Breaking News: Margaret Thatcher dies

'I don't think there will be a woman Prime Minister in my lifetime'  M. Thatcher as education secretary in 1973.

Dear students & members of this blog,

A piece of shocking, though not unexpected, news, has hit Britain today. One of its most controversial, yet indispensable political figures of the last century, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died earlier today of a stroke. She was in office from 1979 to 1990, being the first woman to lead the Conservative Party and to serve as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the one who has stayed in office the longest (three consecutive terms). 

Right before she entered no. 10 Downing Street for the first time ever, in 1979, she pronounced these famous words, paraphrasing St. Francis of Assisi:

"Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope."

But the fact remains that the country was never more divided than when she was in office. Still today, Britons don't agree as to what her legacy is, and if her work had a positive or a negative impact on the nation. Whatever the case, and regardless of opinions and political affinities, she was certainly a key figure in the British history of the 20th century. The older generations must know who she was and what she was like and what she meant for Britain. The younger generations might never have heard of her. So here you have some information on her life and her political history, so that you can have your own opinion on her impact and her relevance.

Obituary: Baroness Thatcher




Here you have the highlights of MrsThatcher's life:

LIFE OF MARGARET THATCHER

• 13 October 1925 - Born Margaret Hilda Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire
• 1951 - Married businessman Denis Thatcher
• 1959 - Becomes MP for Finchley
• 1970 - Made minister for education
• 1975 - Elected Conservative leader
• 1979 - Becomes UK's first female prime minister
• 1982 - Falklands War
• 1983 - Elected prime minister for second time
• 1984 - Survives Grand Hotel bombing
• 1984-5 - Takes on unions in Miners' Strike
• 1987 - Wins third term in Downing Street
• 1990 - Resigns as prime minister
• 1992 - Stands down as MP and accepts peerage
• 2002 - Retires from public speaking
• 8 April 2013 - Dies after suffering a stroke

Margaret Thatcher for dummies: click here for more info if you don't know much, or know nothing at all, about the former PM.

As it was pointed out before, there have been countless reactions to Baroness Thatcher's death, from those which stated that 'she ruined the country' to those that thought of her as a 'pioneering figure for women everywhere'.

Mixed reaction to former PM's death

As for her funeral, Baroness Thatcher is to have a ceremonial funeral - a step short of a state funeral - with military honours to be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London. The funeral parade will begin at Chapel of St Mary Undercroft at the Palace of Westminster. A hearse will take the body to the RAF Chapel at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand. Baroness Thatcher's coffin will be transferred to a gun carriage and drawn by the Kings Troop Royal Artillery to St Paul's Cathedral. The route (see picture below) is to be lined by all three armed forces.

For more info, click on bbc.co.uk

Class Week 23 (2-4 April 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we did in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- Revision of prepositions of place

- Revision of files 5 & 6

- Giving directions 1

Students' book:

- p. 51 - Street interviews

- pp. 58-59, ex. 1 a & b; 2 a; ex. 3 b; ex. 4 a & c

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Where are the mice? 

Videos/games:

- Street interviews

- Williamsburg, NY

- Practical English: getting lost

2º NA

Contents:

- Writing a review

- Speaking about languages and translating

Student's book:

- (For group D) - p. 42, ex. 5a, b, c & d

- (same) - p. 43 - ex. 6 b, c, d

Homework:

- pp. 48-49: writing a review of a film or a book

Videos & interactive games:

None

Photocopies:
- Translation of a book extract: The Da Vinci Code

Holy Week & Easter 2013

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Easter is here. Most of us are happy because we have a few days off work or school, but Easter is much more than that. It is a blend of Christian and pagan traditions, but above all, it is the peak of the year for Christians, not only Catholic, but also Orthodox. It is also connected to an important Jewish celebration, Passover, which commemorates the time when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery, with Moses conducting them out of Egypt.

