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Listen&Learn: The Future Library

28th September 2022 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • ongoing: continuing, not complete
  • acclaimed: praised for an accomplishment
  • manuscript: an unpublished text
  • century: 100 years
  • anthology: a collection of written works by different authors

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

The Future Library is an ongoing creative started by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. In 2014, Paterson began planting trees in Oslo, Norway. She planned to make this the site of a for people 100 years in the . Every year since, Paterson has asked a different acclaimed author to write a manuscript for the library. The manuscripts will be locked in glass boxes until 2114. The goal is to collect a century’s worth of and allow readers of the future to experience the changing times. Canadian author Margaret Atwood was the first person to provide a manuscript, and 6 other texts have since joined the Future Library. By the time that all 100 stories are complete, the trees in Oslo will have grown enough to become for an anthology.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. The trees for the Future Library were planted in
    a. Scotland
    b. Norway
    c. Canada
  2. Margaret Atwood was
    a. the first author to contribute
    b. the only author to contribute
    c. the most recent author to contribute
  3. The purpose of the trees is to
    a. hide the location of the manuscripts
    b. decorate the outside of the library
    c. provide paper 100 years in the future

Discussion/essay questions

  1. It is impossible to fully predict what will happen in 100 years. Do you think the project will achieve its goal? Why or why not?

Transcript

The Future Library is an ongoing creative project started by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. In 2014, Paterson began planting trees in Oslo, Norway. She planned to make this the site of a library for people 100 years in the future. Every year since, Paterson has asked a different acclaimed author to write a manuscript for the library. The manuscripts will be locked in glass boxes until 2114. The goal is to collect a century’s worth of stories and allow readers of the future to experience the changing times. Canadian author Margaret Atwood was the first person to provide a manuscript, and 6 other texts have since joined the Future Library. By the time that all 100 stories are complete, the trees in Oslo will have grown enough to become paper for an anthology.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2a 3c

Listen&Learn: The Library of Alexandria

25th August 2021 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • ancient: from the distant past
  • politician: a person who works in government
  • scroll: a roll of paper meant for writing on
  • emperor: the ruler of an empire
  • myth: a false story that is believed by many people
  • advance: to make progress

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

The Library of Alexandria was an ancient in Egypt. It was built in the third century B.C. by a former Greek politician named Demetrius of Phalerum. For years, it held up to 500,000 scrolls of about law, history, math, science and more. But at some point in history, the library was , and all of that knowledge was lost. A myth is that the library burned down in 48 B.C, when the Roman emperor Julius Caesar attacked the of Alexandria. In truth, historians still don’t know exactly what happened to the library. However, many people believe that would have advanced much faster if the scrolls had never been lost.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20538″]

Discussion/essay questions

  1. What do you think the world would be like today if the Library of Alexandria was never destroyed?

Transcript

The Library of Alexandria was an ancient library in Egypt. It was built in the third century B.C. by a former Greek politician named Demetrius of Phalerum. For years, it held up to 500,000 scrolls of writing about law, history, math, science and more. But at some point in history, the library was destroyed, and all of that knowledge was lost. A popular myth is that the library burned down in 48 B.C, when the Roman emperor Julius Caesar attacked the city of Alexandria. In truth, historians still don’t know exactly what happened to the library. However, many people believe that society would have advanced much faster if the scrolls had never been lost.

Listen&Learn: Human Libraries

30th June 2021 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • organization: a group of people who have a goal
  • diverse: including people of many different backgrounds and identities
  • volunteer: someone who offers to do something for free
  • borrow: to take something and return it later
  • stereotype: a generalized belief about a group of people
  • empathize: to understand someone’s feelings and experiences

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

In 2000, an organization in Denmark started a called “The Human Library”. This library was not meant for borrowing . Instead, visitors could “borrow” a person and to their story. The event had a diverse group of volunteers with unique to share. The Human Library’s goal was to challenge stereotypes. By meeting one-on-one, the visitors and volunteers got a chance to empathize with each other. The first event was very , and the Human Library began to travel around the world. Over 80 countries have now held Human Library events. Some countries have even built permanent Human Libraries that people can visit at any time.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20455″]

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Would you ever visit a Human Library? What do you think you could learn?

Transcript

In 2000, an organization in Denmark started a project called “The Human Library”. This library was not meant for borrowing books. Instead, visitors could “borrow” a person and listen to their story. The event had a diverse group of volunteers with unique experiences to share. The Human Library’s goal was to challenge stereotypes. By meeting one-on-one, the visitors and volunteers got a chance to empathize with each other. The first event was very successful, and the Human Library began to travel around the world. Over 80 countries have now held Human Library events. Some countries have even built permanent Human Libraries that people can visit at any time. 

Listen&Learn: The Library of Discarded Books

15th July 2020 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • sanitation worker: a person whose job is to collect garbage
  • salvage: to save something before it is damaged, lost, or thrown away
  • discard: to get rid of an unwanted item
  • resident: someone who lives in a certain area
  • donate: to give something to a fund, charity, or other public cause
  • abandoned: deserted; left alone

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

In 2017, a of sanitation workers in Ankara, Turkey began to collect books that had been thrown away. Their goal was to create a small supply of books for other to borrow from. The workers would salvage any discarded books they found while collecting garbage, in order to make sure that other people would get to read them. While this collection began as a supply for the sanitation department’s workers, the story of the discarded books was brought to the attention of the . Soon, residents of Ankara began donating their books to the sanitation department’s collection, instead of throwing them away. As the once-small book collection started to grow, the sanitation workers decided to open a public made up of unwanted books. Today, this library is located in an abandoned brick factory, where there are now chairs and tables so that people can sit and read. It contains thousands of different books, both and non-fiction. In fact, the library has become so successful that schools in Ankara now borrow books from it to use as learning materials.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19465″]

Discussion/essay questions

  1. What is the meaning of the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? How is this related to the article?

Transcript

In 2017, a group of sanitation workers in Ankara, Turkey began to collect books that had been thrown away. Their goal was to create a small supply of books for other employees to borrow from. The workers would salvage any discarded books they found while collecting garbage, in order to make sure that other people would get to read them. While this collection began as a supply for the sanitation department’s workers, the story of the discarded books was brought to the attention of the public. Soon, residents of Ankara began donating their books to the sanitation department’s collection, instead of throwing them away. As the once-small book collection started to grow, the sanitation workers decided to open a public library made up of unwanted books. Today, this library is located in an abandoned brick factory, where there are now chairs and tables so that people can sit and read. It contains thousands of different books, both fiction and non-fiction. In fact, the library has become so successful that schools in Ankara now borrow books from it to use as learning materials.