Video activity - Violence against women

 Jackson Katz - Violence against women - It's a men's issue

Ted Talks 

Before you watch:

The American civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr.  once said “in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” What do you think he means by this? Find the video here or simply search the title and speaker on the web.

Watch the video once and take notes. When you finish, examine your notes and try to summarize the main idea of the speaker in a couple sentences. Watch the video agaın and answer the following questions.

1. What are some examples of “gender violence”?
2. How are gender violence issues traditionally seen?
3. The speaker has a problem with this. What is his opinion/perspective on this traditional view?
4. What is one of the key characteristics to power and privilege, according to the speaker?
5. How is “victim-blaming” defined in the talk?
6. What is “one of the powerful roles that men can play in this world”?
7. What is the basic idea behind “the bystander approach”?
8. Ultimately, who has the responsibility to take a stand on these issues?
9. The speaker wants to stop using the term “sensitivity training” and instead focus on “____________ training."

Writing: Introduce the topic and summarize only the main ideas of the author. Then, continue by reacting to the information and opinions presented in the talk. Here are some things to think about as you're developing a reaction. They are simply ways to start your thinking if you're having trouble

• Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
• Is the author inaccurate, untruthful, or does he present incomplete information?
• Does this raise any other questions for you?
• What examples come to mind in terms of your life, your country, or society when you think about gender violence?
• The author claims that there needs to be a shift. What is it? Is it possible? Can you see it happening in your family, your school, among your friends, and in society in general? What might prevent it from happening?

Please go see this related reading and writing activity at The Prop Room. If you match these two activities you will have very thorough information on this important topic and a couple of good essays: http://theproproom.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-war-against-girls.html



Answer key:
1. sexual assault, domestic violence, relationship abuse, sexual harrassment, sexual abuse of children (0:17). 2. Women's issues that some good men help out with (0:28). 3. He argues that these are first and foremost men's issues (0:35). 4.The abilitiy to go unexamined, lacking introspection, invisible in the discourse (2:10). 5. Blaming the person to whom something was done, rather than the person who did it (4:25). 6. Men can say some things that women can't say (8:08). 7. Instead of seeing men as perpetrators and women as victims, we focus on all of us who are bystanders, not directly involved in the abuse. The idea is to not remain silent. (9:44). 8. Adult men with power should be held accountable. (13:26)

Transcribe! Video activity

Here's an exercise you may have tried before. It's called "transcription" or "transcribing". It simply means to write or copy down exactly what you hear. Does that seem simple? In theory, it is. But it can also be very difficult and time consuming. Don't get frustrated! This activity will help you "train your ears," it will help you hear more details, and it will also engage your understanding of grammar and spelling. The video below is short, but it will take some time to complete. 

1. Get either pen and paper or open a document program on your computer
2. Start the video
3. Work in segments, or pieces. That is, after one or two sentences are spoken, stop the video so you can...
4. Write or type exactly the words that are spoken. 

You will need to stop, go back, and check every detail to make sure your transcription is accurate. This takes time, but if you stick with it, it will be very helpful!

 
This video has a lesson created around it! You may choose to answer questions about it by going to the lesson at this website.

Practice every day!

Here are some suggestions for practicing English every day and balancing the skills you'll need

• Go to theproproom.blogspot.com - this website offers many interesting articles with questions and writing activities (click on a level on the right side of the webpage, choose a subject, and simply follow the instructions). Try to do at least one a day!
• Read an article (bbc.com, nytimes.com, Hurriyet Daily News, voanews.com, http://www.cnn.com/studentnews, etc)
• Watch and listen to Voice of America news. This is real news specifically designed for learners of English (http://www.youtube.com/user/VOAvideo)
• Watch a movie or tv show in English with English subtitles
• Go to ted.com/talks and find a video of your interest (these academic talks have English subtitles and transcripts). Listen to the talk, take notes, and write a summary/reaction
• Read a book! Visit the library for a number of English language novels for you to choose from. If this seems challenging at first, don’t get discouraged. Gradually increase the number of pages you read, day by day.
• Pick or find a song in English. Write down or research the lyrics and memorize it!
• Listen to a podcast or radio show online. Some suggestions:

o    This American Life - interesting and personal stories about people in the USA. Transcripts are available for all shows – a personal favorite! (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/)

o     Radiolab - very nice show about science, psychology and people (http://www.radiolab.org/)

o    The Moth – true, personal stories told live by the people who lived them (http://themoth.org/)

o    Selected Shorts – stories of fiction read out loud by the authors, actors, or celebrities (http://www.selectedshorts.org/)

• Many universities have their own youtube channels. Go find some lectures from professors from all over the world. Try searching “lecture” on youtube, or searching a famous university. Here is the Harvard youtube channel, which is just one among many! http://www.youtube.com/user/Harvard?feature=watch

Click on the video below to see an example of a lecture you can watch for free online

• Devise your own activities. Investigate things that truly interest you!

