Aye, I'm tellin' ya

Monday, March 31, 2014

The Official Language School of Plasencia turns 25

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Our Official Language School of Plasencia is in full celebration mood. We are celebrating no more, and no less, than our 25 years of existence, helping the citizens of Plasencia and Northern Extremadura to get in contact with other languages, other cultures and other ways of
thinking. In this 25 years, we have enjoyed showing you why we love languages and our job as teachers and transmitters. That is why, as you already know, we have been preparing different events and activities to get you involved in our celebration. Because...

And that's why we are preparing a very special event, that will take place next THURSDAY 3 APRIL, at the SALÓN DE ACTOS DE LA UNED, at 5.00 p.m. Here is the programme:

Programa 3 abril 2014 from leticiaeoiplasencia

Apart from this, we want to have a nice, informal chat with you while we have something to eat and drink at .
the end of the ceremony. Why don't you join us? Please be so kind as to bring a little something to eat - much better if it is something typical of an English-speaking country!! -. We'll prepare some tables at our patio downstairs (weather permitting), that will be ready at 7.30

You will also have the chance to have a look at the exhibition we are preparing commemorating our 25th anniversary, with old photos, school children artwork, old student's books...at the school corridors. Here you have a taste of it. Do you recognize the place?

Happy 25th anniversary!! To other 25 years together!!!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit !! ST. PATRICK'S DAY 2013

Dear students & readers of this blog,

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)

First of all, don't miss the video just below if you want to know something more about the BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW: ST. PATRICK'S DAY..

For Basic Level (NB) students, here's some info on St. Patrick's Day.

Everybody associates colour GREEN with St. Patrick's Day. But why do we associate this colour to the festivity anyway? Does it have any solid basis? Watch the video to find out!

What if you were walking around your town one day, and people suddenly started dancing? Watch the Riverdance Frashmob at Sydney's Central Station on Saint Patrick's Day 2012:

Now, some Irish songs that are perfect for a good St Patrick's day celebration.

WILD ROVER (Blarney Lads)

I've been a wild rover for many a year 
And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer, 
And now I'm returning with gold in great store 
And I never will play the wild rover no more. 

chorus: And it's no, nay, never, 
No nay never no more, 
Will I play the wild rover 
No never no more. 

I went to an ale-house I used to frequent 
And I told the landlady my money was spent. 
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay 
Such a custom as yours I could have any day." 

chorus

I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright 
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight. 
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best 
And the words that I spoke sure were only in jest." 

chorus 

I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done 
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son. 
And if they caress (forgive) me as ofttimes before 
Sure I never will play the wild rover no more. 

chorus

DIRTY OLD TOWN, by the Pogues

I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
I Kissed my girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Clouds are drifting across the moon
Cats are prowling on their beat
Spring's a girl from the streets at night
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
I Heard a siren from the docks
Saw a train set the night on fire
I Smelled the spring on the smoky wind
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
I'm gonna make me a big sharp axe
Shining steel tempered in the fire
I'll chop you down like an old dead tree
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
I kissed my girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Dirty old town

St. Patrick's Day is also widely celebrated in the US, especially in the cities like New York and Chicago. We have learnt 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:

OH!! Before I forget. We are going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the Official Language School of Plasencia. Please join us next Mon 17 at 7.00 ir at 8.00 p.m. Our language assistant, John Gaffney, is going to tell us about St. Patrick's Day. And who knows! There might also be SOME SINGING!!!!

DON'T MISS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit !!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

NB 2 - Countable & uncountable nouns

Dear students & readers of this blog,

These past few weeks we have been working with COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS in class. Remember that the basic caracteristics of COUNTABLE nouns are:

- They can take the plural
- They can take the indefinite article a/an
- They can take numerals: one, two, three...
- They can take some/any in the plural

However, UNCOUNTABLE nouns are words that refer to something that cannot be divided in separate elements:

- We usually count them as singular
- They do not take the indefinite article a/an
- They do not take numerals
- They can be made countable by using PARTITIVES and CONTAINERS

And finally, we have those nouns that change meaning, depending on their being countable or uncountable, as in:

- paper (the material) = a paper (newspaper)
- coffee (the substance) = a coffee (a cup of coffee)
- glass (the material) = a glass (a container used for water, for example)

As you might need some extra help with it, here it is.

