Lola's Blog

Public domain Dear C1 students Please follow the link to download the scheme of work for Fahrenheit 451 . Have a nice read!

Do you have one of these? Why do you think children, and adults alike, love teddy bears? What kind of toys did you play with when you were a child? Do you still keep them? Did your parents pass down any toys or games? What kind of toys have stood the test of time ? Toys  and games Can you name any of these toys and games? All images Public domain You will find in this museum a really interesting collection. Reading. Toys today and then According to the text: How many toys do children get these days?  How many did you get? How many did your parents get? and your grandparents? 1) Read this article from The Guardian and answer the questions above. 2) Now read the following statement from the text "(Children) get overwhelmed and over-stimulated and cannot concentrate on any one thing long enough to learn from it so they just shut down. Too many toys means they are not learning to play imaginatively e...

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 ...

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.

Richard Huish College. Public domain Last Monday we had a class on report writing. You were asked to write a report about your experience in an English language school. We also looked at some data and you had to draw your own conclusions based on the evidence. I thought you might be interested in reading this article published on the BBC. Before you read One of the roles of the OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is to analyse and compare data to compare how countries around the world perform. They promote policies in order to improve the quality of people's lives. One of the areas they work on is education, of course. Well, the OECD has just released the biggest school rankings ever. There are 76 countries listed. Can you guess Who heads the league table?  Who heads the bottom table?  How did Spain score compared to other European countries? How about the UK? And the USA? Click here to check your predictions. What are t...

Image by BruceBlaus. CC-BY Is it possible to have a three-person baby? In which country is this possible? Well, we are not talking about science-fiction but about breakthrough in medicine. And yes, it is possible to create babies from the DNA of two women and one man. The question is, why? If you don't know the answer, keep reading. This post is about mitochondrial disease and how scientists from the University of Newcastle have developed a technique to treat this devastating disease. What is mitochondrial disease? Click here to find out. You can learn more about a pioneering technique developed at the University of Newcastle. More recently, MPs have voted in parliament in favour of creating babies free from this disease. Listening Listen to Public Health Minister, Jane Ellison, and Sharon Bernardi, who lost seven babies to this genetic disease. However, this has generated a debate. Some critics say that this procedure raises ethical and safety issues. What...

Photo by Foreign and Commonwealth Office. CC-BY How much do you know about Angelina Jolie? Has she ever had any surgery done? What kind? Why? Have you read her two articles published in the New York Times ? You may want to read first her article titled "My medical choice" to learn why she underwent preventive surgery. Most recently, she wrote in The New York Times newspaper an article titled "Diary of a Surgery" . How do you think people reacted to this article? Well, some people wrote to the Editor of The New York Times to express their opinion. You can read some letters here . Now it's your turn You can choose one of the topics we have discussed in class, for example, cosmetic surgery, preventive surgery or you can choose a topic you are interested in. Follow the instructions in your handout about how to write a letter to the editor. Write about 230 words.

Arthur Racham en.wikipedia.org Look at this picture. What can you see? What famous fable is being pictured here? That's right! Can you tell the story? Definition of fable 1) Make a list of 3-5 fables you remember. 2) Can you write a definition of fable ? 3) How is it structured? 4) What makes a good fable? You can check your answers here.   Aesop  Aesop by Velázquez, Prado Museum. Wikimedia Commons Physical appearance Most of the world's best known fables are attributed to Aesop , a Greek slave who lived around 550 BC. In the anonymous Aesop Romance (dated 1st or 2nd century AD) we find a vivid description of Aesop's appearance: "of loathsome aspect... potbellied, misshapen of head, snub-nosed, swarthy, dwarfish, bandy-legged, short-armed, squint-eyed, liver-lipped—a portentous monstrosity" (Source: Wikipedia). Don't you think this description is a bit of an exaggeration? Visit the Linguee page and translate  Aesop´s descr...

Shakira & Alejandro Sanz with King Juan Carlos I.  ALAS_CUMBRE_64. CC-BY Surely this is one of the top stories of the week. King Juan Carlos I of Spain announced his intention to abdicate on Monday 2 June. What is your reaction to this piece of news? Do people talk about it in your circles? How has the international press reacted? If you are interested, keep reading.... Watch or read the international press CNN. Watch the American news Visit this link to watch a series of short videos about King Juan Carlos's abdication. BBC news Visit this link to read about the announcement of King Juan Carlos's decision to step down. The Guardian Read this report published in a popular British newspaper. Canadian CBC News Another report from a Canadian point of view. Other monarchs who abdicated How much do you know about Spanish kings and queens? Do you know the king pictured below? Click on his image and learn about this Spanish king.   Portrait b...

Bundesarchiv. Wikimedia Do you like tennis? What is the oldest and the most famous tennis tournament in the world? Is it still played on grass? When does it take place? To check your answers click here . Current champions and records                The American tennis player, Serena Williams holds an incredible number of Wimbledon titles. Do you know how many? Serena Williams by Rob Young. Wikimedia      How about Roger Federer? Some claim he is the best tennis player in the world.  Or perhaps it is Rafael Nadal. What is your opinion? How many Wimbledon championships has Federer won? And Nadal?                                               ...

Boby Dimitrov. Wikimedia Commons Do you know why Spain has made headlines this week? When someone is involved in an argument that affects a lot of people that person is said to be in the eye of the storm . Reading Task 1. Read the article Brussels takes action against Spain for refusing EU cards   and answer the following questions: Why is the European Commission launching legal action against Spain? What have Spanish doctors been doing wrong? What can Brussels force Spain to do? Video Task 1. Check this vocabulary before you watch : to break the law     to fix the system     infringement procedure     EHIC card Task 2. Watch the video and answer these questions. Watch this BBC video about Spanish hospitals' rejection of EU health card . What happened to Ray Burton in Spain? What other two cases are mentioned? What other country is breaking the law? Why? For more tasks (fill-in the gaps, c...

Gold ingots. Public domain Do you agree that the price of gold always rises in moments of crisis?  Throughout history, gold has symbolised wealth and power. It is an obsession in some cultures. For example India, where more than 50% of the population lives in poverty, still is the world largest consumer of gold. Not only is gold the best gift a husband can give to his future wife, but also the best investment for the future. Watch this video about an Indian man who had a gold shirt made to order. Why would a person buy such a shirt? Extend your vocabulary What is the difference between gold and golden ? Which words collocate with gold and which with golden ? Use an online dictionary.                           age          beach            dream      j...