Christmas is here!!

We have closed another term. How did it end so fast? Well, Christmas is here, so I leave you with some interesting Christmas videos and links if you want to stay in touch with English over the Xmas Break.

First, read some FUN FACTS AND TRIVIA about Christmas.

Now, why don't you visit the NORTH POLE? You'll find stories, games...You can even write an email to Santa!!

What's this? WHAT'S THIS? There's magic everywhere...Discover the moment when Jack Skeleton finds Christmas Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas (Tim Burton):


Do you know the famous story by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol? We have it in our library, available for you. Here you have the trailer of the film that has recently been released:

TO ALL OF YOU, READERS AND FOLLOWERS OF THIS BLOG, MY BEST WISHES FOR THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON AND FOR THE NEW YEAR. MAY IT BRING YOU HAPPINES AND JOY, AND MAY YOUR WISHES COME TRUE.

Christmas Carols Lyrics

MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!

Writing workshop - 1 Dec 2009

Hello everyone!

Our last workshop of the year was about writing. As we have been doing so far this last month, when we have been introducing the different skills, we have seen the basic steps that should be taken when writing a text. Please find a basic outline below. Surely you'll find this extremely interesting!!

WRITING WORKSHOP Student Outline

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To support and expand this, click on the work SKILLSWISE. You'll find yourself drawn into the wonderful world of the excellent English-learning website of the BBC!!

One of the steps in this writing process is brainstorming. We cannot start writing right away. We have to dedicate some time to thinking and to coming up with ideas that afterwards will be organised into paragraphs. Sometimes, having some kind of GRAPHIC ORGANISER helps. Here you have one example:

Cluster

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And finally, we talked about punctuation, which is essential in the correct organization of our ideas in a text. Click on the words BASIC PUNCTUATION for some basic rules and practice.

Write on!!

Speaking, pronunciation and phonetics workshop - 24 nov 2009

Speaking, pronunciaton and phonetics workshop:

We introduced this workshop by playing some scenes from the film "My Fair Lady", the adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion" about a phonetics professor who bets that he can transform a girl from the gutters of Cockney-speaking London into a lady by teaching her to speak properly. It seemed only appropriate for this workshop, didn't it? Please take time to watch the following videos:

We also talked about the SPEECH ORGANS involved in the process of producing sounds of speech:

And we recommended some books to work phonetics at home:

We also had a look at the phonetics resources on this same blog. TAKE SOME TIME TO CHECK THE BAR ON THE RIGHT!! There you'll find interesting websites to practise your phonetics and pronunciation!!

Enjoy!!

Christmas Party 2009 - PLEASE JOIN US!!

Dear students,

Christmas is coming, so why don't we celebrate it together, while we have something to eat and drink, and have some fun?

PLEASE JOIN US NEXT THURSDAY 17 AT 7 P.M. AT THE SCHOOL.

There will be activities, Christmas carol singing and more...

Remember that THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE PARTY IS...YOU. Don't miss it!!

Cartel Fiesta09

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Listening workshop - 17 nov 2009

Hello everyone,

It's been quite busy, this last month, so I haven't been able to inform you about what we have been doing in our 2ºNB workshops. But here we are, ready to tell you "what we've been up to"...just in case you might find it useful.

Listening workshop:

We talked about the steps that have to be taken in order to face a listening comprehension test with one or more listenings and one or more exercises.

For some guidelines on LISTENING COMPREHENSION SKILLS, click here.

And to practise what we had been talking about, we watched a video of a short piece of news and answered a few questions about it. Please find the video and the questions below:

Van Goghs Ear

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Give it a try!!

What are you thankful for? THANKSGIVING IS HERE!

Thanksgving, one of the most important festivities in the US, is almost here. The time is come to learn about how people celebrate it.

Did you know that...

...Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November?
...in Canada, Thanksgiving is in October?
...the turkey, the cornucopia, the corn or the pumpkin are the symbols of this holiday?
...people give thanks for everything good in their lives?
...every year, the President of the United States pardons the life of a turkey, which ends up in Disneyland?
...every year, there's a spectacular parade in many American cities like New York or Chicago?

If you want to read about Thanksgiving traditions, click on the image below:

Now some history. What's the origin of this festivity? Where do its main traditions come from? Take some time to watch this video:

YOU ARE THE HISTORIAN. Hey, don't miss this!!! Click again on the picture below if you want to find out more about the festivity. It will be worth your time, believe me!!

And to finish, let's have some fun:

For all of you, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Christmas Card Contest

There is no Christmas without cards, is there?

Every year, we send Christmas cards to wish the people we love a Merry Christmas, and we love receiving them, don't we? Well...

