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*** Mark and Ellen visit our school ****

Wh-questions

 

 

Coline

 

-We were very happy to meet you.

 

-We hope that your retirement will be fine

and that you will go on traveling all around the world.

 

-We thank you for your visit and your story, we hope to see you again!

 

 

Sarah

 

-We thank you for your visit in our class.

 

-It helped me with the English language,

thank you for your answers and questions! It was very interesting!

 

 

Maeva

 

-Thank you for your conviviality and your kindness!

 

-Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

-Looking forward to seeing you.

 

 

 

Hugo

 

Thank you for coming over here !!

 

Thank you for speaking with us !!

 

Thank you very much !!!!

 

 

Axelle

 

Thank you for coming in our college !

 

We spent a good time in your presence!

 

Thank you for the experience!

 

 

Kadir

 

I hope we’ll meet again !

 

Goodbye!

 

Come and see us again!

 

 

Flavien

 

 

Thank you for your visit.

 

Thank you for your vocabulary.

 

You can come back and visit our school!

 

 

Marie

 

Thank you very much, Mark and Ellen!

 

I was very happy to meet you.

 

 

Othilie

 

Mark Ellen, thank you very much

 

You are friendly people!

Listen and practise ;-)

http://www.elllo.org/

Films, a royal wedding, cupcakes, grrrr … grammar

The Other Guys, Saint Andrews, Scotland

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAlnM7RUDcA[/youtube]

How to make the perfect Royal Wedding cupcake April, 28, 2011

 

adapted from :  http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/    and Jean Sabiron’s site


Eric Lanlard’s cupcakes are perfect for street parties, birthdays, weddings or seasonal festivities

Makes 12 cupcakes

Preparation time: 15 minutes, + cooling

Cooking time: 18 minutes

Ingredients

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

150g (5oz) plain flour

125g (41/2oz) unsalted butter, softened

250g (9oz) caster sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

125ml (4fl oz) milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Choose the right word in context : Beware of explosions !!

 


Preheat the (fridge-oven-microwave) to 180.C (fan 160.C)/350.F/gas mark 4. Line a 12-cup (muffin-coffin-boffin) tin with cupcake papers. In a small (barrel-bowl-bottle), combine the (flowers- flours-floors) and then (sit-set-spit) aside. In a large bowl, using an electric hand whisk-at medium (heat -speed-length), cream the butter until (smooth-rude-black). Add the (tar-sugar-mortar) gradually and continue beating until (grumpy-fluffy-filthy), about 3 minutes. Add the (Nick Clegg- a keg- eggs), one at a time, beating well after each (addition-multiplication-inflation). Add the flour in three (stages-rages-crates), alternating with the milk and (mozilla-vanilla-gorilla). With each addition, beat until the ingredients are (evaporated-incorporated-saturated), but do not over-beat. Using a rubber (spatula-ferula-band), scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well (inflated-vanished-blended).

Carefully spoon the (splitter-butter-batter into the cupcake papers, filling them about three-quarters full. (Bathe-Bake-Dive) in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the (bins-tins-sins) for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a (wire-fire-wine) rack before (icing-rinsing-freezing).


The KEY


Preheat the oven to 180.C (fan 160.C)/350.F/gas mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, combine the flours and then set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric hand whisk at medium speed, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour in three stages, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not over-beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake papers, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

michael-jackson-this-is-it-movie-poster-

Welcome to the Firm: The Middletons share the public's acclaim on the Buckingham Palace balcony

Welcome to the Firm: The Middletons share the public’s acclaim on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Kate’s parents Mike and Carole are on the left, next to Prince Charles holding the Duchess of Cornwall’s granddaughter Eliza Lopes. The bride’s sister Pippa stands between Princes Philip and Harry


Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382098/Royal-wedding-speech-Prince-Harry-pays-tribute-Prince-William.html#ixzz1L6xE5TE6

I Dreamed I SThe playlist

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382098/Royal-wedding-speech-Prince-Harry-pays-tribute-Prince-William.html#ixzz1L6xb70QA

aw St. Augustine by Bob Dylan

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine
Alive as you or me
Tearing through these quarters
In the utmost misery
With a blanket underneath his arm
And a coat of solid gold
Searching for the very souls
Whom already have been sold

“Arise, arise,” he cried so loud
In a voice without restraint
“Come out, ye gifted kings and queens
And hear my sad complaint
No martyr is among ye now
Whom you can call your own
So go on your way accordingly
But know you’re not alone”

