Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Jane Eyre

Hi everyone,

Here you have a reading extension to Jane Eyre.
You will find more detailed information about the author, the time when the book was written, some facts about the implications of the book at the time, etc.

I am sure you will enjoy this book much more if you step forward into a more detailed reading and analysis.

You can write here or by email your comments on the topics for discussion that you will find on the last page.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Fourteenth week

Hello everyone,

Last week we learnt many things:

- We read about and listened to travelling experiences
- We learnt new comparative structures like "The sooner the better" or "The more money you earn, the more money you need".
- We learnt to stress compound nouns like speed limit, or parking fine(the stress is on the first word)
- We spoke about dangerous things that people usually do while driving.
- We did some vocabulary activities related to transport and travel (although we did not have enough time to check it).
- We wrote a rough draft of a for and against essay about "Online Shopping" to learn how to do it and went through the four sheets of handout 21.

For homework, you have to do the activities in handout 21 and give them to me after Christmas.

You also have handout 22 to practice comparative structures.
You can practice speaking saying your opinion about the statements at the end of unit 2C.

The writing activity in unit 2 in your book is about a Narrative text. It will be a good idea if you do those activities and analyse the structure of the narrative text: introduction, background, problem, resolution (and in this case, there is no conclusion).

You also have two pages of revision at the end of unit two

Don't forget to revise as much as you can for the exams on the 14th and 18th of January.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Thirteenth week

Hello everyone,

Last Thursday Loli was talking about India, explaining the socioeconomic problems in that country. Thanks a lot Loli!

We were revising Present Perfect Continuous and we learnt "strong" adjectives: filty, great, starving... etc. Click here to download a crossword on extreme adjectives.


We were also revising comparatives and superlatives. We did the speaking activity on page 30 (exercise c) and we learnt some new comparative structures, like "The sooner the better", "The more I know her, the more I like her", "Things are getting better and better", etc. Here you have the key to handout 20. This is all new for you, so do not hesitate to ask in class next Tuesday if you have any problem.

For homework, you had to finish handouts 19 and 20 and read the text and do the exercises on pages 28 and 29.

I hope more people give me the formal email to a health magazine next week (or send it by email), and do not forget to complete your workbooks!

This is the program for our Christmas Party on the 21st and 22nd of December. I hope you all come:

Christmas hamper draw: 17.30
Gastronomic contest 17.45-19.00 (Prize to the best recipy will be given at 18.00)
Karaoke 19.00-20.30 (Prize to the best singer at 20.30)

See you in a couple of days!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

This week we have been revising Present Perfect Simple, Continuous, and Simple Past.
We were also talking about how misleading translations from Spanish can be.
We did a listening activity about a news bulletin, and another about a woman who took a year out in Beirut. I think they were quite easy!!

Here you have a bbbeeeeaaauuuuutiful song which contains the present perfect continuous:




We also talked about recent activities which we have been doing and for how long.
We learnt the differences between for and during (we will practice more about this next week).

We gave our opinions about some "myths" related to money.
We learnt to stress certain words in a sentence (content words) to emphasize them.

And now... homework for next Thursday:
- Grammar on page 133
- Reading on page 26
- Update the Workbook
- Write an email to a health magazine. This is your problem: "I am stressed, I suffer from anxiety and I spend too much money" .

Don't forget to take into accout the structure and register of formal emails.

Paragraph 1. Introduction: who you are and what your problem is.

Paragraph 2: Your background: your habits so far.

Paragraph 3: What you want to get, how you would like to change.

Paragraph 4: Conclusion and asking for advice.


Here you have a list of Health Magazines in case you want to have a look. Some of them even include podcasts.
http://www.world-newspapers.com/health.html



Changing topic, on Saturday night Antena 3 is broadcasing Jane Eyre. It would be a good idea if you can watch or record it so that you can compare it with the book later!!

Don't forget to use your TDT option to watch it in English. You can add Spanish Subtitles on teletext page 888.

Have a nice bank holiday!!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Eleventh Week

Hello everyone,

Last week we talked with Verónica about Sunbeds. Here you have a link to the activity.