Grammar:

Exercises:

And maybe you might find this video also helpful. Enjoy!!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

'The Tramp' turns 100

Dear students & readers of this blog,

On a day such as February 2, 1914, Charles Sydney Chaplin made his movie debut in Hollywood, in the film 'Making a living'. The film was not what we would call successful, but it opened him the way to his second appearance on screen, where this London-born actor, singer and comedian, coming from an acting family, would create his most famous and celebrated character: THE TRAMP.

If you want to read on, click here.

I would like to celebrate here, and in our classroom, such an important even in film history. So keep on reading!

)

In the first place, and thanks to the generosity of my colleague Luis García, I would like to suggest you do a websearch. Click on the Charles Chaplin Official Website, do some research and answer the following questions:

1- What happened during Charles Chaplin's mother's days in Hollywood that was so important for her?

2- Who sings the song 'Swing little girl' in the film 'The Circus'?

3- Which two roles did Chaplin play in 'The Idle Class'?

The people who successfully answer these questions might get a little treat!!

Also, if you are students at the Official Language School of Plasencia, you might have seen some board panels hanging from the ceiling with shots of some of Chaplin's films. That is a game we are suggesting you. Take a slip of paper with the titles on the films, and go to the panels and try to match the film shots and the titles. Then go to the library to check your answers, and show your teacher (well, me) how many you got right!! Another treat, maybe?

And finally, for our next class on Monday 17 March, I suggest we have some debate on one of Chaplin's most famous films: MODERN TIMES (1936).

)
Watch it, and consider the following questions, that we will debate in class:

1. Who is your favourite character? Why?
2. What is your favourite scene?
3. What is the main idea in the film? What is it really about?
4. What do you think of how the director expressed his ideas?
5. How did the film make you feel?
6. This film was made some 80 years ago, but, is it an oudated film? Why?

If you wish to see other films by Charles Chaplin, you can find many of them on YOUTUBE. Go ahead and watch!!

Chaplin's Hollywood debut: Making a living.
The Tramp is born: first time Charlot appears on screen at 'Kid Auto Races at Venice'
Chaplin's full movies

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLOT!!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Brand new PAPER RATER!!!

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Recently, my dear colleague Federico sent me the link to this website, which I found quite interesting. In it, you will find a way to check and proofread your writing tasks before handing them in to the teacher in class. It can help you learn from your own mistakes and improve the quality of your texts! It can be used by students of all levels. So why don't you have a look?

Click on the image below to go to the site.

PLEASE NOTE: you will find a permanent link to this site on the SIDEBAR of this blog, under the link to BUUSU.COM.

Thanks, Federico, for passing this on to me!

Make good use of it!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Oscars 2014 - Which of these films do you think will be the Best Feature Film of the year?

Dear students & readers of this blog,

The Oscars will finally be celebrated next Sunday, March 2 in Hollywood, as usual. The American movie industry and everyone who is related to it will try to look their best to enjoy their evening.

If you like films, and you're into making your picks and choosing your favourites to win the precious golden statuette on Sunday, here you have a chance todo it. Now, it is the time for the BEST FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR.

By the way, if you are curious to learn about the origin of the oscar statuette, click here.

This week, the students will stop being students for a while, and forget they are in Spain, and will become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood. Their task, and their resposibility, will be considerable: they will have to vote for the film which will receive the oscar for best feature film of the year. For that, you will have to focus on:

Plot: what is the film about? Is the story appealing to the public? Is it interesting?
The cast: who are the actors and actresses who play the main characters? Have they received any other awards? Are the well-known? How good is their performance, in your opinion?
The director: is he a veteran or not? Have you seen any other films directed by him/her? Has he received any awards before?
Which are the reasons why your favourite film should win?
Any other aspects you might consider important to comment on.

