Activity+5+-+First+Version+-+Collaborative+Writing

= **To read my comments go to "Discussion" (Valéria)** =

Gilma:Black Renata: blue Paula: Red Luciane: green

WRITING WEB NEWS COLLABORATION Attention: Class work à Pre-writing and planning your writing PRE-WRITING (group discussion) 1. Choosing the topic of your news. What is a topic you and your group would like to write about? (Think about some topics of interest). Or what is something you are curious to know about? (You may think about local events too, e.g. at UFMG or Faculdade de Letras, in your neighborhood/town/city, etc). **Our group chose to discuss about the Minas Gerais teacher’ strike that has been running over 40 days.** Research about the topic you chose.

2. Is there any recent news about it? **Yes. At http://noticias.r7.com**

3. Brainstorm about the topic. What would be interesting to write about in your piece of news? **The reasons – what the teachers are demanding – consequences to studentes, teachers, state, society, -**

4. Is it possible for you to interview anyone who could talk about the topic you’ve chosen? **Yes. We can try to interview teachers, union, parents.**

PLANNING YOUR WRITING (group work) 1. Who is your group writing to? (Who is going to read the news? What kind of readers would be interested in reading it?) **We are writing to society, in general, since this is a subject that interests everybody.** 2. Make a general outline while planning your news. Don`t forget to choose a catchy headline (the title of a newspaper story that is printed in large letters) and lead (further information that expands the headline).

News = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =STRIKE STRIKES BH = = =  **TEACHERS’ STRIKE IN BRAZIL ** Tuesday, June1, 2010.

 The  **STRIKE STRIKES BH**  Teachers' strike in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil was featured in leading newspapers of the state and country. In addition to salary, teachers demanded better working conditions and the incorporation of the bonuses in the gross salary.  The subject is controversial, because most parents and students in Brazil do not agree with the strike. In European countries, parents, students and community unite for teachers in search of better education conditions, maybe that's why the European education system is ahead of the brazilian one.

The fact is that the teachers’strike in Minas Gerais lasted on average 40 days and little has been achieved. Classes returned last Thursday, May 27 and students have been warned that they will have to compensate for the days off on Saturdays, holidays and school holidays, which left many students angry:

 "We had no holiday right now so ...", says Fernanda Silva, a student from 4th grade of elementary education at a state school in Belo Horizonte. The missed classes realy have to be compensated, because the students are not responsible for the strike and many of them need this classes to prepare themselves to Vestibular e ENEM. On the other hand, some teachers say that the strike had a positive balance: "Our movement was important, we showed to society that we are dissatisfied with working conditions and the terrible wages paid to teachers in the state, moreover, that we days off were not cut, "says Polyanna, an English teacher of 8th grade.

Also according to Rosa Helena who is teacher of the School José Antonio Pessoa in Ribeirão das Neves the wage informed by the governor does not correspond to reality and therefore she released her paycheck to prove it. The governor stuck a spreadsheet with the salaries of school employees to prove to people that the strike was unjust. Thus, she stuck her paycheck next to the spreadsheet to prove that the wages reported by the governor did not match reality.

The government  committed  not to cut wages and do not demit teachers. "Teachers will continue mobilized awaiting the results of government commitments," said Beatriz Cerqueira (Sind-ute).

This strike brings up an old debate: the depreciation  of the   brazilian educational system . It can draw a conclusion: How can a country that treats its educators with so much disrespect become a first world nation?  What we know is that the strike is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Then, whether some like it or not, it will continue to  exist until  the educational conditions in Brazil are improved . For more information acess the link or watching videos:

The teachers'strike in Brazil

news
 * interview ||