Listening website: Ted Ed

Ted videos are very useful for practice. There is a nice new feature on the website called "Ted Ed" (Ted Education). This part of the website takes videos and creates questions and lessons around them. Browse and tour this by clicking here.


Or, start out by trying out one of the videos about economics by clicking here.
1. Watch the video
2. Think: click on this word to answer questions about the video

Have you heard of "Voice of America"?

A student reminded me recently of a wonderful website for news for English learners called "Voice of America". The main website you can find by clicking here (http://www.voanews.com/).

On this website you can find videos and articles for world news. To find some videos, you can also visit their youtube channel by clicking here (http://www.youtube.com/user/VOAvideo).

They have English-learner-specific videos with subtitles! Find them on youtube by clicking here (http://www.youtube.com/user/VOALearningEnglish?feature=watch)

Here's a sample video from their English-language-learner news:

And here is an example from the normal news videos:

Music! The Tallest Man on Earth

Take a break from your applied studying by listening to some music! Who doesn't like music?! Songs are a wonderful way to get language and entertainment at the same time.

This song is from the artist the Tallest Man on Earth. The video comes from a series of shows done by NPR in America called the "Tiny Desk Concerts". If you like this one, browse the many other Tiny Desk Concerts to see more bands. I've included the lyrics to the first song below (they're very easy to find for any song -simply type the name of the song and "lyrics"). Enjoy!

I Won't Be Found

Well if I ever see the morning

Just like a lizard in the spring

I'm gonna run out in the meadow

To catch the silence where it sings

I'm gonna force the Serengeti 

To disappear into my eyes

Then when I hear your voices callin'

I'm gonna turn just inside out

And if I ever get to slumber

Just like a mole deep in the ground

Well, I won't be found

Deep in the dust forgotten gathered

I grow a diamond in my chest

I make reflections as the moon shines on

Turn to a villain as I rest

And if I ever get that slumber

Just like a mole deep in the ground

And I won't be found

I know there is a hollow

I need to fill it with a draft 

Of all the words I have to say

And with a quiet whisper

I send a curse upon the day

That never used the sun to see

The light

I'm gonna float up in the ceiling

I built a levee of the stars

And in my field of tired horses

I built a freeway through this farce

And if I ever get that slumber

I'll be that mole deep in the ground

And I won't be found

Video/Reading Activity - Globalization and Bangladesh

This is long activity for intermediate and advanced students. It includes reading, listening, and writing elements. It will take you at least two hours (if not more!). However, try to complete all the steps and you will have a wonderful essay, some important new vocabulary, and a lot more knowledge on the subject!

1. Read about globalization at the website below. There are 5 pages in this look at globalization. Pay particular attention to the last two pages, the pros and cons.:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/globalisation/globalisation_rev1.shtml
• optional: watch this youtube video:

2. Read the following article about a recent tragedy in Bangladesh:

"Building collapse in Bangladesh leaves scores dead" - the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/bangladesh-building-collapse.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

3. Answer the questions about the New York Times article (the questions come in order)

• Why did the building collapse? 
• What was the previous incident the article refers to? 
• Could the deaths in this particular case have been avoided?
• What was the factory producing?
• Who has the real power to prevent this type of thing? How?
• Why don’t they raise wages, according to factory owners?
• What do they mean by the “opacity of the global supply chain”?

4. Watch these two short videos about the incident:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22305064
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22303266

5. Writing

• The events in Bangladesh are clearly a tragedy. Think about the information in this assignment’s reading and video about both globalization and the building collapse in Bangladesh. Use new vocabulary and ideas you have discovered in the material.
• Write an argumentative essay that answers the following question: In a globalized world, who is responsible for preventing tragedies like the one in Bangladesh and how? (companies, governments, consumers, retailers, etc). You may choose to introduce your essay with a discussion of globalization as it relates to the garment industry in Bangladesh.

Further reading:
The article below presents a nice, short argumentation against unethical practices in the garment industry of Bangladesh:
http://www.thenation.com/article/174109/case-ethical-fashion

Video/Note-taking Activity - Tracking the Trackers

Gary Kovacs: Tracking the Trackers

Ted Talks - 2012

Note-taking
Taking notes is an essential academic skill that you will develop throughout your time in school. At first it can be very difficult. With practice, however, it will become "second nature." That is, it will be something you can do easily and without thinking.

Access the talk here or simply search the title. Use English subtitles.

