Thursday, February 28, 2013

Mirror Mirror: Sacrifices to Be Beautiful





This movie is not a master piece, but I enjoyed it. This scene is wonderful to talk about the sacrifices people make to look attractive.

I. Work in small groups:

1. What sacrifices do you make for beauty? 

2. How would you define the cultural standard of beauty where you live? (Some locals value tanning, Botox, teeth whitening; others a more athletic standard; still more a curvaceous silhouette.) 

3. Do you give much thought as to the things you give up to attain attractiveness? 

4. Would you trade a year (or more) of your life for a slimmer, more 'ideal' shape? 

5. Are men as concerned about their appearance as women are? Explain it.

6. Is it OK for men to go to beauty salons, spas, or to have a concern about their looks? Why (not)?

7.  What's your opinion about metro sexual men, heterosexual males who spend a lot of time and money on shopping for their appearance? Is there a limit to it?

8. Do women want  to look beautiful to attract the opposite sex or to impress other women? Explain it. What about men?


 II. Which of these procedures or behavior would you consider doing in the future (or have you already gone through) in order to look younger or more beautiful? If you are a man, what's your opinions about the items below?



a. ( ) Botox injections

b. ( ) Liposuction

c. ( ) Cosmetic surgery

d. ( ) Use makeup to cover acne

e. ( ) Exercise more than 3 hours every day


f. ( ) Wearing mud masks on the face


g. ( ) Experimenting new untested rejuvenating products

h. ( ) Cosmetics 

i. ( ) Wearing high heels that are 12 cm tall

j. ( ) Operation of silicon

k. ( ) Wearing "complicated" clothes that make you look thin

 l. ( ) Wearing hair extensions (mega hair extensions)

m. ( ) Sleeping with cucumbers or steaks on the eyes

n . ( ) Going to a beauty salon twice (or more times) a week.


III. What other procedures or behaviors can one do to look younger or more beautiful?

IV. Watch the movie segment from the movie Mirror Mirror and discuss the questions.






1. What are some of the procedures that Ravenna, Snow White's stepmother, did in order to look beautiful.

2. What items is II did she experiment?

3. Are you not familiar with any of the things she did?

4. Are the procedures effective? Explain it.

5. Have you ever done any of those things to yourself? Dis they work?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MIRROR MIRROR

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Hunger Games: Altruism

I really thought I would not like this blockbuster, but I was totally wrong. I love the plot and how it is conducted. I also thought it was original and appealing. I truly recommend it. I used this scene to talk about altruism, not using a very obvious segment.

Altruism (also called the ethic of altruism, moralistic altruism, and ethical altruism) is an ethical doctrine that holds that individuals have a moral obligation to help, serve, or benefit others, if necessary, at the sacrifice of self interest. An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone except the agent

Discuss:
1. Based on the definition alone, brainstorm several people who demonstrate this word.  These people can be famous or individuals in your life.  What do they do to show altruism?

II. Decide if you agree or disagree with these statements:

( ) Altruism is human nature. We all are altruist.

( ) Altruism is hereditary.


( ) Even animals sometimes  have altruistic behavior.
 
( ) All human beings are 100% self-interested.  In other words, even if someone helps another, they are doing it for their own interest and essentially for the wrong reasons.

( ) You do not need money to be altruistic.  You simply need to sacrifice your time. 

( ) Altruism does not have to be for poor needy people you don't know. It can be a small act to help someone in your family, for example.

( ) Helping someone in the family is not altruism. It is obligation. Only helping people you don't know is altruism.



Watch the segment from the movie The Hunger Games and discuss the questions:




1. Describe the scene.

2. Is the main character's decision an act of altruism? Why (not)?

3. She is volunteering to help her sister. Do you think she would do the same for a stranger? Does it make her less altruistic?

4.  Many believe this is not altruism, but moral obligation.  What's your opinion about it?

4. Would you act the same way the main character did? Why (not)?

5. What else could she have done? 

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE HUNGER GAMES

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Temple Grandin: Learning Disabilities, Autism

This movie is a must. Teachers will love it. Temple Granding is autistic and eventually managed to become a Master. I learned a lot watching it. I strongly recommend it.



 Read the text below about Learning Disabilities:


A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways. A learning disability can't be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue. With the right support and intervention, however, children with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to successful, often distinguished careers later in life.Parents can help children with learning disabilities achieve such success by encouraging their strengths, knowing their weaknesses, understanding the educational system, working with professionals and learning about strategies for dealing with specific difficulties.(http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld)



In pairs, tell each other what you understood, using your own words. Don't miss visiting the site above to learn more on the subject. It is informative and serious. Match the learning disability below with their definitions.

1. Dyslexia

2. Dyscalculia

3. Dysgraphia

 4. Auditory and Visual Processing Disorder

5. Nonverbal Learning Disabilities

 6. Attention Deficit Disorder 7. Autism


( ) It is a developmental disability characterised by impairments in social skills, language, and behaviour. However, these difficulties occur at different levels so some individuals have no verbal communication or eye contact with others, while others have limited speech and cope in a social setting. It is neurologically based and has been shown to be strongly genetically determined.http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/understanding-and-awareness/what-are-specific-learning-difficulties.php


( ) a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space.

( ) a language-based disability in which a person has trouble understanding written words. It may also be referred to as reading disability or reading disorder.

 ( ) sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.

( ) a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.

 ( ) a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.

( ) it is characterized primarily by inattention, easy distractibility, disorganization, procrastination, and forgetfulness.


 Key: 7, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 6


You are going to watch a scene about Temple Grandin, an autistic learner who actually managed to successfuly have a Master's Degree. Next, discuss the questions with a partner.







1. Describe Temple's, her mother's and the doctor's behavior.

2. What's your opinion about the doctor? And the mother?

3. What would you do if you were Temple's mother?

4. What would you do if you were her teacher? What strategies would you make use of?

5. How does the doctor describe autistic people? Here is a list of do's and don'ts when teaching autistic learners.


Write DO if you think this is a right procedure and DON"T if it is not, Source - great site - http://www.letstalksls.com/resource-library/autism/dos-and-donts-teaching-children-autism


 1. ( ) Make sure you understand what he likes and doesn't like. Know how the child typically responds to the environment.

2. ( ) avoid "confrontation" whenever possible.

3. ( ) ask a question if you're not sure the child knows the answer.

4. ( ) use real objects and toys for teaching as much as possible.

 5. ( ) keep a ratio of 80% "easy" responses (maintenence targets) to 20% "hard" responses (acquisition targets).

 6. ( ) try to become as knowledgeable as you can about all aspects of autism.

7. ( ) Use visual and colored information.

8. ( ) Touch the student to get his/her attention.

9. ( ) Exploring word-processing, and computer-based learning for literacy.

10. ( ) Change routines every time you can.

11. ( ) Explain clearly the purpose of all work assignments, presentations, multimedia materials, or other learning tasks.

12. ( ) Use special interests as motivators to help students engage in new and/or difficult material



 Answer k ey:
 1. do 2. do 3. don't 4. do 5. do 6. do 7. do 8. don't 9. do 10. don't 11. do 12. do


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TEMPLE GRANDIN