Hidden figures

Look at the movie poster

🚀Who are the main characters? 

🚀Where does the scene take place ? 

🚀What can you see in the background ? 


VOCABULARY to describe the characters. Identify each character: Katherine, Dorothy or Mary? 

a) smart     clever    thinks outside the box       curious  

b) persevering     respectful      ambitious     takes her responsibilities seriously        
             
c) flirtatious     persuasive        determined     self-confident     playful (= scherzosa)


Significant monologues in the film:  Read and then watch this part of the film.  

📢 Dorothy’s speech: 

I’ve been late one day in 10 years, haven’t been off sick, haven’t complained, my work’s on time, it’s done right, it’s done well

What’s not fair is having the responsibility of a supervisor and not the title or the pay. Now I’m watching you two move on. Don’t get me wrong, one upward movement  is good for us all, it’s just not movement for me.    I sound like a supervisor, don’t I?! 

A  mean old salty one! 

You don’t mess with Mrs Vaughan!

  

📢Mary's speech to the judge:

I believe there are special circumstances to be considered You of all people should understand the importance of being first, your honour.

“Well, you were the first in your family to serve in the armed forces, the US Navy, the first to attend university, George Mason, and the first state judge to be recommissioned by 3 consecutive governments-“

“What’s your point? “

The point is, your honour, no negro woman in the state of West Virginia has ever attended an all-white high school , it’s unheard of.

Yes, unheard of. 

And before Alan Shepherd sat on top of a rocket, no  other American had ever  touched space and now he will be forever remembered as the US Navy man  from New Hampshire, the first to touch the stars. And now I plan on being an engineer at Math but I can ‘t do that without taking them classes at an allwhite high school and I can’t change the colour of my skin so I have no choice but to be the first, which I can’t do without you, sir.  Of all the cases you hear to today which one is going to matter in a hundred years’ time? Which one is going to make you the first? 

📢Katharine’s speech to Al Harrison:

“To the bathroom, sir” 

“The bathroom? To the damn bathroom for 40 minutes a day?  

“There’s no bathroom for me  here” 

“What do you mean there’s no bathroom?!" 

“There is no bathroom. There are no coloured bathrooms in this building  Or any  building  outside the west campus which is half a mile away, did you know that ? 

I have to walk to Timbuctoo just to relieve  myself and I can’t use one of the handy  bikes.  Picture that, Mr Harrison,  my uniform, skirt below my knees, my heels and a simple string of pearls. Well I don’t own pearls. Lord knows you don’t pay coloureds enough to afford pearls and I work like a dog day and night living off the coffee from the pot none of you want to touch! Excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day”

All these scenes show you that at that time racial discrimination was still a sad reality.

Moreover, women did not have the same rights as men and were often targets of prejudice.

Then, women couldn't attend the same classes as male students

Finally, they couldn't attend important meetings.

Wonder

Read the text, taken from the novel: in this extract, Auggie, the main character, introduces himself.

I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an Xbox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go.

If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all. I would wish that I could walk down the street without people seeing me and then doing that look-away thing. Here’s what I think: the only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.

But I’m kind of used to how I look by now. I know how to pretend I don’t see the faces people make. We’ve all gotten pretty good at that sort of thing: me, Mom and Dad, Via. Actually, I take that back: Via’s not so good at it. She can get really annoyed when people do something rude. Like, for instance, one time in the playground some older kids made some noises. I don’t even know what the noises were exactly because I didn’t hear them myself, but Via heard and she just started yelling at the kids. That’s the way she is. I’m not that way.

Via doesn’t see me as ordinary. She says she does, but if I were ordinary, she wouldn’t feel like she needs to protect me as much. And Mom and Dad don’t see me as ordinary, either. They see me as extraordinary. I think the only person in the world who realizes how ordinary I am is me.

My name is August, by the way. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

La La Land

 

This amazing musical, which won 6 Oscars in 2017, teaches us to be true to ourselves and chase our dreams with dedication.

Mia, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, her jazz musician boyfriend, who dreams to open his own club, struggle to make ends meet (= lottano, ce la mettono tutta per arrivare a fine mese).

