2AB STUDENTS: SPARROW DAY, SPRING ARRIVAL & WORLD POETRY DAY MARCH, 20th & 21st 2020

Monday, March 23rd 2020

Dear Students,

Even though these are hard times, I would like all of us to commemorate and celebrate several events; Sparrow (Gorrión) Day, Spring arrival and World Poetry Day 2020. 

WORLD SPARROW DAY, MARCH 20

Every year March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day to raise awareness about the bird. Unfortunately, the house sparrow is now a disappearing species. But like all other plants and animals which were once abundant and are now facing an uncertain future, their numbers are also declining across their natural range. The reasons? Certainly, there is no one single reason for the decline of house sparrow. Its slow but noticeable disappearance has been labeled as one of the biggest mysteries of recent times. 

Information from: https://www.worldsparrowday.org

SPRING ARRIVAL, MARCH 20

Spring equinox comes with two notably different features in 2020 -- one sad, one happy.

First is the inescapable way the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped almost every aspect of life. And that includes the cancellations of annual equinox rituals and celebrations around the world, including popular places such as Stonehenge in England and Chichen Itza in Mexico.

But on a much brighter note, the sun and Earth continue their eternal business unimpeded by a virus -- and we're getting a little jump on things this year. This is the earliest arrival of spring equinox in 124 years. 

WORLD POETRY DAY, MARCH 21

Poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings,especially nowadays. 

In celebrating World Poetry Day, March 21, UNESCO recognizes the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.

A decision to proclaim 21 March as World Poetry Day was adopted during UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999.

One of the main objectives of the Day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.

TASKS TO DO- DUE DATE- TOMORROW MORNING:

TASK 1 WRITE 2 HAIKU POEMS ONE ABOUT SPARROWS AND ANOTHER ONE ABOUT SPRING. 

PLEASE DO NOT SEND IT TO ME, I WOULD LIKE ALL OF YOU TO READ YOUR POEMS IN THE BLOG, SO GO AHEAD, THINK, IMAGINE, CREATE AND POST YOUR POEMS AS COMMENTS BELOW. DUE DATE 

TASK 2 FIND A SPARROW (THIS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE I KNOW) OR SPRING SIGNS IN YOUR HOUSE (EASIER), LOOK OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW, GO TO YOUR BALCONY OR TERRACE AND TAKE A PICTURE, THEN SEND IT TO ME (YOU HAVE THE WHOLE WEEK FOR THIS, THE WEATHER IS NOT HELPING  💧 ) AND I WILL UPLOAD ALL OF THEM, THE BEST ONE WILL GET EXTRA SCORE!

TASK 3 DO UNIT 1 VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE UNIT 1 (ANIMALS AND US) IN YOUR WEBBOOK.

HOW TO WRITE A HAIKU POEM:

HAIKU - 俳句 

Haiku in English is very similar to haiku in Japanese.  The biggest difference is that, in English, you count syllables instead of on(音). Also, each set of syllables is written on a separate line. In all other ways, English haiku is the same as Japanese haiku. 

A syllable is a single sound that has at least one vowel sound. a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y are vowels.

Rules for English haiku

1. It must follow the pattern of 5-7-5

2. Each piece of the haiku should be written on a separate line.

3. Haiku must express a thought, feeling, or mood.

4. Haiku should talk about nature.

5. If you like, there can be a season word (季語), which is the focus of the poem.

Techniques

1. Write two lines about something beautiful in nature. You can use the words on the word list sheet for ideas. Don't worry about counting syllables yet. 

2. Write a third line that is a complete surprise, that is about something completely different from the first two lines. 

3. Look at the three lines together. Does the combination of these two seemingly unrelated parts suggest any surprising relationships? Does it give you any interesting ideas? 

4. Now rewrite the poem, using the 5-syllable, 7-syllable, 5-syllable format and experimenting with the new ideas or perspectives that have occurred to you. 

REMEMBER

Haikus are short poems. They have 3 lines. The 1st and 3rd lines have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. In Haikus grammar is not important. Just make a beautiful picture with your words.

Beau/ti/ful /po/ems. (5)

Gramm/ar /is /not/ im/port/ant. (7)

Give/ nice/ me/mo/ries. (5)

----------------------

Sway/ing/ leaves/ in/ trees, (5)
warm/er/ air/, bloom/ing/ flow/ers, (7)
It`s/ fi/na/lly spring. (5)

EXAMPLE OF SPRING OR SPARROW PICTURES

YOUR TURN !