THEMATIC CONTENT 1 – URBANITIES

Frederick Douglass: A Biographical Sketch

ACTION ONE: Read the sample biodata and identify the components of the text and the qualities of the
nominee that makes him or her or a suitable candidate for the award.

In 1838, the primary political issue in Baltimore,

Maryland, was slavery. Frederick Douglass was a
slave in Baltimore, but he was determined not to stay
one. It was just a matter of time before he would
escape.
Frederick’s master, Hugh Auld, hired him out as a
ship caulker. One day at lunch, Frederick met Benny
— a black sailor whose ship had sailed without him.
Benny decided to stay in Baltimore. Frederick helped
him get a job in the shipyard, and the two young men
became friends. Benny introduced Frederick to fellow
members of the East Baltimore Mental Improvement
Society. Most of these young men and women were
free blacks who could read and write. Although his
master’s wife, Mrs. Sophia Auld, had taught Frederick
to read and write when he was very young, he felt self-
conscious because he was a slave. But his new
friends didn’t seem to mind that he was a slave —
especially Anna Murray.
Frederick and Anna fell in love. But he wouldn’t marry
her until he was free. On September 2, 1838,
Frederick put his escape plan into action. He dressed
in Benny’s sailor suit. Then, using Benny’s sailor’s
protection papers, Frederick boarded the train and
bought a ticket. If the conductor had examined the
papers closer, he would have realized that the person
it described looked nothing like Frederick.
The train sped through Maryland, then crossed into
Delaware, which was still a slave state. Frederick had
to be very careful. He kept telling himself to stay calm
and no look worried or frightened. In Wilmington,
Delaware, Frederick took a steamship up the
Delaware River to Philadelphia. Again, the borrowed
papers were not closely inspected! From Philadelphia,
Frederick took another train and arrived in New York
on Tuesday, September 4, 1838. Freedom! The first
thing Frederick
o Title: Frederick Douglass: A Biographical Sketch.
o person of interest: Frederick Douglass.
o historical context: In 1838, the primary political
issue in Baltimore, Maryland, was slavery.
o person’s biography: Frederick Douglass was a
slave in Baltimore, but he was determined not to
stay one. It was just a matter of time before he
would escape.
On September 2, 1838, Frederick put his escape
plan into action.
He arrived in New York on Tuesday, September 4,
1838.
Frederick Douglass died in 1895
.
o Introductory anecdote:
1. One day at lunch, Frederick met Benny — a
black sailor whose ship had sailed without him.
2. On September 2, 1838, Frederick put his
escape plan into action. He dressed in
Benny’s sailor suit. Then, using Benny’s
sailor’s protection papers, Frederick boarded
the train and bought a ticket.
o achievements, feats and/or qualities:
1. he arrived in New York on Tuesday,
September 4, 1838. Freedom!
 did was send an important message to Anna Murray.
Just as she had promised, she rushed to New York,
where she and Frederick were married immediately.
Frederick Douglass could have lived a quiet, peaceful
life in freedom, but instead he chose to take a stand
against slavery. Pro-slavery supporters accused
Douglass of being a fraud because he was too
literate,” and “too articulate.” To prove that he had
been a slave, Douglass wrote his autobiography, The
Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, giving names,
dates, and places. He also started an abolitionist
newspaper, The North Star, which was a symbol for all
runaways. Frederick Douglass died in 1895 after
spending a lifetime fighting for the complete abolition
of slavery, equal rights for women, and justice for all.
FrederickDouglass should be thewinner of the award
because his activism against slavery helped the
citizens, not only in Baltimore and New York but also
all around the United States and the world, realize their
right to be free and respected regardless of their colour
of their skin. We should be more like him and fight for
social justice when necessary.
VOCABULARY: Go back to the text Frederick Douglass: A Biographical Sketch and look up for the
underlined words and write their meaning in the lines below.
Issue: asunto- problema
Matter: problema- asunto
Hired: contratar
Caulker: calafateador
Shipyard: astillero- puerto
Fellow: compañero, colega, tipo
Taught: aprendido, adquirido
Seem: parecer
Boarded: a borded
Fighting: batalla
Regardless: independientemente
2. He and Anna Murray were married.
3. Douglass wrote his autobiography, The Life
and Times of Frederick Douglass.
4. He started an abolitionist newspaper.
o what makes this person unique: Frederick
Douglass fought for life for the complete abolition
of slavery, equal rights for women and justice for
all.
o conclusion as to why this person should win
the award: FrederickDouglass should be
thewinner of the award because his activism
against slavery helped the citizens, not only in
Baltimore and New York but also all around the
United States and the world, realize their right to
be free and respected regardless of their colour of
their skin. We should be more like him and fight
for social justice when necessary.
crossed: cruzado
kept: mantenido, guardado
worried: preocupado
steamship: buque de vapor
rushed: apresurado
supporters: seguidor
runaways: desenfrenado
spending: gastos
citizens: ciudadanos
skin: piel
borrow: pedir prestado
ACTION TWO: Write a draft of your own or a person´s biodata.

