Me, myself and I

Lesson 1 : Tune in ! Introduce yourself to the world !

1. Fiona Scotts profile page (E.O)
Pairwork- Have a careful look at Fionas profile page. Memorize as
many elements as you can. Each group will be asked to give one
information about her. Dont forget to make hypotheses. The
same information can be given only if said differently. One pupil
will write the sentences on the board/on the computer.
-

The girls name is Fiona Scott and she is 16 years old.

She lives in Calgary, Canada.
She was born in Dublin, Ireland.
She is Irish because she was born in Dublin.
She goes to Bowness High School/ She studies to Bowness High

School/ She is a student of Bowness High School.

She enjoys sport especially rowing since she has chosen girls rowing
as cover picture and she likes Calgary Rowing Club. Moreover, she

also likes Calgary Hockey team.

She may be a member of Calgary Rowing Team. She might be a
member of Calgary Hockey Team. She may play hockey and she may

row.
She must be quite outgoing/sociable since she has more than 450

friends/ she has 469 friends.

Mark, Megan and John are some of her friends. / Her friends are

called Mark, Megan and John.

She is fond of /crazy about/ keen on / mad of travelling. She went to

NYC last spring and she hopes to visit Sydney next summer.
She is fond of the British singer Adele. /She is a huge fan of Adele.
She defines herself as a tomboy, probably because she is fond of

sport.
In her last post, she says she cant wait to see her friends.

PRL : formuler une hypothse au prsent : modal (may,

might, must) + BV
Rvision : verbes de got + prsentation
2. Amit Thompson (C.O)

 Introduction to the listening comprehension (3 listenings +

key words)
Mise en commun
The boy is named/called Amit Thompson. He is 16 years old. He was born
in Sheffield in England but he grew up in London, a city where he moved
when he was 2. His father is English and his mother is of Indian origin.
Thats why he has a British surname and an Indian first name. He went to
Mumbai in India for the first time this summer to visit his mothers side of
the familiy. He really enjoyed his stay and thought it was an amazing
experience. He goes to/he studies at Kingsbury High School where he is
enrolled in tons of extra-curricular activities. He is a member of the
archery team and of the chess club. He won the school tournament last
year which made him very proud because some of the players were quite
talented. He is a tech addict/ He is addicted to technology. His sister calls
him a geek because he has volunteered to help other pupils in the
computer lab of his school two hours a week. He has 3 very good friends
with whom he spends most of his free time, testing new programmes on
computers or playing video games online. He doesnt play any instruments
but he creates his own music on his computer. He is really into / fond
of/keen on rock music He is also a huge fan of sci-fi movies such as Star
Wars and The Hunger Games. He is crazy about the series Star Trek. He
watches the episodes with his father, who is also a fan, at weekends. They
know all the lines by heart so sometimes they turn down the volume and
act as the characters of the series. They really have fun/ have a blast.
Do you think Amit and Fiona can become friends ? Why ?
(Opinion)
I dont think Amit can become Fionas friend as he loves computers and he
is not as sporty as she is, although he seems to be quite good at archery.
To me, Amit cant become Fionas friend because he does not seem as
outgoing as she is : he only has 3 very good friends and when they meet
they stay inside and play on their computer. He is really into sci-fi movies
and series and Fiona doesnt seem to share the same passion.

From my point of view/in my view/it seems to me that/ to my mind/, Amit

and Fiona can become friends because they both have ties to different
countries so they may be interested in travelling and meeting new people.
Who would be friend with ? (Opinion)
I think Id be Fionas friend because Im as sporty/athletic as she is/ Im
fond of sport too.
I guess Im likely to become Fionas friend because I love travelling.
Im convinced Im likely to become Fionas friend because Im a huge fan
of Adele too.
I think Im likely to be Fionas friend because Im very sociable and funloving.
I guess Im likely to be Fionas friend because Im as sociable/fun-loving
and outgoing as she is.
I dont think Id be Fionas friend because I hate sport.
I guess I wouldnt be Fionas friend because Im not as outgoing as she is.
On the contrary, Im quite shy.
I think Im more likely to become Amits friend since I love archery/playing
the chess.
I guess Im more likely to become Amits friend since Im a geek too. Just
like him, I love playing video games.
Im convinced Amit and I could become good friends since we are both
huge fans of Star wars and The Hunger Games/ Im crazy about the series
Star Trek.
I would definitely become Amits friend since Im fond of rock music too.
PRL : be likely to (probabilit 50%), conditionnel prsent
(would)

Lesson 2 : I am who I am
1. Rappel : comment poser une question => fiche poser une
question en anglais
What questions can you ask when you meet someone for the first
time ?
-

What is your name ?