We were also talking about Violence Against Women, analysing its causes, proposing solutions and giving our opinions. Thank you everybody for your contributions.

We also checked the reading on page 22 in your book and were talking about the possibility of living without money.

On Thursday, we did a Listening Test (which was a bit complicated, I know), we learnt some complicated numbers and figures and WE CELEBRATED THANKSGIVING!! Thank you, Taran, for your explanations and everything. It was a pity we had some technical problems, but in the end I think we had a good time together.

Here you have a video that Taran wanted to show. It is from the film the Addam's Family Values, and it shows a play about Thanksgiving.



Here you have the script in case you don't understand something:

Amanda/Sarah Miller: I am so glad we invited the Chippewas to join us for our holiday meal. Remember, these savages are our guests.
Amanda/Sarah Miller: We must not be surprised at any of their strange customs. After all, they have not had our advantages, such as fine schools, libraries full of books, shampoo…
Wednesday/Pocahontas:: How! I am Pocahontas, a Chippewa maiden.
Mr. Buckman: An Indian.
Mrs. Buckman: Enough said.
Joel/Running Bear: And I am Running Bear, betrothed to Pocahontas. Only in the play.
Stella: Twenty grand for summer camp, he’s Mr. Woo-woo.
Wednesday/Pocahontas:: We have brought a special gift for this holiday feast.
Pugsley/Turkey:: I am a turkey. Kill me!
Amanda/Sarah Miller: What a thoughtful gift! Why, you are as civilized as we, except we wear shoes and have last names.
Amanda/Sarah Miller: Welcome, to our table, our new primitive friends!
Wednesday/Pocahontas:: Thank you, Sarah Miller! You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Your hair is the color of the sun, your skin is the color of fresh milk, and everyone loves you.
Amanda/Sarah Miller: Stop! Sit!
Wednesday/Pocahontas (losing her smile and suddenly changing to her old voice): Wait.
Amanda: What?
Wednesday/Pocahontas:: We cannot break bread with you.
Amanda: Huh? Becky, what’s going on?
Becky (whispering): Wednesday!
Wednesday/Pocahontas:: You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now, my people will be forced to live in mobile homes on reservations. Your people will wear cardigans and drink highballs. We will sell our bracelets by the roadsides. You will play golf, and enjoy hot hors d’oeurves. My people will have pain and degradation. Your people will have stick shifts. The gods of my tribe have spoken. They have said, “Do not trust the Pilgrims – especially Sarah Miller.”
Amanda: Gary, she’s changing the words.
Wednesday/Pocahontas:: And for all these reasons, I have decided to scalp you, and burn your village to the ground.
The Indians yell battle cries, and two on each side swing down on ropes. They grab Amanda while the others run around stage, setting fire to the Pilgrim houses.
Becky: Children! Campers!
Gary: Stop it! You’re destroying my text!
They pay no attention. They continue to burn houses, shooting flaming arrows into the roofs. The parents look at each other, wondering what’s going on. The Indians tie Amanda to a stake. In the audience, Joel’s parents discuss him.




My special thanks to Tíscar, whose pie was delicious. Tíscar, you are an extraordinary cook!

As homework, you have to continue studying the Present Perfect Tense with handouts 15 and 16 and with the activities in unit 2A in the workbook. You can also do the activities on page 133 (2A). Try to write your own rules which explain the difference between present perfect and past simple tenses.

See you on Tuesday!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Tenth week

Hi there again,

Last week we were revising quantifiers.We were talking about ways to improve our city, and we made four different political parties in class. You made political campaings. Congratulations to Auxi and Verónica, who will be excellent mayoresses. They promised to soundproof all pubs and bars in the city among other measures.

We finished unit 5A, so now you can finish all the activities in the workbook.
We also started unit 2A in the book. We revised vocabulary related to money as well as the phonetic transcriptions of some words (Book, page 147).

We introduced the differences between the Present Perfect Tense and the Past Simple tense.

Homework: - handouts 15 and 16 to practise present perfect.
- reading on page 22.

Next week, on Thursday, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. If you like history, here you can read about the origins of this celebration at the beginning of the 17th century. It is about the relationship between the Puritans and the native Americans. I recommend you to read it, as it is quite interesting!