1. Listen to the talk and take notes. Try to outline the speech, including main ideas and important details. Do your best. You will not have time to write everything down - no one can do that!

2. Review your notes for 5-10 minutes. This is the most important step in this exercise. Use your memory of the talk and, with your pen or pencil:

• Add the important details or information you did not have time to write 
• Explain main ideas, write down detailed definitions as you remember them
• Edit your notes, change them
• Clarify your notes. 
• Identify questions or "gaps" in your knowledge of the information. 

Perhaps you did not have time to write something down. Or maybe you did not understand something on your first listen. Use this time to check your understanding and identify questions you may have about the speech.

3. Listen again. Check against your notes. "Fill in" the holes of your understanding.

4. Write down a few questions. These questions can be about anything. Does anything need to be clarified? Has the speaker left out something important? Are you curious about something the speaker said and want to know more? Imagine you are in the room and you are going to ask the speaker a question. What would you ask?

• Some example questions from our in-class discussion: What exactly is "collusion"? How exactly do businesses make money by tracking us? What does the speaker mean by "the internet is forever"? Is it ethical to track people on the internet without their consent? Young children? The speaker says we should take action. What action should we take?

5. Optional writings

• Choose one or more of your questions and answer them in an essay.
• The speaker discusses some of the pros and cons of internet tracking. In a short essay, develop an argument or opinion on the subject. Support your argument with information from the video.

6. Further reading. A quick google search yielded a few extra links which I'll include below. If you have enough time, access a variety of sources (articles, videos, lectures, etc). This way you learn about different perspectives on the issue and your knowledge is more complete.

• http://www.wordstream.com/articles/google-privacy-internet-privacy
• http://online.wsj.com/public/page/what-they-know-digital-privacy.html
• http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078835/t/online-privacy-fears-are-real/

Video activity - The history of our world in 18 minutes

David Christian - The history of our world in 18 minutes

Ted Talks

Find this talk by clicking here or going directly to the ted.com website. As with all the talks, you may download it to watch or listen to later.

Before you watch, read the title. How old is the earth? How old is the universe? Can you predict the field of study of the speaker (i.e. economics, chemistry, history, etc)?

Watch the talk all the way through without stopping- you may use English subtitles, but do not stop the video. Take notes on main ideas and important details. When you are finished, answer the questions:

1. Why does the speaker talk about entropy at the beginning of the speech? What does the video he shows tell us about entropy?
2. What does the speaker mean by “threshholds of complexity”? What are the "goldilocks conditions"?
3. What makes humans different?
4. What two things does the speaker say explain the current "staggering complexity" around us?
5. What is the central question the speaker wants to answer?
6. What is his main purpose with this speech? What does he mean by "big history"?

Watch the talk again and check your answers. Correct or add to them if necessary.

Writing - synthesize your notes and the above answers into a summary. You may continue by discussing the advantages and/or disadvantages of "big history" as the speaker describes it.

----------------------------------------

Answer key:

1. Why does the speaker talk about entropy at the beginning of the speech? What does the video of egg mush tell us about entropy and the universe? He intends to show with the video and the discussion of entropy how the universe tends to go from complexity to non-complexity, from structure and order to lack of structure and lack of order. 

2. What is the central question the speaker wants to answer? "Can the universe create complexity?" If entropy is the tendency, how does the universe go in the opposite direction?

3. What does the speaker mean by “thresholds of complexity”? What are the "goldilocks conditions"? Thresholds of complexity are periods of transition in the history the universe in which the universe becomes more complex. Goldilocks conditions are necessary conditions for the creation of complexity - "not too hot, not too cold, but just right". (examples: the creation of stars, the creation of the solar system, the creation of living organisms, etc)

4. What makes humans different? "Collective learning," which is possible because of language. With language, we can learn collectively and pass information to new generations.

6. What two things does the speaker say explain the current "staggering complexity" around us? Collective learning and fossil fuels

7. What does he mean by "big history"? What is his main purpose with this speech? Big history is a way to look at the nature of human complexity by examining the larger context of the universe. The speaker wants to introduce this idea as an intellectual tool to understand the challenges and opportunities that we face.

Summaries

With a little practice, summaries should be easy, natural, and automatic for you. Want to improve your writing? Need to learn more vocabulary? Read an article and write a summary of it.

There are many ways to write, but here are three steps to produce a basic summary:

1. Read an article or listen to a speech. 
2. Read again (or listen). This time, take notes. Follow the basic outline and make a note of the main ideas and important details. Use this time to focus on unknown vocabulary.
3. Write a summary from your notes. Close your book, close the website, and only use your notes. You must paraphrase and use your own words. Write only the main ideas and do not include examples or extra details unless they are essential. What is the main idea or message the author wants to communicate?

