Halloween 2015 - Are you scared?

'Where there is no imagination there is no horror' - Arthur Conan Doyle

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Once more, Halloween is here. It is a festivity especially associated with the U.S., although its origins are 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 find out...

Halloween from leticiaeoiplasencia
 

(Source: www.worldofteaching.com)

What do we know now?

...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 trick-or-treating comes from the ancient "Souling", when poor people used to go around asking for "soul cakes" to eat in exchange for prayers for the family.

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

...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.


Take a look at this video, where a London boy tells us about how he celebrates Halloween:

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?

Would you like to know how a Jack-O'-Lantern is made? Read the instructions below:

Jack o-lantern from leticiaeoiplasencia

We never think how terrifying this is for pumpkins, so we? So please, don't miss this excellent, and really scary, short film about THE LIFE & DEATH OF A PUMKIN:

 (source: tlfclips.com. Thanks, Rosa!)

To finish, have you ever been to Halloween town? Watch the following video and sing along:

TO ALL, HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

NB Reinformecent workshops. Session 2: Of Superstitions

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Not very long ago, it was Tuesday 13th, a day usually associated with superstitions and bad luck in Spain. We used this as an excuse to talk about the origins of such a belief, and why in other countries the "day of bad luck" is Friday, and we also talked about the most common superstitions in Spain, in Britain and in the world!

The first thing we did was to try to define the concept "superstition". What is a "superstition"?

su·per·sti·tion

 (so͞o′pər-stĭsh′ən)

n.

1. An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.

2.

a. A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance.

(edited from www.thefreedictionary.com)

Once we did this, we tried to learn about...WHY TUESDAY? WHY 13th? Click here to find out.

Then we talked about the typical superstitions in Spain, and students learn about SUPERSTITIONS IN BRITAIN. Click here for the most common ones.

But...what about other superstitions in the world? Have a look at the video below:

And finally, we listened to a song. SUPERSTITION, by Steve Wonder:



Would you like to try with the lyrics? Here they are:
 

Steve Wonder "Superstition"

Listen to the song and fill in the gaps with the missing words.

Very _______________, writings on the wall,
Very superstitious, _____________ 'bout to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, ___________ the lookin' glass
Seven years of __________ luck, the good things in your past

When you _____________ in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way

Very superstitious, ______________ your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' ________________,
You don't wanna ____________ me, sad is my song

When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way.

Very superstitious, nothin' more to say,
Very superstitious, the ___________'s on his way,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass,
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past

When you ____________ in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer, Superstition ain't the way.

believe	broke	devil	strong	bad
ladder	save	superstitious	believe	wash

See you next week!!

NB 1 & 2 - Revising the Alphabet

Dear students & readers of this blog,

These days we are revising the alphabet, and how to spell words.

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!!!!

The video below illustrates the way we traditionally learn the alphabet:





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




But there are other ways to learn the alphabet. One of them is by associating the letters to a colour that rhymes with them, as you can see below:

The Alphabet Pyramid from leticiaeoimairena

Thanks to Maite García-Saavedra for this wonderful resource!

Here you have some famous acronyms that, of course, include letters of the alphabet:

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

S-E-E  Y-O-U  S-O-O-N!!

Reinforcement Workshops - Session 1 (13-15 October)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This week we have started our workshops to reinforce speaking, listening and writing skills for Basic and Intermediate 1 levels. As first things come first, let me remind you where and when they are going to take place, and who they are aimed at:

• Tuesdays, 17-18.15 p.m. - Basic 2 (they will be available to Basic 1 from January).
• Thursdays, 17-18.15 p.m. - Intermediate 1

What are we going to do in these workshops? We'll do different activities to reinforce those skills that are traditionally more difficult for the student, that is, speaking, listening and writing, but the main focus will be on speaking.

This week, we have started with introductions, with speaking about ourselves to others. For that, I have asked the students to design their COAT OF ARMS. What is that, exactly? Let me show you an example:

 This is the coat of arms of the city of Aranjuez. As you can see, it includes different elements: the cross of the Order of Santiago, and a palace or a castle, which is over some blue and grey waves representing a river. Below this, there is a scroll with a motto, that can be translated as "Royal site and village of Aranjuez", and on top of it all, a majestic crown. All of these elements represent what characterises Aranjuez: The order of Santiago built an old palace in 1387 that, in time, would become the beautiful Royal Palace of Aranjuez, key element of the city, along with the river Tajo that crosses it. The crown and the moto remind us that kings and queens lived here. That's why it is a Royal Site.

So a coat of arms tells a lot of things about a place...or a person! So I've asked the students to design their own coat of arms, with those elements that represent them the most. Of course, I designed mine, and this was the result:

My coat of arms from leticiaeoiplasencia

This coat of arms says a lot about me: where I am from, my hobbies, my passions...and the way I see life.

Now, what would your coat of arms be like? What elements would it include? Please write a COMMENT describing it.

See you next week!! 

NB1 - Numbers, days of the week and introductions

Dear students & readers of this blog,

We have finally started our clases. And of course, as first things come first, we have to start with the situation of introducing and giving personal information about ourselves, like our telephone number! For that, we need to know a lot of things: numbers, the days of the week, some vocabulary about ways of saying hello and goodbye...Here you sill find them all. Take a few minutes to have a look!

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. 

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? ;)

Now take a look at this video with a summary of the most usual GREETINGS, INTRODUCTIONS AND LEAVE TAKINGS.




And, of course, THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.

Enjoy!!

Welcome to a new school year!

Dear students and readers of this blog,

As every year, classes have started. This time I am writing you from my new home, the EOI Aranjuez. But remember, wherever you are, and whether you are a student or not, you are welcome to this blog. Here you will find lots of resources to help you with your English.

If you are a student of mine at the EOI Aranjuez, remember, these are the books we will use this year:

Basic 1 - English File elementary 3rd edition. Oxford

Basic 2 - English File Pre-Intermediate, 3rd edition. Oxford

These will be the books we will use in class. Remember!!! You also have an i-tutor CD-Rom and a workbook that you will use to work at home.

Also, there are online resources. Please find then on the SIDEBAR of this blog.