See you in class next Tuesday!

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Hi everyone,

Next Wednesday we celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Here you have a listening activity related to this topic.




Sunday, November 15, 2009

Ninth week



Hi everyone,

This week we revised personality adjectives with Taran, and we studied quantifiers. How are you getting on with them?

Here you have the key to handout 14 and Revise and Check Unit 1 (the green pages (18-19) in the book.

You have a quiz on quantifiers here.

For homework, you had to do handout 14, pages 18 and 19 in the book, and exercises in the workbook related to quantifiers (Unit 5A)

See you in class!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Eighth week

Hello everyone,

Last week we learnt many things!!

-How to refer to the future: arrangements, intentions, predictions (with or without evidence), decisions (instant or planned), promises, offers, suggestions.... That's a lot! So congratulations; you did very well.

- Personality adjectives. Try this quiz!! You will listen to a definition, for example: "A person who is quick at learning new things", and you have to choose one of three adjectives.

Here you will find a useful activity about synonyms related to this topic.

- We also learnt reflexive pronouns and reciprocal pronouns.

You have several handouts as homework: Handout 12 and 13; finishing unit 1C in the workbook and preparing a monologue: you will speak about two members in your family next Tuesday.

Watch this video "We are family" by Sister Sledge and do the activity in handout 13. It is a very special live performance:


Here you have the key to handout 13


We also spoke about "Bonfire Night", which is celebrated every 5th of November. Lewes is a town in England which is famous for this celebration. You can watch here what happened in that city last Thursday while we were in class. (How jealous!!!)

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Listening UFOs and November the 5th

Hi there!

You can listen to a story which happened to a girl called Sue.
Download the activities here.

You can listen to the conversation here.



Would you like to learn more about what happened on the 5th of November 1605?
Click here and listen to the complete story. You can also download the script and do a quiz. Come on, try it!

Seventh week HALLOWEEEEEEN!!

Hi everyone,

This week we met Taran, our language assistant this year. Welcome Taran!
I am sure we will learn a lot with him.

We also solved questions related to time clauses and we talked about our past habits using "used to" and "would"

On Thursday, we celebrated Halloween.

Here you have the video that we watched in class:



And this is the spooky story that we were working on in class. You had to tell that story in the five steps/paragraphs, using sequencing adverbs, the past tenses, and including descriptions and dialogues.



Thanks to Paco and Miguel who did a great job. We enjoyed your story very much!


And here you have "This is Halloween", one of my favourite songs about Halloween



Don't forget to revise the future, vocabulary about personality and the family.

See you on Tuesday!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Halloween

Hello everyone,

Halloween is round the corner!! What would you like to do in class? Maybe you could write some suggestions here!

As we are learning how to tell stories, I think that it could be a good idea if you prepared a scary story to tell the rest of the class.

Watch this Simpsons episode! It is quite funny!
Maybe you will need to know these words:
- light switch
- breathing
- crafty
- sucking
- shivering
- footsteps




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

For extension, you can visit these websites:
Celtic traditions related to Halloween
Halloween: History Channel. With videos, quizzes, texts, etc.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Sixth week

Hi there,

Did you enjoy our classes last week?

We were revising past tenses, we were learning about the structure of narrative texts and I gave you some hints to write argumentative texts. Don't forget to write your compositions and your opinions.

We also learnt how to use "Time clauses" with a preposition and a gerund , as well as how to speak about habits in the past with "used to" and "would", to be both aspects included in your compositions.

Thanks to Tíscar, Verónica, Juan and Loli, who told us some jockes and gave us some information about a sportsperson.

We also chose our students representatives! I know you two will do your best!

Don't forget your homework (Time clauses, workbook 1B, and compositions), try to practice as much as you can, and next week we will start learning the future.

Here you have the key to handout 9 (past tenses and articles)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

More idioms related to sport

Hello, everyone

I found some more wonderful lessons on idioms.

I hope you enjoy them!!



I warn you: in this one, the teacher looses his teeth!



lol... Come on, just use them in your colloquial conversations! It will be fun.

Fifth week

Hello everyone,

How is it going?

