* This post is the answer to what one of my students asked me today: "OK. We are learning English and French at school. Are they learning Greek abroad?"
She was French. In 1995, she was given Greek nationality.
Schoolteacher. University professor. Philologist. Writer. Translator of Greek classics. Academic. Philhellene. Prize winner.
Known for her work on the culture and language of ancient Greece and, in particular, on Thucydides.
Meet "Madame Grèce" : Jacqueline de Romilly (26 March 1913 – 18 December 2010)
Trick or treat, smell my feet, or give me something good to eat!
Halloween is almost here - well, not exactly here in Greece, since we celebrate
carnival in February, but kids in Great Britain, the USA and elsewhere are having a
great time.
Don' t be jealous. You, too, can have a great time with
this Halloweeen game.
Cider is a drink made from apple juice. When it contains alcohol, it is called hard cider or alcoholic cider. Cider or apple cider means less sweet, usually unfiltered, apple juice.
It is made mostly in France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and North America. In the USA and Canada people drink cider around Halloween and Thanksgiving. This cider is usually unfiltered, rather thick, and it is often heated and spiced with cinnamon. This is different from the cider in Europe, which is usually not heated. The French and Spanish cuisines have recipes that need cider. The French and Spanish often drink it instead of wine. In Europe, many young people drink cider, which costs less than wine, and is often served in pubs and other places where they go.
In Greece, apple cidervinegar is sold at supermarkets, which is very good for salad dressings, marinades, vinaigrettes etc. Here' s how to make cider. Be careful! It can make you drunk!
Do you want to go for a walk in the liveliest areas of London?
You can go shopping or just window shopping, eat in a restaurant or even have a drink in one of the pubs.
So, what do you say? Shall we start exploring London' s streets?
This year the 5th and 6th graders of our school are learning both English and French.One of the French children' s songs I like is the following (although I don' t like what is happening to the bird - "I will pluck your feathers" means "Θα σε ξεπουπουλιάσω!!!)
For a funnier version:
"Alouette" means "skylark" in English . It' s the bird "κορυδαλλός", a little bird that can sing while flying very high.
Last Friday we were given a tour of the Hellenic Air Force military airport in Kalamata, which serves as a training academy for new pilots.
At first, we were treated to cookies and soft drinks and then, in the briefing room, our guide told us what the training of the air cadets is all about. Our guide explained that it is important for a cadet to speak English because there are pilots from different countries taking lessons there or visiting the airport and they all communicate in English. The tests that the new pilots have to take are also in English! The planes have all been made in America, so everything inside the plane is also in English! (Now you understand why it is very important for everyone to learn English.) After that, we flew over Kalamata in the flight simulator and our airplane made loops and turns in the sky, which was both exciting and dizzy. Finally, we saw the falcons, which are used to scare birds away, so that they don' t fly into any airplane engines and destroy them.
Everybody was excited and learnt something new!
Tomorrow two classes of our school are visiting the Hellenic Air Force military base to see the planes, the flight simulator, the falcons etc. A couple of years ago we had the chance to enjoy a unique air show here in Kalamata. The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Teamof Great Britain, isone of the world’s premier aerobatic teams. Fly with them!
Of course not. Actually, when it' s autumn here, it' s spring there and vice versa.
Australians thought winter was over but they were wrong. Snow hit Australia unexpectedly in the middle of spring! In October they usually go swimming, not skiing. Sadly the ski resorts closed a few weeks ago and did not re-open. One South Australia resident said she had never seen October snow in her half century of living in the area. The weather forecast says the temperature will get warmer over the weekend.
Yesterday a man jumped from the edge of space, the stratosphere, and survived! He broke the speed of sound! Skydiver Felix Baumgartner survived jumping from almost 130,000 feet (39 km) above the earth breaking the record for the highest sky dive. About 8 million people watched the Youtube stream. There were also broadcasts on national television networks. When he was up in the air he said, "Iknow the whole world is watching right now and I wish the world could see what I can see. Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are."
That reminds me of another achievement.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
Neil Armstrong, first man to set foot on the moon in 1969
I don' t know if you watch a lot of TV every day - and I really hope you don' t - but one thing is for sure: modern TV doesn' t teach the values it used to teach in my days. Ask your parents if you doubt that. Show them these videos to help them remember.
He was 14. She was 15. They fell in love. They had to wait for five years to get married. Their marriage was a happy one. They had 13 children. But, while she was giving birth to their 14th, she died. He was sad. Very sad. He had this tomb built in her memory.
Several days ago we had the chance to say a few things in class about the Taj Mahal, which is a famous mausoleum of white marble and a landmark of India. There were some pictures in the course book but what is better than a guided tour? Watch the video!
I guess my students will be happy with these photos of their school. Other students who may visit this blog will have the chance to see what a state primary school in southern Greece looks like.
The students of the 5th Grade did a project on their favourite clubs.
They worked together in teams - the girls in two teams and the boys in one - and here is what they
came up with : )
One of the characters in our course book, Andrew, is from Oxford. Oxford is an old city in England and home of the University of Oxford, one of the oldest universities in the world. (Would you like to study at Oxford University?)
Get a glimpse of Oxford:
Another character, Nadine, is from Marseille, a city on the southeast coast of France.
Haven' t you learned the names of the countries yet? Do you have trouble remembering them? Let these videos help you! (In the first video "Portuguese" is spelt wrong. Sorry!)
