martes, 9 de julio de 2024
Ariane 6
miércoles, 22 de mayo de 2024
Meditation in Science and Mindfulness at School
Meditation has been practised for centuries by various religious traditions to have a break from mundane pressures and to ease your worries. Lately, meditation has become increasingly popular among non-religious people as a way to focus your mind, and cope with stress and anxiety. The article "Does meditation actually work? This is what the science says" by Judhijit Bhattacharjee on National Geographic explores how some scientific studies are trying to shed light on the benefits of meditation for mental health. This article is conceptually complex at times so, it is suitable for C1 students, who will encounter formal words like: to settle down, a [floor] mat, a worship [room], a deity, a throne, a [prayer] bead, to chant, a whisper, to enhance, [to be] rooted, a quest, enlightenment, to conduct [a study], to trigger [anxiety], to glow, mild, to shed [a fearful response], a [brain] scan, an MRI scan, to rely on [someting], a headband, rife [with stress], to strive [to apply it], a wispy [beard], assault, wrestling, flustered.
Many U.S. and British schools offer mindfulness programmes and apps to help kids concentrate and overcome negative emotions. You can listen to NPR's report "To help these school kids deal with trauma, mindfulness lessons over the loudspeaker" (6:34) by Pien Huang to learn more about how mindfulness practice is implemented in a Florida public school. This radio article can be accessible to B2+ students with the script and C1 learners without it, who will find interesting colloquial phrasal verbs and expressions like: loudspeaker, to cope with, packed, to hang out, to catch up, [apple] strudel, a wrapper, a [banana] peel, to line [the kids] up, to assemble, [your body is] still, to focus, homelessness, increasingly [popular], to shrink [the brain], a trait, to enhance [well-being], to show up [in school], forgiveness, to fidget, to let [that] go, to relieve [stress], to take it out on [somebody], an assignment, to draw on [something], to distill [the teachings], to tune into [sounds], to handle [sense awareness], to be dragged [around] [by their thoughts], [to feel] empowered, to scale up, a [shark] fin, to shape up [well], to hug, to high-five, to applaud, to have a hard time.
If you can find a partner to talk to, here you can find some Conversation Questions about "Meditation", from ESL Conversation Topics, with vocabulary to activate during the conversation. This speaking task can be done by B2+ students and above.
For extra information, you can read Rebecca Deurlein's article "Quieting your mind to meditate can be hard. Here's how sound can help", also on National Geographic, about the use of sound therapy to reduce stress.
miércoles, 27 de marzo de 2024
Telepathy? A Brain Implant Lets Impaired Patients Do Incredible Things with their Thoughts
[brain computer] interface, [to play] pong, FDA [approval], a caregiver, paralysis, [motor] impairment, a wired mesh, [electrode] sensors, a stent, to sit in a [major] vein, deployed in a blood vessel, [minimally] invasive, a device, to fire impulses, an [electrical] signature, [electrical] patterns, [to take] a snapshot, a domain [of function], skull, garbled, [in the patient's] setting, tournament.
jueves, 21 de diciembre de 2023
The Science and Lawfulness of Cow Belching
Cow belching has recently become central in climate change research. Cows and sheep produce tons of methane, a gas that contributes to global warming 84 times more than CO2 does, so, scientists are trying to figure out how these emissions can be curbed to make farming more competitive in a world with higher environmental standards.
BBC News has recently published the article How New Zealand is reducing methane emissions from farming, which looks into the latest scientific techniques to measure methane emissions in cows and explores changes in emission reduction policy in New Zealand, a cow and sheep farming country. This long article is tough, and only suitable for C2 learners and Experts for a number of reasons: ordinary language learners will not be very familiar with the complexity of its technical and legal content, and the language is a challenging mixture of different registers (scientific, technical, legal and political): it begins with very precise language to describe the methane emission monitoring device for cows, and moves on to describe emission reduction technologies, in a formal, dense, almost academic style, while, in earlier paragraphs, it also adds some light-hearted words to entice the general public to start reading it.