Last week we were revising the different ways to convey past actions adn the use of the article "the". We were also talking about football and hinted ways to improve our narrations and our opinion essays. In phonetics, we learnt how to produce and identify the vowel sounds in "horse" and "bird". I think you should practice saying them in different sentences.

Next week we will improve these two types of texts, we will continue talking about sport (you had to do the exercises on Vocabulary and Reading in unit 1B, don't forget to do that. We will also start speaking about the future using vocabulary related to families.

Here you have some more exercises on sports so that you can widen your knowledge and vocabulay about them.

Football
Answers to "Football"

Tennis
Answers to "Tennis"
Tennis" Glossary

Monday, October 12, 2009

Dangerous situations

Hello again everyone,

As we are going to start talking about sports and past anecdotes, here you have a vocabulary and listening activity which my colleague Laura Jiménez has selected for her students. I thought it would be a nice activity for you too.



You can download the document and key with transcript here
Sports

Good luck!

Fourth week

Hello everyone,

Last week we continued talking about food, but this time we included a restaurant situation. Do not forget to revise the typical expressions in a restaurant.

We also learnt some aspects about the use of articles and we advanced some grammatical uses of the past simple, continuous and perfect. You can do the activities on page 130 in your student book.

Here you have some extension on the uses of the past perfect with activities.

As for homework, you have to finish unit 1A in the workbook, and handouts 5 and 6. You can ask any questions in class. You also have to revise the speaking activity on page 7 in the book.

See you in class!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Fruit and Vegetable Idioms

Hello everyone,

Here you have a funny video to learn some idioms which include fruit names. Think about how you would say these expressions in your mother tongue.





And now, vegetable idioms:



After you watch them, if there is anything you don't quite understand, here you have the script to fruit idioms and the one to vegetable idioms.

I hope you enjoy them!

Third week

Hi there,

This week we have been talking about food...(yummm) and our linguistic focus was on phonetic transcriptions and on the present simple and continuous.

We also met our language assistant, Paul, who showed us what Afternoon Tea is.

As for homework, you can click on the numbers to get the key to handouts 2 and 3.


Here you have an
extra reading activity to practice True/False sentences. Thanks to my colleague Laura Jiménez, who recommended it.

See you in class!



Saturday, September 26, 2009

Podcasts

Hi there!

Our classmate Tíscar recommended this website in class:
http://www.listen-to-english.com/?cat=podcasts

You can either subscribe so that they will send you podcasts with exercises to your email or you can simply visit periodically that website and practice listening, reading, writing and even speaking if you try to do activities orally.

It will be quite useful for you, I am sure.
Thank you Tíscar!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Welcome everyone

Hello!!!

A new course has just started, new students, old friends... We are at intermediate level, so congratulations and let's get started!!!

After all the introductions, greetings and "I've heard a lot about you", a new relationship between Mark and Alli..., descriptions, and a couple of more exercises, our next step will be talking about FOOD and DIET.

You have handout 2 to learn more vocabulary, but do not forget to look up the words in the dictionary to check pronunciation. I will upload the key here next week.

You can have a look at these websites about food and check pronunciation. It is American English, so some lexicon might be different and of course, you will notice some changes in pronunciation:


Fruit
Vegetables
Food
Food 2

Have a nice weekend!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

September tests

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a nice summer.

I just wanted to remind you of the dates for the tests in September. The written parts will be on the first of September at seven o'clock in the afternoon, room 7.
You can check that information at the school web site in "Novedades", or by clicking here.

The oral exams will be on the second and third of September. This is the document that I published at the door of room 7, where you can check the exact date and time when you should come.

Good luck for everyone!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Last keys and... HOLIDAYS!!

Hello everyone,

We have finished our course now.It has really been a great teaching experience for me and I have met really nice people, so thank you everyone. I hope we can work together next year too!

Here you have some recommendations for the summer, as some of you asked:

To read, I think the best thing you can do is to have a look at this site and click on READERS CATALOGUE on the left. There you can choose any level (I recommend you start reading INTERMEDIATE), and once you have chosen your level, you can also click on any book to read a brief summary and check that you like it.

