Electronic waste becomes a work of art
Every year we throw away more than 5 billion cell phones. We prefer to buy new phones instead of fixing or recycling old ones... This produces tons of electronic waste, a real problem for the environment! On the occasion of the G7 of 2021 in Carbis Bay, England, the artist Joe Rush created a gigantic sculpture made of electronic waste for the company musicMagpie. This work imitates one of the USA’s most famous monuments, Mount Rushmore.
MiniQuiz
Mount Recyclemore represents 7 presidents of countries that participated in the 2021 G7.
1 Who does the “real” Mount Rushmore in the USA represent?
a [ ] 4 environmentalists b [ ] 4 American presidents
2 Monte Rushmore is in:
a [ ] Dakota b [ ] Texas
In fact, the bizarre scupture is called Mount Recyclemore (Mount Recycles More!). The sculpture is made of more than 20,000 used electronic devices: cell phones, battery chargers, computers, radios, televisions, vacuum cleaners...
Are you ready to experience new adventures around our wonderful and amazing planet Earth? I want to start the year with the energy and joy of colors—from colorful places created not only by man but also and above all by nature. Speaking of colors, let’s meet a photographer who uses colors and fabrics from her land to camouflage the bodies of models... We’ll also visit a celebration of literature—the National Book Festival. And then I’ll introduce you to an interesting and talented young singer who is also an activist for climate change... Billie Eilish. Happy reading and happy beginning to all!
- colors vocabulary - the present indicative - the verb “to be” - demonstrative adjectives and pronouns - indefinite adjectives and pronouns - qualifying adjectives - introduction to the superlative
Mount Recyclemore
Mount Rushmore
Thandiwe Muriu Art and unconventional beauty
These photos were not created on a computer! They are works by the African photographer Thandiwe Muriu! In her photos, this artist “hides” her models’ bodies behind backgrounds of typical African fabrics. You can only see the hair, face and hands of the models! Thandiwe says: “I choose the fabrics, transform them into dresses and use them as backgrounds. And with everyday objects that you can find at home, I create accessories.” The artist uses typical African materials and recycled objects to “describe the life of women and their fundamental role in daily life”. Thandiwe was born in 1990 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. From an early age, her father taught her “to fix objects, use a computer and take photographs!” The photographer says: “When I was 14, my father introduced me and my three sisters to digital cameras. It was love at first site for me!” Like the thousand colors of fabrics, Thandiwe’s photos represent the thousand aspects of the female personality and African beauty: clothing, headdresses, hairstyles...
Interesting facts
• The technique that Thandiwe uses is called camouflage (from the French camoufler, “disguise”, “hide” and maquillage, “trick”). But each of her photos also resembles a colorful kaleidoscope!
• The patterned fabrics that Thandiwe uses are called Ankara or African Wax! G present indicative –the verb “to be” –demonstrative adjectives and pronouns –qualifying adjectives
A) What color is it/are they?
Look at the objects on page 5 and write what color they are.
Hi, my name is Kumiko. And these are my classmates! We come from many different places around the world. We really like studying foreign languages, like English. In this period we are studying American art and, above all, colors... the topic is really interesting!
Classrooms around the world
colors vocabulary – present indicative – the verb “to be” – demonstrative adjectives and pronouns – indefinite adjectives and pronouns – qualifying adjectives – introduction to the superlative
A world of color
From
Indonesia, to Australia, to
China, up
to
Morocco, there are cities and places full of color! Let’s go together to discover some of these very special places.
Rainbow cities...
In the world there are many rainbow-colored cities or towns! One of the most colorful and famous places is Kampung Pelangi Kalisari, which really means “rainbow village”. This small town is in Indonesia. Here houses, streets and roofs have the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple!
Place:
What it is called: Continent: Colors:
Place:
What it is called:
Continent:
...and rainbow forests!
Among those places that are rainbow-colored, there are also those created by nature! This is the case of the rainbow eucalyptus forest (Eucalyptus deglupta). The trunk of these trees has shades of green, red, orange, yellow, grey, blue and purple. You can admire these strange forests of a thousand colors in the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea and even the Hawaiian Islands. 3
Place:
What it is called:
Continent:
Colors:
A blue city
Chefchaouen is in Morocco and it is a very ancient city. Every year, so many tourists from around the world come to this fascinating place also to see its blue, light blue and turquoise houses. Why the houses are painted in all shades of blue is still a mystery...
