(At the following of what we did last time)

Throughout her reign, Queen Elisabeth witnessed several social, technological and political changes at the same time going through tensions inside her family.

First of all, her coronation was the very first to be broadcast on TV in 1953. Besides, in the 2020s, she made a sketch comedy with her grandson that was broadcast on the Internet.

On a political part, she saw the United Kingdom join the European Union in the 1970s, and saw it leave it with the Brexit in the 2020s. In the UK, there were tensions with Scotland and Northern Ireland who wanted their independence to stay in the EU.

Moreover, within her own family, she had to handle with Charles and Diana’s divorce. Later on, Harry and Meghan’s couple had some tensions with the rest of the family. On top of that, her son Andrew had judiciary issues that made him lose his royal titles.  

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

During her reign, she witnessed several social and technological changes: her coronation was the very first to be broadcast on TV. Besides, even Diana and Charles’ wedding was broadcast on TV. During her reign, the United Kingdom joined the European Union in the 1970s, then it left it with the Brexit in the 2020s. There were also other political tensions with Scotland and Northern Ireland’s will to be independent. Moreover, she also had to face tensions within her family with the divorce of Prince Charles and Diana in the 1990s, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship with the rest of the royal family, and recently her son, Andrew, who had problems with the justice.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Text B

The document under study is an official document extracted from the Defense Appropriation act of 2010. In this document, the American government officially recognizes/acknowledges their wrong doings/misdeeds done to the Native American community back then. The purpose/goal of this document is to move forward and unite the American people together. In fact, Native Americans were victims of violence, maltreatment and neglect at the time. The document is from 2010 when Barack Obama was President. We could believe that  this decision was made by Obama because he felt empathy for their cause as he himself belonged to a minority as an African–American man. The American government owes something to the Native Americans, hence/therefore a presidential apology is a good way to be forgiven and give them back what belonged to them in a way.

Text C

This document is an extract from a speech made by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper in December 2014. He apologized for the Sand Creek massacre in 1864. In fact, at the time, during this tragic event, many Natives were slaughtered and their lands were stolen by the American government.

The speech was pronounced in 2014, meaning 150 years after the massacre to commemorate the dead in front of their descendants.

To conclude, with all that said, we can understand why the Native Americans observe a day of mourning on Thanksgiving day as their  ancestors went through a lot of mistreatments.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Queen’s Legacy

The document under is a video from Bloomberg Television, released on September 8th, 2022 the day of the death of Queen Elisabeth II. This video was made to pay tribute to her life and legacy.

We have learned that Elisabeth was born on April 21st 1926 in London. She married in 1947 with Prince Philip. She became the youngest queen at the age of 25 years old when her father died in 1952. As she was the eldest child and direct heiress to the throne. She reigned over 70 years and worked with 15 Prime Ministers. She had the longest reign in British history.  

(We will continue the study of the video next time. be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 An Open-Minded Country…

The document under study is an article written by John Ibbitson, published in 2014. It deals with Canada’s culture of accommodation. Canada is a very welcoming country as every year 1% of its population are immigrants who settle in the country which referred to 258,000 new immigrants in 2012. Hence, in the last 20 years more than 5 million new immigrants have settled in the country. Moreover, the three main political parties  are all pro-immigration. Unlike European countries, Canada does not have a lot of refugees on its territories as the only physical border they have is with the USA. They have three natural borders with the oceans that in a way protects them and control immigration. In addition, Canadians are very open-minded regarding people’s religion, origin and sexual orientation.

It is interesting to note that multiculturalism is the basis of the country as it was created through the union of the French and the British who drafted the first Constitution in 1867.

Canada is seen as the most tolerant country because its government accepts people as they are regardless their ethnic backgrounds or sexual identity.

The author seems to be proud of Canada’s open-mindedness. At the same time, he states that Canada’s history and geography may actually contribute more to its open-minded attitude than Canadians themselves (irony).

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Canada is part of the Commonwealth, therefore, the country has a connection with the British Royal family, that is the reason why we could see in the video the Royal guards and a visit of Queen Elisabeth II at the time.

On top of that, Canada is a country where people from different cultural backgrounds live together. The video combines the modernity of scientific and technological developments such as solar panels, in parallel with the traditions from the people of the First Nations.

Moreover, lots of families from different countries immigrate to Canada to have a better life. Everyone seems friendly, helpful and supportive to one another, everyone is accepted as they are.

This video is shown during the citizenship ceremony where naturalized Canadians are invited to take part to celebrate their new identity. The goal of this video is to show that Canada is an open-minded country and remind the newly Canadians what kind of community they are about to join.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Indeed, this video gives an image of a welcoming country with a large set of values, like unity, helpfulness and empathy. Everything seems to be possible in this country, the same as in the USA, you can be whatever you want. In addition, the video also highlights how much Canada is attractive especially thanks to the various landscapes and the cultural elements such as the different sports. On top of that, the document portrays a vibrant and multicultural atmosphere with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Moreover, Canada is also a modern country using technological advances. The video emphasizes the soft power of the country by attracting international scientists to always improve the living conditions of Canadians.

This video is made to welcome new citizens to Canada. It is shown during the citizenship ceremony in order to remind naturalized Canadians what kind of community they are about to join.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The British Crown Mind Map

-It is a noun. It refers to where you live if you are a king, a queen, a prince or a princess. è a palace, a castle

-It’s a noun. It refers when the crown is passed down from parents to offspring’s. è Hereditary Monarchy

-It’s a noun. I’m not the king but I’m his right hand. è the Prime Minster.

-It’s a noun. Someone that is on the road of the crown. è a prince or a princess. A successor to the crown

-It’s a noun. It refers to the people who live in a monarchy and over who the royals reign. è the subjects

-It’s a verb. You use it when you choose mercy over hatred so you don’t kill someone you were supposed to. è To spare

-It’s a noun. It serves as a substitute when the first plan is not working any more. è a spare

-It’s a noun. It is an area that is governed by a king. è a kingdom.

-It’s a noun. It is the title of king and queen’s children. è Duke and duchess

-It’s a noun. It is an object that is on the head of a monarch. è A crown

It’s a verb. It means to put an end to something. è to abolish

Homework: Learn the new vocabulary

 Vocabulary Mind map

-It’s a noun. It refers to where you live if you  are a king, a queen, a prince or a princess. è A palace or a castle

-It’s a noun. It’s the ceremony when a king or a queen receives the crown. è The coronation

-It’s a noun. It is when someone is used against their will. è Exploitation

-It’s a verb. It means to definitely stop something. è To abolish

-It’s a noun. It is something we put on the head of a king or a queen. è a crown

-It’s a verb. A synonym of the word to reign. It is when someone can give orders to other people and is above them. è to rule, to govern

-It’s a noun, when territories become independent. è Decolonization

Homework: Learn the new vocabulary.

Making Amends

The document under study is an extract of speech pronounced by Kevin Gover, a Native American man from the Pawnee Nation. He is also a representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It is a department created by the American government in the 19^th century to take care of Native American issues.

During the ceremony of the 175^th anniversary of the founding of the agency, he gave this speech to apologize for all the misdeeds/wrong doings this agency did to the Native Americans back then.

He does not mention any concrete crimes, nevertheless, he grieves the tragic consequences on the Native Americans. This speech was pronounced in 2000, a new millennium that might have made Americans become aware of their wrong doings so that they were then ready to apologize to the Native Americans.

Homework: Learn the lesson.