So here is the link: http://www.macmillanenglish.com/readers/resources.htm

I also like this site: http://www.blackcat.vicensvives.es/ . It is the same editor as Sherlock Holmes' Stories that you have already read.

I hope this is useful...

If you want to practice Grammar, I specially like R. Murphy's English Grammar in Use (with answers). The editor is Cambridge.

There is a similar one on Vocabulary (Redman's English Vocabulary in Use) by Cambridge as well.

Intermediate English Practice (MacMillan) is also very good, and it contains both vocabulary units and grammar units.

They are very complete reference and self-study books. Sometimes I chose some handouts from them as homework for you.

By the way! Here you have the key to our last handout on -ing and -ed adjectives.


Good luck with the exams. The grades will be published on the school notice board on Monday 22nd of June at 16.00.

Well, that's all from me by now.

Have a nice holiday and I hope to see you next October!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Caaalm down


Hello everyone,

First of all,... don't get nervous. The final tests won't be so difficult and I am sure you will do very well.

Last week we were learning the passive voice and revising the present perfect tense. Don't forget to practice with the exercises in the workbook and with the handouts.

Here you have the key to handout 29 and to handout 30.

Next week we will focus on your questions and we will practice speaking mainly.

See you in class!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Last week


Hello everyone...

Last week we were revising conditionals and we also learnt how to agree and disagree with someone using "Neither (do) I" and "So (do) I".

You can practice here and also here.
We also learnt in 2nd H how to use may/might, but we will revise it next week.

You should practise as much as you can doing the activities in the workbook and the reading activities in the book that are left.

See you on Monday/Tuesday!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Two songs using the second conditional

Hello everyone,

As I promised, here you have two more songs using the second conditional structure. There are plenty of them, as imaginary situations are a very apt topic to write a song, imagining a better world, something we wish...

The first one is Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven. Wikipedia says:

"Tears in Heaven" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain he felt following the 20 March 1991 death of his four-year-old son, Conor, who fell out of a 53rd-story window in his Mother's [Lori] New York City condominium. By all accounts, the death was simply a tragic accident, and Clapton was distraught for months afterwards. This song is one of Clapton's most successful, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S. The song also spent three weeks at #1 on the American adult contemporary chart in 1992.



The second song, I must confess, is one of my favourites. It is Alanis Morissette's Utopia. Please, read the lyrics and think about them... the message is so deep. She is imagining a "Utopia", a perfect world. So the song pre-sentence should be: "If this world was a Utopia, we'd..."

Here you have some interesting facts about it:

The song was partly inspired by Morissette's experiences during her trips across the world and in particular her stay at a Navajo reservation.
Originally, the song's final pre-chorus was to repeat the lyrics from the first pre-chorus. Morissette said however, that after 9/11, she felt inspired to write another pre-chorus. Given the context of that it was written, that verse stands strongly as arguably the most moving part of the song.

In late September 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Morissette previewed "Utopia" on her website. She said she wanted the song to comfort the people who were grieving; according to her, it "sheds light on the willingness to understand" and "the passionate desire to stand up and show a self-care and self-respect."



There may be vocabulary that you don't undestand as Alanis normally uses complicated words, but I invite you to read it more slowly and think about it.

I hope you enjoy the songs!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Conditionals

Hello everyone,

Last week we were learning about the first conditional clause and introduced the second.

But I am sure what you most enjoyed was the speaking activities, didn' you?

Next week, we will be practicing the second conditional sentences, mainly by speaking and through songs.
Here you have the link to "Wouldn't it be nice", by the Beach Boys. You have an activity there, and the key is inserted in the document.

You can watch this "cheesy" video made by some "Jessica". Thanks Jessica, whoever you are.



Isn't it cheesy? :-D


Changing topic, I would like to join my workmate Gelo in his recommendation of a cine forum organised by Talking English. This month, it is dedicated to Woody Allen.
Here you have a link to his blog if you want to find more information.

See you in class!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Last week in April

Hiya!



Last week we were revising must, have to, dont' have, mustn't and should; we also learnt to use some prepositions of movement and how to write a formal e-mail (DON'T FORGET TO WRITE ONE AS HOMEWORK!!). Moreover, we started talking about the first condional as well. It is not bad, is it? ;-)



Here you have the keys to handout 23 , handout 24, and handout 26.