A yellow river...
It is 5,464 km long and one of the longest in the world. Its name is Yellow Flame and it is in China. This river is yellow because its waters carry yellow earth dust. This yellow earth is typical of some big plains where the river flows.
Place:
2
What it is called: Continent:
Colors:
and pink... lakes!
In Australia there are many pink... lakes! One of the most famous is the small saline Lake Hillier. According to scientists, a small algae and bacteria give the waters of these Australian lakes their distinctive pink color.
Place:
What it is called:
Continent:
Colors:
What places are they?
Listen carefully, look at the photos and fill in the forms. You also have a challenge... Name the continents!
The answers are on page 14 4
This month
The National Book
Celebrate Reading!
The Library of Congress National Book Festival is a celebration of literature. It is held annually in September in the United States in Washington, D.C. It is one of the nation’s most important literary events. Every year, readers come together at this event. There are bestselling authors for book signings. There are also a lot of panel discussions and author talks about books. Storytellers and illustrators— those who create artwork and drawings for books—also participate in this event.
A 20-year history
Do you like reading? Do you prefer spending hours behind the pages of a good book to watching a film on TV? For you, are authors VIPs (very important people)? Then the National Book Festival is just for you!
The National Book Festival started 20 years ago. Laura Bush, President George W. Bush’s wife and the first lady at the time, and then-Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, created it in 2001. In fact, the first festival was on September 8 of that year. It was a way to promote reading for all ages and all types of people. At that time, 40 authors participated in the event. Now close to 200 authors are present every year.
Long live libraries!
It has also become a celebration of libraries throughout the nation. Libraries are important because anyone can borrow a book to read... for free! The festival is sponsored by the country’s most famous library, the Library of Congress.
Festival
G present indicative – verb “to be” – demonstrative adjectives and pronouns – introduction to the superlative The answer is on page 14
Did you know...
• the Library of Congress is a research library.
• it is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States.
• it has more than 32 million books and other printed material.
• it has a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.
• it is the largest rare book collection in the country!
Secret
code
Crack the secret code and find out the title of the best-selling print book of 2023! 6 Y H t 5 l
3
TEST
When you were a child, you liked to play with:
a [ ] building blocks and puzzles.
b [ ] roller skates, bicycles, skateboards...
c [ ] board games.
4
6
a r e you?
At the end of the rainbow you find... :
a [ ] the love of your life.
b [ ] a really sweet puppy.
c [ ] a pot of gold.
You dream of drawing:
a [ ] a comic book.
b [ ] graffiti.
c [ ] a portrait.
You are a superhero—choose your superpower:
a [ ] controll minds
b [ ] travel through time
c [ ] be invisible
Choose an element:
c [ ] iron 5
a [ ] carbon
b [ ] oxygen
Choose one of these fruits:
a [ ] grape
b [ ] peach
c [ ] cherry
Profiles
You are the color green! You are definitely a calm and peaceful person. You are also very cooperative and helpful with others. You rarely argue. This does not mean that you have no character. On the contrary, you have very clear ideas of what you want and... look out who gets in your way!
You are the color yellow! You have a great personality... a bundle of energy and optimism! Your good mood infects everything and everyone. Alone or with your friends you can go anywhere and do anything. You are also ambitious and this makes you a bit competitive... Mostly Cs
Mostly As You are the color blue! You are a determined and confident person. When you make a decision, you always follow it through to the end! You like being organized—you don’t like unexpected events at all. But you aren’t only action and determination—you are also very thoughtful. Mostly Bs
to relax A mandala
Hi, I’m Frida. I really like drawing and coloring mandalas.
Do you know what mandalas are? They are geometric drawings that represent the universe. “Mandala” comes from the ancient Sanskrit language, “manda”: “essence”, and “la”: “container”. Mandalas are relaxing--they free your mind and stimulate concentration. There are very few rules in the mandalas. You can use any color except black and white! You must never leave white spaces. You have to always start coloring from the center and when you finish a mandala... rip it up!
