Image taken from: https://openclipart.org/detail/189055/chat
Our English Chat is a class space for us to improve our spoken English. Meetings will be held once a week during our classes.
We all are welcome to participate in our English Conversation Club, regardless of our level of proficiency in English!!!
April 7
In this English chat we are going to read, write, listen and speak about one of the most worrying local issues we have in Medellín: homeless population. I invite you to read an article about this population and be ready to speak about this topic in our English chat
And take a look at the following stories:
According to your opinion, what are the main problems these people can have and what can the solutions be. Write your comments here!
Song: Another day in paradise
March 11
Video: Gender Differences
Topic: Gender Roles
Questions:
Description Qs:
- According to the video, what does a man do?
- What does a woman do?
Narration Qs:
- What happened when the man went shopping?
- What happened when the woman went shopping?
- Have you ever lived a similar situation? What happened that day?
Opinion Qs:
- Do parents in our country treat their baby boys and girls differently?
- What behaviors are deemed as appropriate for men but inappropriate for women?
- Are men and women equal in skills and intelligence?
Activity prepared by Alejandra Jiménez
March 4
Take a look at the following page and do something interesting this day:
http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-International-Women's-Day
Outstanding women:
The International Women's Day
Do you know why The International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year?
International Women's Day isn't just about giving a flower to a woman you appreciate and telling her she's great. This day, March 8, is a symbol of the struggles that women around the world have undergone to gain equality and rights and a reminder of how far there is still to go. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to help celebrate this important day. Take a look at the following page and do something interesting this day:
http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-International-Women's-Day
Outstanding women:
Let's watch a video about what brilliant women have done in history:
Song:
Many people have been inspired by women and one of these people is john Lennon. Go to the following page, enjoy and complete the song he wrote for his lovely woman:
February 26
Short Film: The Butterfly Circus
Today we are going to watch a beautiful movie about how people can overcome their own limitations and weaknesses . They could look disable people, but they can do things.
1. Look up some key words in a monolingual dictionary:
limb:
limbless:
circus:
carnival:
acrobat:
contortionist: sideshow:
|
able:
disability:
disable:
caterpillar:
cocoon:
butterfly:
hope:
|
Characters:
What do they look like?
Describe Will’s appearance and his personality.
Watch the film:
http://www.amara.org/es/videos/4HIJwP6KiRVl/info/the-butterfly-circus-hd/
3. Choose one of these scenes and narrate what happened.
a. At the sideshow…
b. In the river...
c. At the circus...
Activity prepared by Alejandra Jiménez and adapted by Deisa Gómez
February 12
Every February 14, across the United States and in other countries around the world, candies, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint? Let's listen to the story of this brave man:
Activity to do:
Go to the following page and do the proposed activities. Write down in comments the scores you got in each activity
Limb: an arm or a leg; a similar part of an animal, such as a wing.
ResponderEliminarCircus: a show performed by circus entertainers.
Carnival: a public festival, usually one that happens at a regular time each year, that involves music and dancing in the streets, for which people wear brightly coloured clothes.
Acrobat: an entertainer who performs difficult acts such as balancing on high ropes, especially at a circus.
Contortionist: a performer who does contortions of their body to entertain others
Sideshow: a separate small show or attraction at a fair or circus where you pay to see a performance or take part in a game.
Able: able to do something (used as a modal verb) to have the skill, intelligence, opportunity, etc. needed to do something.
Disability: a physical or mental condition that means you cannot use a part of your body completely or easily, or that you cannot learn easily.
Disable: disable somebody to injure or affect somebody permanently so that, for example, they cannot walk or cannot use a part of their body
Caterpillar: a small creature like a worm with legs, that develops into a butterfly or moth.
Cocoon: a covering of silk threads that some insects make to protect themselves before they become adults
Butterfly: a flying insect with a long thin body and four large, usually brightly coloured, wings
Hope: to want something to happen and think that it is possible
1. Look up some key words in a monolingual dictionary:
ResponderEliminarLIMB:
-A part or member of an animal body distinct from the head and runk, as a leg, arm, or wing: the lower limbs; artificial limbs.
-Synonyms: extremity, see branch.
LIMBLESS: (adjective)
CIRCUS:
-a troupe of performers, especially a traveling troupe, that presents such entertainments, together with officials, other employees, and the company's performing animals, traveling wagons, tents, cages, and equipment.
CARNIVAL:
-a traveling amusement show, having sideshows, rides, etc.
Synonyms: fair, celebration, fete, holiday.
ACROBAT:
-a skilled performer of gymnastic feats, as walking on a tightrope or swinging on a trapeze.
CONTORTIONIST:
-a person who performs gymnastic feats involving contorted postures.
SIDESHOW:
-a minor show or exhibition in connection with a principal one, as at a circus.
ABLE:
-showing talent, skill, or knowledge
Synonyms: capable, competent
DISABILITY:
-a physical or mental handicap, especially one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job.
Synonyms: disqualification, incompetence, incapability, impotence
DISABLE:
-to make legally incapable; disqualify.
Synonyms: enfeeble, paralyze.
CATERPILLAR:
-the wormlike larva of a butterfly or a moth.
COCOON:
-the silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects, as silkworms, serving as a covering while they are in the pupal stage.
BUTTERFLY:
-any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.
HOPE:
-the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
2. What do they look like?
The short film is, unsoubtedly, beatiful.
In the film develops all teaching of self-improvement. Its plot develops in particular and symbolic way as limitations that we face can hinder our perception of the word and damaged our relationship with him in the same way .
Describe Will’s appearance and his personality:
Will is a man who lacks the upper and lower extremities, by such is of short stature. He is thin, hair short an blond, has white skin and their factions are marked.
Will is a man with low self-esteem, he possesses big mental limitations but after overcoming them it is observed like a dreamy, assiduos, determined and kind man. It changes its visage and this attitude.
Describe Mr. Mendez’ appearance and his personality:
Mr. Mendez is of average height, dark hair and brown skin. He is a man dreamer, supportive, committed, cheerful and kind. He enjoys helping others to overcome their difficulties and gives them a new perspective and way of life.
3. Choose one of these scenes and narrate what happened:
b. river...
Being all the members of the circus in a moment of recreation in the river, mister Will asks for help aloud to cross, but nobody attends to him. On having done the first attempt for its account, it stumbles and falls down. Later there happens close to him mister Mendez whom he asks for help, but this one motivates him to try it only again. Will full of motivation gets up and manages to cover half of the trunk that would allow him to cross the river, but it loses the balance and falls down in the water. On having noticed its absence, they all are scared and begin to look for it, but Will emerges moved for being able to swim without help of anybody.
ACTIVITY: GENDER DIFFERENCES
ResponderEliminarDESCRIPTION QUESTIONS:
* When a man arrives at home, just reviwe his work notes, turn on the TV and watch football, eat some food and drink beers, late go to the bed.//When a woman arrives at home, she cleans the house, cook and wash the clothes.
* A man watching a romantic movie, he sleeps, for him is very boring to watch this kind of movies.// A woman is very sentimental, she cries a lot while watch a romantic movie.
* A man don't have problems to travel aropund the world, he es very carefree, but a woman have problems to leave her own country for many reasons, principally her family.
* On a diet, a man is very responsible, if he decides to doesn't eat, simply doesn't eat.
* A man is very fast to be ready to a date, he is very carefree, he drees quickly, in just one hour.
* When a man go to travel, he carries just one bag; a woman bring many bags and clothes.
* Two men talking about some topic have different points of view, and each one try to impose his idea.
* When a man is seducing a woman is very direct, but a woman is nt so direct, she tries to approach slowly
* A man go alone to the toilet, but a woman for some unknown and misteriously reason can't go alone to the toilet, she goes with other women.
* On a handbag, a man jus carry keys, money, and some important papers, but a woman carry all her makeup and accesories
* When a man go to shopping, just is concentred in the thing that he will buy, nomore. // But when a woman go to shopping, doesn't matter if just go tobuy one thing, she ever lok at all the things that are in the shop.
NARRATION QUESTIONS:
* When the man went shopping, simply take the thing that he need and leave the shop.
* When the woman enter to the shop, starts to lok at all the products into the shop, and late take the object that she needs, but before of leave the shop, she ends to lok at the products that she doesn't has seen.
OPINION QUESTIONS:
* Of course no, I think that all the parents treat their babies depending of their gender, for example, to a baby boy their parents buy him cars and things that are "apropiated" to boys, but to a baby girls, their parents buy her dolls.