If you want to check the revision pages in unit 5, click here.

The Arnolfini Portrait


Hello,

Here you have an oral presentation by Antonio Martínez (2nd A). You have to download it as a Power Point presentation and you will listen to Antonio's voice explaining the portrait in full detail.


I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did in class.





Thanks a lot Antonio!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Granada

THE PLACE WHERE I LIVE


by Aída Velasco Fernández (2nd A EOI de Granada)



I live in Granada, which is a city in the south-east of Andalucía. It has a population of 260.000 people, and it’s the fourth most populated province in Andalucía.

Granada is a lovely city, it’s smart, although it has a lot of places to visit. Muslims founded Granada in the 7th century. The most famous monument in the city is La Alhambra; it’s the most visited monument in Spain. In this monument we can see La Puerta de la Justicia, El Patio de los Arrayanes, Los Jardines del Generalife…it’s wonderful. Other places to visit are El Corral del Carbón, La Capilla Real…The food isn’t a problem in this city, because there are “tapas” areas, some streets where people drink beer or “cañas”, wine or “tinto de verano” and we can eat “tapas", free food. Granada is interesting for walking around; the most interesting areas are El Albaicin, La Alcaicería, El Paseo de los Tristes…

The weather in Granada is perfect because the winter is cold and the summer is hot. The weather in Granada is hotter than in Galicia, Asturias…because Granada is in the south-east of Spain. In the winter it rains and it snows, so people can go to Sierra Nevada. The summer is very hot so people go to the beach, to Motril, Almuñecar…

Granada is famous for the Alhambra, the most famous monument in Spain. It’s famous for Albayzín district too, where houses are called “carmenes”. Sierra Nevada is very important because thousands people go there. The Semana Santa Granadina is famous too, the “penitents” are typical. People wear purple clothes and women wear “mantillas”. Granada is also famous for the “piononos”, which are small very sweet cakes and for the “tapas”.

The best thing about Granada, I think it’s its weather because this is ideal, and this gives happiness to people. And the best is that Granada has mountain, beach, a beautiful city centre; it’s a very complete city. I love living in Granada.

You gotta be

Hello everyone,

This week 2A have been focusing on obligations and prohibitions and 2H have been revising the use of the infinitive and the gerund. I hope next week we can catch 2A up!

When we were studying "have to", I mentioned this song, which can be quite illustrative. Here you have the lyrics and the video (Remember that "gotta" is the informal and short version of "have to":



Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try to keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead, release your fears
Stand up and be counted.
Don't be ashamed to cry

You gotta be
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool
You gotta be calm
You gotta stick together
All I know all I know love will save the day...

Herald what your mother said
Read the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time

Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My oh my eh eh eh ...

You gotta be...

Time asks no questions
It goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace

The world keeps on spinning
Can't stop it if you try to
The best part is danger staring you in the face

Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try to keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead, release your fears

Friday, April 17, 2009

First week after Easter




Hello everyone,

We made a good start after holidays, didn't we?

Congratulations to those who made an oral presentation: Sol, Aída, Alex, Antonio and Rafa. Very well done. I hope people next week will do as well as you did!

Well... last week we learned when to use the infinitive and the gerund. 2ºH still have to learn how to use the gerund because we missed a class on Thursday. But don't worry, we will do it next week.

Here you have more practice on infinitives and gerunds.

Here you have some more theory and practice about this topic.

And... here is the key to handout 21.


Finally... I have to mention our first Spring concert organized by the Official Language School. I missed many of you, but I hope you can come next time. It was awesome!

Monday, April 13, 2009

The last term!!!

Hello everyone,

How was Easter?

Today we are starting our last term.

Before Easter we finished unit 4. Now I would like to use our time left as best as we can, so here you have the keys to handout 20 and to the pink pages after unit 4.

Remember that if you have any question about them, you must ask in class. Don't forget to indicate in you books and handouts where you found the problems!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Our second reader




Hello everyone,

This is our second reader. I hope you can enjoy reading it!

