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Showing posts from 2016

The weather forecast

BBC weather BBC report on recent floods across UK

In the heat of the night

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Poster of film. Wikipedia The set novel for C1 students is " In the heat of the night " by John Ball. You are going to read the novel and then compare it to the 1967 film based on the book. The novel is divided into 15 chapters. Students are required to read relevant chapters and bring the book to class for discussion. As well as reading the book, there will be a final project (oral presentation) and an in class essay. If you haven't ordered your copy of the book yet, you can read the foreword and first chapter here . Click on " look inside ". Reading schedule Read chapters 1-3 by Wednesday 30 November (Group C1B)/ Thursday 1 December (Group C1A) Read Chapters 4-6 by Wednesday 14 December (Group C1B)/ Thursday 15 December (Group C1A) Read chapters 7-9 by Wednesday 21 December  (Group C1B)/ Thursday 22 December (Group C1A) Read chapters 10-15 by Wednesday 11 January   (Group C1B)/ Thursday 12 January (Group C1A)

Civil rights movement

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Martin Luther King Jr. Do you know that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated in America on 20th January? He is one of the greatest and most influential figures in the American civil rights movement. We had the pleasure of listening to a visiting American speaker who came to our school to give a talk on the history and the impact of the civil rights movement. He talked about Martin Luther King Jr., but also about those who are not so well-known but paved the way for freedom . His life How much do you know about Martin Luther King Jr? Click on this BBC link and take notes. A bit of history of the civil rights movement. Reading and Speaking Look at the photos below. Do you know who they are? What did they do to pave the way for African-Americans? Click on the history of the civil rights movement and learn about the timeline of the civil rights movement in America. Takes notes. You are going to report your findings in class. The beginning of the civil rights...

Cinema Day 16th November

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Poster de la película We are going to the cinema! Cinema: Cines Renoir Princesa Princesa, 3 - 28008 MADRID Buses: 1, 2, 44, 74, 133 y 138 Metro: Plaza de España o Ventura Rodríguez  Hora de encuentro: 17:40 Hora del pase: 18.00

Genghis Khan

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National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan Genghis Khan (1162 -1227) was the founder of the Mongol Empire , one of the most powerful forces in the world at that time. He is known as the most brutal leader the world has ever known, but he was one of the most successful. He united many nomadic tribes in Asia and conquered Central Asia and northern China. How can a child from humble beginnings living in cold and arid steppes become a great leader? Mongolia today How much do you know about Mongolia? Public domain Follow this link to learn some facts about Mongolia (capital, government, official language, population in Mongolia and China, geography and climate). Mongol empire during Genghis Khan time   Read about Genghis Khan's life before you watch the video. Look at this map and explain how Genghis Khan expanded from his Mongol Homeland. National Geographic New research may have brought light into why a Mongol nomadic tribe was able to conquer most ...

Education in the UK

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Kings College. Andrew Dunn. CC BY-SA 2.0 Last week we talked about education and the  educational system in the UK. We covered a lot of vocabulary. If you are still confused by all the academic terms we saw in class click on this British Council glossary . If you would like to read more on education for students aged 16 and under (primary and secondary education) click here . After compulsory education students can opt for futher education or higher education . Do you remember the difference?  Further education is for students aged 16 and over while higher education is for students aged 18 and over. Follow this link to learn more. Oxbridge Can you guess what Oxbridge means?  That's right. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, two of the most prestigious universities in the world. How much do you know about Oxford or Cambridge? Are they public or private universities? Click here to check what the entry requirements are. How about tuition fees? Clic...

Immigration

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Arrested refugee-immigrants by Ggia. CC BY SA 3.0 This is a topic that generates heated debate. Immigrants leave their countries for a variety of reasons, but these days they do it because they are desperate to escape from war and conflict. Look at the photo on your left. What can you see? How do these people feel? How would you feel? Making predictions with "bound to + infinitive" Bound is an adjective and it means certain or highly likely to happen . Example 1:  I am bound to forget students' names. This sentence means that there is a good chance / it is highly probable that I will forget students' names if I only see them once a week. Example 2: You are bound to feel nervous the first time that you give an oral presentation. This means that you have never given an oral presentation and it is likely that you will feel nervous. Example 3: The number of refugees coming to Europe is bound to rise . This means that the number of refugees wil pro...

The most dangerous animals

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Public domain What can you see in this picture. Do you agree it is the most dangerous animal on earth? Why not? Think of at least five very dangerous animals and explain why they can be considered extremely dangerous. Think of a synonym for dangerous Can you think of another word that means "dangerous"? Click here to find out. Make a note of the comparative and the superlative form of this adjective. Reading about dangerous animals Do you have your list with dangerous animals ready? Ok, you are going to read an article from the BBC about the deadliest animals on earth. Check the following: 1) are your animals on your list in this article? 2) are you surprised? Read again and make a note of 5 news words or short phrases that you have learnt.

Comparative and superlative for beginners

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Ellen Levy Finch. CC-BY-SA Do you like dogs? How much do you know about dog breeds? Look at these two dogs in the picture What breed are they? Well, this post is not about dogs but about the comparative and the superlative in English. Hope you are not disappointed! Comparatives and superlatives Share with your partner how much you know about comparative and superlatives. Think of the following: 1) one syllable adjectives. Spelling rules 2) two syllable adjectives 3) three or more syllable adjectives 4) irregular adjectives 4) two comparatives in the same sentences, for example, "bigger and bigger" If you are still unsure, check this site with grammar explanations: comparative and superlative If you are a visual learner, visit this infographic about the comparative and superlative. Please let me know how you get on.

Writing a complaint letter

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Photo by Olivander CC-BY-NC. Flickr.com Consumers have the right to return a product if it is faulty. Not long ago I bought a mobile phone and it stopped working within a few days. I wanted my money back but the shop assistant told me that I had to fill in a complaints form. Have you ever experienced anything similar?  Think of a problem you have had with a product (mobile phone, iPod, tablet, washing machine). If not, you can invent the problem. Your task is to write a complaint letter. In this site you will find common problems with faulty goods and advice on how to write a complaint letter . You can write your letter online, download it and then print it. Isn't that great?  Click here to see more sample letters .

Proyecto de lectura y escritura

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Nivel: B1 Proyecto creado por : Lola la Torre Sigue este enlace para descargar el documento completo con pautas y actividades.   Matilda. Penguin Books : Matilda Wormwood's father thinks she's a little scab. Matilda's mother spends all afternoon playing bingo. And Matilda's headmistress Miss Trunchbull? Well, she's the worst of all. She is a big bully, who thinks all her pupils are rotten and locks them in the dreaded Chokey. As for Matilda, she's an extraordinary little girl with a magical mind - and now she's had enough. So all these grown-ups had better watch out, because Matilda is going to teach them a lesson they'll never forget...... Matilda is a children's book  written by Roald Dalh .

Houses

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©Image by Lola la Torre Look at the picture above. Do you know what kind of house it is? Is it a detached house or  a terrace house ? Click here to revise vocabulary. Parts of the house. Outside ©Image by Lola la Torre Can you name the different parts of the house in this picture. Do you need help? Click here . Parts of the house. Inside  Image by JJ Harrison CC BY SA Can you describe this photo? Do you need help? Click here . If you would like to learn more vocabulary about houses and its contents, click here . Shakespeare's  house ©Image by Lola la Torre This is Shakespeare's house. What kind of house is it? Would you like to visit it? Well, we are going to take a virtual tour. You can leave a comment if you found this post useful.

Pronunciation of -ough

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Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz Check the list of words below. Do you know how to pronounce them? 1) bough 2) rough 3) through 4) cough 5) enough You are going to watch  a clip from the 1950s American sitcom I love Lucy . In this scene you will see Lucy asking Ricky, her Cuban American husband, to read a children's story. However, Ricky's English is not perfect.Make a note of how Ricky pronounces the words in the list above and how they should really be pronounced. Are you surprised? Well, there are at least 10 more different ways in which you can pronounce -ough. Click here to check . You may wonder if there are any rules. What do you think? Well, you can watch another video and see whether you can understand the rules. Still unsure about the rules? Follow this English language blog link You can follow this link too (link provided by Nacho Miguel Arana. Thanks, Nacho). 

Siete claves para escoger una lectura

Education in the UK

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Newcastle University. Public domain This post is about the British educational system. You are going to learn about schools. Vocabulary 1) Do you remember these words? nursery school, boarding school, state school,  private school 2) Do you know another word for private school ? Schools How much do you know about schools in Britain? Can you answer the following questions? Is education in the UK compulsory?  When do children start school?  Can children be educated at home?  When does the academic year start and finish?  How much holiday do pupils get? What is GCSE? and A-levels?  What do these letters mean: A*, A, B, C, D, E, F, G? Do parents send their children to state or private schools? What is the difference between "state" and "public school"? To check your answers to questions 1-7 click here . To check your answers to questions 8-7 click here . Public schools Now you know that "public school" is a false friend in Spa...

Celebrating Book Day

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Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra. Hi everyone. There is a lot to celebrate this year on Book Day, 23rd April. The 400th anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes's  and Shakespeare's death. Also, 100 years since the birth of Roald Dahl. This post is  "a call for ideas" . Perhaps you would like to do a presentation on the life of Cervantes or Shakespeare, or have a poem that you would like to read. Perhaps you would like to  read a story or play a quiz. I would love to hear from you and your ideas for this big day. You can contact me via the contact form in Contacto or you can post a comment. Just a reminder. I'm updating the Reading Corner so you can check what there is new. Any suggestion is welcome. Thanks!

Idiom of the day

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Public Domain Idioms, not to be confused with idiomas in Spanish, a very common mistake. Idioms are frases hechas or expresiones idiomáticas and are part of everyday language. Native speakers use them all the time. Today I'd like to share with you something funny that happened in my Intermediate 1 class a few weeks ago. It's about idioms, of course. Can you guess the idiom by looking at the photo in this post? That's right! "Do not judge a book by its cover" This idiom was in a text about Susan Boyle . When I asked what the idiom meant in Spanish, one student put his hand up and offered an immediate reply: "No juzgues un libro por la portada" I asked the rest of the class whether they agreed. Some of them said "yes" and some other students did not know whether that was right or wrong. Other students said the translation in Spanish was "No debemos dejarnos engañar por las apariencias" . The student who...

Hola a todos!

Hola a todos y todas Esta entrada es para inaugurar mi nuevo blog. Bueno, nuevo, nuevo, no. Le he hecho algunos cambios y puesto una nueva foto. Espero que sea útil para mis alumnos  y todos aquellos que quieran aprender inglés. Gracias y aprecio cualquier comentario o sugerencia.