Tip: knowing what is important and what is not can be very difficult. Try asking yourself, "What is this about?" Often, the answer you give is an appropriate summary.

Last week we read an article about the Church dome painted by graffiti artists in Barcelona.

The following is a basic summary of the article:

----------------------------------

Summary

The Barcelona graffiti artist Raul Sanchez Araque, or House, painted a Catalan church in Barcelona. Father Ramon Borr hired the artist to paint the dome of the church because he considers graffiti just another art technique and and it was cheaper than traditional artists. The artists used spray paint to create a faithfully Romanesque painting with a personalized style. Father Ramon is satisfied because he thinks it may bring in more people to the church. 

New vocabulary

austere

dome

congregation

frantic

nondescript

----------------------------------

This summary has only the basic information of the article, just enough for a brief explanation. Additionally, I have included five new vocabulary words from the article. Any time you read, make a note of a few new words to add to your growing vocabulary.

For more information and examples of articles and their summaries, visit The Prop Room.

Listening - Words!

We've been talking about linguistics this week. As language learners, you will probably be amazed, bored, frustrated, and inspired by words in your own language and the language you choose to learn. Watch this video:

The title of this video is "Words", though there is very little speaking involved. Can you figure out in what way this video, and the images, are related to words?

This video was created to accompany a show by a favorite podcast, Radiolab. The topic of the show is - you guessed it - Words
Listen to this fascinating radio show here (or simply search "words" and "radiolab")
There is an English transcript available! Read along to the show.

Video Activity - How to spot a liar

Listen to and watch this video from TED talks by clicking here. Or, simply search the title.

Pamela Meyers: How to spot a liar

Before you listen:
What are some synonyms for lie or lying?
What is a white lie?
Can you think of instances when lying is ok?
Have you ever lied to anyone? When and why?
Listen to the talk without subtitles or a transcript and take notes. From your memory and your notes, what is Pamela Meyer's main idea with this talk? Listen again with subtitles or a transcrıpt (found below the video). Answer the following questions.
Questions
1. What is the speaker’s “core proposition”, or first truth about lying?
2. How many times a day may we be lied to, according to studies?
3. What is Pamela Meyer’s second truth about lying?
4. How did Koko the gorilla lie?
5. What is the first “pattern of deception” illustrated in the talk?
6. What is the second “pattern of deception”?
7. The speaker talks about “leaked” expressions. What simple expression does the speaker use to illustrate this point?
Writing:
In one paragraph, summarize the main points and important details of the talk from your notes. In the next paragraph, write a reaction to the information presented in the talk.
Some ideas: Do you consider yourself as a liar as described by the speaker? Is it human nature to lie? In what way is this subject important in your daily life? Do you agree with the suggestions of the author? Is it important to be a “lie spotter”?Discuss the idea of “lying as a collaborative act”.

Video activity: How social media can make history

Listen and watch this video from TED talks by clicking on this link. Or, simply internet search the title.
Instructions: Listen to the talk without subtitles or a transcript and take notes. When you have listened once, look at your notes and try to summarize the speaker's main point in a few sentences. Next, read the questions below and watch the talk again with the transcript. Answer the questions. When you have finished, proceed to the writing task.

1. Shirky claims there is a “huge transformation” and makes a claim about the moment our historical generation is living through. What is his claim? (1:55-2:10)

2. Shirky names three big changes in the modern media landscape.

First big change (3:44):Second big change (4:10): Third big change (4:48):

3. In Shirky's “second story”, an earthquake happened in China. What was different about this earthquake in terms of communications and the media (5:45-6:10)?

4. Shirky describes the current media landscape as ______________, ________________, _______________, and _______________. (11:13/14:48)

5. What is the “really crazy change” about society and the media? (11:41)

6. What is the choice we face? (15:26)

Writing

Gather your notes and examine your answers to the questions.

• summarize the the author's main points in one or two paragraphs (tip: the speaker restates many of his main points at the end of the talk, 14:33)
• Develop a reaction/argument about the effect of these changes happening in social media and communications. Consider the examples given about the earthquake in China and the website of Barack Obama. Do social media have a positive effect on society? Why or why not?

For optional extra reading related to this content see the following articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-lam/social-media-middle-east-protests-_b_1881827.html

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120411-rethinking-the-social-network

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/magazine/18web2-0-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

What is the Harlem Shake?!

The Harlem Shake is trending on the internet right now. But have you ever asked yourself, "What is the Harlem Shake, really?!"

Maybe this video can help clarify:

These are interviews with people in Harlem, a northern neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. What do they think about this youtube trend?

Here's a blog article on the phenomenon. Also, click here for a news article  with some history on the Harlem Shake, dance, and culture in America. Enjoy!