The English Newsletter
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.
Winter, 2014
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
Here’s an example to get you inspired!
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.
Best Selling Albums of 2014 … so far… X, Ed Sheeran Hit singles: One, I See Fire, Don’t, …
In the Hour Lonely , Sam Sm i t h
Hit singles: Money on My mind, Stay With Me, …
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Winter, 2014
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Prism, Kate Perry
Hit singles: Royals, Tennis Court, …
Girl, Pharrell Williams
Hit singles: Roar, Unconditionally, …
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Hit singles: XO, Drunk in Love, …
Hit singles: Happy, Marilyn Monroe, …
Ghost Stories, Coldplay
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
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.
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!
Winter, 2014 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!
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 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
Film Review: Gravity Here are two examples of reviews of the film Gravity, done by 11th-‐grade students. 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
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. Isalina Marcos, 11B
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See you in the next edition coming soon!