How to use this blog!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. You are here probably because I wrote it on the board and you want to practice English outside of EF materials. There are plenty of things here for you to do so let me introduce you to some.

On the right side of the page you should see links that do not move. Here is what you should see

These links will always be available to you and contain excellent resources to continue practicing English outside of class.

Under these links are the previous posts I've made. Some are related to past projects so please ignore these or you may use them to complete a project on your own, should you wish.

The rest of the blog is yours to explore. I post many documentaries, youtube video essays on different topics, as well as political commentators on various subjects. Enjoy!

C1.1 Good News, Bad News Podcast Project

Instructions:

Choose an episode of a podcast that you and your teammates agree on. List to the episode and take notes. Your presentation should have:

- a summary of the main points of the episode.
- some specific details that stuck out to you. (Feel free to mix these in with the main points)
- Your own opinions about the episode, the hosts, and the topic.
- Some of your own questions about the topic that you would like answered the that hosts were not able to answer.

Presentations should last around 10 minutes and you will be given feedback on vocabulary, pronunciation, intonation, and organization. Good luck! I look forward to hearing your presentations on Friday!

Podcasts you can choose from (all podcasts available on Spotify, iTunes Podcasts, and other platforms)

This American Life

Reveal

Death, Sex, and Money

Hidden Brain

The Daily

Trump, Inc

More Perfect

On The Media

C1.1 Environment Podcast Listening

Hi all!

In our next class I would like to discuss something difficult to discuss when it comes to environmental activism: Our carbon footprints. How much do we, as individuals, contribute to climate change?

Please start by taking this carbon footprint quiz to see how many Earths we would need if everyone on Earth lived like you. Don't worry, I'll do this too and reveal my answer in class.

After you take your quiz and get the results, I want you to listen to this podcast about our impact on the Earth. What do the people in the podcast have to say about the topic and what is the problem they are dealing with? How would you deal with this issue? What is your answer to the question, "If you gave up flying, how would your life change?"

The Future C2.3

Hello all!

For this weeks project I would like you to focus on creating a presentation about futurist Amy Webb.

Amy Webb is a quantitative futurist whose research focus is on artificial intelligence and how emerging technologies will transform the way we live, work, and govern. She is the author of The Signals Are Talking: Why Today's Fringe Is Tomorrow's Mainstream, a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business, and the founder of the Future Today Institute, a leading future forecasting firm that helps leaders and their organizations prepare for complex futures. Now in its second decade, FTI advises Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, government agencies, large nonprofits, universities and startups around the world. Amy also publishes the annual FTI Emerging Tech Trends Report, which has now garnered more than 6.2 million cumulative views worldwide.

This video will give you a great introduction to Amy and what she does for a living as well. Her new book, 'The Big Nine,' which I could not recommend more, is an incredible book about the future of AI and the 9 Tech Firms that control nearly all AI development.

For your presentation watch the following video and read this article from the MIT technology review. Summarize her views on the future and present them in a 10 minute presentation. Your presentation should also include a brief biography of Amy Webb and her career achievements. Also, at the end of the presentation you should give your own opinion of how futurists like Ms. Webb can help our society and your own views on the future she predicts may happen.

Atomic Bomb: Triumph or Victimization?

Here is a list of resources, videos, and statistics about the usage of the Atomic Bombs at the end of World War Two.













Other resources:

Thank God for the Atom Bomb: by Paul Fussel Written by a WW2 Soldier.

Hiroshima by John Hershey. I read this book in high school and it was the first time I'd ever read something that was so honest about the bombings of Hiroshima.

A film by Studio Ghibli about the war from the civilian perspective. One of the best animated films ever made.


A list of war crimes committed by the Imperial Forces of Japan

War Crimes Committed by the USA during WW 2

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Supernova in the East Episode 1. A long form history podcast spanning from the feudal history of Japan to the Battle of Shanghai in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Please feel free to suggest any other resources I should add.

C2.3 Field Trip Assignment.

At the Museum of the City of New York one of the large exhibitions is currently entitled Activist New York. On Monday we discussed what it means to be an activist and one example of an activist movement in the city's history. Currently at the Museum there are 5 activist movements that are being exhibited during our visit.

• Economic Rights
• Environmental Advocacy
• Gender Equality
• Immigration
• Political and Civil Rights
• Religious Freedom

What I would like you to do for our trip to the museum is choose one of these activist movements and write a comparison/contrast essay on one of these movements in America and a similar movement in your own country. This essay should be around 300 words and should be handed in to me by Friday, April 12th. So, when we are at the museum use your time to gather as much information as you can to use in your essay. 

Also, please use this resource to give you some advice on the best way to formulate a comparison/contrast essay. Good luck and  have fun!

Money and Finance Podcast Writing

For your small project (Due Monday) I would like to you to listen to an episode of your choice about personal finance, take notes, write a summary and a review of the podcast that you chose. The podcasts you can choose from can be found here. Your writing should be between 250-350 words, written on Google Docs, and shared with me @ andrewnovakefny@gmail.com. Good luck and have fun!