BEING A TEACHER....

BEING A TEACHER IS A DIFFICULT TASK NOWADAYS, SO I DECIDED TO FOLLOW THIS PIECE OF ADVICE BY BRUCE LEE:

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

by Bruce Lee

viernes, 29 de diciembre de 2017

Christmas amazing story: One-armed teenager made himself a prosthetic extension arm out of LEGO blocks!!!!



Here's the amazing story of a handicapped one-armed young boy from Andorra who made himself a robot extension arm out of LEGO blocks. He is only 18 and it is incredible what he has done. Here are some related articles you can read about the issue:

 

 

Here's a video where he shows how he did it:

 



And here's the story of the first bionic man: The Six Million Dollar Man  

 


Activities for my 2º ESO students:  Can you describe the protagonist using comparatives and superlatives?

Here's an example of how he fixes a boy's bike

 



Here's a listening exercise to do: Should schoolchildren have jobs? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Related articles you can read about the issue:

 

Do you have a part-time job? How do you pay for your expenses?

 

Lucy tells about how long we should take to learn English  >>>>>



LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 171227 / 27 December 2017    >>>  Haemophilia breakthrough   -  Language related to 'haemophilia'.  Need-to-know language: genetic defect, clot, bleeding, blood clotting proteins, Factor Eight (Factor VIII).

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post (2º ESO):


16.    1. Do you drink a glass milk for breakfast?  Yes, I do.    2. Does Jane sing well? No, she doesn't.

17.    1. Peter has got short dark hair.    2. She loves watching television.    3. I can't speak English.  
4. Is there any water in the bottle? Yes, there is.    5. There aren't many children at school.
6. Luke is older than me, but my brother is the youngest.

18.  
1. Now he is visiting his grandmother.   2. Now I am running with my friends.    3. Now they aren't eating lunch at home.      4. Is the teacher playing tennis now?          

19. I cycle to school once a week.    I always have milk for breakfast.            
20.   more interesting  //  the most interesting  ,   happier   // the happiest    ,   older  //  the oldest  ,
slimmer  //   the slimmest 
                                             
21.    1. any  ,   some     2. any  ,   some     3. any   ,   any
                                                                                                                                         
22.   1. more ,   than    2. most    3. dangerous  ,   longer    4. best

23.   1. I am going shopping with my mother tomorrow morning.  2. I am playing basketball with my friends tomorrow afternoon.

miércoles, 27 de diciembre de 2017

Christmas shoppings

Christmas is a time for shopping, but the good thing about it is that most of the things we buy are gifts for relatives or friends, or just food or ornaments for your homes in order to make them cosier to host all the friends and relatives that may visit you these days.


Related articles you can read about the issue:

Without looking it up, try to define the word 'joylessly'? Tell me other words derived from that one.


Here's a listening exercise to do: What do you buy when you're sad? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:  What do you buy when you are sad? and when you are happy?




"And all through the mouse" - A Papa Teach Me Christmas Story!

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 171220 / 20 December 2017    >>>  World's steepest railway line   -  Language related to 'heights'.  Need-to-know language: faint-hearted, steep, gradient, weak at the knees, descent.

 

Revision for 2º ESO.

16. Write questions using the words in brackets and then write the short answers:

1. (you, drink a glass milk, for breakfast) _________________________________________?  Yes, ________________
2. (Jane, sings, well)  ___________________________________ ? No, ___________

17. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Peter tiene el pelo corto oscuro.  
2. A ella le encanta ver la televisión. 
3. Yo no sé hablar inglés.  
4. ¿Hay agua en la botella? Sí.   
5. No hay muchos niños en el instituto.
6. Luke es mayor que yo, pero mi hermano es el más joven.

18. Transform these sentences into the PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

1. He visits his grandmother. Now _________________________________________
2. I run with my friends. Now ___________________________________
3. They don’t eat lunch at home. Now ________________________________
4. Does your teacher play tennis? ________________________________ now ?          