In the story you will find a rich set of words like: [to reach] a goal, to curb [emissions], a hood, to scoop up, a pellet, to chew, to flick [his ears], to exhale, a contraption, high-tech, to cook up, to be laced with, the digestive tract, to hoover up, a fan, a gallon, a device, to snack, a burp, to churn out, livestock, to scrutinise, mischief, to be enticed, tasty, a hay cube, a lolly, a barn [stay], [food] intake, weight gain, a cattle breeding [cooperative], and counting, a first step in, to curtail [emissions], an [unusual emissions] profile, to hang around, to tackle a [powerful] lever, to sign up to [a pledge], to focus on, to plug a leak, an oil field, [a gas] pipeline, to brew, a niche, to punch above its weight, biogenic [methane], waste, to be consistent with [global efforts], an [international] commitment, to unveil [its strategy], greenhouse gases, a low-emissions [future], an [important] player, a chunk [of the pie], a pricing scheme, to boost, mitigation tech [development], the demise, a shift in policy, gene editing [technology], [to have] what it takes, to harness [scientific tools], a [methane-blocking] vaccine, a silver bullet, to seek, to fund, the inception, [scientifically] challenging, a shortfall in [feasible options], an [available] approach, to milk, a set of [technologies], the [2030- 2040] bracket, to pay dividends, to be likely, to make the grade, a feed-additive, feedlot [animals], tricky [to implement], grazing, to munch [grass], to figure out, [economically] viable, a holy grail, long-lasting, pasture, elusive, the toolbox, [methane] outputs, [dairy] herd, [to verify] the trait, to breed, a low-emitting cow, a [gut] bug, feed, to be underway, sired, to be monitored, a curveball, to handle, a painstaking [process], to yield, a flock [of sheep], fatty [acid], [the spectre] to loom [large], a levy, to date back to [2003], a [fart tax] furore, a misnomer, a cowpat, to lobby, to be roped into, an outlier [industry], to campaign on [a promise], to secure [a deal], [well-thought-through] policy, to achieve [climate targets], input, a scheme, to be meant to [come into effect], to fall over, expertise, emissions pricing policy, a delay, damaging, to catch up, costly, to reward, invidious, to focus on [mitigation], to level the playing field, to dip [by 1.4%], a blip, a [stubborn] plateau, a [new] trend, to be offset, [not to be] on track, [to meet] the overall [emissions], to result in [reductions], [to be] steadfast in [its commitment to the Paris agreement], a keystone [climate policy], to be set to [be discarded], work-in-progress, proven [interventions], to be up to [the new government], to heed [the commission's advice], to fail [to meet], carbon credits.
That vocabulary and a first reading of the previous article can be an introduction to help students understand some of the following videos about the same topic. Vice News thoroughly explained in July 2023 the confronting political views and the science of the issue in a very informal and funny report, which features ordinary New Zealanders speaking with their local accents in the video "Are Cow Burps Destroying New Zealand?" (16:21), the video has subtitles and a helpful transcription for C1 learners, and has been copied at the bottom of this entry. Vox News explains the basic chemistry of the issue in the video "Cow burps are a climate problem. Can seaweed help?" (5:58), which can also be watched at C1 level with English subtitles. Finally, the potential of the cow belching problem to develop brand new high-tech tools can be fully appreciated in the Reuters story "Satellites measure cow belches from space" (2:23), which can also be accessible to C1 students with the English subtitles.
domingo, 22 de octubre de 2023
The Princess of Asturias Awards & Leonor's Pledge of Allegiance to the Constitution
viernes, 25 de noviembre de 2022
Walking Fast for 30 Minutes Can Reduce Dementia and Mortality
A recent study has proved that the intensity of exercise matters to reduce the risk of dementia and mortality caused by cancer or heart disease, according to CNBC reports. The article is suitable for B2 students, but there are links to JAMA Neurology and JAMA Internal Medicine leading to the scientific paper, Ahmadi et al, European Heart Journal, 2022, which is more suitable for C2 students and Medicine professionals.
In the CNBC article you can find some interesting words like: a step, to go about [walking], to keep up with a pace, to lower, to be committed to [a daily walk], burst, early death, to peak at [10,000 steps each day], to drop [risk of dementia], purposeful, to review the data, [to walk] briskly, [it] proved to be beneficial, a condition, a device, to monitor [phisical activity].
Time magazine also reports on a second study by Dempsey et al, European Heart Journal 2022, which also studied the intensity of the effort and the time spent. Tara Law explains in her report that "people who walked quickly for seven minutes instead of slowly for 14 minutes during that week had a lower rist of cardiovascular disease later on".
domingo, 17 de abril de 2022
Rejuvenation of Human Skin Cells to Reverse Ageing
Professor Wolf Reik from the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, has led a group of scientists to find a technique that rejuvenates skin cells by 30 years. BBC News recently reported about this breakthrough, a step forward in regenerative medicine research, which eventually might help in the treatment of diabetes, heart disease or neurological disorders, although there is still a great deal of work to be done, because some of the chemicals involved in the process of cell reprogramming can cause cancer, and clinical application are still "a long way off", according to Prof. Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute in London.
The BBC News article and the video below are suitable for C1 students and above. You will find interesting words like: to tackle, ageing, tissues, age-related disease, disorders, to build on [a technique], to clone, super [exciting], to stress that, [scientific] issues to overcome, a critical step forward, to stem from, embryo, [human embryonic] stem cells, worn-out [body parts], to be regrown, to prove difficult, to cut short, a chemical bath, to be confident that, the [human] health span, the lifespan, to speed up [healing], to [part-]fund [the research], the long-stalled [benefits], immune cells, [immune cells become less] responsive, to boost [people's response to vaccination], [a method] of whole-body regeneration, an elixir of youth, an anti-ageing pill, fart-fetched, [scientific] hurdles, a trivial [process], chemicals, a long way off.