How old are you ? When is your birthday ? When were you born ?
Where were you born ?
Where do you live ?
Have you got brothers and sisters ? any pets ?
What do you like doing when you have some free time ?
Do you do any sports ? Do you play an instrument ? How often do
you practise ? How long do you practise ?
What talent do you have ? What are you particularly good at ? bad
at ?
What is your favourite colour ? dish ? Tv show ? actor ? singer ?
subject at school ?
What is your best summer holiday memory ? / what is your worst
summer holiday memory ?
If you were an animal/a famous person, what animal/famous person
would you be ?
What job would like to do ?
What type of food do you like ?
What are your qualities ? faults/defects ?
What is the craziest thing youve ever done ?

2. Speed meeting (E.O)

- Meeting (fiche daide)
- Compte rendu (E.O)
Example : Ive met four different people during this speed dating session
and I think they are all very nice and friendly. It was fun to get to know
them. However, I think I would like to know Paul better as he is quite

sporty and a tech addict just like me. He spends hours surfing the web and
playing games online and I would really like to beat him in our favourite
game. Besides, he plays basketball three times a week with the local
team. He seems to quite talented. I dont play basketball but I enjoy
watching games, so I guess I could go and watch him play. We are both 15
and we both live in X. Poor Paul, he has got a little sister who seems to be
a little devil. Im glad Im an only child. The girls I spoke to are quite funloving and their questions were very original but they are girls and I must
say Im too shy to be friends with girls.
Points devant apparatre dans la trace crite :
X times a week
Adverbes de gradation
- +++++ Extremely
- ++++ Very
- +++ Quite (plutt)
- ++ Pretty/rather (assez)
- + Fairly (relativement)
- A little/a bit
- Not very
- - - Not+ adjectif+ at all
To spend time doing something
I have visited/ been to (present perfect : bilan/exprience)
Les sports + verbes
PLAY

DO

GO

Tennis

Karate

Skiing

Basketball

Yoga

Horseriding

Football

Dance

Hiking

Soccer

Athletics

Skating

Badminton

Gymnastics

Rugby
Baseball
Common points

Common points

Common points

Play is used with ball

sports and competitive

Do is used for
Go is used with activities
recreational activities and that end in ING. You go

games you play against

another person.

a non team sport. You

don't use a ball.

somewhere to do
something : fishing,
climbing, hiking,
horseridding,
snowboarding, skiing.

Verbes de got + VING

3. Poems
Study of rhythm and intonation of the poems
Study of the poems
Lesson :
The documents are poems about Luc and Juliettes personality, their
habits, their qualities and defects. The first poem entitled I am lazy and
zen is about a boy named Luc, who explains that he does not like being
active. The thing he enjoys the most is lying on his bed and doing nothing.
He particularly hates going to school and doing his homework. He is not
energetic, he seems to be rather sluggish. However, he is not a lone wolf
as he enjoys chatting with his friends. The second poem entitled Myself
is very different. Its about a girl called Juliette who seems to know who
she is. She accepts her defects and her qualities as well. She looks very
assertive since she wears what she wants and she ignores peoples stares.
She seems to be quite hopeful and enthusiastic as she always sees the
bright side of things. She must be determined, brave and hard-working
since she never gives up.
PRL : Would like + adverbes de frquence
Would like
Would like + BV : jaimerais
Adverbes de frquence

Adverbes de frquence
always

toujours

nearly (almost) always

presque toujours

usually, normally

d'habitude

very often, frequently

trs souvent

often

souvent

sometimes

parfois

occasionally

de temps en temps

hardly ever

presque jamais

rarely, seldom

rarement

never

jamais
Place de l'adverbe de frquence dans la phrase

L'adverbe se place devant un verbe conjugu sans auxiliaire

I often go to school by bus

Je vais souvent l'cole en bus

I hardly ever watch TV

Je ne regarde presque jamais la tlvision

L'adverbe se place aprs le verbe 'be'

Peter is always late

Peter est toujours en retard

We are usually here in summer

Nous sommes d'habitude ici en t

S'il y a un auxiliaire (ou modal) l'adverbe se place aprs l'auxiliaire

I have often been to London

Je suis souvent all Londres

I will never go to Mexico again

Je ne retournerai jamais au Mexique

Dans les formes ngatives l'adverbe se place aprs la ngation

Peter does not usually get up before eight D'habitude Peter ne se lve pas avant huit heures

Exercice : les adverbes de frquence

I go to the cinema (often) => .................................................................................

I have been to Australia (never) => .

She does her homework (usually) =>

She is polite (always) => ..

Melanie does not wear blue clothes (usually) => ..

I go to school by bus (occasionally) => ..

I watch TV after school (frequently) => ..

John and Paul are late (rarely) =>

I have been to Paris (often) => .................................................................................

I cook Chinese food (hardly ever) => .

