickens (Feb. 7, 1812 - June 9, 1870)  The story  is about an elderly miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and the Yet to Come. Their visits transform Scrooge into a kinder, gentler man.     

The book was first published on December 19, 1843, with the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve. By 1844, the novella had gone through 13 printings and continues to be a big seller today.  For more on Charles Dickens, click HERE 

 A Christmas Carol 

Click on the title to go to YouTube. The story has been divided into 8 videos, for a total of about 30 minutes.

      How the Grinch Stole Christmas   

 (by Dr. Seuss, published   in December 1957) is a   story about the Grinch, a   grouchy, solitary creature   who tries to cancel     Christmas by stealing     Christmas gifts and     decorations from the   homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve.   Miraculously, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all   about money and presents.  The story is narrated by Boris   Karloff, a British actor, most famous for his roles in horror   films, especially as the Frankenstein monster. 

For more information on Dr. Seuss, see post below or click HERE

For more on Boris Karloff, click HERE

Click on the title above to see all 6 parts.

     

                      

 What themes are common to both stories? 

 How are the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge similar? 
 What about Bob Cratchit and the Grinch's pup, Max? 

 How the Grinch Stole Christmas is not the only film based  on or influenced by A Christmas Carol.  What other movies  can you think of?  

You can write your answers in the comments section below.  

Some Christmas Fun - Dr. Seuss

 and the classic, 

How The Grinch Stole Christmas 
First, let's learn about Dr. Seuss

The author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, wrote more than 60 books for children. His stories are famous for their nonsense words, wild rhymes, and amusing drawings of unusual creatures. 

         

We have been mispronouncing his name.  It should be pronounced Zoice (rhyming with voice).  A friend, Alexander Liang, wrote this poem about how people incorrectly pronounced Seuss. 

                            You're wrong as the deuce
                            And you shouldn't rejoice
                            If you're calling him Seuss.
                            He pronounces it Soice (or Zoice).

Everyone knows him as Dr. Seuss (Zeus), so if you were to call him Dr. "Zoice", no one would know who you were talking about. 

To read more about Dr. Seuss click HERE.
For a more detailed biography, click HERE

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Click on the title to be redirected to YouTube or start watching the video below and
the each part. 

Part 2   Part 3   Part 4     Part 5     Part 6

ROCKETMAN

Watch the video to learn what "Rocket Man" (1972) is about: Notice Elton's reaction at the end. 

If you prefer reading:  

Lyricist Bernie Taupin, who collaborated with Elton on all his major hits explained in 2016: 

“People identify it, unfortunately, with David Bowie’s "Space Oddity." 

It actually wasn’t inspired by that at all; it was actually inspired by a

story by Ray Bradbury (1920 - 2012), from his book of science fiction

short stories called The Illustrated Man (1951).  

“In that book, there was a story called 'The Rocket Man,' which was about how astronauts in the future would become sort of an everyday job. So I kind of took that idea and ran with that.”

Elton himself, added: “Do you know, I never knew that?” (44 years later!)

Here is the official video: 

LYRICS:

Books, TV series and Movies

Create a survey for the class on TV series and movies. 
Take this Sample Survey 

Which TV Series based on Books can you think of?

Check out these links. You may be surprised. 

Books that have been made into TV series on Netflix

Books becoming movies or TV shows in 2022

When you tell us about your survey results, use expressions like:
about / almost 
half of the class / half the class
4 out of 8 students
50% 
more / less than half the class
equally divided / split
an equal number of students
most of the class 
the majority of the class
a slight majority 
the most / least popular answer was___, followed by ___
just a few people 
just a couple of students 
very close 
the same as
everyone 
no one 
all but one person /   all except one
to be interested in 
to have opposite ideas 
verbs: answer, believe, choose, know, like, prefer, think

Sample Survey Results 1A/L

Verbs: Pronunciation in the past tense

Pay attention to the pronunciation of regular verbs (ending in -ed). There are 3 different types:    cooked (cookt)           lived (livd)            wanted (wantid/wanted)

-ed pronunciation exercise 1

-ed pronunciation exercise 2

Check your answers

-ed pronunciation exercise

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894) Victorian Period

 

Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet, and travel writer; best known for his first full-length adventure novel,  Treasure Island (1883), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886; following the example of Edgar Allan Poe's tales of mystery and terror), and Kidnapped (1886).