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine
Alive with fiery breath
And I dreamed I was amongst the ones
That put him out to death
Oh, I awoke in anger
So alone and terrified
I put my fingers against the glass
And bowed my head and cried

Written comprehension:

Vous êtes rédacteur, rédacteure ou encore rédactrice d’ un site culturel sur l’Australie.On vous demande d’écrire quelque chose sur ce pays qui fasse rêver vos lecteurs. L’importance de la nature doit être présente. Les contes étudiés en cours faisant partie du programme de 4° “Ici et ailleurs” sont une référence qui ne doit PAS être recopiée mais qui peut servir d’exemple ou tout du moins vous donner des idées.

Consignes:

Commencer le conte par “Once upon a time, there was…”

Inclure des références géographiques précises:

Inclure le vocabulaire lié à la nature:

Inclure du vocabulaire lié à l’aventure et la découverte (ce que vous avez travaillé en salle muti-media intitulé “In the wild”):

Inclure First, Then, Afterwards, Eventually, Finally:

Inclure 5 adjectifs contruits avec le comparatif d’égalité ou de supériorité

Prise de risques: idées et vocabulaire personnels

Le respect de consignes est important car il permet de valider la note finale.

Si deux copies présentent des similarités, la note du travail effectué est divisé en deux

Les comparatifs de supériorité: plus…que

James DeInclure dix verbes au passéan was cuter than Marlo Brando and Marlon Brando was  a better actor.

The music  was more provocative than the movie.

The TV serial  Happy Days was more popular than the movie American Graffiti.

Disco clothes were flashier than punk clothes.

Le superlatif

New York City is the biggest and the most populated city in the Untied States.

Washington DC is the most visited city in the United States.

Los Angeles is one of the sunniest city in the United States.

Alaska is the largest and the coldest state in the United States.

The Mississipi river is the longest river in the United States.

Fracture: Simple Past

This is a great movie, but a bit farfetched. If you like police stories, you will love it. I used the crime scene to practice the simple past tense.


Vous devez imaginer les scènes avant le crime. Vous écrirez les verbes à la forme affirmtive et à la forme négative pour CHAQUE phrase.

1) Ted’s wife, Sally, __________________________________ home (drive).

2) She ___________________________________________ the front door (unlock).

3) She ________________ ____________________________her jacket (take off).

4) She _________________________________________ her husband was in the house (notice).

5) They _________________________________________________ each other (hug).

6) They _________________________________________________ each other (kiss).

7) Ted __________________________________________ his wife in the head (shoot).

8) Gardeners ____________________________________________ a gunshot (hear).

9) Ted_______________________________________ the bullet cases on the floor. (pick up).

10) One of the gardeners ____________________________________ on the door (knock).

11) Ted ______________________________________ the door for the gardener (open).

12) Ted ________________________________________ the windows a few times (shoot).

13) Ted ___________________________________________________ his wife (drag).

14) He ____________________________________________________ his shirt (take off).

15) He _____________________________________________________ his shirt (burn).

16) He __________________________________________________________ his face (wash).

17) He ____________________________________________________ the police (call).

18) The gardener ______________________________________ Ted clean the house (help).

Elizabethtown: “Simple Past”

One of the best romantic comedies ever. The soundtrack is fantastic. I love this scene and girls think it is sooooo romantic… In this scene, the main characters spend the whole night talking to each other over the phone and they perform several activities while doing it. It is perfect for the students to practice of the simple past tense.

Make a list of the things you usually do while you are talking over the cell phone:
1. _______________________
2. _______________________
3. _______________________

Watch the movie segment. Pay attention to the activities the main characters performed while they were talking to each other over the phone. Write ( D ) if Drew was the one who performed the following tasks and ( C ) if it was Claire. Write ( B ) if both of them did it.

1 .( ) Open the gate

2. ( ) Make dinner

3. ( ) Change clothes

4. ( ) Go to the bathroom

5. ( ) Polish one’s nails

6. ( ) Do the laundry

7. ( ) Look at pictures

8. ( ) Listen to music

9. ( ) Dance

10.( ) Drink beer

11.( ) Turn off the lights

12.( ) Drive a car

13.( ) Put on some lipstick

14.( ) See the sunrise



I. Work in groups. Read the activities below and guess which activities the character in the movie did
NOT do while smoking cigarettes BEFORE VIEWING THE SEGMENT. You have to choose 4 activities. The winner is the group who guesses most activities.