19. Write sentences using these words:

once a week _____________________________________________________        
always __________________________________________________________            

20. What is the comparative of superiority and superlative of the following adjectives ?

interesting  ________________________   ________________________ 
happy  ___________________________     ____________________________
old  _________________   ______________________
slim  __________________   _______________________                                             
21. Complete the sentences with SOME or ANY.

1. Is there __________ paper in the bag? Yes, there is ___________ paper in the bag.
2. There aren’t _____________ books on the desk, but there are ___________ pencils.
3. Have you got ___________ sugar in your tea? No, I haven’t got _____________ sugar.
                                                                                                                                         
22. Fill in the gaps with one of these words:  dangerous, best,  worse, most,  than, more, longer

1. Big cities are ______________ polluted ___________ small towns.
2. Rock music is the ____________ exciting music in the world.
3. Snakes are more  ______________ and ______________ than cows.
4. I think Ronaldinho is the _______________ footballer in the world.                            / 2

23. Look at your agenda and write the clues given what you are doing tomorrow using the PRESENT CONTINUOUS.

1. go shopping, with my mother, tomorrow morning.
2. play basketball, with my friends, tomorrow afternoon.

You will find the answers in the next post and you can find more exercises in my site.

domingo, 24 de diciembre de 2017

Santa is coming tonight!!!


animated-santa-claus-image-0008Tonight is Christmas Eve and we all have a family dinner, listen or watch to the King's speech and some people, most in the world, wait for Santa Claus' gifts. Tradition is very important these days. What traditions do you keep in your family?

 


And talking about tradition, have a look at this fishing tradition in China:

Winter fishing at Chagan Lake: A tradition of 1,000 years   (CGTN)


Here's a good way to read a book  >>>   Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Audiobook) from the BBC School Radio   

 


Activities for my 2º ESO students:

What do you usually have for dinner tonight? Who do you have dinner with? Do you get any gifts tonight or on the Three Wise Men Eve?


Here's a listening exercise to do: The Perfect Santa (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)


 

Lucy teaches us how to pronounce 12 brands you may pronounce incorrectly.




LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 171213 / 13 December 2017    >>>  The science of singing   -  Language related to 'hearing'.  Need-to-know language: hearing impairment, stimulate, hearing acuity, discriminate.

Related articles you can read about the issue:




Now let's listen to Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys   >>>>



viernes, 8 de diciembre de 2017

Are mobile phones really suitable for children?


Mobile phones, and now smart phones, or any other of these similar electronic devices can be the solution to many things, but it can be the cause of many problems, especially when talking about children and teenagers. Can you, please, tell me which problems mobile phones can be the cause of?

 

Activities for my 2º ESO studens:  You can write your comment bearing in mind these questions:

Have you go a mobile phone? When did you get it? How much do you think it costs? How many hours do you spend using your mobile phone? What do you use it for? How heavy is it? What colour is it? How old is it? Why do you think it is useful? Did you get it as a Christmas gift?

 



Read the story included in this newspaper article and some other articles related to the issue:

I regret giving my children cellphones, but not for the reasons you’d think (The Washington Post)


What would you have said if you were the man telling the story? "I wish..."

 

 

Here's a listening exercise to do: Do you need to upgrade your phone? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)



For further information about the issue we are dealing with, you can also have a look at these two posts in this blog:


This is what happens when you suffer from a smartphone addiction:

What Happens To Your Brain When You Mindlessly Scroll?

 







Here's another interesting video about how your phone is changing you >>>   CLICK HERE TO WATCH   

 
And now, changing subject, let's talk about clothes, what's the difference between these two verbs: "to fit" & "to suit" (watch the video) And when do we use the verb "to match"?




LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 171206 / 06 December 2017    >>>  Acidic oceans will 'reduce sea life'   -  Language related to 'biology'.  Need-to-know language: creatures, thrive, ecology, species, food web.


sábado, 2 de diciembre de 2017

Nintendo, the solution?


