The English Newsletter Winter, 2014 Welcome! In this newsletter you will find written assignments by students who are taking English classes in our school. Other members of our school community, such as teachers and parents, can also publish any relevant article or other input regarding English language learning, anglo-saxon cultural information, etc. So, we hope you enjoy and take in this writing adventure. Movie Picks: What’s hot for the cold season! Gone Girl (2014) Director: David Fincher Cast: Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike Based on Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl. How deep do you know the people you share your life with? A gripping thriller packed with twists and turns. Don’t miss it! Interstellar (2014) Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Mathew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain “Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.” “The end of Earth will not be the end of us.”
Transcript
The English Newsletter Winter, 2014
Welcome!
In this newsletter you will find written assignments by
students who are taking English classes
in our school.
Other members of our school community, such
as teachers and parents, can also
publish any relevant article or other input
regarding English language learning,
anglo-saxon cultural information, etc.
So, we hope you enjoy and take in this
writing adventure.
Movie Picks: What’s hot for the cold season!
Gone Girl (2014) Director: David Fincher Cast: Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike Based on Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl. How deep do you know the people you share your life with? A gripping thriller packed with twists and turns. Don’t miss it!
Interstellar (2014) Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Mathew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain “Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.” “The end of Earth will not be the end of us.”
Winter, 2014
The Boxtrolls (2014) Director: Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi Cast (Voices): Ben Kingsley, Nick Frost, Jared Harris, … Heroes come in all shapes and sizes...even rectangles.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I (2014) Director: Francis Lawrence Cast: Jennifer Lawrence; Phillip Seymour Hoffman; Josh Hutcherson; ... After destroying the games, Katniss Everdeen’s mission is to save Peeta and apply her courage to lead a nation into freedom. One of the most anticipated movies of the year!
Over to You! Drop us a line telling us your pick for the best movie you’ve seen this year. Tell us why you’ve chosen it. The best text will win a Prize!
Winter, 2014
Best Selling Albums of 2014 … so far…
X, Ed Sheeran
In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith
Night Moves, Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt is an independent American film director, who has, so far, directed four films: Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, and more recently Night Moves. You probably have never heard of her since she is not a mainstream filmmaker working according to Hollywood conventions, that is, doing popcorn movies to entertain the masses. Her films are about normal people, whose lives are not extraordinary, just like ours are not.
However, Night Moves is slightly different. Released in 2013 (in the USA, but only in 2014 in Portugal), the film features Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard, among others. It is a drama, with some hints of thriller to it, that follows the activities of a group of environmental activists, especially Josh and Dena, who are about to carry out a massive eco-terrorist act, whose consequences they cannot predict. Their plan is to bomb a dam they think is harming the environment. Nevertheless, they’ll end up responsible for the death of a camper who had set tent in the nearby area. Suspicion and guilt settles in as the couple is forced to avoid arrest and deal with the emotional consequences of their act.
This thought-provoking movie raises some important questions about environmental, or any other, activism. Do the ends justify the means? Dark and serious in tone, Night Moves is one of the best films I’ve seen recently, and probably the best door into Reichardt’s cinematic world.
Here’s an example to get you inspired!
Hit singles: One, I See Fire, Don’t, … Hit singles: Money on My mind, Stay With Me, …
Winter, 2014
Ghost Stories, Coldplay
Pure Heroin,
Lorde
Prism, Kate Perry
Beyoncé, Beyoncé
Girl, Pharrell Williams
Hit singles: Royals, Tennis Court, … Hit singles: Roar, Unconditionally, …
Hit singles: Happy, Marilyn Monroe, …
Hit singles: XO, Drunk in Love, …
Hit singles: Midnight, Magic, …
Over to You! Drop us a line telling us your pick for the best song you’ve listened to this year. Tell us why you’ve chosen it. The best text will win a Prize!
Winter, 2014
Here’s an example to get you inspired!
“One”, Ed Sheeran
Love songs have never been hard to find. Whether you like rock, blues, reggae, pop, rap or any other music genre, you can always find plenty of examples of songs that cry out eternal love or a love affair gone wrong.
I came across Ed Sheeran’s “One”, from the album X (pronounced Multiply), a couple of weeks ago even though it was released in May. I was struck by the acoustic guitar chords that accompany Sheeran’s unusual pitch and slowly got entangled in this sad tale of a lost love of someone who has seen all his friends “find another place to let their hearts collide”, that is, have moved on, while the singer keeps holding on to the vain hope that his former girlfriend might have “turned down the man who asked for” her hand and is somewhere still waiting for him.
I must admit that the song is not going to please everyone (but, then again, which song has ever done that?). Its melancholic and depressing tone might put you off but, honestly, what a shame if it does.
Must See TV Series
The Goldbergs (seaons 1 and 2) Genre: Comedy Cast: Wendy McLendon-‐Covey, Hayley Orrantia, Sean Giambrone … Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up, and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the '80s. Come and check it out. This is how your parents lived.
Winter, 2014
Veep (2012 -‐ …) Genre: Comedy Cast: Julia Louis-‐Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Matt Walsh… Being Vice President of the United States is nothing like Selina Meyer expected.
Downton Abbey (2010 -‐ …) Genre: Historical/Drama Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Maggie Smith, … A series that chronicles the lives of the Crawley family, their servants and the British society, beginning in the years leading up to World War I.
Over to You! What have you been watching on TV lately? Tell us what you’re watching and why. The best text will win a Prize!
Modern Family (Seasons 1 to 6) Genre: Comedy Cast: Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, … Three different, but related families, face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely funny ways. One big (straight, gay, multicultural, traditional) happy family.
Winter, 2014
A planet is just one of the million celestial bodies in the Universe. Write down the names of the planets in English. 1 - ____________________
2 - ____________________
3 - ____________________
4 - ____________________
5 - ____________________
6 - ____________________
7 - ____________________
8 - ____________________
Here’s an example to get you inspired!
A very special family
Ever since I was a child, I am drawn to sitcoms. I enjoy watching them because twenty minutes in front of the TV set is more than enough to make me laugh for a little bit. During my teens I loved a sitcom called “Seinfeld”; more than once it has been described as a “show about nothing” and I kind of agree – it followed the lives of four single friends living in New York without any particular plot.
But times have changed and nowadays people have so many distractions in their lives that a show about “nothing” wouldn’t get their attention – now we need something that we can relate to. That is why I love watching “Modern family”: it mirrors the cultural diversity and unconventional lives of our time. The characters are very funny and their stories hilarious. I truly believe those twenty or so minutes it takes to watch an episode is time very well spent!
Space Exploration: a Waste of Money or an Investment in the Future?
Here’s a Task for You!
Here are two Argumentative Essays done by 11th–grade students
Space exploration has positive and negative aspects. Mankind has always
dreamt of exploring the unknown universe. Therefore, we have been investing our
creativity and resources in this area.
There are positive aspects in exploring space, for example, some
technological innovations that we use here on Earth, such as GPS, mobile phones
and satellite television. A lot of new jobs are created in this industry, which requires
specialized experts, namely, doctors, astronomers, biologists, geologists, etc. In
addition, space exploration also offers us the opportunity to be a space tourist, which
is only nowadays accessible to the rich. Finally, this type of exploration has the
purpose of discovering more about the universe to satisfy our curiosity.
Nevertheless, there are many negative aspects about space exploration. A
dangerous aspect is that astronauts can be infected by a deadly virus because we do
not know if space is safe. Moreover, the equipment is expensive, since the suits, the
fuel and the space shuttles cost millions of dollars. Some people believe that we
could use that money to solve some of our problems, such as, financial problems,
world hunger and to cure some of the diseases that affect mankind. Finally,
spacecrafts can explode for mechanical or human reasons, which might result in the
loss of human lives.
In conclusion, we can say that there are still many unanswered questions
about this universe, so if we do not explore space, we will not find the answers that
we need. As I see it, I find it difficult to decide where I stand in this issue.
11ºB
Mankind has always had the curiosity to explore new places. Space exploration
is a way to enlarge and deepen our knowledge of the unknown Universe.
There are many positive aspects in exploring space, such as scientific
technological progress. Space exploration has improved our lives with mobile phones,
GPS, etc. Another positive aspect is predicting natural phenomena. If we know a
thunderstorm is going to hit a town, its inhabitants can be warned. In my opinion,
space exploration is a powerful investment for humankind. Although there are
negative aspects (like any situation does), it all pays off. The human race has many
questions, which we do not have the answers for. Therefore, understanding how the
universe was created is a step forward since it might help us answer the eternal
questions, such as: “who are we?” and “where do we come from?”.
However, there are many negative aspects in this issue. Space exploration
disrupts the environment. In this case we are disrupting space by leaving waste behind.
Furthermore, it can be dangerous because astronauts or space equipment can be
infected by a deadly virus. In consequence, humankind can be vulnerable to such
unknown diseases and vanish from the face of the Earth. In addition, it is expensive
and a waste of human and natural resources, since the money spent on these
programmes should be spent in medicine, helping those in need.
To conclude, I can say that space exploration can be beneficial to human
beings, but it can bring negative consequences to the Earth and to all living beings.
Nevertheless, I think that investing in space exploration is worthwhile.
11ºA
Here are two examples of reviews of the film Gravity, done by 11th-‐grade students.
Film Review: Gravity
Gravity is an Academy award winning science fiction thriller, directed by
Alfonso Cuarón. The film’s soundtrack was composed by Steven Price. Gravity’s
main characters are Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer played by Sandra Bullock,
and Matt Kowalski, a space veteran played by George Clooney. They are in space to
attach a high-tech new scanning device to the Hubble telescope.
During their mission an explosion occurs in a Russian satellite and the debris
from it comes hurtling towards Explorer (the mission’s space shuttle), destroying it
and killing all the crew but Stone and Kowalski. Trying desperately to survive, these
two astronauts try to make their way to the Chinese space station, which has a
capsule in which they hope they can come back home.
This beautifully well-written film does not only portray the drama and
tragedy of all the successions of events during their mission, it also tells a little of
the characters’ lives before it, namely, the story about Ryan’s daughter’s death,
which was why she went to space. Throughout Gravity, the viewer will notice an
evolution of Sandra Bullock’s character who, at first, does not seem strong enough
and is surrounded by some sort of negativity. In the end, the character’s positivity is
more palpable.
Although Sandra Bullock’s and George Clooney’s performances were
excellent, the film’s real stars are the outstanding visual effects. They were so
absorbing and portrayed space as truly as possible. In addition, Alfonso Cuarón
brilliantly managed to position this beautiful and tilted Earth in the background.
Because of this, you should not miss this film. It is extremely worth
watching. You will be amazed at how realistic and involving it is. The ending is
original and has a cinematographic twist to it; it will certainly make you think about
how precious our little planet is. Catarina Pereira and Ana Raquel, 11A
Don’t forget to visit our blog to write your answers and win a fantastic prize!
anglogermanlucinda.blogspot.com
See you in the next edition coming soon!
The film “Gravity”, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, was released in 2013 and it
is a science fiction thriller. This incredible movie has a special cast: Sandra
Bullock, who plays Ryan Stone, and George Clooney, as Kowalski.
The plot focuses on Ryan Stone, who is fantastically played by Sandra
Bullock, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission. The story begins with an
unexpected explosion at a Russian satellite that damages the shuttle and station
and kills all the astronauts that are working there, except Kowalski and Ryan
Stone. While they are trying to find another space station, the two characters talk
about their life on Earth and their own connection with that planet: family.
Suddenly, the film shows a few dramatic scenes of fighting to survive. This
amazing film shows us how dangerous space can be and also that the astronauts
are not always safe up there.
This film is thrilling, gripping and very involving but, at the same time, it
could be frightening for some people. If you think that being an astronaut is cool
and easy, do not miss it, it will change the way you see space exploration.
