These days, plenty of world-famous artists are livestreaming impromptu concerts from home through social media; theatres are streaming older productions for free…Is this going to have a long-lasting effect on the way entertainment is produced and consumed?
Here you can find some speaking activities as well as a mediation activity on the subject:
SPEAKING:
Click/tap on the screenshot to download file
MEDIATION IN WRITING:
Click/tap on the screenshot to download the file
These are some of the examples mentioned in the activities:
These days lots of figures and data are being used in the media to refer to the scale of the pandemic. If you have to mediate this information for somebody else in English, you may need this vocabulary:
Tests to determine whether frontline NHS staff have coronavirus are expected to begin this weekend, following prolonged criticism from health workers. Staff who are found to be negative will be able to continue working as the number of patients continues to surge.
The Government has set out plans to increase significantly the number of tests for coronavirus. The aim is to carry out 100,000 per day by the end of the month.
Two of the most commonly used terms these days are flatten the curve and reach the peak. You have some more information about them here (download the pdf file here).
You can find a collection of articles, clips from the news and other media content related to the coronavirus outbreak and its effects worldwide here(updated daily).
Sadly, we are surrounded by news related to the coronavirus outbreak, which is having an effect on people’s health, obviously, but also on the economy, on jobs, even on the environment. Instead of writing a blog post every time I find something which might be relevant for students in terms of vocabulary, I thought I had better start a Google site. In it you can find extracts from radio shows with their transcripts as well as annotated articles. I will be updating it as the days (and the lockdown) go on.
[I originally started a Padlet, but in the end, for different reasons, I decided to swap to a Google site]
As you know, English has 12 vowels sounds, as opposed to Spanish, which only has 5. To tell the difference between those extra vowel sounds, and to increase your phonemic awareness, you can try this exercise based on the song “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay.
(Click here to watch the video with subtitles in English)
You can download the exercise by clicking on the screenshot below:
The coronavirus crisis is making headlines worldwide. Some of the language used to report it refers back to aspects we have discussed in class at some point in the year:
Italy locked down to slow the spread of coronavirus- as mentioned in the report, documents allowing citizens to travel within Italy are now needed:
The new reality is dawning in Italy. The heart of Europe has been quarantined with a blanket ban ongatherings and public venues closed, the toughest confinement measures since the war. Travel is prohibited without filling in a document showing urgent need or a return home, which we as everyone have to complete. We’d need to produce it if asked.
Well, this form will now allow me to be able to drive back to Rome. And it says here that falsifying this document could lead to prosecution. Never could people in Italy have conceivedof the idea that they’d need this to be able to move within their own country.
2. Airlines cancel thousands of flights:
The extent to which airlines are struggling is becoming clear. B.A. has emailed all of its staff asking people to volunteer for unpaid leave. Norwegian Air has said it will cut 15 percent of its global schedule for a month, while some staff will be temporarily laid off. The German giant Lufthansa has already said it will cut up to half of its flights during the coming weeks. Anyone booked on a flight which is canceled is eligible for a full refund.