Here's a video on the story of Easter: 

(source: history.com)

But if the video is too difficult for you (there are no subtitles, sorry!), you can always read about the origin and meaning of Easter. Click HERE for an answer to all the questions below:

• What is Easter?
• What is the Easter story?
• Where does Easter come from?
• When is Easter?
• Why does the date of Easter move?
• When is the Easter season?
• What took place on Easter Sunday, about 2000 years ago?
• What happens on Easter Sunday today?
• What are the connections with Passover and Easter?
• What other names are there for Easter?
• Why do we have eggs at Easter?
• What foods are traditionally eaten at Easter?

As for the HOLY WEEK, which is the week leading to Easter Sunday, the most important days are:

• Palm Sunday: It's the day when Holy Week begins. It commemorates the day when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. Christians usually go to a religious service on this day, and carry palm branches.
• Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday: According to Christian faith, that was the day, or rather, the night, when the Last Supper was held and Jesus was betrayed by Judas.
• Good Friday: This was the day when, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified. So at this point, the natural question is: how come we call this day "Good Friday"? Excellent question indeed! It is said that the name comes from "God's Friday", and that it is "good" because it was the day when the barrier of sin was broken. (source: woodlands junior website)
• Easter Sunday: it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. It is the most important day of the Holy Week for Christians.

(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/easter.shtml)

 

Other traditions connected to Easter in English-speaking countries are Easter Eggs and the Easter Egg hunt. And don't forget the Easter bunny, the one who brings children a basket full of coloured eggs as well as sweets and even toys!!

Watch the video below on how to make Easter Eggs:

And here's another video for the Easter Egg hunt:

HAVE A VERY HAPPY EASTER!!!

Class Diary Week 22 (18-21 March 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- St. Patrick's Day
- Vocabulary: likes & dislikes
- Grammar: pronombres posesivos (mine, yours...etc)

Students' book:

- p. 48, ex. 1a, b, c; ex. 2 a + p. 134-135; ex. 3
- p. 49, ex. 5 (reading)

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Find someone who
- Possessive pronouns

Videos/games:

None

2º NA

Contents:

- St. Patrick's Day - History & traditions

- Writing: a review

- Pronunciation: silent syllables

Student's book:

- p. 42, ex. 5 a, b, c & d

- p. 43, ex. 6 c

Homework:

- pp. 48-49: A review (analysing a model text)
- Writing - A review

Videos & interactive games:
- Bet you didn't know: St. Patrick's Day
- Song: Wild Rover

Photocopies:

- Translating a fragment of The Da Vincy Code

Class Diary Week 21 (11-14 March 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- Grammar: revision personal pronouns

- Grammar: likes & dislikes (+ing)

- Talking about your favourite times

Students' book:

- p. 46, ex. 1d, 2a & b (reading)

- p. 47, reading (cont.), ex. 3 a, b. Ex. 4 a + pp. 134-135.

 

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Personal pronouns: subject & object

Videos/games:

None

2º NA

Contents:

- Talking about books

- Grammar: Inversion

- Pronunciation: Words with silent syllables

- Vocabulary: adjective to describe books

Student's book:

- p. 40, ex. 1a & b

- p. 41, ex. 2a, c & d, ex. 3a + p. 143

- p. 42, ex. 4 

Homework:

- Reading pp. 42-43

Videos & interactive games:

None

Photocopies:
- Man or woman? Book extracts

- Grammar: Inversión

Class Diary Week 20 (4-7 March 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class last week:

2º NB

Contents:

- Present simple vs present continuous

- Practical English: in a clothes shop

- Grammar: revision of personal pronouns (subject & object)

- Speaking about favourite times

Students' book:

- p. 132 - exercises

- p. 42-43, ex. 1a, 2 a & b, 3 a (p. 43) b & c, ex. 4 a & c

- File 6 - p. 133-134 - exercises on personal pronouns

- p. 46, ex. 1 d, ex. 2 a, b & c, ex. 3 a & b

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Personal pronouns (subject & object)

Videos/games:

- Practical English: in a clothes shop.

2º NA

Contents:

- Talking about history and historical films

- Vocabulary: discourse markers

Student's book:

- p. 66 - Interview with Brian Hodges; In the street

- p. 40, ex 1a & b

- p. 41, ex. 2a, c & d

Videos & interactive games:

- p. 66 - Interview with Brian Hodges

- p. 66 - In the street

Photocopies:
- Discourse markers

- Historical film quiz

- Talking about history. If you could have lived in another historical period, which one would it be? Is there a historical character you particularly admire? Why?