1. ( ) Vacuum the house
2. ( ) Drink whiskey
3. ( ) Water the plants
4. ( ) Sweep the flo0r
5. ( ) Put a mask on someone’s face
6. ( ) Break some eggs on someone’s hair.
7. ( ) Do the laundry
8. ( ) Sleep
9. ( ) Kick the dog
10. ( ) Read a book
11. ( ) Dance
12. ( ) Talk on the phone
13. ( ) Kiss the children

Up in the Air: Simple Present x Simple Past

This movie is really nice and the scene is perfect to contrast the uses of the simple present and simple past tenses.


I. Work in small groups. Make a list of activities you do every time you travel by plane. Think about what you do during the day until the plane takes off. Make sure you mention the steps you take at home and at the airport too.

Ex:

I make my bags.
I shave.

II. Watch the movie segment and check which of the activities you listed in Exercise I George Clooney’s character did that day.

III. Now write 5 sentences saying what he did in the segment that you did not list in exercise II.

Ex: He took off his shoes at the airport.

IV. Now write sentences saying 5 things from your list that he didn’t do before traveling.

Ex: He didn’t shave.

Hachiko – A Dog’s Story: Passive Voice with Simple Past

A – Talk to a partner.

1. Do you have a pet? Talk about it.

2. Do you prefer dogs or cats? Why?

3. Is it important to have pets? Why?

4. When are pets helpful in a person’s life? Explain it.

5. When are pets harmful to a person?

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having pets?

I. Watch the movie segment and check the alternatives with the actions that you managed to see during the scene.
1. ( ) A Japanese monk put the collar around Hachi’s neck.

2. ( ) He put Hachi in a cage.

3. ( ) He took Hachi to a train station.

4. ( ) He fed Hachi.

5. ( ) A couple of guys picked Hachi up at the airport.

6. ( ) The baggage carrier accidentally dropped Hachi’s cage on the station platform.

7. ( ) Someone found the broken cage.

8. ( ) Parker found and carried Hachi home.

The Shawshank Redemption: Simple Past

This is a classic. Perfect for the simple past tense practice.

A. You will see the trial of Mr. Dufresne, accused of murdering his wife and her lover. Read parts of the judge’s and Mr. Dufresne’s speeches and fill in the blanks with the past tense form of the verbs in parentheses.
J: Judge


D: Mr. Dufresne

J: Describe the confrontation you _______ (have) with your wife.

D: It _______ (be) very bitter. She _______ (say) she ___________ (be) glad I _____ (know) that she ________ (hate) all the sneaking around.

J: And she ______ (say) she ________ (want) a divorce in Reno. What _______ (happen) after you ________ (argue) with your wife?

D: She ____ (pack) her bag.

J: ______ you _______ (follow) her?

D: I _______ (go) to a few bars first. Later, I ______ (drive) to his house to confront them. They ________ (be – neg) home. I __________ (park) in the turnout… and _______ (wait).

J: When they _________ (arrive), you ________ (go) up to the house and _____ (murder) them.

D: I ________ (get) back to the car and ________ (drive) home to sleep it off. Along the way, I __________ (throw) my gun into the Royal River.

J: The police _______ (drag) that river for 3 days and a gun was not found.



A. Take a look at the pair of sentences below. Write
1 next to the action that took place first and 2 next to the one that took place later.

___ Coraline went through a purple tunnel.
___ She entered a beautiful, neat living room.

___ She smelled something good.
___ She saw her other mother cooking in the kitchen.

___ Coraline talked to her other mother in the kitchen.
___ Her father sang her a song.

___ Coraline ate some chicken.
___ She drank some mango milk shake.

___ She went to bed in a comfortable bedroom.
___ She saw and talked to her friends in the picture.

What Women Want: Simple Past

This is a great scene. The students usually like it, especially because it is unconventional and unexpected.

Ask a partner if he / she did the following things before going to work or school this morning.

Ex: Did you drink wine?

No, I didn’t.

Talk to a partner and decide if Nick (Mel Gibson) performed the following activities before going to work by checking the items.

1. Drink wine

2. Smoke a cigarette

3. Have breakfast

4. Polish the nails

5. Put on some makeup

6. Shave

7. Wax the leg

8. Wear pantyhose

9. Wear socks

10. Dry the hair

11. Trip on the floor

12. Have an accident

13. Take a shower

14. Watch TV

Little Miss Sunshine: Tag Questions

This is a lovely scene from this wonderful film. I love the acting and the intelligent story. This scene is remarkable. I took advantage of the scene to practice asking tag questions. With this activity, the students can practice the grammar point based on contextualized evidence, which is great. I only used sentences in the past tense, though.