Lisa helps her sister to do her homework (sometimes) =>

Patrick does not drink beer (usually) =>

We go to England in summer (nearly always) =>

.................................................................................................................................

Homework : exercise (adverbs)

Lesson 3 : Meet Marianne

Play with words (travail sur le lexique)
Visionnage de la vido : react
Summary : Marianne created a very nice video clip with her I am
poem. The pictures illustrate what she says very well and really give us
a feel of her personality. After watching the video, we get the
impression that we know her, that she could be our friend. She seems
to be a fun-loving and sociable girl.

Second visionnage de la vido : prparation de la tche

finale (vido exemple)

Tches possibles : pome illustr en vido, pome lu et

illustr en version papier (P.O)

Lesson 4 : Selfies
A. Discussion about selfies (E.O)
1. Discuss the idea conveyed by the cartoon (document 1)
The cartoon deals with the idea of the evolution of photo taking. In the
1990s, people already took group pictures but someone needed to take
the photo. In the 2000 s, it was the same but we can see that people
strike the pose and arrange/set up the shot. In the 2010s, people became
able to take pictures of themselves. Finally, in 2015, people use a selfie
stick to take picture of themselves. It has become normal to take selfies.
2. Compare doc 2 and 3. Discuss what these families want to tell
us and how.
Document 2 is a painting entitled The Gravenor Family by Thomas
Gainsborough (1754). It depicts a wealthy family before trees. Its a family
portrait emphasizing family unity, social status and financial success.
Document 3 is a Obamas family portrait. There is no need for words to
see they are happy together.
3. Look at documents 4, 5 and 6. Exchange your views on the
meaning of the selfie.
Selfies tell the stories of our lives. Pictures are powerful expressions of our
feelings. When we post selfies on a social network, we want to show who
we are and how we feel. Its like a patchwork of the most important times
of our life.
4. Discuss your own experience.
Do you take selfies ? What type of pictures do you take ? How
often ? In which occasion ?
What do you do with your pictures ? Do you share them ? Where ?
With whom ?
Why do you take selfies ? Do you like seeing your friends' selfies ?
Why ?
We all take pictures for special occasions like birthdays, weddings and
family reunions. Most of us take pictures when you go on a holiday, when
you hang out with your friends. Some of us take pictures every dayto
share their feelings and things they see and make them react. We usually

use our smartphones because they are easier to carry around and they are
much faster than a camera. We usually dont have our photos printed
because it takes too long and we wouldnt know which one to choose. We
sometimes print our photos to frame them especially and friends portraits.
Summary : This set of documents tackles the idea of evolution of photo
taking. It points out that people have always taken pictures of themselves.
Portraits can be used to show family unity, friendship, social status,
financial success or to share a moment or emotion. Selfies tell the stories
of our lives. Pictures are powerful expressions of our feelings. When we
post selfies on a social network, we want to show who we are and how we
feel. Its like a patchwork of the most important times of our life.
B. The birth of the selfie (C.O)
1. Negative view of the selfie
Human civilization is going to be destroyed because of the selfie. The
author compares the selfie-takers with zombies since he probably thinks
they have no brain. They just take pictures of themselves to be
fashionable.
2. Positive view of the selfie
For a New York Magazine's critic, selfie is a new genre of art, which is quite
rare.
3. Evolution of the selfie
Time ?

Who ?

What ?

Prehistory

Cavemen

They painted their hands with

red pigment.

Renaissance

Parmigianino

He painted a self-portrait as if he
was holding a smartphone

Just after the

invention of
photography in
1839

Robert Cornelius

He took the first selfie of History.

Amateur chemist from

Philadelphia

He had to stay still for one

minute to take this picture.

1920

5 men from New York

They perfected the modern

selfie.
They were two people to hold
the camera

It was not fashionable because

too complicated.
4. Why is it so popular now ?
The selfie is a human evolution made thanks to technological evolution.
People couldnt express their narcissism/personality so easily before the
rise of the social networks.
Written summary :
This document is an article entitled The rise of the selfie from Today in
English. It tackles the phenomenon of the selfie, that is to say the fact to
take a picture of oneself. The article recounts the evolution of the selfie
through History. It explains the selfie has always existed. Firstly, cavemen
depicted themselves by leaving colored prints of their hands. Later on, in
the Renaissance, an Italian artist named Parmigianino painted a selfportrait entitled Self-portrait in a convex mirror . This painting is
stunning since it gives the impression the artist took a picture of himself.
Three centuries later, in 1839, photography was invented by Daguerre.
Just after that, Robert Cornelius took the first photograph self-portrait of
History. Afterwards, in 1920, five New-Yorkers took the first group selfie.
They heralded the rise of the modern selfie. At the time, taking selfies was
not popular because taking photographs was long and complicated
whereas nowadays it has become easy and instantaneous. As a
conclusion, we can say the rise of the selfie is deeply related to the
evolution of technology including the improvements in the use of a camera
and the rise of the Internet.
C. C.E Selfie : the new autobiography ? & The selfie's
screaming narcissism masks an urge to connect
Document 1 : Selfie, the new autobiography ?
1. Introduce the document :
This document is an article entitled Selfie, the new autobiography . It
was written by Getchen McCulloch and published in The Independent on
April 2, 2014. It tackles the topic of the selfies. The author wonders if the
selfie is a modern form of autobiography.
2.
-

