The history behind Mt. Rushmore

In unit 5 of the New English File elementary student's book we come across a photo of Mt. Rushmore. So we have the perfect excuse to learn something more about it, and above all, about the men whose merit granted them such an impressive tribute. If you want to learn something about the history of the monument or its exact location, click here. Take some time to watch the video below:

Ok, Mt. Rushmore is in South Dakota. But...where is South Dakota? Yes, yes, in the US, you know that already, but WHERE exactly? RIGHT THERE!!

Nickname(s): The Mount Rushmore State (official),The Sunshine State Motto(s): Under God the people rule Entered the union on Nov 2, 1889. State Capital: Pierre Largest city: Sioux Falls

This monument is a tribute to four key men in the history of the US: Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. If you want to know more about them, click on their corresponding picture:

In class, we leant that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence when he was 33. Do you know what it looks like? And most importantly, do you want read it? Click on the Declaration to find out!

I hope to have given you good reasons to visit this corner of the world someday!!

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or simply Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.
The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Montserrat. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday. (Source: wikipedia)

Watch now the history of the holiday and how it is celebrated in the US:

Interesting info on the holiday:

• Who was St. Patrick?
• Symbols and traditions
• Take the All Things Irish quiz

Why don't you accompany your reading with some music? I KNOW MY LOVE, by the Corrs & the Chieftains

Here are the lyrics:

"I Know My Love"

I know my love by his way of walking
And I know my love by his way of talking
And I know my love dressed in a suit of blue
And if my love leaves me what will I do...

And still she cried, "I love him the best
And a troubled mind sure can know no rest"
And still she cried, "Bonny boys are few,
And if my love leaves me what will I do"

There is a dance house in Maradyke
And there my true love goes every night
He takes a strange girl upon his knee
Well now don't you think that that vexes me?

And still she cried...

If my love knew I can wash and wring
If my love knew I can sew and spin
I'd make a coat of the finest kind
But the want of money sure leaves me behind

And still she cried...

I know my love is an arrant rover
I know he'll wander the wild world over
In dear old Ireland he'll no longer tarry
An American girl he's sure to marry

And still she cried... (x2)

What will I do...

As you know, and as Justin, our language assistant, told us, St. Patrick's Day is also widely celebrated in the US, especially in the cities of New York and Chicago. We have learned that, in Chicago, the river turns green (the colour of the festivity, the colour of Ireland) every 17 March. Watch this video to see how:

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit !!

We have a new website!!!!

The Official School of Languages of Mairena del Aljarafe finally has its own website. Here you can check all the information you need to know about us, about where we are, about the library, the timetables, the workshops...and anything you need to know.

Why don't you have a look? Click on the logo.

There will be a permanent link to the School website on the sidebar.

Reading workshop - 9 March 2010

In today's workshop, we have read an article from "Breaking News English" (breakingnewsenglish.com) called "The most unfortunate names in Britain." To read the article online, click on the cartoon below. If you wish, you may also listen to the article, and you have plenty of exercises for reading and listening comprehenshion, together with the key at the end!

The text deals with SILLY NAMES in Britain and in the U.S. Click on the baby photo to check the thebabywebsite.com site for some examples of "unfortunate" names in English.

In this particular worshop we also created a WORD BANK with those words from the text the students didn't know. We made a list of "unknown" words from the text, and, with the help of a dictionary, we looked for their pronunciation and their meaning in the text. In this way, we can expand our vocabulary when reading any text of any length. So it is a good practice, don't you think?

And the winner was...

The ceremony is over. The oscars finally have their owners. I got some categories right and some wrong, but the fun of it is trying to guess, don't you think? Here you have the gist of the ceremony, plus some highlights. And please, feel free to leave a comment on who, in your opinion, was the most elegant on the red carpet.




Best motion picture of the year: THE HURT LOCKER

Best directing: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)








Best actor in a leading role: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)










Best actress in a leading role: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)








Best actor in a supporting role: Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

Best actress in a supporting role: Mo'nique (Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire)








Best original screenplay: The Hurt Locker.

Best adapted screenplay: Precious: based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire








Best foreign language film: El Secreto de sus ojos (Argentina)









And here you have the trailer of the best film of the year: THE HURT LOCKER (En tierra hostil)



For the full winner list, check oscar.com

And to finish, check the funniest moment of the ceremony: Ben Stiller presenting the Best Makeup award as a Navi (sorry, no subtitles !!)

International Women's Day - Women that made history

Next Monday 8 March we celebrate the International Women's Day. It is, once more, a great occasion to celebrate the lives of all the extraordinary women that have contributed to make the world what it is today.

Here you have some of these excellent women. Do you know who they are?

If you want to know who these women are and why they are all remarkable women, have a look at this:

Celebrating Women (Simplified)

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Yesterday in class, we watched the trailer of the film based on Amelia Earhart's life. Here it is, for you to see:

"The moment a woman comes home to herself,

the moment she knows that she has become

a person of influence,an artist of her life, a sculptor of her universe,

a person with rights and responsibilities who is respected and recognized,

the resurrection of the world begins."

Sister Joan Chittister, OSB (1936 - )Benedictine nun and Chair, Global Peace Initiative of Women