A. Talk to a partner

1. Have you ever participated in a pageant? Talk about it. What is your opinion about beauty pageants?

2. Is it OK for young children to participate in pageants?

3. What’s your opinion about pageants like Miss Brazil, Miss Universe, Model of the Year, etc?

B. Watch the segment, fill in the blanks with affirmative and negative forms of the given verbs, and complete the sentences with a tag question. Make sure the sentences are according to the information presented in the segment.

1 – Olive ……………………………. (be) wearing a suit, a hat and a tie, ……………… ?

2 – She ……….…………. (dedicate) her presentation to her grandfather, ………………..?

3 – Olive …………………. (be) intimidated by the audience, ……………?

4 – The audience …………… (be) shocked with Olive’s sexy dancing, ……………..?

5 – Many spectators …………….. (leave) the hall during her presentation, …………….?

6 – The dance ………………. (be) appropriate for the situation, ……………… ?

7 – Her family ……………………. (support) Olive by dancing with her, ……………….?

8 – The host …………………. (try) to remove her from the stage, …………………. ?

9 – Her father …………………… (dance) with her on the stage, ……………. ?

10 – The DJ …………….. (be) the only person to clap the presentation, ………………. ?

11 – Nobody …………………. (like) the presentation, ………….?

12 – They ………………………… (be) ashamed of Olive, ……….?

Gran Torino: Modal Verb – Should (Advice)


A. Before viewing :

You and your partner will make a list of everything you know about China and its culture. Each piece of information scores 1 point. Your teacher will check which pair of students scored most points.

B. Write P (Polite) or I (Impolite) after the statements below. Make a guess! Which of the actions below are considered polite/impolite during a barbecue lunch according to the Hmong culture, an Asian ethnic group in the mountainous regions of southern China.

1- To eat cat meat (I)

2- To eat dog meat (I)

3 – To drink alcoholic beverages (P)

4 – To look at someone in the eyes (I)

5 – To touch the head of a person(I)

6 – To listen to the elderly (P)

7 – To eat very much (P)

Take a look at Po and Tai Lung. Then write next to the characters the qualities that best describe them, according to your impressions from the pictures. Make sure you write different adjectives for each of the characters.

This is Po:
Ex:

FAT

FUNNY

This is Tai Lung

Ex:

STRONG

INTELLIGENT

FAT STRONG FRIENDLY HEAVY SMART

FUNNY INTELLIGENT TIRED FAST CONFIDENT

LAZY AGGRESSIVE DANGEROUS UGLY QUIET

From the film Australia

Pay attention to Nullah’s words.Because Nullah is an aboriginal who doesn’t have much contact with white people, he doesn’t speak English correctly. Watch the segment, underline the verbs that are incorrect in each of the sentences below and correct them.

1 – My grandfather, King George, he take me to walkabouts.

2 – My grandfather teach me the most important lesson of all.

3 – That day, I see them, the white fellas, pushing bulls across the river.

4 – King George get angry at white fellas.

5 – The coppers come here to take me away.

6 – This story not begin that day.

7 – This story begin a little while ago in a land far, far away.


I. Watch the movie segment, which shows two queens, White and Red. Place the adjectives below under the column that you think is more appropriate for each of the queens.

BEAUTIFUL ARROGANT TALL OLD YOUNG THIN FUNNY POWERFUL FRIENDLY UGLY AGGRESSIVE CALM


The White Queen The Red Queen


1. The White Queen (The Red Queen) is more beautiful than The Red Queen (The White Queen).

  1. _____________________________________
  2. _____________________________________
  3. _____________________________________
  4. _____________________________________
  5. _____________________________________
  6. _____________________________________
  7. _____________________________________
  8. _____________________________________
  9. _____________________________________
  10. _____________________________________
  11. _____________________________________

WORKSHEET

source

claudioazevedo@thomas.org.br


A. Work in small groups. make a list of 5 things a young teen can do to help the elderly. Make sure you use the modal verb for suggestion – could – to express your ideas.

1 ………………………………………..

2………………………………………..

3………………………………………..

4………………………………………..

5………………………………………..

B. Now watch the segment and write down 3 suggestions the boy gives to help the old man in the scene.

1……………………………………

2…………………………………..

