top of page

Review previous lessons

Aug 31, 2020

Lesson 5/5    45min

A negative view of the Duchy of Cornwall

A very brief description of the Duchy of Lancaster

Aug 24, 2020

Lesson 3/5    45min

Hi Michael!

 

Today our Guardian lesson concerns the fortune a man found at the charity shop when he bought a small book!

Aug 20, 2020

Lesson 2/5    45min

Hello Michael!​

​​​​

Today our article and lesson is called,

Keeping up with technology:

what managers and executives should know.

If we have time: What irritates managers most.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1305/130506-management_survey.html

 

Aug 17, 2020

Lesson 1/5    45min

Hello Michael!

Here's a tedtalk by an unusual curator who sometimes returns artifacts held by his museum!

https://www.ted.com/talks/chip_colwell_why_museums_are_returning_cultural_treasures/transcript#t-769742

From Breaking News English, a similar topic: Egypt and Greece are calling for the return of ancient artifacts.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1004/100408-ancient_treasures.html 

1. Colwell calls ancient objects magical and able to take us beyond our imaginations.  What do ancient objects mean to you?

2. He tells us about countries and nations which demand the return of their ancient artifacts.  Tell about any such cases you have heard about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon_(Nashville)

3. Some objects are considered sacred to some peoples such as the War Gods of the Zunis.  Can you give examples of other sacred objects in the world and how it would be to take them away?

4. Colwells asks, "What should a curator do?"  What do you think they should do?

5. He also asks, "Are museums good?"  What's your answer?

6. Do you know the "dark history" of museums that Colwell refers to?

7. Did you know that Native Americans have been especially hurt by having the skeletons of their ancestors taken away?  How do you feel about this?

 

8. Our Orthodox Chrisitianity venerates the relics/bones of the saints. What do you think about the relics of Saint Nicholas received by the Russian Orthodox Church?  Do you know that Turkey sued the government of Italy to have the relics of Saint Nicholas returned to the city of Myra (a Greek city during the Byzantine period) because Italian Crusaders had stolen them?  Thank God the Turks lost this case!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3W4htavpAo

9.Colwell wants to plant seeds of hope and reconciliation between museums and those wronged by them.  How did he do it?

10. What role can virtual museums and collections like Google Arts and Culture play in resolving these disputes?

11. What role can technology play in creating a compromise?

12. Did you like this ted talk?

And a follow up to our article of last time:

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-west-midtown-is-out-of-control-20200816-yvbjzv2pmrdsndo4fbkkyfe5ty-story.html

Aug 13, 2020

Lesson 5/5   45min

Hi Michael,

Today we read and discussed a news article:

Retail Chains Abandon Manhattan: It's Unsustainable.

https://dnyuz.com/2020/08/11/retail-chains-abandon-manhattan-its-unsustainable-2/

Vocabulary.com

https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/6882086

Aug 3, 2020

Lesson 4/5   45min

July 30, 2020

Lesson 3/5   45min

Wheat Field with Cypresses

Hi Michael,

Our ted talk is about Google Arts & Culture, the massive archive of art collected by Google in digital form from all over the world which can be viewed as you wish.

https://www.ted.com/talks/amit_sood_every_piece_of_art_you_ve_ever_wanted_to_see_up_close_and_searchable

See the questions from last lesson.

July 26, 2020

Lesson 2/5   45min

Bogatyrs.jpg

Hi Michael,

We'll finish our idiomatic expressions.

https://www.onestopenglish.com/support-for-teaching-vocabulary/theme-based-expressions-theatre/554778.article

And we can review again with the  Quizlet.

https://quizlet.com/511105328/onestopenglish-idiomatic-expressions-flash-cards/

As well as with the master list of idioms on Quizlet

https://quizlet.com/511212867/idiomatic-expressions-flash-cards/

 

Football

https://www.onestopenglish.com/support-for-teaching-vocabulary/theme-based-expressions-football/554905.article

Travel

https://www.onestopenglish.com/support-for-teaching-vocabulary/theme-based-expressions-travel/554737.article

World

https://www.onestopenglish.com/your-english/your-english-idioms-world/550878.article

Animals

https://www.onestopenglish.com/your-english/your-english-idioms-animals/156820.article

Our ted talk is about Google Arts & Culture, the massive archive of art collected by Google in digital form from all over the world which can be viewed as you wish.

https://www.ted.com/talks/amit_sood_every_piece_of_art_you_ve_ever_wanted_to_see_up_close_and_searchable

1. Amit Sood tells us that most of the time, the world's population is living without real access to arts and culture. And how will technology change this fact?   What is your comment?  

2. Sood says Google's art archive is available right now on our mobile phones, on our laptops.  Did you know this?  

3. Did you know there are portals to Google Arts and Culture from famous museums and historical sites on Google Maps? 

https://www.google.gr/maps/@48.8043146,2.120538,2a,75y,102.01h,75.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-LSHZciFdo5deGadf-hI5g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
And there is a new feature for some famous historic places called Google Explore.
https://www.google.gr/maps/@48.8043146,2.120538,2a,75y,102.01h,75.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-LSHZciFdo5deGadf-hI5g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

4. Users of this app called Google Art Project can view the works of art in extremely high-definition detail.  How significant is this capability?  Who can benefit from it?