Let's deal today with the issue of mental health. Here's an interesting article by therapist Marie Miguel for you to read:

How Nintendo Therapy Can Improve Your Patient's Mental Health

 

This therapist is working on a free mental health project focused on educating people as part of a programme developed by Betterhelp. I highly recommend you to have a look at this page, especially the advice section, as it has relevant vocabulary related to the issue which may useful for our Selectivity exam.

 



Activities for my 2º ESO students:  You can have a look at my post popular post Is Internet addiction really a problem???? and answer these questions:

Do you email or message people in another country?
Have you got a personal blog or a personal webpage?
Do you ever chat with strangers on the internet?
Do you play games with people online?

How many hours do you spend surfing the internet?


And here's a really interesting video for you to watch about SO, TOO, REALLY & VERY >>>




And now an article about volcanoes (the Lingohack section also deals with the topic)   >>>>

How dangerous is Bali's Mount Agung and what action has been taken? (The Guardian)


 

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post:

67.     1. People will not probably need food ....        2. The submarine took the men to Manila.
     3. Nobody had delivered the message yet.
    
68.   1. sleeping - to camp   2. studying  -  spend  -  watching   3. to pass   - to come  -  dreaming

69. (a) John and Paul, who were working on the roof, left the ladder against the house.
      (b) Bill, whose fingerprints were on the screwdriver, was later caught by the police.
      (c) The bed I slept on has no mattress.       (d) Tom, who had been driving all day, was tired and .....
      (e) He spoke in French,but the people he was speaking to didn't know French.
    
70.   Of course, I will go to the party.       I took a two-week course on robotics.
He asked me a question.       He asked me to stand up.
I am still writing.      You could hear strange sounds in the still of the night.    Stay still till I tell you so.

71.    (a) She asked me to pass her the salt.        (b) Jim answered she was not the right woman to do that.
(c) The driver said he couldn't find the road in the map.       (d) Peter suggested having dinner somewhere after the theatre.   Ann accepted and suggested going to that place Jack was always talking about.
(e) Ann said Jack's parents had asked her to supper the following night, but she didn't know what to wear (but she wondered what she should wear)
     
72.   1. I prefer driving rather than travelling by train if you don't mind.   
2. According to certain people, may parents would prefer that their children had less homework. (fewer exercises to do)
3. When I went to England I wasn't used to having breakfast so early, but shortly after I got used to getting up and having breakfast early
4. There's no point (in) worrying about money because you never know what is going to happen tomorrow.
5. We've almost run out of petrol. We'd better stop at the next petrol station to fill it in.
6. May, who is the new British Prime Minister, also stated that it is (high) time something is done / to do something about pollution and the Bosnian problem.
7. I didn't see anybody going into the house, but I could hear how someone was walking on the second floor.
8. At the beginning she didn't want to have dinner with Albert, but in the end he could / was able to convince her.
9. He must have gone out because I have been phoning him since five and nobody answers. Do you think you could lend me a hand with my English homework?
10. We've got plenty of time, so we needn't/don't need to/don't have to hurry up.
     

LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 171129 / 29 November 2017    >>>  Monitoring a deadly volcano   -  Language related to 'volcanoes'.  Need-to-know language: towers above, active, peak, eruption, lava.



martes, 28 de noviembre de 2017

Any couch potatoes around?



What do you mean by 'a couch potato'? What kind of people are you talking about? Are you a couch potato yourself? What do you have to do if you are a couch potato? Do you feel well? (what is the noun that comes from the adjective 'well'?


Related articles to read about the issue:

Activities for my 2º ESO studens: What do you usually do to keep fit? How much television do you watch? Do you do sport alone or in group? What does 'couch potato' mean? Look it up in a dictionary.