3…………………………………..

C. Work in small groups again. Make a list of 3 things people could do in the following situations.

I. To protect the environment.

1……………………………………

2…………………………………..

3…………………………………..

II. To help needy people at Christmas time.

1…………………………………..

2………………………………….

3………………………………….

III. To become more popular at school.

1…………………………………..

2………………………………….

3………………………………….



A. Ask a partner if he/she can do the following activities.

Model:

S1: Can you…?

S2: Yes, I can / No, I can’t

1.Play a musical instrument?

2. Practice karate?

3.Turn somersaults?

4. Skate?

5. Play badminton?

6. Play table tennis?

7. Juggle with balls?

8. Juggle with chainsaws?

9. Jet ski?

10. Mix music at parties?

11. Make origami?

12. Speak Chinese?

A. Work in small groups. Make a list of 5 qualities or characteristics a good teacher must (has to) have and which ones he can’t have.

He / She MUST:

1 …………………………………………
2 …………………………………………
3………………………………………….
4 …………………………………………
5 …………………………………………

He / She CAN’T:

1 …………………………………………
2 ………………………………………..
3 ………………………………………..
4 ………………………………………..
5 ………………………………………..

B. Now watch the movie segment. Which of the characteristics you have listed before apply to Mr. Woodcock?

C. Imagine you are talking to Mr. Woodcock now. Tell him what he must (has to) do and what he can’t do to become a better teacher.

1 ……………………………………………..
2 …………………………………………….
3 …………………………………………….
4 ……………………………………………
5 ……………………………………………

The Hitcher: Modal Verb SHOULD – Advice

This movie is a classic that has changed many people’s opinions about giving rides to strangers on roads. I took advantage of the opening scene to have student practice modal verbs for advice – SHOULD – OUGHT TO.

Make a list of what drivers should and should not do when they travel by car alone during the night.

What drivers should (ought to) do:
1 – ………………………………………………..
2 – ………………………………………………..
3 – ………………………………………………..
4 – ………………………………………………..

What drivers shouldn’t (oughtn’t to) do:
1 – …………………………………………………
2 – ………………………………………………..
3 – ………………………………………………..
4 – ………………………………………………..

Twilight: Modal Verb for Ability – CAN

Although this movie is apparently attractive just to teenagers, this scene is fun and exciting for everybody. This scene is excellent for teens, though. They like the movie and it suits the grammar goal well. Students can practice the modal verb CAN for ability. They can also learn some new vocabulary about baseball, especially if they are in a country where the sport is not so popular, like here in Brazil.

Talk to a partner about these questions:

1- What do you know about vampires?
2- What can they do?
3- What’s good and bad about being a vampire?

A. Vocabulary Collocation:

Match both columns .
1 – Pitch

2 – Hit

3 – Run

4 – Handle

5 – Jump

6 – smell

( ) the baseball precisely

( ) the baseball hard

( ) fast

( ) the bat with agility

( ) high

( ) different perfumes easily
– . The Cullens

– . The Nomads

Observe the movie segment below. There you will see The Cullens, the group of vampires playing baseball, and the Nomads, the group of vampires who arrive later. Then write down sentences saying what the Cullens and the Nomads can do that we, humans, can’t. Use the matching exercise items and others.

1 ………………………………………………………………………………

2 …………………………………………………………………………….

3 ……………………………………………………………………………..

4 ……………………………………………………………………………..

5 ……………………………………………………………………………..

6 …………………………………………………………………………….

Talk to a partner and decide:

What super powers would you like to have?

I can …………………….., ……………………………, and ………………………………..

Answer Key – Matching may vary:

1. Pitch the ball precisely

2. Hit the ball hard

3. Run extremely fast

4. Handle the bat with agility

5. Jump high

6. smell different perfumes easily

How to prepare your own video activity:

– Select a scene in which the characters can perform different activities, like skills or sports.

– Ask students to write about what they see and what activities they can (not) perform.

A. Watch the movie segment.

B. In column 1, write YES if you believe it is a possible explanation for the mystery, and NO if you believe it is an impossible explanation.

In column 2, check the items that the characters in the movie believe are possible explanations for what is in the mist.

WHAT IS (IN) THE MIST?