True or False?
Read, decide if the information is true or false and find out more about mandalas.
1 Tibetan monks make mandalas with grains of colored sand.
2 Monks do not destroy mandalas after making them.
3 Destroying the mandala means: “nothing lasts forever”.
4 Destroying the mandala means: “you have to be attached to things”.
5 When you destroy a mandala you let go of the emotions you feel while you color it.
6 You can only draw a mandala on paper.
7 Coloring mandalas makes you think about everyday problems.
The answers are on page 14
colors vocabularypresent indicativethe verb “to be” –qualifying adjectives G
Glacier National Park
A
national park where you can... enjoy nature’s wonderful colors!
Glacier National Park is on the border of Canada and Montana, a state of the USA. It is full of natural beauty. That is why people often call it the “Crown of the Continent”.
Nature’s gifts
Glacier National Park is a beautiful place. It is in the northern part of the state of Montana, on the border of Canada. It got its name because of the many active glaciers here. A lot of people come to this park to hike on its many trails. What better way than hiking to see its natural wonders up close! This park is full of beauty—giving it the name “Crown of the Continent”. There are more than 700 lakes, alpine meadows, deep forests, two mountain ranges and some waterfalls, too!
Going-to-the-Sun Road
This area of native beauty was established as a national park in 1910. It is full of wonderful things to see and do. Perhaps the most breath-taking activity is traveling on Going-to-the-Sun Road. This is a scenic road and a National Historic Landmark. It is 80 kilometers long. It travels along the Rocky Mountains and crosses the entire park. This is a great way to see all of the beautiful colors that nature has to offer us: blue, green, white, red, brown... a virtual rainbow!
Three Truths and a Lie!
Which of these things is false about Glacier National Park?
[ ] There are 26 glaciers in the park.
[ ] The mountain lion is the symbol of the park.
[ ] 1,990 species of plants can be found here.
[ ] Lake McDonald is the largest lake in the park.
The answer is on page 14
Have
you read Let’s Start? Then play with us!
A timed quiz
Use an hourglass or your phone’s timer and answer these questions! You can play in pairs, groups or challenge whoever you want! Give points for every correct answer and penalties for every mistake... Have fun!
1 You have 2 minutes... to say what message you think Mount Recyclemore wants to give.
2 (10 seconds) I say: a color (ex. red). Associate it with something! (ex: love, passion, rage...)
3 (2 minutes) Do you know what the G7 is? If so, try to explain it in your own words, otherwise pass your turn to your partner!
4 (10 seconds) Thandiwe Muriu is a Kenyan artist: true or false?
5 (10 seconds) Mount Recyclemore was made with more than 20,000 old electronic devices. In your opinion, is it true or false?
6 (10 seconds) Say the name of a country that is part of the G7!
7 (10 seconds) Name 4 electronic devices!
8 (10 seconds) Thandiwe Muriu is a photographer: true or false?
9 (1 minutes) Correct this sentence! African Wax are African people.
10 (10 seconds) Which colors cannot be used in mandalas?
11 (10 seconds) What is the capital of Kenya?
12 (10 seconds) Chefchaouen is also called the city...
13 (10 seconds) Plants with rainbow trunks exist: true or false?
14 (10 seconds) Correct this sentences. In Japan there are a lot of pink lakes.
15 (1 minute) Make the superlative of this sentence: Chili peppers are spicy vegetables.
16 (2 minutes) Invent a sentence with a color!
17 (10 seconds) Name at least 4 colors in a rainbow!
18 (10 seconds) When coloring a mandala don’t start from the center... true or false?
19 (10 seconds) Name three things you can see at Glacier National Park!
20 (10 seconds) Which family member of Billie Eilish writes songs with her?
The answers are below
Answers
GAMES GALORE
7 (ex: cell phone, tablet, battery charger, computer, dishwasher, refrigerator, TV, screen...) 8 true. 9 African Wax are (typical) African fabrics. 10 white and black. 11 Nairobi. 12 blue. 13 true. 14 In Australia there are a lot of pink lakes. 15 Chili peppers are red. 16 free answers. 17 (red/orange/yellow/green/blue/indigo/purple) 18 false.19 lakes, glaciers, mountains, plants, flowers, animals, waterfalls. 20 her brother, Finneas. Page 16: Justin Bieber.
