fromvikingstock
Member
What's your favorite word lesson?
Does any one of Marina's lessons stand out in your mind as especially good?
What lesson is it, and why is it important to you? Did you learn something?
What did you learn and how have you used it? Maybe you just liked the lesson and you'll learn something from it later. That's OK. Why did you like it?
btw: You can have more than one favorite, but not at the same time.
fromvikingstock
Member
I like The Fifth Element for a number of reasons.
It reminded me of things I learned long ago and forgot, and it taught me some new things. I always knew there were 4 elements: Earth, air fire and water. That's what the world is made of. But this video taught me what stars are made of.
Take a second look at The Fifth Element, and see what I mean.
fromvikingstock
Member
Here's another reason why I like The Fifth Element:
This lesson generated an interesting review in New York Times Magazine by a media critic named Virginia Heffernan. The review was less than kind.
One person who commented on that review was HotForWords own TA, Pedantic Karl.
Together, these three events (Lesson, review, commentary) comprise a three-stroke volley, like a point in tennis. Let's see how it goes:
1. Marina serves up a video called The Fifth Element
Click this link to see the video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hs-euGPE-FY
2. Virginia Heffernan returns with a wicked backhand review on her blog.
Click this link to read the review:
http://themedium.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/sexicon/
3. Pedantic Karl steps in and returns the ball to Virginia's court. And it never came back. Point HotForWords! Game, set and match.
(Scroll down in Virginia's blog to see Karl's comment.)
OK, now for the Quintessential part: Until I read this well put come-back. I was accustomed to reading Karl as the supporting and positive person who shows up next to the Queen's Knight chess piece in the forums and comment streams on the hfw site. His retort to Virginia broadened my view. In case you don't know it yet, PedanticKarl is a force to be reckoned with. In my opinion, Karl is at his best when he's being helpful with students and supportive with colleagues. But Karl has another side and you will feel his wrath if you ever offend Marina. This was an important lesson for me, as I can be somewhat abrasive despite my good intentions.
So, as a newcomer to HotForWords I learned more than vocabulary from The Fifth Element. I learned something about social interaction among dedicated people who share a common vision and mutual respect.
That's what stars are made of.
Greatest Potential
Member
"Hello"
file under "favorite lesson" 
http://www.hotforwords.com/forums/topic/favorite-hotforwords-lesson
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