THE SCHOOL NEEDS YOU!!!!!

We need to choose a Christmas card to send to other schools and institutions. And maybe you like designing your own Christmas Cards. So you could help us!! We have the pleasure to announce a

CHRISTMAS CARD CONTEST

The rules and all the useful info are below. Remember that the deadline is Friday 11th December. And last but not least, it's a contest, so THERE IS A PRIZE FOR THE WINNER!!!

Tarjetas ..

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We're waiting for your cards!!!

Reading workshop - Reading techniques - SKIMMING AND SCANNING

Dear students,

Yesterday we started our clases de apoyo for 2º NB, which this year take the form of monographic workshops, mainly focusing on one specific skill. We have started with "Reading", and we talked about some really useful reading techniques that can help you when you face a text with a specific purpose in mind. These are SKIMMING and SCANNING. I found these extremely useful handouts on the Internet and I'm publishing them here not only for the benefit of 2ºNB students, but for everyone who might find it interesting. Enjoy...and practice!!!

Skimming & Scanning

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Hot n' Cold, by Katy Perry

Hello everyone,

Here you have the video with the lyrics of the song we have been practising and singing in our 2º NB class. I just noticed a change in one of the verses, that makes more sense than the lyrics I initially found and gave you. Have a look and see if you find it. And well, you can sing the song as many times as you want at home, of course!! Again, enjoy!!

Remember, remember the 5th of November...

Today British people celebrate the BONFIRE NIGHT, which commemorates the failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament, with the King and the Members of Parliament inside. This historical event is known as the GUNPOWDER PLOT. If you want to find out the history behind this festivity, or what people do on this night, or you want to play the GUNPOWDER PLOT GAME...

SEARCH THE BLOG ARCHIVE, AND LOOK FOR THE ENTRY UNDER THE DATE "THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER"

Once more to the cinema, my friends, once more...

Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla

Thursday 12 Nov, at 8:05 p.m. Nervión Plaza Cinemas, screen 17

Bomber, directed by Paul Cotter.Year: 2009
Runtime: 84'
Country: UK
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

SYNOPSIS: A bittersweet comedy about love, family and dropping bombs on Germany.

A bittersweet family drama tracing one veteran's efforts to make amends for the destruction he caused during World War II. Lovelorn art school graduate Ross is still down in the dumps when his eighty-three-year-old father announces plans for a family road trip to Germany. Back in the war, Ross' father accidentally bombed a small German town. He's regretted the mistake ever since, and now he's determined to visit the town and offer a formal apology. But getting to Germany won't be easy, because it's been years since father and son have exchanged a kind word. Along the way, father and son both learn some important lessons that will help them to be better, more compassionate people in the future.

CAST
Shane Taylor (Ross)
Known for his portrayal of the medic, Cpl. Eugene Roe, in the Stephen Speilberg's HBO series "A Band of Brothers", Shane originally hails from Dover in England. "Bomber" marks his comeback after several years away from acting.

Benjamin Whitrow (Alistar)
With roles in films like "Quadrophenia", "Brimstone & Treacle" and "Chicken Run", Ben was nominated for a BAFTA for his portrayal of Mr Bennet in the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice".

Eileen Nicholas (Valerie)
A native of Scotland, Eileen is probably best known for her role as Ewan McGregor's mum in "Trainspotting".

Movie Trailer

Please come and join us!!

A2 (2ºNB) - Of relative clauses...

Things are starting to get tougher, aren't they? We have seen this new grammar structure in class and some extra help to understand relative clauses (defining & non-defining) would probably be welcome. So here you have it. Please take some time to have a look!

Please click on the word below for some reading on what relative clauses are and how they are formed (this link also contains exercises):

WHOWHICHWHOMTHATWHENWHEREWHYWHOSE

Just in case that reading the grammar rules in English is too hard, here you have an excellent power point presentation in Spanish:

Relative Clauses

View more presentations from f2teacher.

And here you have exercises to practise:

• Relative pronouns and adverbs
• Relative clauses
• Relative match
• Relative match 2
• Link the sentences
• Definitions with relative clauses (DON'T MISS THIS ONE!!)
• Who (subject-object) Whose
• which/who/whose/whom
• More relative clauses

I hope these are the exercises WHICH help you understand relative clauses better!!

A2 (2º NB) - Hey, check this!

Click on the picture if you want to have a look at an online version of THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY. Also, check the entry of 27 NOVEMBER for another online version of this original dictionary.

Here you have a taste of it:

CHILDHOOD, n.
The period of human life intermediate between the idiocy of infancy and the folly of youth -- two removes from the sin of manhood and three from the remorse of age.