Class Diary Weeks 18 & 19 (18-28 Feb 2013)

Dear students & readers of this blog,

This is what we've done in class in the last two weeks:

2º NB

Contents:

- Grammar: there was/were

- Grammar: present continuous
- Grammar: present simple vs. present continuous
- Vocabulary: weather & dates

Students' book:

- p. 65, ex. 4 a & b
- p. 138 & 139 - Grammar
- Speaking, pp. 104 & 109
- p. 38, ex. 1 a, b & c
- p. 38 (p. 132 - Present continuous)
- p. 39, ex. 2 f; ex. 4 a, b, c.
- p. 102 / 107 - spot the difference
- p. 40 ex. 1 a, c, ex. 2 a, b (reading)
- p. 159 - Weather & dates
- p. 41, ex. 3a + pag. 132

Homework:

None

Photocopies:

- Present continuous
- Present continuous / present simple

Videos/games:
Card game: what am I doing?

2º NA

Contents:

- Talking about historical films & history: your favourite historical film & your favourite scene.
- Vocabulary: history and warfare
- Vocabulary & pronunciation: stress in word families
- Oscars 2013 - Voting for the winner of the Best Feature Film of the year
- Grammar: discourse markers

Student's book:

- p.52, ex. 1a, b
- p. 163 - Vocabulary of history & warfare
- p. 53, ex. 3
- p. 54, reading, ex- 4 a & b
- p. 55, ex. 4 c + lexis in context. Ex. 5 a, b & c

Videos & interactive games:

- Thunderball in a nutshell: Michael Carranza explains his favourite scene of the film

Photocopies:
None

NA 2 - File 4A: History goes to the movies

Dear students & readers of this blog,
                                           
These days, at our Advanced level class, we are talking about history and movies. First of all, it might be interesting to distinguish between two concepts that are confusing for a Spanish speaker: 'historical' and 'historic'

HISTORIC: Something that is important in history, or likely to be considered important at some time in the future. E.g. ...the historic changes in Eastern Europe.

HISTORICAL: People, situations or things that existed in the past, or that are considered a part of history. E.g. ...an important historical figure.    (source: Collins cobuild dictionary)

What is it, then, that makes a film historical? According to some, a film can be considered as historical when it is based on a real event, or is set in a historical period. But the real issue here is accuracy. How accurate should film screenwiters and directors be? How faithful should films be to historical events? According to this, what historical films you know?

In class, we saw three clips corresponding to three wll-known historical films:

"They may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FREEDOM!!!! - "Braveheart", Mel Gibson, 1995. Based on the Battle of Stirling (13th century) - The English rule Scotland. William Wallace, Scottish hero and leader of a rebellion against the English, speaks to the discouraged armies before the battle.

 "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again" - "Gone with the wind", Victor Fleming, 1939. Based on the American Civil War (1861-1865) . Scarlett O'Hara, starving and desperate, after almost being sick for eating a turnip she pulls from the ground, rises from the ground, and vows she'll do whatever it takes not to be hungry again.

 "I'm Spartacus!!!!" - "Spartacus", Stanley Kubrick, 1960. Based on the Rebellion of the slaves led by the gladiator Spartacus in the 1st century BC. - After the rebellion of the slaves is crashed, general Marcus Licinius Crassus promises the captives that they will not be punished if they will identify Spartacus. But the reaction of the slaves is somewhat unexpected: one by one, each or them stand out and shout "I'm Spartacus"

Here is a clip of one of my favourite historical film, not historically accurate at all, but fun just the same.

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius". The gladiator, and former general Maximus, whose family has been killed by emperor Commodus, finds himself at last in front of his enemy, whom he wants to take revenge on, and swears he will avenged his family. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, leader of the Phoenix legions, loyal servant to the true emperor Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or in the next" - "Gladiator", Ridley Scott, 2000.

Which is your favourite sequence of a historical film? Please click on COMMENTS to tell us about it, indicating the name of the film, the director and the year it was released, and briefly describing what happens in the scene and what historical event it is based on.