ONLINE ENGLISH TESTS

https://test-english.com/

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/online-english-level-test

https://www.examenglish.com/leveltest/index.html

RAY BRADBURY'S FAHRENHEIT 451

Widely known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953), Ray Bradbury died on 5 June 2012. He was an American author best known for his highly imaginative short stories and novels that blend a poetic style, nostalgia for childhood, social criticism, and an awareness of the hazards of runaway technology.

Read here.

https://literarydevices.net/ray-bradbury/

JUNE

 

VIRGINIA WOOLF AND "MRS DALLOWAY"

"Absorbing, mysterious, of infinite richness, this life."

Mrs Dalloway 

As Virginia Woolf commented, "In this book I have almost too many ideas. I want to give life and death, sanity and insanity; I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Furthermore, she hoped to respond to the stagnant state of the novel, with a consciously "modern" novel. Many critics believe she succeeded. The novel was published in 1925, and received much acclaim.

Here and here you can revise Virginia Woolf and her novel.

SOLDIER'S DREAM

I dreamed kind Jesus fouled the big-gun gears;
And caused a permanent stoppage in all bolts;
And buckled with a smile Mausers and Colts;
And rusted every bayonet with His tears.

And there were no more bombs, of ours or Theirs,
Not even an old flint-lock, not even a pikel.
But God was vexed, and gave all power to Michael;
And when I woke he'd seen to our repairs.

Wilfred Owen [1893-1918] was a remarkable young man. When he died he was just 25 years old, but his poetry has proved enduring and influential and is among the best known in the English language. He left behind a unique testament to the horrific impact of the First World War on an entire generation of young people.

Here you can find a text analysis of this poem.

HAMLET - 4^C LINGUISTICO

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy.

(Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 5)

APRIL

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - 4^C LINGUISTICO

Here you can download a PDF presentation to revise the play. 

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/short-stories/much-ado-about-nothing

https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-plays/much-ado-about-nothing/

Now let's watch the light-hearted film Much Ado About Nothing (1993), a spirited, winningly acted rendition of one of the Bard's most popular comedies.

https://fsharetv.co/movie/much-ado-about-nothing-episode-1-tt0107616

KING LEAR - 4^C LINGUISTICO

King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies; indeed, some critics have considered it the greatest. It is certainly one of the bleakest. The plot and subplot deftly weave together the principal themes of the play, which include reason, madness, blindness of various kinds, and – perhaps most crucially of all – the relationship between a father and his children. Read here.

Lear, the aging king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him. Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia. The king of France, who has courted Cordelia, says that he still wants to marry her even without her land, and she accompanies him to France without her father’s blessing.  Read here.

https://nosweatshakespeare.com/king-lear-play/

https://owlcation.com/humanities/King-Lears-

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/k/king-lear/play-summary

MIND MAPPING

 

https://www.dsastudymaps.it/

https://www.wisemapping.com/index.html

https://coggle.it/

RICHARD III - 4^C LINGUISTICO

Here  you can download a PDF presentation of Shakespeare's historical drama, Richard III.

Here you can find lots of material to revise the play  as well as some teaching material from The Old Vic Theatre Company here.

You  can watch  a documentary film about Richard III here.

https://www.shakespearereloaded.edu.au/workshop-two-richard-iii

https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/soliloquies/now-is-the-winter-of-our-discontent/

MEDIEVAL DRAMA - 3^C LINGUISTICO

The history of English drama began with the elaboration of the ecclesiastical (related to the Church) liturgy (series of rites to be followed in any public worship) in catechistical dialogues.

The plays that survive from the Middle Ages were written for street performances, services in churches and monasteries, entertainment in great halls and outdoor stages, but never for theatres as such.

There was a great variety of performances: cycle plays about biblical history, the so-called morality plays about how to be saved, liturgical plays celebrating important Christian holidays, plays about saints and miracles, and town pageants.

Read here.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

 

St. Patrick’s Day observes of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green.  Read here.

A PRAYER FOR UKRAINE

Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.