Christmas Card Contest

Christmas Card Contest by ana_uk877884

Choosing a topic for your oral presentation

This entry corresponds to Advanced Level 1 (B.2.1)

Hi there!

For next Monday (11th November) you have to prepare your first oral presentation. I have given you the choice to talk about any topic you want, but... how do you decide what to talk about?

Normally, students choose the topics based on one of the following criteria:

• They talk about what they think the teacher wants to hear.
• They choose topics that they perceive as easy.
• They choose a topic that inspires or excites them.

In my view, the best results happen when the students choose the third option: they are inspired by the topic.

The truth about your presentation is that if it doesn't excite you, it won't excite your listeners. If you're not fascinated by the content, your insights will be mechanical and unattached. Plus, you'll lose motivation along the way.

So, the next time you ask yourself, "How do I decide what to talk/write about?", start with what inspires you and build from there.

Adapted from www.eslbasics.com

Readings C1 (2013-2014)

This entry corresponds to C1

Here you have the Set Readings for this year.

Since all the books are original, it doesn't matter if you buy a different edition. That is, the cover doesn't have to be the same one I have shown you.

Set Readings C1 by ana_uk877884

Readings Advanced Level 1 (2013-2014)

This entry corresponds to Advanced Level 1 (B.2.1)

Here you have the Set Readings for this year.

Since the books for the 2nd and 3rd terms are original, it doesn't matter if you buy a different edition. That is, you don't need to have the same cover (portada) that I have shown you.

Set Readings Avanzado 1 by ana_uk877884

Health; going to the doctor's; good stress; present perfect simple vs. continuous

This entry corresponds to Advanced Level 1 (B2.1)

Hi there!

These days we've been talking about health and eating habits. In one of the first sessions we discussed whether milk was good for the body or not . Here I post the video in case you may want to watch it again. If you open it directly on YouTube remember that you can activate subtitles. However, remember that they are computer-generated, so you may find many mistakes. Still, they are still helpful to follow the main ideas.

We've also talked about going to the doctor's, and we've learnt plenty of vocabulary related to illnesses and symptoms. Below you have two listening exercises about talking to a doctor:

• Talking to the doctor 
• Phoning the doctor 

You might find them rather easy, as they are from the Intermediate level, but still they're good for practice.

We also discussed whether stress was good for you. Well, apparently it is! Check out the video below!



About grammar, we've been revising the differences between the present perfect simple and continuous. Here you have quite a completely summary about when to use each:

Taken from www.ego4u.com

You can practise doing the exercises below:

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3

And that is all for the moment!

Ana.

Language, culture and identity; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This entry corresponds to level C1

Hi there!

In these weeks we've mainly been talking about culture and identity, and we've discussed identity icons that define us, our country, or other countries.

In one session we also talked about the relationship between language and identity, and in that sense I'd like you to know a little bit about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which holds that the structure of a language affects the perceptions of reality of its speakers and thus influences their thought patterns and worldviews.

Please, check the video below (it's only 6 minutes; the remaining 2 are for credits). If you open it on YouTube, you can activate the option of "subtitles". As you know, those subtitles are computer-generated, so you're going to find many mistakes. However, they can still help you to follow the main ideas.

In Unit 3 we've started talking about relationships, and I've asked you to read the short story "Imitations", by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

She's an Igbo writer from Nigeria. She has been labeled as the most prominent of a procession of acclaimed young anglophone authors that has succeeded in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature. Since she's settled in the US, some of her stories also show the cultural clash between the Western and African views of the world.

Listen to her on this very interesting talk about the power of stories. You'll find her extremely easy to understand due to her crystal-clear diction and her outstanding communicative skills.



If you want to read a little bit more about her life, and her writing career, check the document below. You can also visit her official website here. I strongly recommend you to read something else by her.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie by ana_uk877884



For Tuesday, remember you have to record a video about a day in your lives; on Thursday you have to hand in the second writing of the term.

Have a great Sunday!
Ana.