You can also watch this short BBC News video with subtitles (2':20"), which tells the story in, perhaps, slightly more colloquial terms:
Finally, if you are an expert in Biology, you might enjoy watching this 4':49" video from Golahura You Tube Channel, which is more technical, and could be assessed as beyond C2 level, that is ("Level Ex" for experts) in the classification of this blog.
lunes, 1 de marzo de 2021
Genevieve Bell, a Leader to the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Genevieve Bell has recently presented the line of research in the 3Ai, which brings together experts in the fields of culture, technology and the environment, with the TED Talk below, entitled "6 Big Ethical Questions About the Future of AI". In this 14':48" video with subtitles, professor Bell speaks with a vey clear, educated, Australian accent and she uses academic words which might be transparent to a Spanish learner, but the cultural and engineering concepts she explains make the talk suitable for C1 students and above. I would like to thank my former student Mai L. for sharing this video with us.
If you are interested in AI and education you can listen to this podcast which includes a conversation with Professor Genevieve Bell and Dr. Amy McLennan, a research fellow at the 3Ai Institute from the New South Wales Department of Education. You can use the transcript, if you do not understand parts of the conversation.
sábado, 31 de octubre de 2020
Why Food Allergies are on the Rise
The more interesting new words you will come across in this article are: on the rise, risky, a minor reaction, itching, swelling, a mild, severe [reaction], anaphylaxis, a state of shock, wheezing, dizziness, vomiting, pulse, blood preasure, to drop, airways, hospital admissions, [increased] threefold, to see [a 72%] rise in [the number of hospital admissions], to be aware of [food allergies], to pinpoint, self-reported data, food intolerance, prevalence, the "gold-standard" test for [a food allergy], to involve [feeding], a [clinical] setting, time-consuming, costly, to come [with risks], peer-reviewed sources, the rate, the range [of foods], to widen, to go by the name of ["the hygiene hypothesis], to give a wide berth, appalling, siblings, hay fever, eczema, declining [family size] household amenities, cleanliness, the gut, [to increase] the likelihood of [meeting] the microbiota, [born by] caesarian section, the birth canal, [an allergic] disorder, to lower the risk, to develop an allergy, to coin [a phrase], biocide-treated timber, plasterboard, to bear [no relation to], a failure, dual-allergen exposure, a detour [into], to end up with [guidance], dust, to trigger [a response], an infant, early-onset [eczema], to handle, a window of opportunity, an EpiPen, to caution [women] against [eating peanuts], pregnancy, a conclusive link, to change tack, barely, vulnerable to [food allergies], to deprive ourselves [of Vitamin D], a Goldilocks [scenario], amid [a rise in food allergy cases], to yield, promising [results].
sábado, 4 de mayo de 2019
Six Weird Ways Nature Loves or Hates Music
This BBC text can be read by B2 students and above.
In the video below, you can watch Snowball, a cockatoo, dancing to the music of Backstreet Boys.
martes, 9 de abril de 2019
Grit: The Key to Success
This short TED Talk video (06:12) with subtitles can be seen by B2 learners.
domingo, 7 de abril de 2019
Men's & Women's Brains
Here you can find a selection of materials to teach a lesson about gender issues, which I have used to expand the reading "How Men and Women Argue" on p. 64 of Christina Latham-Koenig's & Clive Oxenden's, English File Upper-Intermediate, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press:
"Men & Women", a set of controversial statements which students can discuss, first in pairs and then, as a class.
Some links to TED Talks videos that could be given for listening/oral homework (students are assigned one video, they watch it at home, take notes and in the first 15 minutes of the next class they share the information in pairs):
1) John Gray, the author of the book "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" at TEDxBend
2) Daphna Joel at TEDxJaffa: Are Brains Male or Female?
3) Paul Zak, at TEDxAmsterdamWomen: The Differences Between Men and Women. This video contains more technical words, so it is more suitable for C1 or C2 students:
4) Finally, Mark Gungor, a male comedian, uses men's and women's stereotypes to make a wide audience laugh about the misunderstandings that frequently occur between men and women:
miércoles, 3 de abril de 2019
Computers Could Read Mammograms
This NPR story can be read as an article or heard as an audio report with a script (6':25"). The technicality of the vocabulary can make this a C2 reading or listening task.
sábado, 2 de marzo de 2019
Laughter
Although the vocabulary in this article is very rich, the text can be accessible to B2 learners.
jueves, 21 de febrero de 2019
The Neuroscience of Addiction
This NPR interview lasts 36':03", but it has a script, so it can be classified as C1.