MY OPINION / THE CHARACTERS’ OPINIONS

( ) ( ) A military operation

( ) ( ) A pollution cloud

( ) ( ) A terrorist attack

( ) ( ) Some kind of chemical explosion

( ) ( ) Death

( ) ( ) Just their imagination

( ) ( ) An earthquake

( ) ( ) Aliens

( ) ( ) The end of days

( ) ( ) A poisonous gas cloud

( ) ( ) A nuclear explosion

( ) ( ) A war simulation

C. Now write sentences with might, could or can’t to express possibility or impossibility, speculating about what is in the mist.

Might

1 ………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ……………………………………………………………………………….

Could

1 ………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ………………………………………………………………………………..

Can’t

1.…………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ………………………………………………………………………………….

Babar Ali ‘s school or the hunger to learn

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8302225.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8302225.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8302158.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8299780.stm

Around the world millions of children are not getting a proper education because their families are too poor to afford to send them to school. In India, one schoolboy is trying change that. In the first report in the BBC’s Hunger to Learn series, Damian Grammaticas meets Babar Ali, whose remarkable education project is transforming the lives of hundreds of poor children.

At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world. He’s a teenager who is in charge of teaching hundreds of students in his family’s backyard, where he runs classes for poor children from his village.

The story of this young man from Murshidabad in West Bengal is a remarkable tale of the desire to learn amid the direst poverty.

Babar Ali's students

Babar Ali’s ‘school’ has some 800 students

Babar Ali’s day starts early. He wakes, pitches in with the household chores, then jumps on an auto-rickshaw which takes him part of the 10km (six mile) ride to the Raj Govinda school. The last couple of kilometres he has to walk.

The school is the best in this part of West Bengal. There are hundreds of students, boys and girls. The classrooms are neat, if bare. But there are desks, chairs, a blackboard, and the teachers are all dedicated and well-qualified.

As the class 12 roll-call is taken, Babar Ali is seated in the middle in the front row. He’s a tall, slim, gangly teenager, studious and smart in his blue and white uniform. He takes his notes carefully. He is the model student.

Babar Ali is the first member of his family ever to get a proper education.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Everything I have and everything I am today is thanks to my education

Mustafa Yorumcu, London

“It’s not easy for me to come to school because I live so far away,” he says, “but the teachers are good and I love learning. And my parents believe I must get the best education possible that’s why I am here.”

Raj Govinda school is government-run so it is free, all Babar Ali has to pay for is his uniform, his books and the rickshaw ride to get there. But still that means his family has to find around 1,800 rupees a year ($40, £25) to send him to school. In this part of West Bengal that is a lot of money. Many poor families simply can’t afford to send their children to school, even when it is free.

Chumki Hajra is one who has never been to school. She is 14 years old and lives in a tiny shack with her grandmother. Their home is simple A-frame supporting a thatched roof next to the rice paddies and coconut palms at the edge of the village. Inside the hut there is just room for a bed and a few possessions.

Chumki Hajra, a pupil at Babar Ali’s school, describes her day

Every morning, instead of going to school, she scrubs the dishes and cleans the homes of her neighbours. She’s done this ever since she was five. For her work she earns just 200 rupees a month ($5, £3). It’s not much, but it’s money her family desperately needs. And it means that she has to work as a servant everyday in the village.

“My father is handicapped and can’t work,” Chumki tells me as she scrubs a pot. “We need the money. If I don’t work, we can’t survive as a family. So I have no choice but to do this job.”

But Chumki is now getting an education, thanks to Babar Ali. The 16-year-old has made it his mission to help Chumki and hundreds of other poor children in his village. The minute his lessons are over at Raj Govinda school, Babar Ali doesn’t stop to play, he heads off to share what he’s learnt with other children from his village.

At four o’clock every afternoon after Babar Ali gets back to his family home a bell summons children to his house. They flood through the gate into the yard behind his house, where Babar Ali now acts as headmaster of his own, unofficial school.

Lined up in his back yard the children sing the national anthem. Standing on a podium, Babar Ali lectures them about discipline, then study begins.

Babar Ali gives lessons just the way he has heard them from his teachers. Some children are seated in the mud, others on rickety benches under a rough, homemade shelter. The family chickens scratch around nearby. In every corner of the yard are groups of children studying hard.

Babar Ali was just nine when he began teaching a few friends as a game. They were all eager to know what he learnt in school every morning and he liked playing at being their teacher.

Without this school many kids wouldn’t get an education, they’d never even be literate

Babar Ali

Did school change your life?

Now his afternoon school has 800 students, all from poor families, all taught for free. Most of the girls come here after working, like Chumki, as domestic helps in the village, and the boys after they have finished their day’s work labouring in the fields.