Definitions of the selfie

A photo taken by and of oneself
Photo of the camera-owner, probably to be posted on social media
A selfie doesnt have to be photographic, social-media version of a
self-portrait. Its the portrait of the person who commissioned the
painting.

3. Your own definition of the selfie

4. New phenomenon ?
No, its not a new phenomenon since Henry VIII commissioned a selfportrait in the 16th century. He wanted to show his power to his
potential enemies.
5. Meaning of the extended meaning of the selfie ?
Taking a selfie is similar to writing an autobiography. You include a
description of yourself but also your family and your friends. A selfie
tells a story about yourself.
Written summary :
This document is an article entitled Selfie, the new autobiography . It
was written by Getchen McCulloch and published in The Independent on
April 2, 2014. It tackles the topic of the selfies. The author wonders if the
selfie is a modern form of autobiography. Some people consider a selfie is
a photo taken by and of oneself while others think a selfie is just the photo
of the camera-owner even if its taking by someone else. As far as Im
concerned, I think a selfie is a photo of oneself, taken by oneself and to be
posted on social media. This article shows that the phenomenon of taking
selfies is not new. King Henry VIII commissioned portraits of himself to
show his power. Finally, the article draws a parallel between selfies and
autobiographies since selfies tell stories about ourselves.
Document 2 : The selfies screaming narcissism masks an urge to
connect
1. Introduce the document : This document is a press article entitled
The Selfie's screaming narcissism masks an urge to connect . It
was written by Jonathan Freedland and published in the Guardian in
November 2013. The article deals with the phenomenon of the
selfie. It questions the rise of the selfie in relationship with the idea
of narcissism. The journalist calls the interest of the selfie into
question. He also wonders about the link between a generation and
the selfie. Finally, he raises the issue of social relationships.
2. Say what the selfie is a symbol of : The selfie is a symbol of the
me generation and of narcissism.
3. Reference to the doomed figure of ancient myth : It refers
to the myth of Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection in
the water. J.F refers to it because Narcissus is the emblem of
narcissism.
4. Link selfie and selfish : The words selfie and
selfish have the same basis self . If you add the suffix ish ,
selfie becomes selfish . The idea of selfishness is close to
narcissism. Posting self-portraits is viewed as narcissism.

5. Reproaches : He thinks posting selfies is a form of narcissism and

superficiality. He also reproaches them to be disrespectful. They only
think of taking selfies and dont respect places or people.
6. New phenomenon ? No, people have always depict themselves.
Before the invention of photography, people painted, carved clay.
7. Peoples needs and desires : It reveals peoples need to connect
with others.
Written summary :
This document is a press article entitled The Selfie's screaming
narcissism masks an urge to connect . It was written by Jonathan
Freedland and published in the Guardian in November 2013. The article
deals with the phenomenon of the selfie. It questions the rise of the selfie
in relationship with the idea of narcissism. The journalist calls the interest
of the selfie into question. He also wonders about the link between a
generation and the selfie. Finally, he raises the issue of social
relationships.
The word selfie comes from self and shares with the word selfcentered , selfish , and selfishness the idea that some people are
concerned only with themselves (egotistic)
The author says that the selfie is about how people look and not about the
contents of their characters. Doing selfies is only about appearance
because people who do selfies take pictures of themselves, post them on a
social network and wait for the approval or the disapproval of people
through their comments. This phenomenon has become so superficial that
many people even take pictures of ther haircut the day of a funeral. As a
consequence, we can say that appearance prevails over intimacy.
The article claims that selfies are fashionable because those self-portraits
are the reflection of a nice moment that people want to capture and share
with no consequences.
Men have always depicted themselves. Even prehistoric men depicted
their lives in caves. The selfie is no more than a modern depiction of the
self. It has probably become a phenomenon because new technologies
have made the selfie easier.
The article draws our attention to the fact that the selfie is made for being
transmitted through social networks in order to be seen by others. So this
phenomenon reveals that people need social relationships. This article
makes us become aware that this intensification of the self is in fact a
desperate call for being with the others/ for not being alone.

Evaluation C.O : Digital memories

Evaluation C.E
Evaluation P.E : Fill in a social network page and post on your blog
a short article to talk about selfies (150/200 words)