Enjoy!!

This is Halloween, this is Halloween...

One of our favourite festivities is coming along!! HALLOWEEN!! As you know, we celebrate Halloween on 31 October, but it's a Saturday, and obviously, none of us is going to be at the school on such a day of the week, don't you think? So, to sort out this little "problem", and as every year, we're celebrating it together a little bit earlier. So please join us for a party on THURSDAY 29, from 6.30 pm on. There'll be a pumpking carving workshop and we'll give a prize to the best carved pumpkin!! There'll also be storytelling, face painting, halloween activities... Lots of fun. DON'T MISS IT!!!

Cartel Halloween[1]

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When did it all start??

Interesting, isn't it? Well, maybe you need a little bit of help. Why don't you READ about the history of this festivity? Then you can watch the video again to see if you understand more. Try as many times as you need...

Now, enough of history. Now let's have some fun. LET'S PLAY! Try playing these games...

Do you like SCARY STORIES? Here you have some...

And finally, let's SING A BIT...

At the airport

In the practical English section of our student books of 1º and 2º de nivel básico we study the vocabulary of airports, of flying. As we travel a lot nowadays, we might find this extremely practical. If you want to go deeper into this subject, go ahead and have a look at these videos:

Apart from this, if you want to go a little bit further, GO TO THE BLOG ARCHIVE, AND LOOK FOR THE ENTRY POSTED ON 11 NOVEMBER 2008.

Enjoy your flight!!

Fancy a movie in English?

The Sevilla Film Festival is coming!! From the 6th to the 14th Nov. Have a look at the website of the Festival (click on the picture). This year the festival celebrates British cinema!!! So have a look, pick a film, or two...or three, get some popcorn and...

PRACTISE YOUR ENGLISH!!

In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...

I'm sure you know this man. Especially those of you who are from or live in Seville, Spain, as his remains are in the Cathedral of that city. Yes, he is Christopher Columbus (or maybe you know him as Cristóbal Colón). On 12 October 1492, he reached the New World, thinking he was in the Indies. Today, it is not only a national holiday in Spain, but also in other countries, such as the United States. Why so? To learn more about this day, click here.

Now let's learn something about this man and his life. Please take some time to "read" this video:



Ok, sometimes watching a CARTOON is the best way to learn a story:

Now, why don't you test your knowledge on Columbus and Columbus day? Take this quiz.

This festivity arises a bitter controversy. What do you think? Is Columbus a hero or a villain? What do you think about this celebration? Please feel free to write a comment on this post.

Hey, I just found something you should have a look at. Did you know that Columbus might actually be SPANISH? If you want to know more, click here.

President Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2009

Nobody expected it. Not even Barack Obama himself. When the deadline for nominations, Feb 1, arrived, he had only been in office (=en ejercicio de su cargo) for 11 days. When it was announced that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2009, early this Friday morning, he was sleeping. And there was a really long list of nominees, including 172 individuals -- ex-President Bill Clinton, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Franco-Columbian activist Ingrid Bethancourt among them --- and 33 organizations.

So this award has come as a surprise to all, even in the White House. But the decision made by the Nobel Committee has been unanimous. According to them, they awarded the prize to Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

So WE'D LOVE TO KNOW YOUR OPINION. Does Obama really deserve this award? TAKE ONE MINUTE OF YOUR TIME TO VOTE ON THE SURVEY WE ARE CONDUCTING ON THIS BLOG (look at the green bar on the right of your screen, just under the "quotation of the day")


Have a look at this INTERACTIVE TIMELINE for a comprehensive look into Barack Obama's life.

And for a quick look into the story of the Nobel Prizes, click on ALFRED NOBEL'S photograph.

Thank you for voting!! And if you want to write a comment and give your opinion, you're more than welcome!!

I'll never again say that English is difficult...

In 1º NB we've been learning about countries, nationalities and languages in English. So we've mentioned GAELIC. First of all, where is Gaelic spoken?

Irish (Gaeilge)

The Irish language, called Gaeilge, arrived with the Celts in the last centuries before common era.
It is still kept and supported in some areas, normally signposted "An Gaeltacht", covering extensive parts of Galway, Kerry, Mayo, Donegal and smaller areas in counties Cork, Meath and Waterford.
Here Irish is still spoken as community language by approximately 86.000 people besides English.

(Source: Ireland in a nutsell - mooseman.de)

Sample text in Irish Gaelic
Saolaítear na daoine uile saor agus coṁionann ina ndínit agus ina gcearta. Tá bua an réasúin agus an ċoinsiasa acu agus dlíd iad féin d'iompar de ṁeon bráiṫreaċais i leiṫ a ċéile.

Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

But people used to write in Gaelic in a different way, with a different FONT which looked like this:


If you want to read further about the Irish Gaelic language, click on the text above.

Ok, and now some practice. Let's learn some basic phrases in Irish:



And to put a perfect end to this post, why don't we listen to some music in Gaelic?

So now, when you think English is difficult...THINK TWICE!!
Smiley Face

1º NB (A1) - The Alphabet

Hello everyone,

Are you in 1º de Nivel Básico and need to learn the Alphabet? And why not, are you in 2º de Nivel Básico and CAN'T remember well how to distinguish between "A", "E" & "I"? If the answer to these questions is YES, this is your site, and this is your video:



Have you notice that the letters of the alphabet rhyme? You can group them into letters that are pronounced with the same sound:

The Alphabet Pyramid

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Thanks to Maite García-Saavedra, from the EOI Montoro, and our colleague from last year and friend!

S-E-E Y-O-U S-O-O-N!!

We miss you, Paul...

On a day like this, 26th September, Hollywood lost one of its most dazzling stars and the world lost one of its most generous citizens, not to mention one of the handsomest ever: PAUL NEWMAN. Click on the photo below for a biography of this great actor and philanthropist.

Here is our little tribute (source: Youtube)

He featured in films such as The Sting (El Golpe), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (La Gata sobre el tejado de zinc), Torn Curtain (Cortina rasgada), Cold Hand Luke (La leyenda del indomable) or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Dos hombres y un destino), whose trailer (with subtitles in Spanish) you can watch here.

We'll never forget you!

Do you speak English?

For a bit of fun:

Surely, you must have been in this situation sometime or other. Going to a foreign country, and addressing someone, trusting he or she will speak English...

2º NB - Of Coats of Arms

Dear students,

It's the beginning of the year and now we are getting to know one another. And as a means of doing it, we are designing our own personal COAT OF ARMS (thanks to my wonderful teacher from Lake School, Oxford, Jane Barden, for the idea, as well as for many others I intend to put to practice in our classroom.)

Ok, first thing is first. What exactly is a coat of arms? A piece of clothing? A part of one's body? Both? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! In fact, it is...

"An arrangement of bearings, or symbols, usually depicted on and around a shield, which indicates ancestry and distinctions." (source: www.texastech.edu/identityguidelines/glossary.php)

A Coat of Arms should look somewhat like this:

Now, in class, I showed you the Coat of Arms of the astonishingly beautiful city of Oxford. Here you have it:

The coat of arms of Oxford shows an OX FORDing the River Thames. The Latin motto "Fortis est Veritas" means "The truth is strong."

... Ok, what's the meaning of "Ford"?

ford
n.
1- A shallow place in a body of water, such as a river, where one can cross by walking or riding on an animal or in a vehicle.

tr.v. ford·ed, ford·ing, fords
2- To cross (a body of water) at a ford.

(source: thefreedictionary.com)

After this, I'm sure you want to make your own online Coat of Arms. Click here and enjoy!!

REMEMBER: I asked you to draw your personal coat of arms in class, and to explain it to the rest of the classroom. Please click on the word "comments" to write a description of the coat of arms you designed.

Here are some coats of arms designed by 2ºNB students:

By: Javier Clavijo (2º B), David Moreno (2º A), Juan Antonio Martín (2º B) and Yolanda López (2ºB). Thanks for your contributions!!

Recommended readings for 1º & 2º NB - Year 2009-2010

The mystery finally solved...

The two recommended readings for 1º de Nivel Básico for this year are:

1º reading:




The Big Story, by John Escott. Oxford (Dominoes series)












2º reading

The Happy Prince, by Oscar Wilde. New Editions (Heinle).





Those recommended for 2º de Nivel Básico are:

1º reading





The Murders of the Rue Morgue, by Edgar Allan Poe. Oxford Bookworms.









2º reading

Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming. MacMillan Readers.

Enjoy!!

Materials for the year - 1º & 2º Nivel Básico - Year 2009-2010

Hello everyone!!

These are the books we will be using this year in 1º and 2º NB:

1º NB - New English File Elementary, y Clive Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig. Oxford. (Student's book).

NOTE: The workbook is OPTIONAL. We won't be using it in class.

2º NB - New English File Pre-Intermediate, de Clive Oxenden & Christina Latham-Koenig.

NOTE: The workbook is OPTIONAL. We won't be using it in class.

REMEMBER: When you want extra practice on the contents of the book, you can check the NEW ENGLISH FILE WEBSITE on this blog (under the BBC logo.)