Here you have a reading diary that you can fill in. It will help you learn more and you can send it back to me. You can repeat page two as many times as you want.

Did you know that the author of these two stories is Washington Irving, the man who also wrote Tales of the Alhambra? He knew Granada very well.

Here you can find more information about this author.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Week 23rd-26th March

Hello everyone,

This week has been a bit short because there was no class on Thursday. Only three people from 2nd H came to see the story-teller, it was a pity because we had a very good time. Thanks to Felipe, Auxi and Pablo for that. I hope you enjoyed it.

This week we were learning about superlatives, and here you have the keys to hand out 16 (4D Grammar)
We also revised comparatives, and 2nd A were learning about giving directions. Don't worry 2nd H because we will do it next week.

Very important: people from 2nd A, do not forget to bring a description of the place where you leave following the instructions on page 49 next Monday. We will be doing peer revision in class, so it is important that you bring your compositions.


You also had to finish 4D in the workbook and write the phonetic transcriptions of the irregular verbs (up to "give"), handout 19 and 20.

Have a nice weekend and see you next week.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

16th-19th March

Hello everyone,

This week we have been studying comparative forms with adjectives, nouns and adverbs.

We will continue working on that next week and we will start superlatives too.



You have to finish handouts 16, 17 and 18 (not the parts about superlatives, which you will finish next week) as well as the workbook 4C.

Here you have the
keys to handout 16 (only to unit 4C), the keys to handout 17, and to handout 18.

By the way, I have added a new link on the right: "Pronunciation online" where you can type any word and you will listen to the correct pronunciation instantly. You can try with these words: comfortable, butcher, interesting, or even with proper names. How do you pronounce "Lady Di? and Greenwich? I am sure this will be very useful!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Nouns as modifiers

Hello,

Some questions arose in class about adjective word order and nouns modifying other nouns.
Here you have a link if you want to practice how nouns can modify other nouns.
You can also practice adjective word order here.

I hope you enjoy it! ;-)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Richard Marsh, a storyteller


Hello,


Do not forget that next Thursday 26th March Richard Marsh is coming to Granada to tell us wonderful Irish stories. Here is his website in case you want to learn something more about him before Thursday.

It will be in CEP-Granada, at 17.00 for elementary studens and at 19.00 for intermediate and advanced students. You can come whenever you can, even you can attend both sessions!!


I hope to see you all there.

St. Patrick Day

YESTERDAY, 17th MARCH WAS AN IMPORTANT DAY!!



IT WAS ST. PATRICK DAY, a national holiday in Ireland and an important celebration in Canada, United States, New Zealand, Montserrat (a Caribbean island), Great Britain, Uruguay, Germany, Denmark, Moscow...




The symbol is a shamrock because the legend says that St. Patrick used that plant to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity to people in Ireland. It is also a symbol for good luck all over the world.







It is because of the shamrock that green is the Irish national color, but it is also a very common color on this date. Peope wear green, and they even dye the Chicago river!!




Hee you have a link to some videos about the history of St. Patrik day. There is an advert at first, but it is worth waiting for 10 seconds and then watch the videos.




And here is an interactive book of facts. Click on it, it is really interesting!



If you want to learn about Leprechauns and do an extra writing practice, here you have the activity. If you send it back to me, I can correct it and it could even appear published on this blog!



Monday, March 16, 2009

From the 9th to the 12th of March

Well, this week ...

We HAVE STUDIED the present perfect tense
We have ALREADY learnt to use JUST, ALREADY, YET
We have learnt how to pronounce difficult sounds like in HOUSE, YATCH, JAZZ.

Here you have the key to handout 15, about Just, Already and Yet.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

To have a little fun!

Hello everyone!

This song is popping up on TV every now and again, and well... I thought you could sing along and have some fun!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Some music

Which do you prefer?? ;-)






You can make your comments!

Present Perfect

Hello everyone,

We have started studying the present perfect tense nad we will continue this week as well.

I wanted to give you some more extra practice on that. You can click HERE to practice Present Perfect with a text about Loch Ness.

This is much easier: you have to choose between HAVE, OR HAS

HERE you can practice questions. HERE too, but with interrogative pronouns.

