A story from Greece

Do you want to hear a love story? This one comes from Greece.
Click here and watch it in the form of an animated video. 

Once you have understood the story, choose to write any one of these letters: 

1. Imagine you are Persephone or Hades and you are writing to your lover in the months of absence. Express your sadness at the separation and longing to be with him/her. Assure your lover that its not long before you will see each other again (200 words)

OR

2. Imagine you are Hermes and are writing a letter to your friend Hades. Inform him about how Persephone feels at the separation and give him words of encouragement (200 words).

A different way of life

You are going to look at a completely different way of life this week. 
This task will take more time than normal so you will take up to two weeks to accomplish it, but please do it well.


You will first watch a recent BBC news video : Amish held over community attacks. 
Pay attention to who is responsible for these attacks. Why have these attacks occurred ?


Now, you will question yourself about this community and do some research online. 
The following websites should help you to gather enough information about them : 
The Amish and the Plain people
Three pages on the Amish on About.com
The History of the Amish in the US and Canada


When you think you have got enough information on the culture and the way of life of the Amish, you will attempt to write a journalistic article (350-400 words) on the way of life of the Amish people.  
You will use the cultural information that you found interesting about them to explain their way of life and then give your opinion on the attacks that took place.

Your article will thus be split up into 3 paragraphs : 
Paragraph 1: Who are the Amish and what are their beliefs? You could choose any aspect(s) of their life that you found intriguing. The culture is different, so you will evidently have a few aspects that you will agree or disagree with.
Paragraph 2: Give your opinions on the aspects of their culture that appealed to you or that scared you :-)
Paragraph 3: A brief overview of the attacks and questioning the attacks on a community like this. 

You could also read from other sources if you wish to make your article more interesting, but make sure you copy and paste the URL links (liens) at the bottom of your article under the heading "Online references".
Give a suitable title to your article.

What's wrong with our education system?

We complain about the education system all the time, don't we? 
Katherine Birbalsingh is one teacher who went public with her stance that there seems to be a problem with UK's education system. 

The lady herself

Watch this video and answer the five comprehension questions:
1. Katherine Birbalsingh believes that there is a problem with UK's education system. Can you identify it within the first three minutes of the video? What is the problem?
2. Why does this problem exist according to this teacher? (from 3 min to 4 min 26 sec)
3. What do the government ministers think about this problem? Who is to blame for the condition? (from 4 min 30 till about 6 min)
4. Which suggestions does Katherine make to improve the system? (6-7 min)
5. Which changes would Katherine make in the education system if she were given a choice? (till the end of the video)

What about you?

Now that you have understood what she is saying, it is time you, as a student since all these years, voiced your opinion about what you think of the education system of your country. 
Does the education system of your country have a problem/ several problems too. Which ones? Why would you say that? Which suggestions would you make to improve the situation in your country?

The bad word that starts with an E

School and university life is sure full of fun. We hang out with our friends, we go out clubbing, we enjoy our freedom. Yet there's one thing about this life that we all dread, EXAMINATIONS.

Watch Mr Bean writing an exam. I don't normally enjoy his humour, but I must confess, I did have quite a laugh. After watching it, I would like you to do two things on your blog.

I] First, make a list of Mr Bean's various reactions (you can write as much as you wish)
How does he react -
-  At the start of the exam (take special note of the interaction he has with his partner)
-  During the exam
-  Towards the end of the exam

II] Next, think about yourself and reflect on your own behaviour during an examination. 
Describe how you feel and react at the start of an important exam or test (not just that you feel scared!) 
(Your word-limit should not exceed 200 words)

Introduce yourself

Get creative.... as creative as you can possibly get. 

Use images, use photos, use videos

or you could even

Write a poem or a song or a story

You objective: To give us a glimpse of the real YOU

So get going, hurry up and have fun