Recommended grammar book:

Essential Grammar in Use, by Raymond Murphy. There is an edition in Spanish and an edition in English.

The Recommended readings will be published soon...¿Qué será, será...?

The summer is over...

At last the moment you have been waiting for since June!

THE SCHOOL YEAR 2009-2010 IS ABOUT TO START!

If you have already chosen your group, remember that next week we have a brief introductory meeting about the course:

- If you have chosen a Monday/Wednesday group, your introductory meeting will be on Wednesday 16 at your class time.

- If you have chosen a Tueday/Thursday group, go and meet us on Tuesday 15 at your class time.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!

Enjoy! Amusez-vous bien!

See you in September. But don't leave this blog unseen and unexplored...

He's gone to Neverland...never to come back

Half the planet is in shock. As you may know by now, Michael Jackson, one of the icons of pop music in the world, died yesterday, on June 25, reportedly after suffering a cardiac arrest (=paro cardiaco). The causes of Jackson's death are still under investigation. The Peter Pan of music, controversial, eccentric, an outstading musician and dancer, no one could be indifferent to him. Whether you liked him or not, he was undoubtedly remarkable. So here's our litte tribute to him.

For further reading on Michael Jackson's death, click on the words below:

KING OF POP

The Life of Michael Jackson: a complete coverage (from ABC news - no subtitles, but hey! never fear! [=¿Quién dijo miedo?])

"Thriller", released in 1982, was Michael Jackson's sixth studio album and the best-selling album of all time. Here is a sample of it, the revolutionary video clip Thriller. It was the most expensive video of its time, and Guiness World Records listed it in 2006 as "the most successful music video" of all time.

Michael Jackson Lyrics

Rest in peace.

Greatest hits 1º B

My dear students,

There are so many things I would have liked to do with you this year! Unfortunately, we didn't have the time. One of the things we finally couldn't do is to work with our GREATEST HITS in class. So I'm posting your songs here so that you can all enjoy them and learn from them, maybe even write comments on the songs chosen by your classmates. Below you'll find the video, and if you click on the name of the song, you will get the lyrics. Good and pleasant exercise for the summer!!

Miguel Ángel Bonilla chose Where the streets have no name, by U2

Meli Montejano chose Yesterday, by The Beatles.

Rubén Vázquez Montejano chose This is the life, by Amy MacDonald

Pepe Delgado Cáceres chose Imagine, by John Lennon.

Francisco Segovia Ferrera and María Valle Domínguez chose Blowin' in the wind, by Bob Dylan.

Carolina Martín Pueyo chose Creep, by Radiohead.

José Mª López de los Reyes chose Dust in the Wind (Scorpions version)

Mª Carmen Rodríguez chose Unchained Melody, by the Righteous Brothers.

Olga Carmona Rubio chose My Immortal, by Evanescence.

Silvia Marín Maya chose Mercy, by Duffy.

Yolanda López Domenech chose Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen.

Juan Antonio Martín Guardado chose What a wonderful world, by Louis Armstrong.

Mariló Puerta chose Losing my religion, by R.E.M.

Paloma Fernández Maceda chose Same mistake, by James Blunt.

Olga Aguilar chose High Voltage, by AC/DC.

Sara Andújar Jiménez chose Bizarre Love Triangle, by Frente!

Mª José Gallardo Torrero chose My Way, by Frank Sinatra.

Greatest hits 1º C

Here are the songs the students of this group chose:

Valentín Álvaro chose Blowin' in the Wind (See Greatest Hits 1º B above).

Aurelio Navarro Mora escogió I'm Alive, by Céline Dion.


Ignacio López-Pozas chose Cheek to Cheek (Fred Astaire)


Maribel Franco Benabá chose Unchained Melody, by The Righteous Brothers. (see Greatest Hits 1º B above).

Rocío González Cobreros chose Woman in Love, by Barbra Streisand.

That's all, folks!!

The academic year 2008-2009 is coming to a close. Last Monday (sorry for the mistake, I know I wrote "Friday" instead) the 15th we celebrated our farewell party, which was a success thanks to you. So THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND FOR PARTICIPATING!! You made it worth the effort.

And so that you can remember the best moments of the party, here you have some highlights:

Who's who? We were also children once...

We've lived special moments...

Curso 2008-2009 Mairena del Aljarafe

View more OpenOffice presentations from leticiaeoimairena.

(Wonderful presentation made by María Martín, one of us. Thanks, María!)

We also played Trivial. And we sang Abba songs!!!

But a picture is worth a thousand words, as they say...

Fiesta De Fin De Curso Fotos

View more OpenOffice presentations from leticiaeoimairena.

Have a happy summer, and see you all soon!!!