“In the beginning I was just play-acting, teaching my friends,” Babar Ali says, “but then I realised these children will never learn to read and write if they don’t have proper lessons. It’s my duty to educate them, to help our country build a better future.”

Including Babar Ali there are now 10 teachers at the school, all, like him are students at school or college, who give their time voluntarily. Babar Ali doesn’t charge for anything, even books and food are given free, funded by donations. It means even the poorest can come here.

“Our area is economically deprived,” he says. “Without this school many kids wouldn’t get an education, they’d never even be literate.”

Seated on a rough bench squeezed in with about a dozen other girls, Chumki Hajra is busy scribbling notes.

Her dedication to learning is incredible to see. Every day she works in homes in the village from six in the morning until half past two in the afternoon, then she heads to Babar Ali’s school. At seven every evening she heads back to do more cleaning work.

Chumki’s dream is to one day become a nurse, and Babar Ali’s classes might just make it possible.

The school has been recognised by the local authorities, it has helped increase literacy rates in the area, and Babar Ali has won awards for his work.

The youngest children are just four or five, and they are all squeezed in to a tiny veranda. There are just a couple of bare electric bulbs to give light as lessons stretch into the evening, and only if there is electricity.

And then the monsoon rain begins. Huge drops fall as the children scurry for cover, slipping in the mud. They crowd under a piece of plastic sheeting. Babar Ali shouts an order. Lessons are cancelled for the afternoon otherwise everyone will be soaked. Having no classrooms means lessons are at the mercy of the elements.

The children climb onto the porch of a nearby shop as the rain pours down. Then they hurry home through the downpour. Tomorrow they’ll be back though. Eight hundred poor children, unable to afford an education, but hungry for anything they can learn at Babar Ali’s school.


Here are some of your comments. You can send your own comment with the form at the bottom of this story.

Babar Ali is a hero (and I don’t use that word often). He, and his loyal pupils, deserve not only our total respect, but our support and encouragement too.
Rob Baker, Newport, S. Wales

“Be the change you want to see in others”- Babar leads by example- such a humbling story that encourages everyone. Thank you!
Mari, London

The news is really an eye-opener. We always blame others including Government, but Babar Ali proves that we can return back to the society if we want.
Pradosh Debnath, Kolkata, India

If there are saints in this world, Babar Ali is one of them. He sees the problems of others. If the corrupt officials could learn from this young boy, they would not waste huge public funds that could educate millions.
JK, DSM, Tanzania

In world were you are measured by the materials you own, (house, cars, clothes etc) it’s amazing to see a young making the most of what resource there is. Trying to improve not only the quality of his life, but others around him. A truly magnificent story about a remarkable young man.
Andrew Anastasi, London

Babar Ali is indeed a rare soul, who at such a young age is filled with a sense of duty, direction and patriotism. Maybe if more youths of today were like him, the world would be a better place. After reading the hardship these children go through, I cannot help but think how lucky Malaysian children are. It’s human nature to take things for granted, some say. But I will share this story with my students. In hope that more will be inspired to be like someone like Babar Ali.
Teacher Jason, Penang, Malaysia

I too read this story with my mouth open and with tears in my eyes. What an inspiration this young boy is. This article should be read by teenagers in the western world who take their education for granted and think that they are entitled to whatever they want without lifting their little fingers. I’ll definitely read this article to my teenage daughter.
Fayrouz, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Every student in every senior school in the UK should be given a copy of this at the beginning of each school year; to remind them of how privileged they are living in this country.
Ian Redding, Burscough, Lancashire, England

What BABAR ALI is doing is unquantifiable. I wish the local authority could give him a helping hand in order to take this ‘school’ to where he has in mind. He is a young man of vision and the whole world should stand up to help the guy. It’s high time we stopped wasting our resources on things that doesn’t have a good end result. This is a project that could go a long way in alleviating illiteracy if given the necessary support. Say me well to him and tell him we are praying for his success.
Agboola Olawale, Ilorin, Nigeria

Very inspiring! it takes me back 30 years as my uncle used to do exactly the same in my native village which had one school where he used to work and had his informal classes for poor students at home. Mr. Baber Ali, I salute you.
Srinivas Patnala, Grahamstown, South Africa

What a truly remarkable chap ! But hold on, isn’t this India, the world’s largest democracy? Doesn’t anyone there want to legislate to make education state funded and available for all? What about abandoning their nuclear weapons and space programme to allow this to be funded.
Tim Stokes, Sittingbourne, Kent

