When spirits walk among the living...Halloween 2011

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Once more, Halloween is coming along. It is a festivity that is especially associated with the U.S., altough its origins are to be found quite far from there. Anyhow, Halloween is gradually imposing again on the continent where it was born. Many of us know something about it through films or TV shows. Many others have heard about it, but don't really know much about Halloween traditions, or what people do to get ready for the night when the limit between the world of the living and that of the dead disappears. So let's have a look at what we can find available online. Endless websites...

The first one I recommend you to have a look at if you want to know more about Halloween is http://www.history.com/ (The History Channel). Find all sort of information, in the shape of videos, interactive games and much more. The following video about the origins has been extracted from it:

So now we know...

...that Halloween has Celtic origins. The Celtic festival SAMHAIN [pronounced /saun/] celebrated the end of the year, which finished in October.

...that the Celts believed that ghosts, witches and evil spirits entered the world of the living on the night of the 31st October.

...that people wore costumes to scare the evil spirits away.

...that orange and black are the colours of Halloween.

...that the word "Halloween" comes from "All Hallows' Eve", which is the day before All Saints' Day?

...that in some English-speaking countries people wear scary costumes and masks and go to parties?

If we could reduce Halloween to numbers, this would be it:

Jack-O'-Lanterns are made out of pumpkins. People put Jack-O'-Lanterns in front of their windows or in their gardens, to frighten evil spirits. Did you know that this tradition originated in Great Britain and Ireland and that, originally, people used turnips?

Now let's learn a few facts about PUMPKINS:

Would you like to know how a Jack-O'-Lanternt is made?

One of the most typical Halloween traditions, together with Jack-O'-Lanterns is the decoration of houses with Halloween lights. But man, some people can go just over the top to make an impression!!



Read the news on "the most popular Halloween video of 2011" in the Los Angeles Times

What about haunted houses? Watch this video about the Bonanza Hotel (no subtitles)

And last but not least, the most popular Halloween tradition of all: TRICK-OR-TREATING!

TO ALL, HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

2º NB - At the airport

Dear students & readers of this blog,

In the practical English section of our student's book we study the vocabulary of airports & 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, click here or... here.

Come fly with...THE VOICE, Frank Sinatra

Lyrics

Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away
If you can use some exotic booze
There's a bar in far Bombay
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away

Come fly with me, let's float down to Peru
In llama-land there's a one-man band
And he'll toot his flute for you
Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue

Once I get you up there
Where the air is rarefied
We'll just glide
Starry-eyed
Once I get you up there
I'll be holding you so near
You may hear
Angels cheer, 'cause we're together

Weather-wise, it's such a lovely day
Just say the words and we'll beat the birds
Back to Acapulco Bay
It is perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away
Once I get you up there
Where the air is rarefied
We'll just glide
Starry-eyed
Once I get you up there
I'll be holding you so near
You may hear
Angels cheer, 'cause we're together

Weather-wise, it's such a lovely day
If you say the word, we will beat those birds
Back to Acapulco Bay
It is perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me, let's fly--
Pack up, let's fly away

Enjoy your flight!!

2º NB - The magic world of spelling (the Alphabet)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Are you in 2º de Nivel Básico and need to revise the Alphabet? Can you remember well how to distinguish between "A", "E" & "I"? If the answer to these questions is YES and NO, this is your site, and this is your video:

These are the letters of the English alphabet. As you can see, they are the same as in the Spanish alphabet. But how do you pronounce them correctly? Would you like some help? You'll find the pronunciation between brackets. But be careful, that's not a phonetic transcription!!!!

Now watch the video, listen and repeat:

This is another video about the alphabet in English. But there is a small difference. Can you tell me which one it is?

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

View more documents from leticiaeoimairena.

Thanks to Maite García-Saavedra, from the EOI Guadix (Granada, and our colleague and friend!

Here you have some famous acronyms that we talked about in class last week:

EU = European Union
CIA = Central Intelligence Agency
UFO = Unidentified Flying Object
L = Learner
B.C. = Before Christ
A.D. = Anno Domini
NHS = National Health Service
Ph.D.: = Doctor of Philosophy
SOS = Save Our Souls
IQ = Intelligence Quotient
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
PC = Personal Computer
MTV = Music Television
OK = Okay (other version: zero killed)
USA = United States of America
UK = United Kingdom
CD = Compact Disc
VIP = Very Important Person/People
BMW = Bavarian Motor Works
DVD = Digital Versatile Disc
FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation
BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation
GMT = Greenwich Mean Time
MPH = Miles per hour
DIY = Do it yourself
VAT = Value Added Tax
NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration
HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome
IRA = Irish Republican Army
MP = Member of Parliament
PM = Prime Minister

And to finish, let's rock with Jackson 5!!!

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

2º NA Reading: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

Dear students of Advanced level (and readers of this blog, as always),

As you know, this first term of our course we are going to read and work on a very famous novella by Neil Gaiman, called "Coraline."

Publishing house: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 0747562105

As you already know, we have a project we are quite enthusiastic about. The students of Advanced Level 1 will read the graphic novel version of the story, whereas the Advanced Level 2 students will read the novella. Sections will be recommended for a careful reading at home, that will later on be worked in class (through debates, talks, presentations, or whatever each teacher sees fit). In December, we will all meet to comment on and discuss the differences between both versions, graphic novel and novella, after which we will see the animated film version by Henry Selick and we'll have a final discussion on how adequately or faithfully the story has been taken adapted, how much we liked/disliked it, which of the three we like the most, etc.

PLEASE NOTE: We will start working with the book on the 24 October. Students should have the book by then. Your teacher should have indicated you already the different options you have to acquire it (pre-ordering on a bookshop or buying online)

Please find below the trailer of the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for best animation film of the year 2009:

2º NA - File 1: motivation

Dear students & readers of this blog,

We have finally started our book, and we are talking about MOTIVATION. But what exactly is that?

According to the Business Dictionary online, motivation is:

"Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject, and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal

Motivation results from the interactions among conscious and unconscious factors such as the (1) intensity of desire or need, (2) incentive or reward value of the goal, and (3) expectations of the individual and of his or her significant others." (www.businessdictionary.com)

But what motivates people anyway? Yesterday in class we talked about the different types of motivation:

• Intrinsic: motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure.


• Extrinsic: motivation that comes from outside an individual. The motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide.


• Integrative: When students want to learn a language to become part of a speech community (integrate). People who immigrate to new countries are some examples of people who may want to identify with the community around them. An important aspect of this form of language learning is using language for social interaction. This form of motivation is thought to produce success in language learners. This is often compared to instrumental motivation.

Is that the truth, and nothing but the truth, about motivation? Here's a video that can throw some light into the issue:

Here's another video that can help you find your motivation, if you have lost it on the way...



What it is that motivates you, at work in particular, or in life, in general? Go ahead and tell us. Write a comment!

2º NB - Revising introductions, numbers and the days of the week

Dear students & readers of this blog,

We finally started the book. And we have learnt many new things last week: we've revised our NUMBERS in English. We have also revised how we INTRODUCE OURSELVES. Here you will find some videos that will help you practice what we have seen so far. And I think you can also start practising how to say the DAYS OF THE WEEK. Are you ready?

NUMBERS: We have studied from "0" (zero or "oh") to 1,000,000 (a million). I know that it sounds like a lot, but it really is not. Counting in English is very very easy. Here you will find some videos about numbers in English:

Numbers from 0-20

Numbers from 21-32

20, 30, 40...


From one hundred


From one thousand

Now a little bit of nostalgia. Sesame Street's pinball. Remember? ;)

And now, a little bit of INTRODUCTIONS:

...And GREETINGS. This video is from the BBC learning English website. It's a bit...let's say "above" your level, but in any case here you can find the expressions we learnt in class and other interesting ones:

And last, but not least, one of the new things we are going to learn today: THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.

Enjoy!!

The trip of your life

Dear students and readers of this blog,

I know it may be a bit cruel to speak about trips and travelling when we're more or less just back from our summer holidays and also back to work. But this time is also appropriate to go back over the pictures we have taken of that trip we enjoyed so much, to live it again. So...

Have you ever made a trip that you remember with special fondness? Is there a photo album you like revising more often than others you have, because it brings you back the memories of that place you enjoyed so much? Wouldn't it be fun to share our travelling experiences, see where we have been, with whom, the anecdotes we lived? Let's do it!!