TOPIC INFORMATION

Name Cai Lun

Birth place China

Birth day AD 50

Studies/Inte rests/ Eunuch and responsible for the manufacture of instruments and weapons
of the royal family.
Occupation
Inventor of paper

Service(s) to the motivated the change of cultures and made a great contribution to the world
community

Experience that change at the age of 15 years the emperor's court was sent as eunuch
his/her life

Achievements/Feats/ He was promoted several times due to his diligence, ingenuity and
efficiency.
Qualitie s

What makes this person Cai lun is unique for his ingenuity and intelligence as an inventor
unique

Reasons for this he made one of the most useful and important inventions for man.
person to b e
acknowledged

Reasons for this person his invention facilitated the exchange of cultures, and had a great influence
to on the progress of human civilization
be important to th e
communi ty
II. Based on the information you have read, write a draft of your own or someone else’s biodata.

CAI LUN: A BIOGRPHICAL SKETCH

Cai Lun, the great inventor of paper, was born in China in AD 50. It is known that at the age of 15 he
was sent to the court of the emperor to serve as a eunuch. He was promoted several times due to his
diligence, ingenuity and efficiency and thus became the favorite of several emperors until he became a
duke.
He was in charge of the manufacture of instruments and weapons of the royal family. He also became
an expert in the manufacturing process. He was also known for the good quality of his products
Cai Lun taught the workers to use tree bark, cloth and pieces of fishing nets as raw material for making
paper. The raw materials were crushed and then immersed in water for a long time. Then, the mixtures
were made into paste, heated and spread thinly. After drying under the sun, the paste became paper
that was suitable for writing.
In the year AC 105, Cai Lun presented to the emperor the paper he made, who was pleased, and the
emperor ordered that the paper and the process of its manufacture were made around China. This is
why Cain Mon helped the development of Chinese civilization through better education, and a wider
dissemination of knowledge.
Cain dies in the year AC 121 but little is known of his death.
Although Cai Lun is little known outside of China, his invention on paper has been one of the most
important inventions in the modern world, so much so that today he is using his method of
papermaking.

LANGUAGE FOCUS
o a / stand / to / against / he / slavery / take / chose
he chose take a stand to against slavery

o look / himself / worried / kept / not / stay / telling / and / to / he / calm

he look telling himself not stay worried and to kept calm.

o you / want / ? / for / do / justice / what / to / fight / kind / of

what kind of justice do you want for to fight?

o he / fought / for / people’s / right / to / equal / treatment / and / job / opportunities

he fought for equal opportunities and right to people´s jobs
 THEMATIC CONTENT 2 - HEROES AND VILLAINS
David Bowie

ACTION ONE: Choose a person important to you and find out some biographical information about
him or her. Write a tribute speech and deliver it to your class.

i. Before watching the video: David Bowie is honoured with BRITs Icon Award | The BRIT Awards
2016, discuss with a classmate the questions in the box below. Then, share your opinion with the
group.

• Who was David Bowie?

he was a British rock musician and composer, also an actor and record producer.

• What were his accomplishments?

Among all the achievements of this artist, the most recognized are: his first success of Bowie, "Space
Oddity" of 1969, which earned him the special prize Ivor Novello for his originality and his two grammy
awards

• What is his most famous song? Why?

His most famous son gis lets dance, bacause his intellectuality and originality in each dance phrase of
his work: "put on your red shoes and dance the blues" gives this song a popular and influential voice of
dance with a unique character.

•What singer was influenced by David Bowie?

some artists of different genres and countries have declared certain influences of him in their works.
Some examples include Boy George, Groove Armada Spacehog, Buck-Tick, Lady Gaga.
II. Watch the video: David Bowie is honoured with BRITs Icon Award | The BRIT Awards 2016.
Complete the missing spaces with the words you hear from the tribute speech.

Minute 1:10
“For me, it’s almost impossible to mention Bowie’s name in the past tense. Everything
he represented as an artist was and always will be vital and incredibly present.
As a cuttingedge artistic genius , he continues to live on through his music.”

Minute 2:30
“There was no one and nothing else like him. He was truly unique. A quintessential,
Visionary , pushing the limits of his shape-shifting persona, the ultimate iconoclast:
Gracious , dangerous ,and legendary.The legacy of his extraordinary
sound and vision will be loved and revered for as long as the earth still spins.”

Minute 5:48
“‘Music has given me over 40 years of extraordinary experiences. I can’t say that life’s pains or
more tragic episodes have been diminished because of it, but it has allowed me so
many moments of companionship when I have been lonely and a sublime means of
communications when I have wanted to touch people. It has been both my doorway of
perception and the house that I live in.’”

Minute 6:23
“Overhis career, David challenged and changed our understanding ofthe medium,
whether in music or in life, he emphasised originality, experimentation, exploration, and in his
very unique way, he also reminded us to never take ourselves too seriously.

What did I understand about the video?

after I saw the video, it is clear to me that david bowie was a very important person and that he
influenced many people, helping them with their music, originality and intelligence.
DAVID BOWIE: EARLY YEARS

Known as a musical chameleon for his ever-changing appearance and sound, David Bowie
Was born (be born) David Robert Jones in Brixton, South London, England, on January
8, 1947.
David showed (show) aninterestinmusic fromanearlyage and began (begin)
playing the saxophone at age 13. He was (be) greatly influenced by his half-brother
Terry, who was (be) nine years older and exposed (expose) young David to
the worlds of rock music and beat literature.
But Terry had (have) his demons, and his mental illness, which forced
(force) the family to commit him to an institution, haunted (haunt) David for a good
deal of his life. Terry commited (commit) suicide in 1985, a tragedy that became
(become) the focal point of Bowie’s later song, “Jump They Say.”
After graduating from Bromley Technical High School at 16, David started (start)
working as a commercial artist. He also continued (continue) to play music, hooking up
with a number of bands and leading a group himself called Davy Jones and the Lower Third.
Several singles came out (come out) ofthis period, but nothing that gave (give)
the young performer the kind of commercial traction he need (need).
Out offear of being confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees, David changed (change)
his last name to Bowie, a name that was inspired (inspire) by the knife developed
(develop) by the 19th century American pioneer Jim Bowie

Eventually, Bowie went out (go out) on his own. But after recording an unsuccessful
solo album, Bowie exited (exit) the music world for a temporary period. Like so much
of his later life, these few years proved (prove) to be incredibly experimental for the
young artist. For several weeks in 1967 he lived at a Buddhist monastery in Scotland. Bowie
later started (start) his own mime troupe called (call) Feathers.
Around this time he also met (meet) the American-born Angela Barnett. The two
Married (marry) on March 20, 1970, and had (have) one son together, whom
they nicknamed (nickname) “Zowie,” in 1971, before divorcing in 1980. He is now known
by his birth name Duncan Jones

ACTION TWO: Read about a controversial person in the city or world. Identify the actions that make
him or her controversial and discuss them in class.

WHILE: POP STAR

By early 1969, Bowie had returned full time to
Released: poner en libertad
music. He signed a deal with Mercury Records
Odyssey: odisea
and that summer released the single “Space
Stoned: colocado
Oddity.” Bowie later said the song came to him
Coverage: tapar-tratar
after seeing Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space
Further: mas
Odyssey. “I went stoned out of my mind to see the
Velvet: terciopelo
movie and it really freaked me out, especially the
Claimed: afirmo
trip passage.”
Doomed: condenado
Stardust:
The song quickly resonated with the public,
Announce: anunciar
sparked in large part by the BBC’s use of the
single during its coverage of the Apollo 11 moon
landing. The song enjoyed later success in the
United States, when it was released in 1972 and
climbed to number 15 on the charts.

Bowie’s next album, The Man Who Sold the

World (1970), further catapulted him to stardom.
The record offered up a heavier rock sound than
Anything Bowie had done before and included the
song “AlltheMadmen,” abouthis institutionalized
brother, Terry. His next work, 1971’s Hunky Dory,
featured two hits:the title track that was a tribute
to Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground and
Bob Dylan; and “Changes,” which came to embody
Bowie himself.

Meet Ziggy Stardust

As Bowie’s celebrity profile increased, so did
his desire to keep fans and critics guessing. He
claimed he was gay and then introduced the pop
world to Ziggy Stardust, Bowie’s imagining of
a doomed rock star, and his backing group, The
Spiders from Mars.

His 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy

Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, made him
a superstar. Dressed in wild costumes that spoke
of some kind of wild future, Bowie, portraying
Stardust himself, signaled a new age in rock
music, one that seemed to officially announce the
end of the 1960s and the Woodstock era.

Questions:
 Where was David Bowie born? Where is he from?
David Robert Jones was born on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London, England.

 What were the kind of actions that made him an important artist in the entertainment world?
For me what made David Bowie such an important one were his innovative songs and the staging
because they brought a new dimension to the popular music of the 1970s, influencing their
immediate forms and their subsequent development.
 PRESENT PERFECT
 (I / study / French)
I have studied french
 (She / eat / octopus)
she has eaten octopus
 (They / go / to Scotland)
they have gone to scotland
 (We / read / that book)
we have read that book
 (He / live / here for three years)
he has lived here for three years
 (You / know / David for ten years)
you have known david for ten years
 (We / be / here for two weeks)
we have been here for two weeks
 (I / lose / my keys)
I have lost my keys
 (He / drink / too much coffee)
he has drunk too much coffee
 (They / miss / the train)
they have missed the train
 (She / go / to Peru)
she has gone to peru
 (We / eat / too much chocolate)
we have eaten too much chocolate
 (Lucy / cook / breakfast)
lucy has cooked breakfast
laura valentina castaño castaño
task 1