A powerful example set by Mr. Babar Ali. After reading this article, I feel like going back home to my village in India and do something like this.
Shiv Sharma, Vermont, USA

Just Phenomenal! Stories like Babar Ali’s are inspirational and life-changing. If the smallest percentage of readers the world over get inspired to give back in some form to further education in such villages, the Indian story will be one of enlightenment.
Rahul S, New York, NY

It’s young people like this who really make the world turn and people stand up and realise that there is more outside of our little corners that is far more remarkable than we could ever achieve.
Donna, Milton Keynes

This is a great story. I come from Calcutta, W Bengal near to the place Babar Ali is doing this great job. I am going to Calcutta in November. I will positively visit the school, meet Babar Ali and will donate anything my resources will permit to support his mission.
Amit Ray, River Hills, USA

To influence one life is itself amazing, and here is Babar, at 16, influencing and changing 800 lives for their betterment. Hats off to him and I hope somebody from the West Bengal Education department read this story and hopefully reacts soon!!
Rakzeen, Detroit, Michigan, USA

A little ray of light in all that darkness. I reckon this guy deserves the Nobel prize for peace right now. Obama could have waited a year.
Reinhard Adolf, Yokohama, Japan

I have no words. It just makes me think that I should not complain about anything and take things for granted.
Florence Nesamani, Pune, India

Quite Amazing! Does this happen here in our planet? Ali is doing something which many other could think to be fictitious.
Wondwossen, Adds Ababa

The United States and all other other 1st world countries should support this young person give him the nobel peace prize, more education more peace I believe.

YTFD

I can’t believe this, what a remarkable young man! I read this article with my mouth open. Thanks for this article BBC it makes me truly, truly humbled.
Olu, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

Babar Ali is a great soul. He will change lot of young lives. This is truly a remarkable story. The higher education system in Great Britain USA and should recognize Babar Ali and help him all the way in his noble cause.
Sunil Parikh, Davie, Florida

This article is like a cold shower that woke me up. my parents pay thousands of euros to my uni every year to give me an education. Realising that with the same amount of money all these children could much easily get education hurts. It hurts realising i have the chance and the means to learn, but I’m even complaining for having “too much to study”. To see i have Facebook open instead of a book. We do need articles like this, we do need to wake up.
Melisa, Rome

No doubt, wherever Mr Babar Ali goes, even highly educated and positioned people will stand and respect him. I salute Babar Ali and pray for the future to be bright and prosperous for ‘The Head Master’ and his ‘Pupil’. May God, through the Government, fulfil their desire.
S.Vijayan, Chennai, India

What an extraordinary story!! It nearly brought tears to my eyes. What dedication and commitment in such dire poverty from all these people. I personally never had any such problems and quite frankly could never dream of any as I was blessed to be in free state schooling in the UK. However, when I read the story of Babar Ali and his students, it makes me feel tiny. Thank you for bringing this story BBC.
Sajjid Abbasi, Saudi Arabia

What a wonderful kid, if only we can get his type within our community, we could be better off. Instead of our graduates to be sitting down under trees to argue unnecessarily they can borrow a leaf from Babar Ali.
Ahmad Ibrahim, Kano, Nigeria

The world needs people like these with the conviction to make a CHANGE in others lives.
Syed, Muscat

This boy deserves the highest recognition by the world’s highest human rights institutions. He should be awarded a price in form of a school built near his home and named after it. He should be assisted to train as an educator in order for him to carry on his noble duties to his community
German Lungu, Lusaka, Zambia

I was deeply humbled by Babar Ali’s story. So many people so many parts of the country take education funded by the government for granted. Deliberately missing lessons etc. And here are some 800 kids who’ll do anything to get educated, to be better, thanks to this extremely remarkable teenager. We should be ashamed with our selves if we at some point took things for granted.
Farah, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

It’s cost over $50K for my education as a primary school teacher. I wish I could have sent it to them instead!
Kimberly Luedke, Milwaukee, WI United States

India is in the process of a social change and it is the youths like Babar Ali who are trying to bring this change. It is people like him who are trying their bits and they have kept alive the hopes of numerous people in India whose lives are not rosy but every night they sleep in the hope that tomorrow will bring something good.
Bhavna Karki, Delhi, India

No comment. It’s just wonderful.
Sally, Algeria

use of the conditional- under construction

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