We have prepared a big world map that will be on one of the corridors of the school, for us to post our photos of our favourite trips, and share with the rest of the students of the Official Language School of Plasencia out travelling experiences, so choose a picture, put it on a piece of paper, and write under it where was the picture taken and when, who you went with, and why you chose that picture, or what was it that made that trip special and worth remembering. Here is mine:

Where: Turf Tavern. Oxford, UK.
When: August 2009
Who with: In the picture I'm with my friends María, Rocío, Bea and Rosa.

Why is this trip worth remembering for you: I went to Oxford to take a teacher course on methodology of English teaching. I went on my own, although I knew I'd find María, one of my best friends and work colleague at that time, already there. We were both in different schools. In mine, Lake School, I met Rocío, from Málaga, also an EOI teacher like me. Meanwhile, María met Bea, a teacher from Santander, and Rosa, also a teacher, from Alicante. And as it couldn't be otherwise, we all met and got along beautifully from the beginning. So we would do everything together: going shopping, going for a pint (or two) of beer with fish & chips, or travelling around. We went to Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon, and Bath. And we had a whale of a time, we had soooo much fun together. Apart from that, a few days before starting the course in Oxford, I had been to Brighton with a cousin of mine, to Salisbury with my nephew, who was taking an English course at the time too and to Hereford to visit my dear friend Gemma. After finishing in Oxford, I went to Edinburgh and visited towns such as St. Andrews or Stirling, and lived Edinburgh at its best, with the Fringe Festival and all. 24 intense days total.

I learnt new things, got to know a bit more of an incredibly beautiful country that I love visiting, and made friends I still keep in touch with. It was truly unforgettable.

Now, you have to make yours!!!! The writing doesn't have to be so long, of course, especially if you are in the Basic Level. Just go to where your photo albums are, flick through them, choose a picture of one that is worth sharing, and do something similar to what I have just showed you. Don't forget to bring it to class next week!!!

As for the rest of you, readers and followers of the blog who are not students of mine now, please feel free to share with us your most wonderful trip ever. Even if you cannot post a photo, we'll read you descriptions with interest!!

From USA Today.com

...and he quietly left...

Most of us know who Steve Jobs was, especially those who have a Macintosh computer or an IPod or anything with the symbol of an apple on it. In the year 2004 he was diagnosed with a pancreatic cancer, and he finally passed away today, after a long and tough fight against the ilness. Of course, he was not the kind of person to surrender easily, and he went on working almost until the end. Many people remember his famous and inspiring speech delivered at the Comencement ceremony at Standford University. Many of those people I've just mentioned would like to pay homage to him somehow. May this blog be the means to do so for those who don't have another way to do it.

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American computer entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer.

In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula and others designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC's mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. Apple's subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its CEO from 1997 until 2011.

In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney company in 2006. Consequently Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder at 7 percent and a member of Disney's Board of Directors. On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple's CEO.

On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that Jobs had died at age 56 due to pancreatic cancer.

Source: Wikipedia

Please take a few minutes to watch and listen to his Standford speech. Worth watching! (with subtitles in Spanish):

Read about the news on:

• The Telegraph


• CTV Canada


• BBC News


• Time (CNN blog)


• USA Today
  

Apple, the company he co-founded, has lost one of its "fathers". Click here if you want to read about their reaction to the sad news. If you should wish to leave your condolences, write an email to rememberingsteve@apple.com

May he rest in peace.

2º NA - Quotes, quotes...

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Our first lesson in the student's book starts with a quote by G.K. Chesterton (photo) that reads:

"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite."

Don't forget to click on Chesterton's name to read a little bit about his life and works!

Let me tell you some of my favourite quotes in English. One I really like is:

"I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul"

This quote belongs to a poem called "Invictus", by William Ernest Henley. The poem goes like this:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Watch now Sir Alan Bates, famous (and sadly deceased) British actor, recite the poem:

But why did Henley write this poem? What does it mean? This is what wikipedia.com says about the background of the poem:

"At the age of 12, Henley fell victim to tuberculosis of the bone. A few years later, the disease progressed to his foot, and physicians announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate directly below the knee. It was amputated when he was 17. Stoicism inspired him to write this poem. Despite his disability, he survived with one foot intact and led an active life until his death at the age of 53."

And now, THE HOMEWORK! :D Please write a comment giving your favourite quote IN ENGLISH and briefly explaining who said it and its background.