Women’s History
In the USA, the entire month of March is Women's History Month. The purpose of Women's History Month is to increase awareness and knowledge of women's contributions: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable, brave and ordinary women. 1. Share a biography Do some research and share a short biography […]
Inventions!
What inventions are shaping our future? A search on YouTube will give you plenty of ideas. Next week you're going to make a presentation about an invention. 1. Find a video about an invention on YouTube. You can look anywhere you want, but I found a lot on this YouTube channel. 2. Take note of some of the important […]
Confidence
Confidence is the most important part of learning English. We will discuss why in class this week – to get ready, watch this video: 0:22 What is confidence? 0:50 Where does it come from? 1:36 What are some of the tricks that make up Tip 1? 2:20 What are the two kinds of mindsets? For […]
The History of Germs
Here are some short videos produced by NPR about the history of germs. Watch one, two, or all three of these videos and we will discuss the history in class. Here are some listening tips: 1) Watch first without subtitles. Focus on your listening. For more ideas about listening, watch this video from AJ Hoge. 2) Don't […]
Cognitive Biases
Don't let the name scare you. Cognitive bias is easy to understand. These are little flaws your brain has that can influence your thinking. But by identifying them, we can learn to make better decisions. Your job for this week: 1) Watch the video below 2) Choose one of the 12 cognitive biases to talk about 3) Explain […]
The Story of a Song
This week, we're going to talk about music. We can start with a song from 1964 Called "A Change is Gonna Come." First, listen to the song and read the lyrics. What do you think he's singing about? Now here's an NPR story about this song. If you're having problems listening or want to read […]
This Idea Must Die
Check out this Freakonomics podcast from 5 March 2015. Every year, edge.org, a community of scientists, writers, and other thinkers, gets together to talk about a scientific idea that is no longer useful, even though it’s still popular. In many ways, these ideas can be a real impediment to scientific progress. Take notes on the ideas […]
The First 20 Hours
What is something you have always wanted to learn, but never had time for? Here’s a favorite TED Talk about learning. Let’s watch it for next week: 0:39 Why do men have this problem? 2:10 Why was losing his free time so disconcerting for Kaufman? 3:05 If you are interested in the 10,000 hour rule, look at […]
Social Media
For the first class of 2017, we’re going to watch an episode of a TV show called Black Mirror. It’s a satirical science fiction series which talks about the not-too-distant future. Watch Season 3, Episode 1: Nosedive. It’s one hour long, so find time to watch it over the holidays. At ororo.tv you can watch the episode for free […]
A Charlie Brown Christmas
How do you feel about Christmas? Is it too commercial? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. Charlie Brown felt the same way as early as 1965, when A Charlie Brown Christmas was produced. This cartoon is a holiday classic in the United States – my favorite part is the fantastic piano music . Here is […]