Watch this beautiful opening dance scene!

The song Another day of sun, with its themes of optimism and resilience, infuses us with joy and energy!

 

                                   

♪♫"...And when they let you down

You'll get up off the ground

'Cause morning rolls around

And it's another day of sun ..." ♫♪

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The plot

Watch the opening scene and meet Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall

 

  

📣 When does the scene take place?

📣 Who are the characters?

📣 Where does the scene take place?

📣 What do we learn about Harry?

Harry is an orphan and he lives with his aunt, uncle and his cousin Dudley. They treat him badly and make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs.

📣 What is Dudley like?

Harry and his family go to the zoo for Dudley's birthday. At the Reptile House he discovers a surprising ability: he can talk to snakes.

📣 What does Harry ask the snake?

Harry is a special boy. In the following scene Harry discovers he is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts, the most renowned School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hagrid takes him to Diagon Alley, a special place where he can find all the school supplies and equipment he needs.

📣 What school supplies does Harry need to attend Hogwarts?

In the next scene Hagrid takes Harry to King's Cross Station, one of the busiest train stations in London.

To get to Platform 9 3/4, students have to run straight at the wall between Platform 9 and 10. 

On the train to Hogwarts Harry meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his best friends.

   

In Hogwarts an enchanted Hat sorts the students into four houses 

                                       

📣 What is Harry like according to the Sorting Hat?

All first-years at Hogwarts must take seven subjects: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology. Flying lessons (on broomsticks) are also compulsory.

One of the most important subjects is Levitation: the ability to make objects fly. 

P.E lessons are also great fun: in the next scene Harry learns to play Quidditch, basketball on broomsticks.

📣 How many players do you need to play Quidditch?
📣 What is Harry's role in the game?

In the following scene Harry plays in the big match!

Gryffindor wins the House Cup

You can also learn English with Harry Potter

Do you want to learn more on Harry Potter and his adventures? Go to https://www.pottermore.com and explore Hogwarts, meet the characters and the creatures and learn the spells.

If you are interested, you can visit Harry Potter The exhibition in Milan 

Race

The millionaire

The butler

Invictus

1. Watch the trailer 

2. In the following scene Nelson Mandela takes office in Pretoria and gives a powerful speech to the staff. 

At the beginning they think that the newly-elected President wants the satisfaction of firing the white people of the staff.

But later on they find out that nothing disqualifies them to work with the new government - neither the colour of their skin nor their language.

3. In the next scene Mandela introduces two important themes: reconciliation and forgiveness.
Jason, his bodyguard, has just found out that four white bodyguards will join his staff and he is not happy about it.
His task is hard: to forgive and make peace with his enemies. 

4. In this scene Mandela and François, the captain of the South Africa national, rugby team Springboks talk about leadership and inspiration. 
How do we inspire ourselves to greatness? How do we inspire everyone around us?

According to Mandela leadership involves (= implica, comporta) “allowing me to expect more of myself” and to inspire a team not only to do their best, but to become even better than they thought they could.

"(...) We need inspiration François. Because to build our nation, we must all exceed our own expectations (...)"

5. Watch the ending scene: you can listen to the poem that inspired Nelson Mandela and gave him the courage and strength and kept him alive during his 27 long years in prison.

Dal profondo della notte che mi avvolge,

Buia come un pozzo che va da un polo all'altro,

Ringrazio qualunque dio esista

Per l'indomabile anima mia.

Nella feroce morsa delle circostanze

Non mi sono tirato indietro né ho gridato.

Sotto i colpi d’ascia della sorte

Il mio capo è sanguinante, ma non chino.

Oltre questo luogo d'ira e di lacrime

Incombe il solo Orrore delle ombre,

E ancora la minaccia degli anni

Mi trova e mi troverà senza paura.

Non importa quanto stretto sia il passaggio,

Quanto piena di castighi la vita,

Io sono il padrone del mio destino:
Il capitano della mia anima.

" Invictus " is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). It was published in 1888. 

Nelson Mandela had the poem written on a scrap of paper on his prison cell while he was in Robben Island. 

This poem teaches us to make each day a good one, no matter what our circumstances may be.