The UN (United Nations) has a department called UNHCR.
It stands for the UN Refugee Agency, that gives assistance, assylum and
protection to people who seek for refuge all over the world.
They have developed this game in order to raise awareness on the topic.
Have a look at the GAME and play it!! Not only will you LEARN MANY
THINGS related to the topic, but also you'll realize why these rights
are so important.
Click below the picture and access to AGAINST ALL ODDS (= CONTRA A VIENTO Y MAREA)
Special thanks to my dear partner Stella Maris for letting me reproduce her blog entry!!!!
After playing the game, leave a message sharing your personal experience with the group. Your experience playing the game may be a topic to talk about in your final examination board.
You have probably used the term HUMAN RIGHTS a thousand times in your lives. You have probably heard it another thousand times. But,.....
What are Human Rights exactly?
Broadly speaking, HR are the rights you have simply because you are a human being.
But, let´s watch an animation video which will help us understand the concept better...
THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS is the world´s premier human rights instrument. Its opening paragraph is a powerful affirmation of the principles that lie at the heart of the modern human rights system:
"Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights
of all members of the human family
is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."
Yet, a wide gap exists between the articulation of these goals and their accomplishment. Millions are not free. Justice is often inequitable. And peace continues to elude many regions of the world. Bridging the huge gap between the ideal of universal human rights and the reality of widespread human rights violations is what drives human rights advocates.
If you wish to go over a full version of all the 30 human rights from the United Nations website, click HERE.
We will be discussing this new topic in class during the next month o so.
In order
to fully understand a country´s political system, one also needs to understand its
history (at least part of it). The history of Britain has been very different compared to other places in the world and, consecuently, its political system has been shaped differently as
well.
WATCH this video and learn some important aspects of the UK political systemand how it works...
1- Watch the videos and take down notes.
2- Select the most relevant information
3- In your PORTFOLIO, design a visual organier to show how the British Political System works.
My Mother, the Crazy African, by Chimamanda Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Abba, in Nigeria in 1977. She moved to the US when she was 19 to studey. She has a master´s degree in Creative Writing. She is the author of three novels, Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013), of a short story collection, The Thing around Your Neck (2009), a collection of poems, Decision. She has also written a play, For Love of Biafra.
She has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Orange
Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007) and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
(2008). The Biafran war, and its consequences on the Nigerian people, is a major theme in her work.
To read My Mother, The Crazy Africanon line, clickhere.
Do you have some more minutes to spare? If you do, don´t miss this fascinating talk by Chimamanda Adichie. Watch the video and be ready to comment on it in class!
Isn´t she awsome?!! Did you enjoy it?
Which part did you enjoy the most? To what extent has this video helped you understand the characters´ behaviour and attitudes in the short story?
Leave your comment in our comment session below!
REMEMBER to open a special entry in your PORTFOLIO!!!! You may include a brief summary of the story if you consider it useful. You may also include the author´s biography and/or any other interesting information you find to enliven your portfolio.
Elizabeth I (1533-1603), daughter of
Henry VIII, was queen of England for 45 years. She never got married, and is
sometimes called the "Virgin Queen". she was clever, successful and
popular. in a war against Spain, she told her soldiers and sailors: "I
have the body of a weak woman. But I have the heart and stomach of a
king."
During her reign English sailors went to many far-away places. Sir
Francis Drake sailed all the way round the world. Sir Walter Raleigh brought potatoes and tobacco from America. It was the beginning of the British Empire.
The Empire: for and against
Why were the British so interested in putting up their flag all over the
world? They started with Ireland in the 16th century, and by 1770 they had the
biggest empire in history. Why did the British want all these countries? The
short answer is money and land. The long answer is more complicated. Each
country was different. For example, India was a rich market - it was full of
customers for British goods. Jamaica was a good military base against the
Spanish. Australia was a big "empty" country for the British people
to go and live in.
Of course, Australia wasn´t really empty. There was a population of
Aborigines. All the countries in the Empire had people in them when the British
arrived. In some places, like India, the British kept military control for a
period of time, and then left. In other places, like Australia, they occupied
the land itself. They built farms, cities, roads and railways. So they were in
competition with the native people. This happened in Canada, the USA, South
Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
The result was that the Inuit, Native Americans, Zulus, Aborigines and
Maoris lost their land. Many also lost their lives - in fighting or from illness
(the newcomers brought new viruses like smallpox, typhoid and cholera). Today
many of these native people still look back to a golden age when their
countries belonged to them.
Look at a video which explains the history of the British empire in a "funny" way....
ANSWER:
1. What did the British trade from the colonies? 2. Did they promote "fair" trade? 3. Which products were very valuable? 4. COMPLETE your study notes in your PORTFOLIO and create your own map of the empire.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the British Empire
contained more than one quarter of the world’s population, and covered
one quarter of the world’s land surface.
The Empire fell into two distinct parts: Britain and the dominions
such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa; and those
regions that were wholly or partly governed from London – Africa, India,
the West Indies and the Far East.
From the mid-19th century onwards, those areas of the world under
British administration began to be coloured red or pink. For many
people, even today, these ‘pink bits’ are the most potent symbol of the
extent of the British Empire.
A history of the British Empire and the Commonwealth is not an
exclusively British history. It is a history of many nations – including
Britain. While the British Empire had a substantial impact upon the
countries it included, the influence was seldom one way.
More than five and a half million non-British soldiers, including
Indians, Canadians, West Indians, Africans and Australians, fought for
Britain during the two world wars.
As today’s Commonwealth, their countries are united by history,
language and promoting the values of democracy, freedom, peace, the rule
of law and opportunity for all. There are 54 countries in today’s
Commonwealth, the most recent members are Rwanda (2009), Cameroon and
Mozambique
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans, Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Sudanese.
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians, Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.
Allow time to be cool.
Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.
Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste. Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
The poem we read and analysed in class belongs to the book
Click here if you want to learn more about Benjamin´s life and work.
A) Look at the statements below. Tick the ones which match your understanding of what the poet is saying in The British. Try to find lines from the poem to support the statements.
All people deserve to be treated with respect.
It takes time for people to live in harmony.
We have to work at getting along with all kinds of people.
Everyone is equal.
It´s exciting to live in a multicultural society.
Benjamin Zephaniah is passionate about justice and equality.
B) The Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Normans all came to Britain hundered of years ago. What point do you think Benjamin Zephaniah is making by including them in the poem?
C)The poem is written like a recipe.
What words/phrases and other features in "The British" make the poem look like a recipe? To your list of cooking verbs, add at least five or six extra ones. You may also find a picture to illustrate their meanings !
Why has Zephaniah chosen to write this poem like this?
Benjamin Zephaniah recites his poem with a group of students.
WATCH the video and then practise reading it aloud!
Don´t forget to include a copy of the poem in your PORTFOLIO!
Feel free to LEAVE A PERSONAL COMMENT on the poem!
