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

lunes, 28 de mayo de 2018

York or Bath? That is the question.



BREAKING NEWS  >>>>  We will be having a very important meeting next week on Wednesday, 26th September, in the language department to talk about the possibility of organizing our VII Study Trip to the British-Irish Isles. The options are Bath or York. Here are the programmes sent by the Spanish Agency:

 

Latest news on our possible VII Study Trip to the British-Irish Isles  >>   we have been offered a brand new destination with better conditions (YORK), so we will be having another meeting next week on 6th June (Wednesday) to talk about it.

 

 

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:  Can you locate the cities of Bath and York? For example, Salobreña is a village in the south-east of Spain. Now have a look at the two flyers and tell me differences between the two destinations using the comparatives and superlatives: BATH & YORK.


Note that these prices are not updated and that Bath includes a trip to Oxford.



Here are two videos to watch about these two cities:

Bath >>>

Other related videos you can watch:

 

York >>>


Other related videos you can watch:

Lucy tells us about Modal Verbs: MUST, CAN, WOULD, SHOULD, MIGHT, WILL, COULD, SHALL & MAY

 



Here's a listening exercise to do: Is the internet good or bad? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)






Another funny episode of John McEnroe talking about tennis in "The self-appointed Commissioner of Tennis":

GOAT or Croatian Shepherd?



But who is the GLOAT??



LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 180516 / 16 May 2018    >>>  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's romance   -  Language related to 'Love'.  Need-to-know language: whirlwind romance, tying the knot, blind date, fell in love  & engagement.

jueves, 24 de mayo de 2018

Moments of glory



OUR SUPER NON-BILINGUAL STUDENTS  (September 2011- May 2018)

 

The school year is coming to an end. Actually, our students in 2º Bachillerato have already finished with us and are getting ready for their Selectivity exams!!!

Congratulations to our non-bilingual students for their excellent results in English!!!!

However, this is no surprise for anybody as four of them have already got their B1 in French, seven of them their B2 in English and some others their B1.

 


Six years ago, we came to a commitment to fight bilingualism, that is, to have the best proven results in foreign languages and we have done it. 

It has been a real pleasure to work along with you. 

 

I will miss you!!! Here's the song I dedicate to this super non-bilingual generation:

 




And on Saturday, 26th May, another moment of glory:

 




 

Last weekend we had two other moments of glory:

First, in tennis...

Italian Open: Rafael Nadal beats Alexander Zverev to win Rome title for an eighth time (BBC News)



And then in basketball...

REAL MADRID: FACTS OF THE CHAMPION!  

Luka Doncic named Final Four MVP as Real Madrid wins EuroLeague (Arizona Sports)


And the MVP (Most Valuable Player) was Wonder Boy Luka Doncic, a future NBA star? and 1 , 2 


Here's a listening exercise to do: Are you a foodie? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)


Speak English with Vanessa   >>>  Advanced English Vocabulary [The Fearless Fluency Club]

 

  

English in a Minute (BBC Learning English)  >>>  5 ways to use 'hard'   

 

Activities for my 2º ESO students:  Watch the video above, complete the activity included in the link and write 5 sentences with the different meanings of 'hard'.





Another funny episode of John McEnroe talking about tennis in "The self-appointed Commissioner of Tennis":

The Commissioner on Grunt-Gate








sábado, 19 de mayo de 2018

Walking among dishonest people



We are surrounded by thousands of dishonest people in this world: politicians, false friends, fake news... and when it comes to children, parents lie to their children in order to protect them, to manipulate them, to keep them in a coccoon... 

 

I prefer to be honest with my students and tell them things straightaway so that they can face problems better and even avoid dramatic situations.



Here are some related articles you can read about the topic:

Here's a listening exercise to do: Lying to children (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 


Activities for my 2º ESO students:  Watch the following video and write sentences with the two words.

Four things to remember about MAKE & DO   (English in a Minute, BBC Learning English) 


Linguamarina tells us HOW TO LEARN 100+ ENGLISH WORDS A DAY. ENGLISH VOCABULARY.

 


LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 180509 / 09 May 2018    >>>  World's largest glasshouse reopens   -  Language related to 'Restoration'.  Need-to-know language: labour of love, stripped back, bare metal, painstaking refurbishment & architectural brilliance.


Another funny episode of John McEnroe talking about tennis in "The self-appointed Commissioner of Tennis":

John McEnroe and Boris Becker on Social Media








sábado, 12 de mayo de 2018

It's two o'clock and I'm HANGRY!!!!

Yes, yes, it is not a mistake. I said 'hangry'. It is the combination of being hungry and feeling angry because of that. Might this be the cause of the behaviour of some of our students, especially those in 2º ESO B????


Here's a listening exercise to do about the issue: HANGRY: Are you angry when you are hungry? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 






Related article you can read  >>>>

Hangry: a stupid, made-up word for being hungry and angry at the same time? (The Guardian)


Activities for my 2º ESO students:  Watch the following video and write sentences with the two words.

What's the difference between 'History' and 'story'?


The English Coach  >>>  Listening Skills | Why You Don’t Understand Movies, TV Shows, & Native English Speakers

Revision for SELECTIVITY. Some exercises connected with the section USE OF ENGLISH.


