Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) is Scotland's national poet and he is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement.

He was famous in his lifetime and we still learn about him over 200 years later because he had humble roots and was very insightful about relationships, nature and everyday life. His work paved the way for other poets to write in their everyday speech, and he used traditional folk songs of Scotland in his work. Many people sing Auld Lang Syne, a song about friendship, on New Year's Eve. Some other popular Burns' poems are A Red, Red Rose and To A Mouse.

Every 25 January, Scots all around the world recite his poems, eat haggis (a dish containing sheep's heart, liver, and lungs, onion, oatmeal and spices), neeps and tatties (mashed turnip and potatoes) and drink whisky.

Watch a short video about Burns' Night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU9lDfYF-zg

Listen to one of his most popular poems  A Red, Red Rose recited by Alan Cumming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWrI0C3oJno

Now let's work on this worksheet together and learn more about Scotland's romantic poet, Robert Burns.

Last but not least, let's listen to the song My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose performed by Robyn Stapleton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1t2OY_9DIQ

(sources: www.twinkl.gr

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

                https://www.amazon.com)

A short introduction to the book and extract from chapter 1

The first 16 pages of the book in Greek

The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O.Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband, Jim, and his wife, Della, and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. 

The Gift of the Magi - short story

A short film adaptation by Ismene Daskarolis

Director's statement

"I first became acquainted with O’Henry's “The Gift of the Magi” when I was a child as a bedtime story and I have always felt I saw it in a much more serious light than it was generally seen. [...] I had always wanted to create a short film out of the story but had in mind something much more faithful to the times and surroundings of the book. [...]

However seeing the outcome of the Greek crisis today, I realized that there were few stories more relevant about its reality than this one, so I decided to make a more personal version, remaining as faithful as possible to the book but introducing it into the world of the global crisis, something that gave the characters a deeper motive and a stronger personality. For me Della is the symbol of a person who goes into extreme lengths to preserve whatever hope she’s left with. [...]

The story is for me still very relative today because it continues to deal with current issues, but more importantly it proceeds to give a solution. In times of austerity where we naturally tend to be less giving, love, courage and selflessness will always be what caries us through. As O’Henry states in his short finale, the Magi are indeed each and every one of us.

(source: http://www.altcineaction.com/films/the-gift-of-the-magi/) 

Every year in November, people look for bargains on Black Friday.

But did you know that the same day is also Buy Nothing Day?

How many stories can you think of that center around holiday traditions? Probably quite a few. Holidays are a popular focus for short stories. One story that takes the holiday setting and puts a twist on it is ''Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen'' by William Sydney Porter, known as O. Henry.

This story looks at the traditionally generous nature of people on Thanksgiving, and how a certain type of generosity is almost as traditional as the holiday itself. However, O. Henry is known for plot twists, or surprises, at the ends of his stories, and this one is no exception.

Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen - story text

Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen - audio file

Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen - Quiz

This unit is dedicated to Renaissance, the period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages (15th - 16th century AD). The spirit of the period was expressed mainly through humanism, a movement emphasizing the value of human beings and the rediscovery of the classical Greek philosophy.

As a cultural movement, the Renaissance encompassed innovative flowering of Latin, the development of a more natural reality in painting; and gradual but widespread educational reform. In politics, the Renaissance contributed to the development of the customs and conventions of diplomacy, and in science to an increased reliance on observation and inductive reasoning. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term "Renaissance man" (Wikipedia, 2020).

If you are interested for more information concerning the biographies of the artists in your textbook (pp. 37-47), click on the links below:

1. Leonardo Da Vinci

The genius of Leonardo da Vinci

Top 7 Leonardo da Vinci inventions

2. Michelangelo

Biography of Michelangelo

IL PECCATO (2019) - film trailer about Michelangelo

3. Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli's biography

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus

4. Raphael

6 interesting facts about Raphael

Top 20 Raphael paintings

5. Andrea del Verrochio

Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence

How do you feel when you read horror stories? Frightened? Interested? Excited? Bored?

Let's read this horror story together and find out!

(Edith Nesbit (1858 – 1924) was an English author and poet; She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature but also wrote stories and novels for adults. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party.)

THE MYSTERY OF THE SEMI-DETACHED - text with reading comprehension questions

THE MYSTERY OF THE SEMI-DETACHED - audio file

In Lesson 3 (page 84) we will read the biography of Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa and was awarded with the1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

First, you can watch a video on Youtube about Nelson Mandela here.

Then, you can go to the bottom of the page and do the 'Nelson Mandela' exercise.

Later, if you like, you can watch "Long Walk to Freedom", a film based on Nelson Mandela's autobiography here.

Finally, you can go to the bottom of the page and do a matching vocabulary exercise with words from the Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela biographies (pages 83-84 from your textbook).

In Lesson 2 we will talk more about Martin Luther King,one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history.

On March 7, 1965, a civil rights march, planned from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama's capital, turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 

King was not in the march, however, the attack was televised showing horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured. Seventeen demonstrators were hospitalized in a day that would be called "Bloody Sunday." 

On March 9, 1965, a procession of 2,500 marchers, both black and white, set out once again to cross the Pettus Bridge and confronted barricades and state troopers. Instead of forcing a confrontation, King led his followers to kneel in prayer and they then turned back.

On March 21, approximately 2,000 people began a march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capitol. On March 25, the number of marchers, which had grown to an estimated 25,000, gathered in front of the state capitol where King delivered a televised speech. Five months after the historic peaceful protest, President Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act. 

(https://www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr)

If you are interested and have some free time, you can watch 'Selma' a 2014 historical drama film based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches (available on Netflix). Here you can watch the film's official trailer.

"Glory" is a song written and performed by American rapper Common and American singer John Legend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZOKvYcx_o). The song was released as the theme song from the 2014 film Selma.

You are asked to do a listening exercise by clicking on 'Glory' exercise below.

Enjoy the song but keep in mind a quotation by Pete Seeger, a folk musician: “One of the purposes of music is to help you forget your troubles; another, help you learn from your troubles (some do), and, some will help you do something about your troubles.”

Last but not least, you can read an excerpt from David Bottom's short story "The Poetry of Bridges" where he writes about his hometown, Atlanta, a big city of the American South related to segregation and racism. Have things changed since the 1960s? Hm...Let's find out...