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland (1850). His poor respiratory health led him to travel a great deal, which influenced his writings.  Seeking just the right climate, he ended up in Vailima, Samoa, where he died of an unexpected hemorrhage in 1894. 

He was the only son of a successful civil engineer, who specialized in lighthouses. To please his father, he first studied engineering then changed to law at Edinburgh University, but his true love was literature.
He rebelled against his father's Calvinist religion.

His Scottish stories reveal him as the heir of Sir Walter Scott (1771, Edinburgh, Scotland—died 1832  Scotland), a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer who is considered the inventor of the historical novel (Romantic Period).

Study HELP: Brief presentation on Stevenson's life

For a deeper look at Stevenson and his work, watch this video:

Watch this video about The Strange Case of Drl Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A brief summary from your book: 

Music and the Environment

There have been many songs over the years that have been about environmental problems. Here are some examples:

Listen to this song about the 3R's by Jack Johnson (2006). What do you think the three R's stand for? Some of you may recognize it from a commercial for 

    

One of the most famous songs regarding the environment is Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" (1982). The video shows images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution, poaching, poverty and war. Jackson unites the world's people to sing "Earth Song" which summons a force to heal the world. 

 

  Earth Song  by Michael Jackson 

  What about sunrise?  What about rain?

  What about all the things that you said we were to gain? 

  What about killing fields? 

  Is there a time? 

  What about all the things that you said was yours and mine? 

  Did you ever stop to notice all the blood we've shed before? 

  Did you ever stop to notice this crying Earth, these weeping shores? 

   Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh 

  What have we done to the world? 

  Look what we've done 

  What about all the peace that you pledge your only son? 

  What about flowering fields? 

  Is there a time? 

  What about all the dreams that you said was yours and mine? 

  Did you ever stop to notice all the children dead from war? 

  Did you ever stop to notice this crying Earth, these weeping shores? 

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh 

  I used to dream

  I used to glance beyond the stars 

  Now I don't know where we are

  Although I know we've drifted far 

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah 

Hey, what about yesterday?         (What about us?)

What about the seas?                   (What about us?) 

The heavens are falling down      (What about us?) 

I can't even breathe                     (What about us?) 

What about apathy?                     (What about us?) 

I need you                                     (What about us?) 

What about nature's worth?         (Ooh)

It's our planet's womb                (What about us?)

What about animals?                   (What about it?) 

We've turned kingdoms to dust   (What about us?) 

What about elephants?                (What about us?) 

Have we lost their trust?             (What about us?)

What about crying whales?         (What about us?) 

We're ravaging the seas              (What about us?) 

What about forest trails?             (Ooh) 

Burnt despite our pleas                (What about us?) 

What about the holy land?           (What about it?) 

Torn apart by creed                      (What about us?)

What about the common man?     (What about us?) 

Can't we set him free                    (What about us?) 

What about children dying?          (What about us?) 

Can't you hear them cry?             (What about us?) 

Where did we go wrong?              (Ooh)

Someone tell me why                    (What about us?)

What about baby boy?                   (What about it?) 

What about the days?                    (What about us?)

What about all their joy?               (What about us?) 

What about the man?                  (What about us?)

What about the crying man?        (What about us?)

What about Abraham?                 (What about us?)

What about death again?             (Ooh) 

Do we give a damn?     

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah  Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh   Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah   Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Check out these sites for more songs about the environment. Some may surprise you. How many of these are you familiar with? 

Genntracks "30+ Songs about Nature, Earth, and the Environment in 2022"

Rolling Stone's "Earth Day: 15 Pro-Environment Songs

The Nature Conservancy's "7 Songs about Climate Change"

udiscovermusic's "Best Earth Day Songs: 30 Save the Environment Classics"

Do you know of any other songs or sites?  Please share them in the comments section below.