* May be something like play football or any sport that can be considered hard and that requires aggressiveness.
* Yes, essentially we are humans with the same capabilities, independent of the genre.
Julian Arias
Questions:
ResponderEliminarDescription Qs:
According to the video, what does a man do?
According to the video, the man arrive at the house and begin to watch tv, sleep in the bed and go to the fridge for take and drink some beers.
What does a woman do?
in the video was shown a woman that arrive at the house and she wash the clothes, make the food, clothes iron, and clean the floor.
SHOWED THE STEREOTYPES THAT OCCUR IN SOME HOMES AND FAMILIES
Narration Qs:
What happened when the man went shopping?
The man went directly by the thing that need, and in the moment that take this, he left of the shop
What happened when the woman went shopping?
the woman took a long time while she looked some things in the shop, although she not needed these. She looked several things and only bought one of these.
Have you ever lived a similar situation? What happened that day?
yes, happening me with my mother, in one shop, we can in a shop look many things and only decide buy one of these. I love these moments, I love share time with my mother!.
Opinion Qs:
Do parents in our country treat their baby boys and girls differently?
there some houses in happens it, but mainly in homes that live the male chauvinism, although in this moments exist some projects for remove this and promote the equality of genders.
What behaviors are deemed as appropriate for men but inappropriate for women?
the form of speak with others persons, the women speak of one form more sensitive in comparation with the men
Are men and women equal in skills and intelligence?
for me, all people have equal intelligence and skills, although there are some regardless of that are men or women that have some abilities more developed that others people.
GOOD NIGHT!
Questions
ResponderEliminarDescription Qs:
The men usually are more relax for all, more simple, for example, when their will travel, to shop things, when they come home, when they pack for travel, in conversations… and the men like the action or comedy movies.
The women usually complicate the activities, for example when they are shopping they see all articles in the shop, after they choose the thing that need but they continue seeing other things, also, they carry many things in the handbag and the women prefer the romantic and sentimental movies.
Narration Qs:
When the man went to the shop, he only took an object and left behind the pleace without look other objects.
He only went for an specific thing without distractions.
When the woman went to the shop, although she only was going to buy an specific object too, she had distractions and stopped to look everything in the store.
Opinion Qs:
In a country as Colombia, I think that the genres differences are too marked, even that differences are more marked in the childhood, when someone say to a girl "don't run!, you should play with a barbie doll" or say to a boy "the boys play with cars and don't with dolls" and if you can hear them sometimes when they choose their favorites colors, you can listen something like "I don't like the pink, my elder brother say that the pink is for girls", really I don't know if that is a wrong, I believe that accept the difference.
It's okay but only if every child recognizes that these differences don't make anyone better than anyone.
1.
ResponderEliminarLimb:an arm or a leg
Limbless:Having no limbs, deprived of a limb or limbs
Circus:a travelling company of entertainers such as acrobats, clowns, trapeze artistes, and trained animals.
Carnival:a festive occasion or period marked by merrymaking, processions, etc.
Acrobat:an entertainer who performs acts that require skill, agility, and coordination, such as tumbling, swinging from a trapeze, or walking a tightrope.
Contortionist:a performer who contorts his or her body for the entertainment of others.
Sideshow:a small show or entertainment offered in conjunction with a larger attraction, as at a circus or fair.
Able: having the necessary power, resources, skill, time, opportunity, etc, to do something .
Disability:the condition of being unable to perform a task or function because of a physical or mental impairment.
Disable:to make ineffective, unfit, or incapable, as by crippling.
Caterpillar:the wormlike larva of butterflies and moths, having numerous pairs of legs and powerful biting jaws. It may be brightly coloured, hairy, or spiny.
Cocoon:a silky protective envelope secreted by silkworms and certain other insect larvae, in which the pupae develop.
Butterfly: any diurnal insect of the order Lepidoptera that has a slender body with clubbed antennae and typically rests with the wings (which are often brightly coloured) closed over the back.
Hope: a feeling of desire for something and confidence in the possibility of its fulfilment.
2. Characters:
Will is a man who has no limbs, his body is only his head, chest and stomach.
Will personality is shy at first , frustrated, angry and distrustful . Then he Becomes a happy , cheerful , outgoing , trusting and loving person.
Mr Mendez is a tall, handsome , wear a hat and cute costumes .
Mr Mendez is a smart , cheerful , correct, generous person and believes in others.
3.
In the river he will want to cross to the other side , when no one helped him try to cross to the other side alone but fell into the water, almost ahoharse but managed to swim to the surface , so will surpass your disability and your fears and I became a new and cheerful person.
Video: Gender Differences
ResponderEliminarDescription Qs:
According to the video, what does a man do?
Little speech , is very simple, makes few things at the same time , leads neccesary and is very direct.
What does a woman do?
She talks a lot, it is very complicated, does many things at the same time , takes many things, gives more laps things.
Narration Qs:
What happened when the man went shopping?
He only replacing what you are buying and leaves the store.
What happened when the woman went shopping?
She enters and look at all the store to buy the same thing.
Have you ever lived a similar situation? What happened that day?
I would also look storewide
Opinion Qs:
Do parents in our country treat their baby boys and girls differently?
I think the deal if different but education and love with the breed is the same for both.
What behaviors are deemed as appropriate for men but inappropriate for women?
Inappropriate for women is that men do not perform household chores.
Are men and women equal in skills and intelligence?
Yes, the intelligence is the same for both genders
ResponderEliminarMarch 11
Description Qs:
- The men are lazy, concrete, direct and easy-going, thing that happen in moment of speaking, arriving house, seducing, go to the bathroom, eating, doing diet, etc.
- The women are hard, worker, can do many things to same time, complicated, and unsure expressed to the same things than the men.
Narration Qs:
-When the men hang out shopping, the men just want this, no more, nothing else matters. Naturally, the men are direct, if we know that something like us, it is our.
-When the women are going to shopping, the trouble could be that they aren't sure if this is the best, cheapest, prettiest, they look all the variables and this make that their buys are delayed.
-Yes, I have. I remember that one time I joined to my ex-girlfriend to buy a juice of orange, at my last university sure, when we stayed in front of the employee to take an order, I asked for my orange juice, but she ask "What do you have?" and with the wide menu that had, she delayed almost twelve minutes deciding "what juice want I?", finally She choose an orange tamarind juice and she gave me the thanks, but I was angry because I waited her when I finished my juice yet.
Opinion Qs:
-I think that the relationship must be different because be woman, in this society, implicates more security. But I met this behaviour wrong, because shouldn't be so.
-The wearing, the freedom, the care, the homework, the rights, the behaviours at the society, the customs, etc.
-No, I don't believe it. The women have a memory, and cognitive development, the men have a faster brains, I thing that we aren't the same, but any side should have advantage or disadvantage, we are complement.
March 18
EliminarI think that the homeless people have many problems but the most is the drug addiction because is mainly reason of their condition and the misery which cause. I am agree with Messino, if you can degrade their "abyss", you win, and this meth sounds nice, but an own idea would be to make campaigns of employ for homeless people for give a kind of motivation, economical and existentialism, for example a homeless person could be police, doing agriculture, fishing, soldier, athlete, musician, and with the specific training everything.
Description: Qs
ResponderEliminarin general men are more relaxed for everyone, simpler, for example, they are not very complicated deciding they are going to choose. when they go shopping things, when they come home, when packing for the trip, in conversations they always have something fixed, they are not complicated, they prefer action movies
Women usually complicate the activities, for example, when they are shopping, they see everything, they are very indesizas, after that choose something still see other things and then also repent, carry many things in the bag, like the Romance
Narración: Qs
Cuando fue el hombre a la tienda, sólo tomó un objeto
Sólo fue para una cosa específica y sin distracciones.
Cuando la mujer fue a la tienda, a pesar de que sólo iba a comprar un objeto específico también, ella tenía distracciones y se detuvo a mirar todo en la tienda.
Qs de opinión:
men and women are very different in Colombia, have different tastes, different ways of thinking, but that's the fun, and more fun when you know each other.
About the homless population video
ResponderEliminarWhen we talk about the homless population, the most people think these persons choose this live, but I think that this people it's a victim from a greater powers that benefits the weakness.
The pain, the violence, the fear from these homeless people it a wall that the people think is a option when its is the only alternative they have to continue their dependence , in many cases.