3. “G7” is the abbreviation of “The Group of Seven”. The 7 are the heads of state of 7 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Once a year the heads of state of these nations meet to discuss economic, environmental and security issues... (When Russia participates, the G7 becomes the G8). 4 true. 5 true. 6 (ex: Italy/France/Germany/the UK/USA/Canada/Japan).
City. Continent: Africa. Colors: blue, light blue, turquoise. 5 Place: Philippine, Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, Hawaiian islands. What it is called: Rainbow Forest. Continent: Asia, America, Oceania. Colors: green, red, orange, yellow, grey, blue, purple. Pages 8 and 9: Secret code: It Ends with Us. Page 11: 1 T, 2 F, 3 T, 4 F, 5 T, 6 F. You can make mandalas on cloth, on the wall, with powder and colored sand, with tempera, pastels, spirit colors... 7 F. Pages 12 and 13: The symbol of the park isn’t the mountain lion—it’s the mountain goat! Page 14: 1 free answers (ex: try to recycle more and waste less, let’s save the planet, don’t throw away things that still work). In an interview, the artist Joe Rush said he wants to give this message to the powerful people of the G7: “Talk to each other and fix this mess!”. 2 free answers.
3 Place: Kampung Pelangi Kalisari, Indonesia. What it is called: Rainbow City. Continent: Asia. Colors: rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple). 4 Place: Chefchaouen, Morocco. What it is called:
B. Free answers. Pages 6 and 7: 1 Place: Hillier Lake, Australia. What it is called: Pink Lake. Continent: Oceania. Colors: pink. 2 Place: China. What it is called: Yellow River. Continent: Asia. Colors: yellow.
The (precious) stone is purple (12). The telephone is green
are
Page 2: 1 B. Mount Rushmore represents 4 presidents of the United States: Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. 2 A. Pages 4 and 5: A The mandarin is orange (7). The soap bubbles are rainbow (19). The ball is shiny (22) silver (16). Christmas ball is opaque (23) white (1). The raincoat is beige (18). The battery charger is white (1). The parrot is blue (8). The automobile/car is light blue (9). The backpack is yellow (6). The pencil is grey (3). The butterfly is lilac (17). The bear is brown (11). The olives are black (2). The shoes are gold (15). The bone is fuchsia (14). The sweatshirt is pink (13). The roses are light (20) pink (13). The roses are dark (21) pink (13). The chili peppers are red (4). The skates
turquoise (10).
(5).
Blue
the present indicative - the verb “to be” - demonstrative adjectives and pronouns -qualifying adjectives
not only a singer... Billie Eilish, Let’s meet…
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell— otherwise known simply as Billie Eilish—is an American singer and songwriter, but also a political activist. She has won many awards because of her talent but has also used her fame to make the world a better place. Let’s get to know her better...
Her musical career is a family affair—she often works with her brother, Finneas, to create her music and live performances. Billie first became famous in 2015 with her song, “Ocean Eyes”. She wrote the song with her brother. This artist, however, really became known with her song, “Bad Guy”. With this song she became the first artist born in the 21st century to have a number-one hit. She has won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards— one for her song “What was I made for?” from the hit film, Barbie
However, she is not only famous for her music—Billie is also a political activist.
She has been vocal about women’s rights, body positivity and climate change. In 2023, she asked to share the cover of Vogue magazine with 8 climate activists. They even created a video of their discussion of climate change, community, justice and activism. Follow the link below to watch it!
Billie Eilish and 8 Climate Activists talk about Planet Earth:
Billie Eilish and 8 Climate Activists Get Real About Our Planet | Vogue (youtube.com)
And you, what are you doing for the environment?
Environmental Impact Calculators | Sustainability | CSUSM
Take the quiz and see how big your ecological footprint really is!
Interesting fact
Billie Eilish is a vegan—she does not eat anything that contains animal products. She is also a huge fan of a major pop star... Do you know who? Use a mirror and find out!