Hey,

today you first had to report about the different trips you were advised to take in the US.

Here are the notes concerning the different journeys:

"to be written by ..."

Then we continued the lesson with what you could have said to organize your speech better. Here is what we said:

"to be written by ..."

HW: agencies need to create a poster for the "dream trip" to the US for a max. budget of $200.

Hey,

today we finished speaking about the text "Southern Trees". Here is what we said about the physical reactions of Billie Holiday and why we could say she was a hard worker:

Physical consequences:

- stomach ==> go to the bathroom to vomit / to throw up / to puke***
- head ==> long breath / pauses before the attack.
It is as if she were getting her revenge over the white audience.
- features ==> + voice: raucous / sharp.
Wailing: her features are deformed.
- legs ==> It is as if she didn't have legs, she felt faint/ fainted.
To tremble / To quiver/ to shake.

Fall - fell - fallen


A hard worker: she "worked like the devil on it" =
She worked as if her life depended on her song.
She worked doggedly, day and night.

- motivator, goal ?
==> take her revenge over the white audience.
==> convey an important message:

- concerned: black, maybe her father was a victim (cf. "it reminded me how Pop died")

Then we did a quick recap with a worksheet summing up all the main ideas in the text and some important vocabulary:

Question 1:
a) society
b) accompanist
c) devil
d) weird
e) naked
f) tear
g) Miami
h) entire

Part 1:
2)
a) right off (l.5) -> 2) immediately
b) spell out ( l.6) -> 4) make clear
c) lone (l.16) -> 1) unaccompanied
d) clap (l. 16) -> 5) applaud
e) catch on (l.17) -> 6) become popular
f) a while (l. 17) -> 3) a period of time


3)
a) like the devil (l.11): comme une folle / très dur
b) put / get across (l.12) : faire comprendre / faire passer


4)
a) True: "Allen, too, had heard how Pop died and of course was interested in my singing" (l.7)

b) True: "I worked like the devil on it because I was never sure I could put it accross [...] to a plush night-club audience the things that it meant to me" (l. 11)

c) False: "Then suddenly everyone was clapping" (l. 16)


5) (l. 19) "But I have to keep singing it, not only because people ask for it but because twenty years after Pop died the things that killed him are still happening in the South."


Part 2:
6) Various experiences

7)
a) I went to the lavatory.
b) I had rushed offstage...
c) There is not he slightest (moindre) noise in the room.
d) I did not feel like being disturbed...

8) In spite of the public request, Billie Holiday refused to sing the song for fear that it might create trouble as usual, since the club was in the South. However, as people insisted, she agreed to sing it. That night, her performance was powerful, convincing and intense. As a result, people were so moved that they went on clapping interminably.

HW: learn your lesson and get ready for a test after your mock exams + translate the following sentences. 

Files: download the worksheet here.

Hey,

today after making a quick review of your favorite activities during the holidays and identifying your "tourist profile", you had to perform a role play where you were tourists and travel agents / clerks. You had to determine the best deal / bargain according to your budget and profile.

Here are some of the questions you may have had to ask during the role play:

"to be written by ..."

Here are some possible answers from the tourists:

"to be written by ..."

HW: for next time, the tourists need to be able to speak about their itinerary / route and visits to the class; why they have chosen them and what is the total cost of the journey. Agencies will have to listen carefully to the presentation because they will have to determine their top 5 destinations and create a promotional poster to advertise the journey as a special offer.

Files: You can download all the documents here again: 

- the empty map to be filled in

- the ''visits'' cards

- the tokens for the visits

- the scenarios of the tourists
- the full US Map

Hey,

today we continued to analyse the text "Southern trees" and in particular, we defined the different parts in the text, commenting on them. Here is what we said:

There are different places in the text and they will define the different parts of the text.

1) The creation of the song:

It was created at Cafe Society and Billie H. was going to sing it in night clubs.

2) The beginning of the success:

First, people didn't really appreciate the song and Billie H. was scared people would hate it but it finally became a huge hit, one of her biggest-selling records.

3) The concerts:

Billie H. recalls several experiences that were positive and negative:

• a) Los Angeles: a negative memory. She got angry when a woman ("a bitch***") wanted her to sing her song sexily; she was outraged because the song is horrible, nothing but sexy.

• b) The Downbeat Club: both a positive and negative memory. She vomits / throws up / pukes** / barfs*** in the bathroom. The song makes Billie H. sick. But when she sang the song, she had one of the best compliments an artist could have when a woman from the audience came to tell her that her performance was fantastic and she was crying too. She could really put her message across.

We didn't have time to finish it (cf. downbeat club + Miami), so you'll have to do it for next time.

Additional vocabulary:

"to be written by Léna"

HW: finish the commentary + know your lesson.

Files: you can download the correction for the mock exam that I turned in back to you today here.

Hey,

today you had the visit of Michelle, our new language assistant. I hope it will be possible in the future to have her again so that she can teach you some stuff in English.

Then we continued the lesson, studying the text and in particular Billie Holiday's physical reactions when she sang the song Strange Fruit on stage. Here is what we said:

The "sensitive" singer:

Billie Holiday is a sensitive singer/ an emotional singer
l. 29 "it affects me so much I get sick" ==> physical reaction.

In the song, she refers to the five senses.

She can picture the scene of a necktie party.
It's so powerful that she can smell, taste... everything. It is as if the scene were real / she were / was witnessing the scene / it became true.

As if + preterit (modal) ==> comparaison irréelle.
as if/ as though

Voc:

to vomit / throw up / to puke
to faint

HW: for next time, you need to learn your lesson.

Hey,

today you first had to "argument" your essays, i.e. highlight the important elements proving that you have done the job I expected from you (vocabulary, grammar, link words, ideas, ...).

Then we made a quick recap of what we had said before the vacation about the text and we finished talking about what Stella said in her long tirade and the reasons why she used reported speech to talk about what Philip had said to her when she visited him in London:

When Stella explains to Joe why she has decided to stand by Philip, she uses reported speech. It allows Joe to picture the scene but at the same Stella tries to shirk responsability for her difficult choice. She is in an ordeal; she is torn apart between her feelings for Joe and her engagement to Philip. That's why in the text she uses reported speech.

HW: you need to convert Philip's reported speech into the real dialogue that Stella and he actually had. Use Stella's reported version as a basis.

Hey,

today we did a brainstorming about holidays and travelling in general. Here are the important categories that you defined:

"to be written by ..."

HW: for next time, you need to determine in each category, which element is your favorite one and explain why (ex: Accomodation -> "I prefer camping because... but I also like going to luxury hotels because...").

Hey,

here is an interesting video about Facebook and some statistics concerning facebookaholics... Some numbers are just incredible! What about you? Are you addicted to Facebook and computers in general? React and post your comments in this article.