5. Intended for a world audience, the content has "amazing diversity" he says.  What's your reaction?

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/search?q=Russian%20

6. By the way, my favorite painting in the museum in my city of Omaha is Russian:
https://www.joslyn.org/collections-and-exhibitions/permanent-collections/european/konstantin-makovsky-russian-beauty-and-cat/
Do you have a favorite?

7. A wide variety of museums and institutions are represented in the collection.  Comment about the accessibility to these organizations which is now possible.

8. Google Art Project is much more than a virtual museum.  In what ways?

9. Speaking of virtual museums, do you think they will replace conventional museums in the future?

10. What are the pros and the cons of conventional museums.  The video below demonstrates one of the cons!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQSe1GUy4WA​

11. What are the "connections" among works of art that Sood refers to and about which his curator friend talked with him?

12. What are the clusters Soot talks about?  

13.  Clusters make our experience interactive and creative.  What kind of cluster would you create?

14. What did you think of the portrait matcher?

July 24, 2020

Lesson 1/5   45min

Hi Michael,

This lesson, we'll finish our study of idiomatic expressions using the Onestopenglish website which presents them by theme.

https://www.onestopenglish.com/support-for-teaching-vocabulary/theme-based-expressions-theatre/554778.article

July 20, 2020

Lesson 5/5+5   45min

Hi Michael,

This lesson, we'll continue our study of idiomatic expressions using the Onestopenglish website which presents them by theme.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/vocabulary/macmillan-dictionary-resources/your-english/theme-based-expressions/theme-based-expressions-theatre/554778.article

 

And we can review again with the  Quizlet.

https://quizlet.com/511105328/onestopenglish-idiomatic-expressions-flash-cards/

July 9, 2020

Lesson 4/5 +5  45min

Hi Michael,

This lesson, we'll begin our study of idiomatic expressions using the Onestopenglish website which presents them by theme.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/vocabulary/macmillan-dictionary-resources/your-english/theme-based-expressions/theme-based-expressions-theatre/554778.article

 

And we can review by looking at a Quizlet I've made with these idiomatic expressions!  

https://quizlet.com/511105328/onestopenglish-idiomatic-expressions-flash-cards/

July 2, 2020

Lesson 3/5   45min

Government Building

Hello Michael,

This tedtalk by Marc Kushner is called Why the Buildings of the Future Will Be Shaped by You.

https://www.ted.com/talks/marc_kushner_why_the_buildings_of_the_future_will_be_shaped_by_you/transcript

For more questions about the topic of architecture:

https://esldiscussions.com/a/architecture.html

1. How funny is Marc's story about the house of his childhood?  What do you love/hate about your house?
 

2. He says architecture is all about the emotional connection we feel to the places we occupy.  Do you agree?

Do you have a strong feeling about any public building?
 

3. I remember what my Mom said about an apartment where we lived  that it had a "light shadow" which in Greek conveyed the idea of a positive, light feeling - not oppressive. What's your comment?  Does Russian have any such saying?  

4. By the way, what is your opinion of Feng Shui, the Chinese beliefs about the building and arrangement of homes?  I have also learned that there is a very strong religious tradition in Hinduism that dictates how every aspect of a home should be including how it's built. It's called Vastu.  Have you heard of it?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastu_shastra     Does Russian culture have any such traditions, perhaps about how country homes should be built?
 
5. He says that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors at home, work, school, shopping...  Do you think the same is true of Russians?

 

6. What can you tell me about the architecture in the Russian Federation?

7. Marc says using Classical Greek design for U.S. government buildings was done to create an emotional connection to the ideals of ancient Greek democracy.  And, he says, this a trick that architects use all the time .  Did you know this?

​7. Talk about the differences between the two very different libraries: one in Livingston and one in Seattle.  3min 14sec

8. Marc said architectural design swings back and forth between innovation and traditional symbols.  Do you see these "swings" in  Moscow buildings?

 

9. I found interesting what he said about brutalism in the 70's.  The first high school where I taught in Omaha was built this way.   http://www.boonebrothers.com/files/3113/1101/4221/DanielJGrossCatholicHighSchool.jpg
What do you think of this style and do you have any buildings like this in Moscow?

10. What comment would you like to make about the different styles Marc showed which take traditional symbols and update them?  Here's an updated style in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Paris: http://orthochristian.com/106487.html

11. Every civilization leaves its mark in the world.  Can we say that buildings reflect our culture and our society's ideals: balance+ harmony, beauty+ style,= graceful forms.....  for example?

12. Now that you know about how the pendulum swings between innovation and symbols, can you think of a building which exemplifies each?

13. What do you think of the museum in Bilbao?  Do you like it? https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/the-building

14. Marc says the Media Revolution (the internet) has allowed people to voice their opinions faster, even before, a building is built.  Is this important to you?  Would you express your opinion and feelings about a proposed building?

15. Finally, do you have a favorite building?  And, why is it your favorite?  Mine is my high school in Omaha which is where I also did my student teaching. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Central_High_School#/media/File:Omaha_Central_HS_from_E_1.JPG

bottom of page