And the nominees for BEST PICTURE are:

AMERICAN HUSTLE, directed by David O. Russell

For more info on the plot, characters, cast (actors & actresses), click on:

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, directed by Paul Greengrass.

For more info on the plot, characters, cast (actors & actresses), click on:

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, directed by Jean-Marc Valée

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

GRAVITY, directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

HER, directed by Spike Jonze

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

NEBRASKA, by Alexander Payne

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

PHILOMENA, directed by Stephen Frears

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

12 YEARS A SLAVE, directed by Steve McQueen

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET , directed by Martin Scorsese.

For more information on the plot, cast, characters, etc, click on:

If you are really into the Oscars, and you want to try to make your picks in all categories, here you have a printable ballot from the Oscars Official Site.

In order to speak properly about films and film making, we need a basic glossary of film terms, with words like 'script', 'cast' or 'location'. Click here if you want to learn more.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...

Sunday, December 15, 2013

We'll miss you, Madiba!

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Last week was a sad week for South Africa and for the entire world, as they lost one of their most significant figures. A man who changed the course of history in his country and who opened the way to the abolition of race-based discrimination in other parts of the world. Here's our humble homage to Madiba, as he was called back home.

Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon, diead on Thursday December 5, following the latest in a series of lung infections. He was 95 years old.

Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) party in the 1940s and would go on to lead protests against the ruling Apartheid regime, which restricted the basic rights of South Africa's nonwhite propulation and barred their participation in government. His resistance to such oppressive policies earned him nearly three decades in prision, during which he became an international symbol of the anti-Apartheid movement. Upon his release in 1990, Mandela helped negotiate an end to the Apartheid system, and four years later he won the election as the first black president of South Africa. He retired from politics in 1999, but remained a global advocate for peace and social justice.

(source: history channel)

Obituary: Nelson Mandela

Who could explain who Nelson Mandela was better than Mandela himself? The lights and shadows of a symbol. Take a few minutes to watch the video below:

Here are 6 things maybe you didn't know about Nelson Mandela:

1- He was a boxing fan.
2- His original name was not Nelson, but Rolihlahla. (from Xhosa, one of the 11 official languages of the country)
3- He was on a US terror watch list until 2008
4- He forgot his glasses when he was released from prision (he had to borrow his wife Winnie's)
5- He dressed up as a chauffeur to evade police
6- He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree

For further information, click here.

Mandela's memory is inevitably linked to one word: APARTHEID.

Apartheid was a system of legal racial separation which dominated the Republic of South Africa from 1948 to 1993. However, the mechanisms of apartheid were set in place long before 1948, and South Africa continues to deal with the repercussions. Under apartheid, various races were separated into different regions, and discrimination against people of colour was not only acceptable, but legally entrenched, with whites having priority housing, jobs, education, and political power. Although South Africa was heavily criticized for the system, it wa not until 1991 that the legal system of apartheid began to be broken down, and in 1993 was thrown out altogether with the election of Nelson Mandela, the first black democratically elected President of South Africa. The term is also used more generally around the world to refer to systematic racism which is tolerated, rather than confronted.

(source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-apartheid.htm)

Rest in Peace, Madiba

Friday, December 13, 2013

Beware of Friday 13!!!

Dear students and readers of this blog,

Do you avoid walking under ladders? How do you feel when you see a black cat? What's your reaction when you break a mirror? What do you think about when you see a calendar and you realise...IT'S FRIDAY 13!!

It is a day most feared by many people all around the world. The number 13 has all sorts of negative connotations, and many superstitions in different parts of the world are linked to this day. But why? When did all begin?

Here you will find some interesting information on the meaning of this day: