Introducing Wonder, the movie

December is an eventful month, full of exams, social activities, fun , family and friends' gatherings and ...plenty of free time and  holidays , a wonderful time for practising English outside the classroom !! I highly recommend you to see the movie Wonder based on the homonymous book by K.R.Palacio and mandatory reading for 1 Bachillerato, that is coming soon to Spanish cinemas.

Needless to say you should watch the original version in English
Here you have the trailer of the movie and an interview of the writer.

Stingy Jack Comics II

Some more comics made by 1st year Illustration students for Halloween

Halloween Comics I: 2nd Edition

Here you have the fantastic works of art that the 1st year Illustration students have created as English assignments, which consisted in creating a comic illustrating the story of Stingy Jack told in class.
Great jobs!

Practising -ed pronunciation through songs

PRACTISE WHILE YOU SING

For Spanish-speaking students, the pronunciation of the past ending -ed is not easy at all. Through these songs we will be able to recognise the final consonant  sounds /t/ or /d/  and have a good time

EDsongs 1 from Luiz Otávio Barros on Vimeo.

Brownsville students on Spanish TV news

What started on the news comes to an end on the news again!!! Just at the end of the trip , this is a news coverage of the adventure of the group of Brownsville students that we arranged to meet in Zaragoza on the tour in Spain.


Brownsville students on TV news from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.

Encounter with Brownsville students in Zaragoza

We finally met our friends from The Frederick Douglass Academy VII , Brownsville , New York, in
Zaragoza on their way to Madrid from Barcelona. We had a brief but great time together over lunch in a lovely terrace at El Pilar Square. The students had a little exchange and we hope they stay in touch over time. In the digital era there are no big distances among people around the world.

"It was great getting to meet you and spend some quality time together. Our students really fell in love with yours", texted  Bijoun Jordan. Now that I look back in time , a couple of months ago, when I first saw the news on TV then came the video-making process and the first contact with  Bijoun,- the teacher responsible for the trip- and then our final encounter in Zaragoza on 5th July .
We are delighted with the experience and we hope they will always remember this trip and this little anecdote within a fantastic trip.


New Yorkers in Zgz 5-7-17 from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.

From Zaragoza to Brownsville, a welcoming video

                                         
Some weeks ago we heard on TV about the news of a group of New York students who were going to make their life-changing trip to Spain which included Madrid, Barcelona and our hometown Zaragoza on the tour. We thought it was a fantastic initiative on the part of their teacher and high school, therefore we decided to make a promo video of our country and  culture so that they can survive the cultural chock that our country may cause on people coming from such a different culture.

Despite all the difficulties and exams we have been going through lately, we have managed to make it just in time before they set off to Europe.

We hope  find it handy and above all we hope you enjoy it as we made it with lots of love and warmth.

All the best


WHY SPAIN from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.




  

                                                             

     

                                                                

                                      

                              

Movie trailers

Who said art students can only draw? Art students are artists in its broadest sense, great film-makers, story-tellers and  actors/ actresses as you can see in their artwork.

We have finished the unit related to films and film-making process with the creation of the students' own film trailers that show their creativity and talent.

Welcome to our movie session, suitable for all audiences and tastes... run and fetch some pop corn!


TRAILER INES from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.

12 Pounds Official Trailer from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.

my immortal memories-Paula V. from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.


versailles-Raquel Gim-Patricia from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.


Movie trailer from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.

trailer inglés 1b from Isabel Mariñosa Vela on Vimeo.

Artist portfolio

A portfolio is a set of pictures by someone, or photographs of examples of their work which they use when entering a competition or applying for a job.
Your portfolio is the most valuable tool in your overall presentation. Your visuals are worth a thousand words, and an arresting portfolio can help close the gap, should your written material be less developed.
Besides, a job portfolio sets you apart from other candidates, and if prepared correctly, you can make a difference.

Listen to this video made byMiddlesex University London about some important tips for creating your Art & Design portfolio.

Art School Gallery: Our museum

Art movements' oral presentations in class through visual thinking technique, the use of conceptual drawing for the organisation of contents . Well done guys!

A digital diagram

From Brownsville to Spain: a cultural life-changing trip

Extraordinary iniciative by Eric Jordan, an English teacher at Frederick Douglass Academy VII situated in a poverty-striken suburb in New York, who is taking his students to Spain to learn about culture and life from a travelling experience, as he did himself years ago.

 To make this happen , the teacher has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money for the trip. For all the students it is going to be their  first trip across the Atlantic ocean .

The main purpose of the trip is to provide the students with a unique opportunity to learn from experience and to awake them to other different worlds from their own realities that can change their present and future prospects.

The tour includes visits to Madrid and Barcelona and also to our home town, Zaragoza. We are delighted with it !!! Congratulations on the iniciative. Thank you for choosing our country for such a splendid iniciative! We hope you have a great time!!


Brownsville to Barcelona promo video from patersonday on Vimeo.

"Don't reach the bottom" Russian campaign against alcohol abuse

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Interesting iniciative against alcohol abuse in a country where it is deeply rooted and widespread causing so much pain in Russian society at large.

1,000 wine bottles were printed visualising dramatic situations derived from alcohol abuse that become visible as the bottle is being emptied until the drinkers "reach the bottom" of the bottle.

The logo is clearly a metaphore of the negative effects for people when they reach the bottom of life through alcohol abuse.

      

Alice Guy-Blanché, another hidden figure

She was the first movie director and a pionner in the development of film-making industry.She was a groundbreaker in the field of film narrative technology and changed the format of filmmaking forever.
She wrote, directed, or produced more than 1,000 films and she was the first woman to build and run a film studio.
 Forgotten by the film industry , filmmaker Pamela Green wants to change that by paying homage to Guy- Blanché s through her film Be Natural, in reference to the acting style Alice encouraged the actors to use , paving the way for modern professionnal acting career 

Another unfair case of a woman's erasure from history , when history is written by men.


Be Natural Trailer from Be Natural on Vimeo.

FOR FURTHER READING : : The First Woman Behind a Camera, Now Forgotten

Art through music: "Dust my shoulders off"

               

Dust My Shoulders Off

Jane Zhang

Just had a bad day
Had car trouble on the highway
My stupid boss don't like me
Spilled hot coffee on my blue jeans
I'm low on money and ain't shit funny
But it's still sunny outside
So I keep smiling, I won't start wilin'
I just keep living my life

Can't keep me down, me down
(It's only temporary)
Can't make me frown, me frown
(So I ain't even worried)
'Cause the world keeps spinnin'
Life goes on and on
I won't cry for long
(Won't cry for long long long)
'Cause I'll still be winnin'
When things are going wrong
I turn on my favorite song
And dust my shoulders
(I dust my shoulders off)
(I dust my shoulders off)
(I dust my shoulders off)
I don't worry 'bout nothing, just dust it off
(I dust my shoulders off)
(I dust my shoulders off)
(I dust my shoulders off)
I don't…

Banksy's art

        

Banksy de marinosa

Analysing Art

This video by Phil  Hansen analyses the concept  of art in order to get insight of the different aspects involved in its definition.

                     
               Enumerate different criteria to judge works of art.

              Who well-known artists does the video mention? why? What do their works seek to
              express?


              What should we take into account in order to understand what art is?

Drawing techniques and games

Let us analyse some basic drawing & shading techniques in English,  how texture is created through an artistic interpretation of everday items using line and tone,  as well as some drawing games to improve listening and creative skills.