Here's a listening exercise to do: Why more of us are getting fitter together? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)


Let's learn 10 English Expressions with HAVE - phrasal verbs, idioms and slang sayings with Lucy.


Revision for SELECTIVITY & 2º Bachillerato.



67. Put the following sentences into the ACTIVE VOICE :

     1. Food won't probably be needed next year in Somalia any longer.
     2. The men were taken to Manila by the submarine.
     3. The message had not been delivered yet.
    

68. GERUND , INFINITIVE or PRESENT PARTICIPLE. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form :
1. We suggested __________ (sleep) in hotels but the children were anxious __________ (camp) out.
2. I don't feel like __________ (study) English this evening, I'd rather __________ (spend) the whole time __________ (watch) television.
3. Albert would like __________ (pass) every student, so we wouldn't have __________ (come) in September, but unfortunately there's no point __________ (dream) such silly things.

69. Join the following sentences together using a Relative Clause :

      (a) John and Paul were working on the roof. They left the ladder against the house.
      (b) Bill's fingerprints were on the screwdriver. He was later caught by the police.
      (c) The bed has no mattress.I slept on this bed.
      (d) Tom had been driving all day.He was tired and wanted to stop.
      (e) He spoke in French,but the people didn't know French.He was speaking to these people.
    

70. Write sentences using the following lexical items in two different contexts and with two different meanings :         COURSE    ,          ASK     ,          STILL


71. Write the following sentences in Indirect Speech :

      (a) "Could you pass me the salt, please?", she asked me.
      (b) "She is not the right woman to do this", Jim answered.
      (c) "I can't find the road in the map", the driver said.
      (d) "Shall we have dinner somewhere after the theatre?" said Peter.
          "Yes,let's," said Ann. "What about going to that place Jack is always talking about?"
      (e) "Jack's parents have asked me to supper tomorrow night," said Ann. "What shall I wear?"
     



72. Translate the following sentences into English :

      1. Prefiero conducir a viajar en tren si no te importa.
      2. Según ciertas personas, muchos padres preferirían que sus hijos tuvieran menos deberes.
      3. Cuando fuí a Inglaterra no estaba acostumbrado a desayunar tan temprano, pero poco después me
          acostumbré a levantarme y desayunar temprano.
      4. No vale la pena preocuparse por el dinero porque nunca sabes lo que va a pasar mañana.
      5. Casi nos hemos quedado sin gasolina. Sería mejor que parásemos en la próxima gasolinera a llenar.
      6. May, que es la nueva Primera Ministra británica, también declaró que ya es hora que se haga algo 
          sobre la contaminación y el problema bosnio.
      7. No ví a nadie entrar en casa, pero podía oir cómo alguien andaba por la segunda planta.
      8. Al principio ella no queria cenar con Alberto, pero al final él pudo convencerla.
      9. Él debe haber salido porque llevo telefoneándole desde las cinco y nadie contesta. ¿Crees tú que 
          me podrías echar una mano con mis deberes de inglés?
      10. Tenemos cantidad de tiempo , así que no hace falta que nos demos prisa.
     

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post:

63. (a) She did not intend to be unhappy about him as they had all agreed he had to marry someone rich.   (b) He told her he loved her so much.    (c) He behaved like that because he was very nervous about what he was about to say.  


64. (a) What did Elisabeth do?     (b) How did she answer him?      (c) How long did he sit down?




65. FORTUNE.- large amount of money, HALF EXPECTED.- when someone is almost sure something is going to happen & TO STRUGGLE.- to fight, to have much difficulty in doing something 
66.    1. The power of poetry cannot be understood.   2. It is said..... ///   The audience is said to have enjoyed very much the play.    ///   The play is said to have been enjoyed very much3. The King's father is trying to be cured.

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 171115 / 15 November 2017    >>>  Protecting Sudan's 'forgotten' pyramids   -  Language related to 'Ancient history'.  Need-to-know language: tombs, civilisations, anciente wonders, treasure, centuries-old heritage.