Solutions to the exercises in the previous post:

1. routine  (Twenty-eight monks live at Mepkin Abbey, following the same routine established in France 900 years ago: praying, reading the Bible, and working.)    2. quietly       3. Peace and joy are found at the monastery by visitors.        4. Lindsay is the eldest child, so she has to look after the other children.       
5. on      6. How much did the dictionary cost ten years ago?         7. , they can also visit the museum.    
8. peacefully (Example: “Eva died peacefully in her sleep,” a spokesperson at the home said.)   
9. spokesperson, spokesman      10. The director said they were very privileged to have nursed her.      
11. She lived for a long time since she had a whisky everyday.              12. Old people live in nursing homes           13. How old is she said to be?          14. he would have celebrated her 120th birthday.     
15. brightness , reporter       16. The UFO enthusiast explained he had never known anything like it.   //  The butcher exclaimed that he couldn't get those pies anywhere else in the universe.      
17. into      18. How long have people been seeing strange objects in the sky?

 


LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 180502 / 02 May 2018    >>>  Fishermen fear oil drilling in African lake   -  Language related to 'Economic survival'.  Need-to-know language: lifeblood, sustenance, make a living, way of life & in the doldrums.



Another funny episode of John McEnroe talking about tennis in "The self-appointed Commissioner of Tennis":

The Commissioner Forget responds to McEnroe






domingo, 6 de mayo de 2018

Do you fancy a second Bath for our VII Study trip to the British_Irish Isles????

Do you fancy a second Bath for our VII Study trip to the British-Irish Isles???? Sorry I was just trying to sound funny playing with words. We are thinking about organizing another study trip to the British-Irish Isles if there are enough people interested in participating.


Therefore, next Wednesday (16th March) during the break we are having a meeting to give you all the information. In this post you will be able to look through some of the things we did four years ago. And remember this is just a meeting to inform you. It doesn't compel you to do anything!!!!

Here are some of the posts in this blog related to the trip we did four years ago and which was our third experience:

And you can also have a look at:

>>>>   the diary of all the things we did during our stay in  >>>  STUDY TRIP TO THE BRITISH-IRISH ISLES (previous experiences) 

>>>>   all the photos and videos: 1 & 2.



Here's a listening exercise to do: Are you a foodie? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)


Prepositions of PLACE 👉 IN / ON / AT / BY 👈 Common English Grammar Mistakes

 

Revision for SELECTIVITY. 

Some exercises connected with the section USE OF ENGLISH.

1. Read the following definition and try to guess the word it refers to:  “sequence of actions regularly followed”

2. Give one synonym for “PEACEFUL”.
3. Turn the following sentence into the passive voice:     Visitors find peace and joy at the monastery.    
4. Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes if necessary.                Lindsay is the eldest child. She has to look after the other children.


5. Fill in the gap with a correct preposition.     My friend insisted __________ paying the bill.

6. Give a question for the underlined words.              This dictionary cost fifty dollars ten years ago.

7. Complete the following sentence:   If the visitors wish…
8. Give one synonym for “QUIETLY” (adverb).
9. Give one word which has the following definition:   “person who speaks in representation of a group” (noun)

10. Turn the following sentence into reported speech. The director said: “We are very privileged to have nursed her.”

11. Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes if necessary.      She lived for a long time. She had a whisky everyday.

12. Put the following words in the correct order to make a meaningful sentence.

                people / homes / old / in / live / nursing           

13. Give a question for the underlined words.            She is said to be 115  years old.
14. Complete the following sentence:              If Eva had lived six more days…                   

15. Give one noun with the same root as BRIGHT (adjective) and one noun with the same root as REPORT (verb).

16. Turn the following sentences into reported speech.

The UFO enthusiast explained: “I’ve never known anything like it.”

The butcher exclaimed: “You can’t get these pies anywhere else in the universe!”


17. Fill in  the gap with a correct preposition.                                                         

The Martians climbed  ___________ the UFO,  closed the door, and flew away.

18. Give a question for the underlined words.
People have been seeing strange objects in the sky for centuries.

boy reading a book


Solutions to the exercises in the previous post:

1. scary, terrifying      2. to connect      3. Prince Kretzulesco said he had been considering leaving Germany the next year.    4. He would be received with open arms.    5. ill / sick    6. Where did Sally go last year?  7. if she had enough money to afford it    8. commonly, largely, normally (Example: It is commonly thought that people watching violent films get excited and might want to perform violent acts in real life.)  9. thought , behaviour  10. actress, producer   11. Violent games easily influence children.    12. a) there wouldn't be so many murders.    b) when you have to drive afterwards.    13. He was reading a book, whose characters were zombies.    14. disagree , hard


 

LINGOHACK  >>>

  • Episode 180425 / 25 April 2018    >>>  Can football ever make you happy?   -  Language related to 'Statistics'.  Need-to-know language: rate, analysed, dataset & on avarage.

Another funny episode of John McEnroe talking about tennis in "The self-appointed Commissioner of Tennis":

John McEnroe Eurosport Show PART2 (2016)