And something else...

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Extra listenig practice

Hello,



In this link you can find a podcast. Click HERE and you will download the activities with their key answers.



If you click HERE, you find the listening for the first activity.



HERE you have the listening for the second activity.



GOOD LUCK!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Review of tenses and "Restaurant problems"

Hello everyone,

This week we have been revising the tenses to refer to the future as well as to the past and present.

We were also studying a typical situation at the restaurant and how to cope with restaurant problems.

Don't forget to finish your writing tasks and the handouts.



















In unit 4 we will study a new tense: the present perfect tense, and the first text is about Zara. Here you can download another document with some activities to learn something more about this company and the key.

I recommend you to read it and do the exercises. If anyone wants to make a similar presentation in class, he/she is welcome.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Last week of January



We are having a cold winter, aren't we?




At last we are in the last week of January, and still working on the ways to talk about the future.


Thanks to Staci and Nicole, who helped us understand a bit more about them.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Our week and a beautiful speech

Hello,

This is what we did this week:

- We finished unit 3A, so you have to do that section in your workbooks.

- We were practicing speaking about the future: our plans and our arrangements, and we cleared a bit the mess we had about the future.

- You also have some hand-outs to complete.

Now, I want to insert here a youtube video that a friend sent to me. It has nothing to do with the future, but ... well... it has a lot to do! you will see. It is such a beautiful speech! The title is "The girl who silenced the world".


Thursday, January 15, 2009

Our first week after holidays

Hello everyone,

I think we had a good start after Christmas, so thanks a lot.
I wonder where students from 2H are. We only had 8 students today!! Where are you? Well, and I also miss some people from 2A.

This is what we did this week:

- We finished unit 2.
- We started with an introduction about the ways to speak about the future.

What you have to do:
- New writing task, following the instructions on page 25 (you know... something similar describing your favourite photo).
- Finish unit 2 in the workbook.
- Study irregular verbs.
- Revise for our test next week. (2A on Monday and 2H on Tuesday).

By the way... I added a new link in "Useful links: Resources" where you can find listening activities. You can listen to them while you read (or you also have the possibility of not looking at the text if you don't want to read!) There are also interactive activities. I recommend you to use it, I found it quite interesting.

Have a good weekend everyone. See you next week.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Questions with or without auxiliaries

Hello everyone,
Here you have some links to make interactive activities about questions with and without auxiliaries. (Or as I call them, object and subject questions respectively):

Site 1
Site 2: translations
Site 3: correcting mistakes and making questions. Not interactive, but it has its key. I found this on the web, many thanks to its author, who seems to be a partner from another EOI.

Well, I hope it is useful!

Friday, January 9, 2009

YELLOW by Coldplay

Hello again,

As I told you, this is one of my favourite songs. I have been looking for a live performance and I found two: one small, intimate in London in front of a small audience, and the other in Sydney, a big big concert with lights and everything. I could not choose the best, each is special. You will have to choose.

Here is the one in London:

And here is the one in Sydney:

Now, the lyrics:


Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow.

I came along I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow
So then I took my turn
Oh all the things I've done
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D'you know you know I love you so
You know I love you so

I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh all the things you do
Cause you were all yellow

I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D'you know
for you i bleed myself dry
For you i bleed myself dry

Its true
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine

look at the stars
look how they shine for you




And here is the one that Alex recommended (Thanks Alex)


Where do we go, nobody knows I've got a say,
I'm on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face


Where do we go to draw the line?
I've got a say, I wasted all your time,honey honey
Where do I go to fall from grace?
God put a smile upon your face, yeah


And ah, when you work it out I'm worse than you

Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
And ah, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine

Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down when
God gave you style and gave you grace
God put a smile upon your face

And ah, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I want it too
And ah, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
It's as good as mine
It's as good as mine
It's as good as mine
As good as mine
As good as mine
As good as mine
As good as mine

Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down when
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Union Jack

Hello!!!

We are back tomorrow!! We will start and/or revise unit 2D and we will go on from there.

I remember that some of you wanted to know more about the UK flag. Click here and you will find fun and easy information about it: