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WELCOME TO MRS MONNIER’S ENGLISH CLASS !!!
I wish you all the best for this school year. ☺
Today we talked about the organization of the class about this site MY CUPPA T (remember why it is
called like that? !!) and about the Cambridge Certificate you will take this year
Then we played a game! The Culture Quiz; you had to find the correct answer then take notes of
what was written in the powerpoint presentation
Homework : complete you identity form + find the questions corresponding to the answers that you
wrote ( minimum 10 questions !!) ATTENTION VOUS DEVEZ TROUVER LES QUESTIONS
CORRESPONDANT AUX REPONSES NOTEES EN CLASSE MAIS ECRIVEZ LES QUESTIONS SUR UNE
FEUILLE SEPAREE ( pas sur la feuille où vous avez les réponses!!!!)
Ex : vous avez noté : David Cameron / la question peut être : who is the British Prime Minister
Mais vous pourriez compliquer les choses en posant aussi comme question : who is at the head of
the government with Nick Clegg/ ou encore : who are the Prime Minister and the deputy Prime
Minister ?? et voir si vos camarades retrouvent les deux réponses : David Cameron facile..mais Nick
Clegg c’est plus dire…et oui c’est une coalition et ils gouvernent à deux…
Vous mènerez le quiz la prochaine fois…et là une bonne question vous donnera des points…mais une
question mal posée vous fera perdre des points
Do you understand? !!!
Don’t forget to send me an e mail !! with your name and class and to have your parents sign the note
which is in your “correspondence book” and to complete your identity form HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
!!!
Friday September 14th
We played a little game to revise questions + the culture quiz about the UK
Then you work by groups about the document THIS IS OUR BRITAIN here is the correction!
REMARK : the Sun is a tabloid newspaper , not a quality
paper but its frontpage was interesting enough for me to
use it in class !!
KEY: 1 Wind turbine, 2 Seagull, 3Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 4The Severn Bridge, 5 Traditional fish
and chip shop, 6 The Rovers Return,Coronation Street, 7 Ambulance, 8Giant’s Causeway, Northern
Ireland.9 easyJet plane, 10 Village cricketmatch, 11 Manchester Central Library,12 Routemaster bus, 13
The EdenProject, Cornwall, 14 Barge, 15 Motorway,16 Flags of Northern Ireland,Wales, Scotland and
England, 17Rugby posts, 18 Hogwarts, 19 RoyalLiver Building, Liverpool, 20 Rain
cloud, 21 Blackpool Tower, 22 Dalek23 Wembley Stadium, 24 Mr Bean.25 Shark, 26 White Cliffs of Dover,
27 Mini, 28 Stonehenge, 29 Surfer,30 Windsor Castle, 31 Grazing sheep,32 Virgin train, 33 Houses of
Parliament,34 Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury,35 Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, 36 Spitfire,
37 Drax power station, North Yorks,38 The Queen, 39 Edinburgh Castle,40 The Red Arrows.
41 Angel of the North, 42 Loch NessMonster, 43 Eilean Donan Castle,Scottish Highlands, 44 Nissan Micra,
45 Alton Towers, Staffs, 46 The Shard,47 ‘Baby Shard’ and John Terry, 48O2 Arena, 49 Sun reader with
iPad.
HOMEWORK : Choose what symbolizes Britain for you : you can choose a celebrity, an
animal, an object, a place, a meal…etc . It must be YOUR personal choice!! What comes to
your mind when you think about Britain? It can also be something more personal like a photo
of your holiday in Britain or a picture of a British friend!!
1- Be careful you must bring this photo in class so as to show it to your classmates.
2- On another sheet of paper, you must write a short text ( 60-80 words ) to explain your
choice.The following prompts (amorces) and vocabulary will help you ( keep it in the first
part of your ring binders :METHODS AND REMINDERS)
3- JUSTIFYING YOUR CHOICE AND ORGANISING A PARAGRAPH
I have chosen…because…
Indeed (en effet), I believe/I think/I reckon…
To my mind, ….
It symbolizes= stands for= represents…
It makes me think (of)= it reminds me (of )
Besides/Moreover (de plus)…
On the one hand/on the other hand….(d’une part/d’autre part)
In fact, (en fait)…
STICK THIS VOCABULARY IN PART I “METHODS AND REMINDERS”
On Friday 27th you’ll have a test (learn the quiz : questions + answers)
SEE YOU !HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
Friday September 20th
ATTENTION LE TRAVAIL DOIT ETRE FAIT ET RENDU EN TEMPS ET EN HEURE !!!
Certains d’entre vous n’ont pas utilisé le vocabulaire donné dans la photocopie et n’ont pas respecté
le nombre de mots demandés….atttention à bien respecter les consignes si vous voulez réussir !et
n’oubliez pas de mettre un titre et la date (in English of course !!)
1- Revisions ASKING QUESTIONS
2- PAIR WORK / explain your symbol/ explain your friend’s choice
3- NEW TOPIC NATIONALITIES :IDENTITY OR STEREOTYPE?
-DEFINITION OF THE WORD STEREOTYPE video Chinese restaurant
The man imagines that the cook has used some dog meat to prepare his meal. He is
disgusted.
This video is an ad = commercial against stereotypes = preconceived ideas
Homework :get ready for the test !! MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU !
Friday September 27th
ENGLISH TEST
REMARQUES SUR LE TRAVAIL ET SUR L'ORGANISATION DU CLASSEUR
I then explain what you would have to do for next week
RECAP
VIDEO / AN EXPERIMENT AT SCHOOL (CO)
Homework : learn the lesson + write the text of your British emblem in your speech balloon
(use the colour paper I gave you) and bring the photo
Friday October 4th
Your challenge was to create a poster in 5 minutes : well done ! it took a little longer (10
minutes) but it was really worth waiting : your posters are great !
You did a recap of the previous lesson and then you had to guess what the second part of the
experiment was ( I had switched off the volume!!)
You had to use PROBABILITY
EXPRESSING PROBABILITY?
I suppose/ I guess/ I reckon…
Perhaps/ maybe…
It might be…
The children might + bare infinitive…
→ORAL ACTIVITY
Oral comprehension exercise : here is what you understood:
They say the black man looks mean =nasty = wicked= ruthless / weird
Whereas = while hey say the white man looks nice. And yet/however he is a terrorist ,a bomber
.Timothy McVeigh =Oklahoma bomber in 1995 that man killed 160 people !!
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THIS VIDEO ?
To denounce/ to expose preconceived ideas ; we shouldn’t judge people by the colour of their skin
We must be careful with stereotypes : we mustn’t be narrow-minded/ prejudiced = biased
They can lead to / bring about/ cause/ provoke fear, racism and discrimination.
Then we watched a funny video about THE ENGLISH!!!
The class will have to explain what it was about to Merran, “our” English girl who was absent
today (hope you are not ill Merran) and she will tell us whether these facts are true or
preconceived ideas
Homework : learn the lesson and do the 2 exercises (see the photocopy in EURO CLASS
TOPICS )
Friday October 11th
1- Recap
2FACTS OR STEREOTYPES ABOUT THE ENGLISH ?
THE ACCENT ?
Bad accent because the French are said to be bad at English/ speaking English
MOCKERY
The video LAUGHS AT/MAKES FUN OF THE FRENCH ACCENT
FACTS
The queen lives in Buckingham palace
Other places?
English people drink a lot of tea
stereotype
It is supposed to be always foggy
It is said to rain cats and dogs all day long
They are supposed to wear furry hats
They are said to hunt foxes
→It is very rare only on Boxing day
They drive the “wrong way” : true they drive on
the left
It is still allowed on Boxing Day (the day after
→before everybody used to …easier to use right
demonstrated against this kind of hunting
Xmas = a bank holiday) but many people
hand to hold the sword
Some say it changes in France because Napoleon
was left handed
with dogs so hunting with dogs is forbidden
Others say In France nobles on the right and and
peasants on the left so after the revolution
everybody on the right
We corrected your exercises and memorized the vocabulary : you must learn it !!
We watched the video about the French
HOMEWORK→FRIDAY 18TH
READ CAREFULLY THE PHOTOCOPY « HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE »( don’t lose this photocopy, put
it in the first part of your binder :you will need it for the Cambridge Certificate oral exam)
→USE IT TO DO THE FOLLOWING EXERCISE. Don’t forget to do this work on a separate sheet of paper,
write the title : “NATIONALITIES :IDENTITY or STEREOTYPE? COMMENTING ON A CARTOON” and the
date in English! I will mark this work.
TIP !!! You can/you should … have a look at the colour version of this cartoon by going
to:
http://bea.monnier.pagesperso-orange.fr
Then go to LESSONS→EURO→TOPICS→CARTOON
EXERCISE :
a- Describe what you can actually see but also what you can guess about the country where it may take
place and the characters ‘nationalities . .Justify .
b- Imagine what each group of characters may be saying or thinking. Explain why. ( there are 4 groups of
characters in this cartoon ,be careful )
120 -150 words
Friday October 18th
COURS POUR THOMAS QUI ETAIT ABSENT
THE GERMANS
Facts
They drink beer
Most Germans drink beer
stereotypes
They are supposed to have sheep dogs
They like eating sauerkraut and bratwurst
They are regarded= depicted = described as
They are said to wear lederhosen
disciplined and hard working people
It is said they have no humour
They are good at building cars
It is said that when have had a beer two many
they invent words that sound hard :
Rucksack= backpack
Krankenbett
sauerkraut
WHAT IS THE VIDEO FOR? A commercial for A WEBSITE SPONSORED BY BERLIN AIRPORT
VIABERLIN.COM
SLOGAN ? What is the slogan of THIS video : WHY NOT SEE EUROPE FOR YOURSELF? Just book a
flight
AIM : it is to incite people to travel NOT TO be prejudiced / Travelling broadens the mind ; it enables
to fight against preconceived ideas/ when you travel you become less prejudiced = biased/ you
become more open minded≠narrow minded
THE CARTOON ORAL ACTIVITY
It must take place in France the neighborhood looks really poor / dilapidated
It looks like a slum
Judging from the children who are in rags, the famished dogs, the factory fumes in the
background
The tourists may be American
HOW DO YOU THINK THEY FEEL?
SHOCK / SURPRISE
they must be shocked/ surprised = amazed = flabbergasted
WHAT DO TOURISTS EXPECT TO FIND WHEN THEY COME TO FRANCE
Expect to V/ EXPECT SOMEONE TO V
They expect to find beautiful hotels
, they expect to visit magnificent monuments
,they expect to taste delicious food and wine
they expect the people to be welcoming but they are sometimes disappointed : the French are
supposed to be grumpy and arrogant !
they expect the restaurants to be good/ they expect the wine to be tasty
they expect people to be sophisticated and pleasant
Then I introduced you to your roles :
THOMAS YOU WILL ACT ROLE 1 : the hotel manager
ROLE PLAY : THIS HOTEL DOESN’T COME UP TO OUR EXPECTATIONS!!!
ROLES 1: The hotel manager and his wife; they are very pleased to welcome some rich American
tourists; they are conmen (escrocs) and expect to make a lot of money thanks to the tourists!! They
are also liars and they pretend their hotel is perfect!!
WHAT YOU MUST DO TO PREPARE THESE ROLES : you must get ready to welcome the tourists, to
introduce the staff of the hotel ( le personnel ) ,to show the tourists around: you must get ready to
describe and show them the rooms and bathrooms, the supposedly (soit disant) swimming pool and
golf course , the restaurant , the kitchen…etc…of course you must present the hotel in a very
positive way and try to make the tourists pay for many services!!!
ROLE2 : the tourists; they are shocked and very disappointed.
WHAT YOU MUST DO TO PREPARE THESE ROLES : You must get ready to explain what you expected
to find in this hotel and to ask the hotel manager and his wife many questions about what you can
do in the hotel and in the neighborhood, what you can visit, about the services you can find in the
hotel. You must also get ready to be very negative about the hotel and comment on what you see
around you, about the staff, the price etc… : you must complain !! You will also have to whisper
(murmurer )to each other as you comment on what you see . In the end, you will have to get angry
!
USEFUL VOCABULARY (try and remember as many words and phrases as possible and use
them!!!
EXCLAIMING
!!!!
SO +
ADJECTIVE
It is so nice/
It is so awful
EXPRESSING
DISAPPOINTMEN
T
I thought there
would be…je
pensais qu’il y
aurait…
USEFUL AJECTIVES
USEFUL NOUNS
USEFUL
VERBS
POSITIVE:
Great/ terrific/ magnificent/
wonderful/ lovely/ luxurious/
comfortable/pleasant/deliciou
s
Bedbugs:
punaises de lit
Washbasin:
lavabo
taps : robinets
To show
someone
around:
faire faire
le tour
SUCH +
NOUN
It is such a
wonderful
place
They are
such Ø lovely
people
He is such a
conman!
I can’t believe my
eyes!/ my ears!
cheap≠expensive
to be glad= happy=pleased
I expected the
hotel to be/ to
have/ to look…=je
m’attendais à ce
que….
NEGATIVE:
Disgusting/ filthy=dirty (sale)/
messy= mal rangé
poor/awful=dreadful=terrible
Noisy
Gloomy=sinistre/ dark=sombre
I wanted the hotel To be /to get cross = angry
to be/to have…
HOW +
ADJECTIVE
I’m really
How strange! disappointed
with…
WHAT +
NOUN
It doesn’t come
up to my
What an
awful place! expectations:
Cela ne répond
What a
pas à mes
scandal!!
attentes
What
Øawful
rooms !
Spiderweb : toile
d’araignée
Cockroach :cafar
d
Dirt :saleté
Dust : poussière
Dustbin :poubelle
Neighbourhood :
quartier,
voisinage
Rubbish dump :
décharge
publique
Factory : usine
The staff : le
personnel
A cook = un
cuisinier
Cooking = la
cuisine
A cleaning lady=
une femme de
ménage
A waiter = un
serveur
a bill= Une
addition
A tour organiser :
un organisateur
de voyage
A refund= un
remboursement
SUPERLATIV
E FORMS
It is the best
place you
will find in
town≠ it is
the worst…
It is the most
wonderful
place
It is the
cheapest
place
You will cut out this vocabulary and stick it in the first part of your binders METHODS AND
REMINDERS
d’un
endroit
To smell :
sentir
To taste :
goûter/
avoir le
goût de
To tidy up :
ranger
To mess
up : mettre
le bazar
To hoover:
passer
l’aspirateu
r
To do the
washing
up: faire la
vaisselle
To sue :
poursuivre
en justice
To
complain:
se plaindre
To be paid
back= être
remboursé
Homework :FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8TH
get ready to play your role: you must use the vocabulary from the grid as much as possible
Friday November 8th
You acted your roles : well done !
Homework:learn the vocabulary grid (see above) + revise the lesson on the cartoon : next
week you will have a writing test (30 minutes) : you will have to write a letter
Friday February 14th
US ENGLSH vs BRITISH ENGLISH
Why are there any differences?
Accent : at first same accent but little by little changed in England (from rhotic to non rhotic to show upper
class)
In fact In 1776 the two accents were very close, both were “rhotic” ( pronounced the R) but it changed after
the Industrial Revolution; people who had become rich thanks to industry and business wanted to show they
now belonged to the upper-class (non rhotic pronunciation seemed more prestigious)
Spelling :The will (= volonté) to be different (Webster made the first American dictionary):they had gained
their independence and wanted to show their difference !
Vocabulary : The evolution of British English : spelling was influenced by the French while in an way American
English froze as it was centuries ago except of course for the influence of Spanish
French influence: programme/ cheque (in American : check / program)
Spanish influence : vigilante/ ranch
PRETERIT
-
American people didn’t understand her when she said “queue” instead of “line “
They didn’t understand when she said “shop” instead of “store” (chemist instead of
drugstore)
She didn’t understand when people asked her about her “school” ; she believed they were
talking about primary school while/ whereas they were talking about uni(uni= university)
She climbed too many stairs when she visited a flat on the 3rd floor (in fact 2nd floor for
English people)
She went to a sport center whereas she wanted to go to the town center
She said lavatory but this is impolite in American ; you should say “restroom” or “bathroom”
Friday February 21st
BRITISH ENGLISH VS AMERICAN ENGLISH (aim of this activity ; to be able to tell an anecdote and
use the past)
Sometimes , the same word has a different meaning so it may lead to misunderstandings !
Answer the questions then complete the grid.
1-Read the following anecdotes found on the Net and answer the questions :
From Nikki Canales: I have a funny story from a friend who travelled from the US to the UK. When she got off
the plane, she stepped in some mud and got her jeans dirty. When she met the people she was staying with,
she said "I apologize my pants are dirty." They gave her a funny look.
Why did they give her a “funny look” ?
Correction : Because in England ‘pants ‘ = underwear (while in the US = trousers !!) they were shocked =
outraged/ they were amazed = astounded ( = very surprised). When she realised the misunderstand of
course she felt embarrassed = ill- at- ease
From Elizabeth: When I was 19 (I'm a American female), I worked as a secretary in London for a summer.
One of my colleagues said: "Excuse me, do you have a rubber ?" I was extremely surprised and a little shocked
, I answered : "Sorry, I'm not carrying one today." Suddenly I realized what he wanted and I handed it to him,
I said "a rubber means something different in America". He turned red !!! and apologized: it’s not the sort of
thing you ask a lady except if she’s your girfriend!
So, what is “a rubber” in English ? une gomme
in American ? un préservatif !!( condom in GB!!)
From Brian: I am an American. Last year an English friend came over to visit for a few weeks. We were in a
Wal-Mart shopping center and he had to use the bathroom. He went up to one of the employees and asked
"Where's the loo?". The man said ". What's Lou's last name?" I thought that was hilarious!
Do you understand what “the loo” is in English ?
= the lavatory
What is the American word ? = bathroom/ restroom
Here is an extract from the text by Ruth Kreitzman “I stood in the queue”; underline in 3 different colours the
conjugated verbs in the past ( past simple , past continuous, past perfect)
I had done half my unpacking when I decided to pay my first visit to an American cinema.Pardon me...movie
house.A lot of people were standing in front of it.I approached one of them and asked :”Are you in the queue for
Earthquake?” He looked at me blankly. I coughed and repeated my question.
Had done = PAST PERFECT : HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE ( on l’utile pour parler d’actions qui sont encore plus
passées que d’autres actions passées: on recule dans le temps)
SIMPLE PAST= V+ED ( forme négative didn’t +BV) : pour parler d’actions passées terminées
Were standing = PAST CONTINUOUS ( I / He / She/It WAS //We/they/ you WERE+VING) :on l’utilise pour des
actions qui étaient en cours à un moment donné du passé : ils étaient en train d’attendre
nd
Most of the time you will use the simple past (V+Ed (or 2 column irreg. verbs)/ DIDN’T + BV) :
Ex : last year I _WENT_(to go) to the US , I WAS_(to be) alone and DIDN’t KNOW ( not/ to know ) the town very
well.ThereWERE ( to be) some people in front of a cinema. I ASKED_ ( to ask ) them where the chemist WAS to
be). TheyDIDN’t ANSWER (not/to answer).
But sometimes you may use the past continuous( WAS/ WERE+VING/ WASN’T/WEREN’T+VING);choose
between the simple past or past continuous:
Ex: One day , I WAS WAITING ( to wait) for the bus when I ___SAW_ ( to see ) a strange man. He ____WAS
WEARING_( to wear) a very funny hat. He STARTED ( to start ) to speak to me.
Or if you refer to events that took place before another past action you will use the past perfect (HAD/
rd
HADN’T + Ved( or 3 column irreg.verbs) ; choose between the simple past and past perfect :
Ex : When I ARRIVED (to arrive )they HAD EATEN ( to eat) all the sweets !! there was nothing left for me !
Ex : -Did you see John when you WENT ( to go) there? – No, he HAD ALREADY LEFT (to leave/already).
th
st
HOMEWORK : see below ; On Friday 14 you’ll have a test/ for Friday 21 you have a writing
exercise to do ( travail noté)
th
→March 13 CAMBRIDGE CERTIFICATE :oral exam. Remember I sent you links to the videos showing the 4 parts of the
exam + you have the photocopy “ce qu’il faut savoir” which can help you but please keep cool, there’s nothing to worry
about ☺
th
→Friday March 14 : revise for a 30 minute test : learn the lessons on British English vs American English
For the test you’ll have to be able to :
-
Use historical facts to explain the quotation by GB Shaw (why are there points in common but also differences ?)
Give the 3 types of differences between US English and British English (+ concrete examples)
Give examples of misunderstandings by referring to the text « I stood in the queue « + the anecdotes
Be able to organise your work by using link words
Use past tenses
st
→ March 21 WRITING A BLOG POST : homework (120-150 words):
You are English , you spent a few days in the US . After your trip, you write a post (or several short posts) on your blog to
tell about a few anecdotes and misunderstandings that made you realize George Bernard Shaw’s quotation was quite true!
Explain what happened to you and how you felt about it. (If you wish you can add a few photos to make your blog page
more real !)
Target level :B1 : I can write about my personal experiences and impressions.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
-
I am able to write a creative and original post
I am able to use past tenseS correctly ( I try and use the past continuous and past perfect at least once!)
I try and enrich my vocabulary as much as possible
I avoid the most common mistakes and pay attention to grammar and syntax